Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
Sheep Dip Old Hebridean "I 'm trying to start a revolution against preten- tion," says Spencerfield Spirit Company's Managing Director, Alex Nicol. The company brings to market Sheep Dip vatted malt and Pig's Nose blended scotch whisky. Part of his revolution involves sponsoring pig races in Australia. "When you're a tiny company, you've got to be more inventive," Nicol adds. His latest invention is Sheep Dip Old Hebridean, another vatted malt with a more pronounced Islay flavor profile (the majority of the blend is Ardbeg, vatted with Dalmore 1990 and a Fettercairn), but with the rough edges taken off via blending and marrying in casks for 12 years rather than just a few months. The new bottling hits store shelves in November with an SRP of $69.99. —Camper English adMIral IMportS Ardmore 30 Year Old and Taste Journey T hough Ardmore was founded in 1898, all of the whisky produced at the distillery went into blends such as Teacher's until a few years ago, when they began releasing single malts. Ardmore is a peated Highland single malt that is smoky, but without the iodine and brine of Islay whiskies, available in the no-age-statement Traditional Cask bottling and, more recently, a 30 Year Old bottling. The 53.4% non-chill-filtered 30 Year Old opens with a small splash of water to become herbaceous and grassy, licorice-minty, and almost savory. Distillery Manager Alistair Longwell was also in town to introduce the Taste Journey, a new website feature that produces a user-generated 3-D tasting chart for Ardmore and other brands. "Things all happen in three dimensions, and tasting is no different," Longwell says. "We like to think of Ardmore as a three-dimensional whisky." –C.E. BeaM GloBal SpIrItS Caol Ila The Distillers Edition "T his is my baby," says Diageo Master of Whisky Steve Beal as he holds not a baby but a bottle of the new Caol Ila The Distillers Edition. "Each of the Classic Malts has a Distillers Edi- tion, and each one has its own cask finishing that complements the whisky. In this case it's a Mosca- tel cask. It's got a nice balance—the sweetness of the Moscatel that balances with the smoke you get from the tradition of Islay malt," says Beal. The bottle will have an SRP of $79.99 in California after it becomes available at the end of November. The whisky has some pleasant bitter cocoa notes and char on the palate, with a fresh minty quality to the finish. —C.E. dIaGeo North aMerIca Alex Nicol. Steve Beal. december 2009 / the tasting panel / 57