Single Cask Nation
presented by Joshua Hatton
Thursday. May 7, 2020
Southern California Whiskey Club was happy to have Joshua Hatton present Retail Release #6 from Single Cask Nation via an online tasting. This release features an older sherried Speyside whisky, a younger peated Highland whisky, an older grain whisky in first fill American oak, a release from Israel, and a couple more treats to explore in the comfort of your own home.
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event pour list:
1. Cameronbridge 26yo, refill Sherry Butt
From Single Cask Nation Retail Release #5
2. Aultmore 30 year, 1st fill Sherry Butt
Cask #2459 yielded 465 bottles.
3. Aultmore 8 year, 1st fill Bourbon Barrel
Cask #800233 yielded 227 bottles.
4. Ben Nevis 23 year, 2nd fill Bourbon Hogshead
Cask #1839 yielded 209 bottles.
5. Ruadh Mhor 10 year, 2nd fill Bourbon Hogshead
Cask #57 yielded 238 bottles.
6. Milk & Honey 2 year, 1st fill Bourbon Barrel
Cask #0118 yielded 256 bottles.
Fukano and Ohishi Japanese Whisky
presented by Elijah Ammon & Chris Uhde
Saturday, May 9, 2020
6:30pm - 8:00pm
location: Online Tasting
The GlenAllachie Distillery
presented by David Keir, Sales and Marketing Director
date: Saturday, July 11, 2020
time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm [PDT, Pacific Daylight Time]
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
Southern California Whiskey Club is having a special afternoon event with GlenAllachie Sales Director, David Keir joining us all the way from Scotland. The GlenAllachie Distillery, located in the Speyside region of Scotland, is a younger whisky distillery that is emerging as an award-winning single malt. For this global virtual tasting, we are exploring the complete core range from the 10 to the 25, a special 1989 vintage, and finishing with their newly released peated single malt blend.
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event pour list:
1. GlenAllachie 10 year cask strength 57.1%ABV
2. GlenAllachie 12 year 46%ABV
3. GlenAllachie 15 year 46%ABV
4. GlenAllachie 18 year 46%ABV
5. GlenAllachie 25 year 48%ABV
6. GlenAllachie 1989 29 year Sherry Single Cask 55.1%ABV
7. MacNair’s Lum Reek 46%ABV
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recognition + awards:
Scottish Whisky Awards [link]
• Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year 2019
San Francisco World Spirits Competition [link]
• 3 double golds and a gold medal for GlenAllachie 12, 15 and 25
• Gold medal for our MacNair’s Lum Reek 12 Year Old
2020 Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Awards [link]
• Billy Walker awarded Master Distiller/Master Blender of the Year
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A big thanks to Elijah Ammon for making this happen!
Turning a Blind Rye
a special 2 part event of twenty expressions
date: Thursday, August 13 + Thursday, August 20, 2020
time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm [PDT, Pacific Daylight Time]
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
It's been a while since we did a comprehensive blind tasting, to make up for that, we're going all out. 20 1oz. rye samples will be sent out to do a blind tasting over the span of two Zoom meetings. The only hint we'll give you is that the proof goes up over the course of the tasting and the details will not be revealed until the end of each meeting. Some of these ryes are easy to find around $40, others are far more elusive and run $200+.
We suggest that you explore these a few at a time and make tasting notes at your own pace. Also, save some to re-visit during the Zoom meetings as a reference to see if we can find a group consensus.
We're going to send out all of the ryes at the same time (you will receive a box of 20 samples) and they'll be labeled into round 1 and 2. A scorecard and other details will be included in the package. This is going to be an intensely educational tasting and a chance to try some hard-to-find rye along with some standard expressions. This will be a small meeting of only 20 members.
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A big thanks to Josh Peters for making this happen!
Turn a Blind Rye Part I
Turn a Blind Rye Part II
Points
79
72
68
67
64
64
62
59
47
35
Letter
I
G
A
H
D
E
F
B
J
C
Name
Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Rye
Elijah Craig Rye
Michter's SiB Rye
Clyde May's Rye
Woodinville 100% Rye
Woodford Reserve Rye
High West Double Rye (2015)
Corsair Dark Rye
A.D. Laws Secale Rye
Leopold's Maryland-Style Rye
Points
74
72
72
69
69
68
60
60
59
57
Letter
S
R
Q
V
O
M
T
P
N
W
Name
Kentucky Owl
New Riff SiB
Rarebreed Rye
Knob Creek Barrel Proof
Old Overholt Bonded
Piggyback Rye
James E. Pepper 1776 Rye Barrel Proof
Wilderness Trail Rye
James E. Pepper 1776 Rye
Old Portrero SiB
20 Blind Bourbons
a special 2 part event of twenty expressions
Tuesday, September 8 + Tuesday, September 15, 2020
In September we'll continue the blind tasting theme with another set of 20 1oz. samples we'll send out and taste over the span of two Zoom meetings. The only hint we'll give you is the proof goes up over the course of the tasting; details will not be revealed until the end of each round.
Like with the rye, we'll send out all 20 of the samples at the same time and they'll be labeled with round 1 and 2. A scorecard and other details will also be included. We suggest tasting the whiskeys before each round but don't drink all 10 of the samples beforehand. Make notes, get your initial ratings done and try to save about 1/2 for the live event.
Like the 20 Blind Ryes, the whiskeys in this massive tasting were ordered by proof. We did this to keep a cask strength whiskey from overpowering and killing the subtleties of lower proofed whiskey in the lineup. Outside of that knowledge, and that the whiskey was all going to be bourbon, the members had no other clues about what they were drinking. Also like with the 20 Blind Ryes event we had a full house for voting in round 1, but 3 members couldn’t make it for round 2 so I had to normalize the scores for the final-final results which I’ll include at the bottom. But first, let’s go round by round to see how the members ranked the different sets of 10.
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The Whiskey Jug Article [link]
A big thanks to Josh Peters for making this happen!
20 Blind Bourbons Part I
20 Blind Bourbons Part II
Points
46
47
53
52
48
63
74
73
79
75
Letter
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Name
Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon
High West American Prairie
Clyde May’s Bourbon
Balcones Pot Still Bourbon
A.D. Laws Four Grain
Daviess County Bourbon
Daviess County French Oak Finish
Daviess County Cab Sauv Finish
Kentucky Owl Confiscated
Still Austin The Musician
Points
59
55
50
49
54
71
61
50
56
65
Letter
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
V
W
Name
Bardstown Fusion 2
Old Tub Bonded
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep BiB 17 Years
Wilderness Wheated
New Riff Single Barrel
Wilderness Trail High Rye
Barrell Batch 24
Willett 4 yo
Archives Heaven Hill 10 Years
Booker’s "Noe Secret"
And now for my favorite part, seeing how everything looks once we normalize the votes and account for the 3 missing. These are the official rankings by the Southern California Whiskey Club members:
20 40 Heaven’s Door Tennessee Bourbon
19 41 High West American Prairie
18 42 A.D. Laws Four Grain
17 46 Balcones Pot Still Bourbon
16 47 Clyde May’s Bourbon
15 49 Wilderness Trail Wheated
14 50 Wild Turkey Master’s Keep BiB 17 Years
13 50 Willett 4 yo
12 54 Daviess County Bourbon
11 54 New Riff Single Barrel Bourbon
10 55 Old Tub Bonded
09 56 Archives Heaven Hill 10 Years
08 59 Bardstown Fusion 2
07 61 Barrell Batch 24
06 64 Daviess County Bourbon Cab Sauv Finish
05 65 Daviess County Bourbon French Oak Finish
04 65 Booker’s Noe Secret
03 66 Still Austin The Musician
02 67 Kentucky Owl Confiscated
01 71 Wilderness Trail High Rye
Ohishi Whisky Madeira Single Cask Release
Presented by Elijah Ammon + Chris Uhde
date: Sunday, September 20, 2020
time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm [PDT, Pacific Daylight Time]
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
Ohishi Whisky
Madeira Single Cask
$57.99 pre-sale (750ml)
To celebrate our first cask release we are doing a bottle opening event as a group via Zoom.
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We are excited to announce Southern California Whiskey Club’s first foray into an exclusive single cask bottling for the club. We used our close connections with Ohishi Distillery to bring the first, and only, Madeira cask directly from Japan to Los Angeles. It was a cherry-pick that Chris Uhde made possible from all of his visits to the distillery that he earmarked for SCWC. A few months ago we tried a few samples and this is the one we were enamored with. As soon as it arrived in Long Beach we had a taste from the first case that was opened — it was even better than we remembered it. We are very happy with the selection and how well JVS has been taking care of the club to offer this super rare bottling. We are doing this in conjunction with Gabrielle Dion @ The Mixing Glass so we can sell this release of only 180 bottles.
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Southern California Whiskey Club Ohishi Madeira Single Cask specs:
1st Madeira cask ever bottled by the distillery
7 Year | Distilled February 2013
• 5 years in a wet first fill Oloroso Sherry barrel
• 2 years 2 months in a wet first fill Madeira barrel
bottled @ cask strength @ 41.2% ABV
only 180 bottles available
limited number of "Ohishi packs" available:
1. Ohishi Brandy 42.2%
2. Ohishi Mizunara 11yr 42.4%
3. Ohishi Sherry 11yr 2020 Special Release 41%
4. Ohishi Islay 42.7%
5. Ohishi Port 42.4%
Germain-Robin Brandy
w/ Master Sommelier Eric Entrikin, Brand Ambassador for Germain-Robin
date: Thursday, October 8, 2020
time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm [PDT, Pacific Daylight Time]
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
This is SCWC's first foray into the magical world of brandy. Brandy’s storied history, provenance, and complex flavors makes it a fantastic alternative for whiskey fans. It has many characteristics reminiscent of whiskey thanks to oak barrel aging and the use of distillation. If you are looking to expand your palate, we are recommending brandy; there’s something even the most ardent whiskey lover can appreciate. Distilled exclusively using craft methods on an antique cognac Pruhlo Charentais pot stills in Mendocino County, Germain-Robin is aged in Limousin oak barrels to highlight the flavors that make this California Brandy one of the most sought-after aged spirits.
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line-up [1oz samples]:
1. Germain-Robin California Alambic Brandy
aged 7 years in French Limousin oak barrels, 40%ABV
2. Germain-Robin XO Brandy
select barrel, aged 11 years in small Limousin oak barrels, 40%ABV
3. Germain-Robin Old Havana
blend of 20 different brandies, featuring 9 different varieties, 40% ABV
rare and discontinued, crafted to pair with Cuban-leaf cigars
originally blended in 1997 | contains brandies more than 25 years old
4. Germain-Robin Single Barrel v127
distilled 1992 | bottled in 2010
release 2011.19.sb/01 | 100% pinot noir
41.6% ABV | aged 17 years
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Each package will have 2 tins included — one with almonds/walnuts and one with chocolate for pairing with the brandy. This event features a very rare bottle of single cask brandy that was distilled in 1992, with a yield of only 681 bottles, and bottled back in 2010. And the discontinued Old Havana brandy that was named the “Best Spirit in the World” by 3 different publications.
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“No cognac is as good as Germain-Robin brandy” - LA Times
“Germain-Robin is the best grape spirit on the planet.” - Spirits & Cocktails Magazine
A big thanks to Liz Tomanchek, Senior Portfolio Consultant with the Èlevage Collection, for making this happen!
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cocktail recipe that won the Spirits Shaker competition
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Cocktail name: After the Fire
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Content:
1 oz. Argonaut Fat Thumb CA Brandy
1 oz. Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro
1 oz. fresh blood orange juice
½ teaspoon Mezcal
2-3 dashes of aromatic bitters (Fee Brothers, but Angostura or Peychaud’s work)
Absinthe for rinse
Blood orange twist for garnish
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Preparation:
Chill serving glass.
Char twist over an open flame for a minute or two, till it starts to spark.
Pour a small amount of Absinthe in chilled glass and coat inside. Discard Absinthe
Shake all ingredients except the Absinthe and twist in a cocktail shaker.
Pour in chilled glass and top with twist
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Enjoy!
Eric Entrikin, Master Sommelier
Germain-Robin Brandy Ambassador
GlenDronach, BenRiach, and Glenglassaugh
Presented by Rory Glasgow, Brown Forman Whisky Ambassador
date: Sunday, October 18, 2020
time: 6:300pm - 8:00pm [Pacific Time]
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
Southern California Whiskey Club is having a special Sunday afternoon event with brand ambassador Rory Glasgow joining us all the way from San Francisco to guide us through the history and production of 3 classic Highland distilleries. This event is for everyone interested in Scotch Whiskey, from veteran connoisseurs to beginners, and will include a Scotch 101 portion to provide an introduction to the category of Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
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line-up [1oz samples]:
1. BenRiach 10 years old
2. BenRiach 17 years old Septendecim Peated Malt
3. GlenDronach 12 years old Original
4. GlenDronach 18 years old Allardice
5. Glenglassaugh Revival
6. Glenglassaugh Torfa Richly Peated
#SecretStash
7. Benriach 14 years old, Hi-Time Cellars Exclusive Rum Cask, cask 7552
note:
Our friend Rachel Barrie is the Master Blender for The Glendronach, The Benriach, and Glenglassaugh Single Malt Scotch Distilleries. One of only a handful of female Master Blenders in the world, she has developed award-winning whiskies for some of the biggest names in the business. In 2017, she joined the Brown-Forman family to create portfolios at the distilleries we will be tasting.
The BenRiach Distillery [link]
The GlenDronach Distillery [link]
The Glenglassaugh Distillery [link]
A big thanks to Rory, for making this happen!
Dalmore Whisky + Gonzalez Byass Sherry
presented by Claire Henderson and Craig Bridger
date: Thursday, October 22, 2020
time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm PT
location: Virtual Tasting via Zoom [in the safety of your home]
Southern California Whiskey Club is excited to welcome Craig Bridger, Head of Education for The Dalmore Single Malt Scotch and Claire Henderson, Senior Brand Manager for Gonzales Byass Sherry. This will be an in-depth exploration of two historic liquids in a partnership spanning over a century. In this event we will explore the sherries of Gonzalez Byass and the whisky of The Dalmore. Craig and Claire will discuss the unique relationship between these two noble houses and the synergy they create. This event is for everyone interested in sherry and scotch and will include a Sherry 101 portion.
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line-up [1oz samples]:
the sherry:
1. Tio Pepe (González Byass), Classic Fino, 15% ABV
2. Alfonso González Byass, Classic Oloroso, 18% ABV
3. Apóstoles González Byass, Aged 30 Years, 20% ABV
4. Matusalem González Byass, Aged 30 Years, 20.5% ABV
the whisky:
1. The Dalmore 12 Year, 40% ABV
2. The Dalmore 15 Year, 40% ABV
3. The Dalmore 18 Year, 43% ABV
4. The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve, 46.5% ABV
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The Dalmore Distillery [link]
González Byass Sherry [link]
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A big thanks to Liz Tomanchek and Craig Bridger for making this happen!
Southern California Whiskey Club is happy to have Chris Uhde present these two fine lines of Japanese Whisky via a guided online tasting from the safety of your own home.
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event pour list:
1. Fukano Vault 1
new and refill American oak barrels and sherry cask, 40.5%
2. Fukano 10 year
new and refill American oak barrels, 41%
3. Fukano 12 year
2nd fill American oak, single cask #2847, 415 bottles produced, 40.5%
4. Ohishi 8 year
sherry cask, 43.3%
5. Ohishi 10 year
brandy cask, 42.2%
6. Ohishi 7 year Sakura Cask
Hi-Time Wine Cellars exclusive, single cask No. 1480, 43.5%
1 of 2 of Ohishi Sakura single cask in the world
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© 2013 Southern California Whiskey Club
