Welkom op mijn web(blog-)site! 

Ja, óók ik heb het virus te pakken: een eigen website opzetten, want het gevoel van "Ik moet zo nodig" is maar moeilijk te onderdrukken! Bijna iedereen heeft tegenwoordig een eigen blog, dus dacht ik, kom op joh, je kan het, dus vooruit! Het zal mij echt benieuwen. Ik ben eigenlijk helemaal niet zo'n computerfreek, heb nu al enkele keren met m'n handen in het haar gezeten, omdat ik niet meer wist hoe te handelen, maar nadat ik mijzelf weer moed had ingesproken, ging het gelukkig weer 'n beetje. Op dit blog probeer ik graag wat te schrijven over whisk(e)y's,  in het algemeen over "het kostelijke, geestrijke vocht" - whisk(e)y geheten - en over de enorme aantrekkingskracht van bijzondere design whisk(e)yflessen!
Daarnaast ben ik ook van plan wat foto's te plaatsen van roofvogels en een enkel foto'tje met een link naar Bridge. 
 

 Matisse Caperdonic, 12-year-old Blended Malt (Scotland) 

Aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, the 12-year-old blended malt is smooth and pleasing on the floral nose, with soft fruits, lots of orange, and toffee. Maltier with time. Quite full-bodied, rounded and fruity, with nuts and cereal notes. Medium to long in the well-balanced finish. 40.0% ABV, 70cl, £26.00, specialist whisky merchants. 

 

Impressions of Matisse

by Gavin D Smith, 09/11

Matisse is a relatively new name to most European whisky drinkers, but the Matisse Spirits Company Ltd has been established in the Far East for more than a decade, and has spent some £40 million marketing its products during that time. Matisse is one of the best-selling brands in the lucrative Taiwanese spirits sector and also performs well in China, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and the USA.

 

Wu, Chi-Min, UK Managing Director, explains that "Matisse, as the artistic name suggests, is about pioneering a new way to drink Scotch whisky. It was founded in 1999 in Taiwan by our Chairman Mr Yang Teng-Kuei. After spending more than 40 years building a vast media, television and entertainment empire, he decided to launch a Scotch whisky brand that would challenge convention. We believe he is the only individual to combine media and whisky in their business portfolio and it has had powerful results.

"As a result of Mr Yang's background, Matisse was the first to use celebrity endorsement, a strategy which other leading Scotch whisky brands have started to follow across Far Eastern markets. Yet, Matisse stays ahead of its competition by constantly evolving. For example, we don't focus on the shape of the stills or the distillery and its heritage. Rather we aim to create an emotional connection between the whisky and our target consumer."

Matisse's ownership has allowed the company to put celebrity endorsement at its heart and to achieve product placement across the Far East, but it is not only shrewd marketing that has ensured Matisse's continued growth. According to Matisse's Master Blender Edward Drummond, right, "A new approach to whisky in the UK is long overdue. The whisky market is hugely crowded with big name brands occupying the lion's share of both the domestic and export markets.

"To differentiate Matisse, we have combined the highest quality spirits with luxurious packaging to satisfy the tastes of the consumer both here in the UK and globally. Matisse has launched a range of expressions from its accessible and easy drinking 12-year-old blended malt to the Single Malt Series, of which Matisse Caperdonich 1972 is one example."

Drummond explains that "Because we are not tied to one distillery, we can search out the hidden gems that reside in warehouses across the many distilleries of Scotland. Some of these single malts are used for blending purposes while others lie, and have lain for many years, in the warehouses of distilleries that have fallen silent and are unlikely to reopen. Our mission is to bring these whiskies to the global stage.

"Our business model has always been about bringing new drinkers into the category rather than competing with existing whisky brands. When we launched in Taiwan, Scotch whisky import volume grew by 30 per cent during the same period as we took share from local white spirits."

Regarding its expansion into the UK and other European markets, Drummond declares that "Initially we intend to focus on independent specialists as well as exclusive listings with carefully selected multiple retailers. Choosing the right outlets for Matisse will be vital in terms of the brand's positioning going forward."

 

 

 

 

 Matisse Caperdonic, 19-year-old Single Malt (Scotland)

 
 
 
Notes by Ruben  L.(WN):
 
Initially fragrant, with fruit notes soon developing. 
 
Ripe oranges, peaches and vanilla.
 
Full-bodied, with Sherry, worn leather, honey,
 
toffee and a slight sherbet fizz. Lots of developing
 
spices. The finish is long, spicy and consistent.
 
46.0% ABV, 70cl, £55.00, specialist whisky merchants. 

 


 

 

"A cracker, typical of old (and older style) Speyside. 9/10" Dave Broom, Whisky Magazine

 

 

  Macallan 52 years, 1946 vintage

 One of the most exclusive Macallan whisky's ever.

 This vintage whisky is made from peated malt.

 Quote: "This is really a stunning whisky.

 This is why Macallan is called the Rolls Royce of Single Malts".

 

 

James Bond franchise has not been the top grossing at the box office alone; everything from James Bond watches to Bond cars and luxury items seen in the 007 movies had, and continues to have, a strong cult following. And, the movie, ‘Skyfall’ is one of the most prominent with regards to the luxury items enjoyed by Daniel Craig aka Bond 007, including the Regina superyacht which was a part of the movie, had recently went on sale for $14.2 million. Following on from The Macallan’s appearance in Skyfall, a 1962 Macallan bottle of whisky has been put up for auction by Sotheby’s together with Macallan. The British whisky maker, which in the past has been known to produce the top brass of drinking experiences in the form of the most expensive whisky shot at the Macallan lounge, and the Macallan 1824 single malt, will now be a part of the James Bond 50th anniversary celebrations. This special edition bottle will have the autographs of their entire cast of ‘Skyfall’, and will go under the hammer on April 17 in London.

 

 

 

   Dalmore 50-year-old whisky was bottled in 1978 into a limited number of sixty beautiful cut crystal decanters. Known as one of the best 50-year-old whiskies ever produced, the limited edition malt is said to have been distilled in the late 19th century. The rare malt adorns a price of approx.. $15,456.

The event was also notable for the announcement of a new wine partnership between Mallya’s Bouvet-Ladubay, Brut de Loire, and actor Gérard Depardieu.
  •  

  • A bunch of delightful, japanese whiskybottles...e.g.(left:) 

  • Karuizawa, 1968, for Whisky Live Taipei 2011 44yo.

  •  (In the middle:) category single malt whisky from Japan; 

  • bottling the school of malt - lesson 111. Bottled for Dave 

  • Broom - Vintage1991 - Age 21 years old, cask type sherry

  • butt - cask no. 9091 - strength 63.7% vol. bottle size 70cl. 

 

                          

 

 

                

Annie Leibowitz 'Masters of Photography'  with "The Macallans".   

 

 

    

 

 

  

The Macallan 1824 Limited Release consists of only 1,824 decanters, drawn from four of the finest and rarest European Sherry oak casks. It is displayed in a handcrafted crystal decanter which was decorated by a Scottish silversmith.

 

 

Anything that comes out of the Macallan Estate has to be special in all dimensions. Whether it’s the specially crafted crystal decanters, the varnished         wooden box which will house the whisky, or simply the rich rosewood colored beverage inside, every bit of the Macallan 1824 is regal and royal. With an alcohol level of 49.5%, the single malt has scents of nutmeg, wooden spice mixtures, and dried fruits which will begin the intoxication process for the drinker. When it comes to the palate, one can expect a varied concoction of sultana and raisin combined with chocolate orange in the background.

To ensure that only the royals taste the whiskey, and understand the delicacy of each drop of the single malt inside, the casks which housed the beverage were created in Southern Spain specifically for the lot alone. The Oloroso sherry oak then lent its touch to the whisky which is now up for sale. For those looking to add to their collection, there will be select Duty-Free retail outlets which will be selling these decanters. No word on the pricing though! 

 

 

  

 The Original - Quinta Ruban - Lasanta - Nectar d'Or - Ealanta - 18 yo -

 Signet - 25 yo -  Traditional-   Madeira Finish - Port Finish - Burgundy Finish

 Sherry Finish - 10 yo - 18 yo.

   

          

  The Arran Devil's Punch Bowl!

 

    Limited Edition Of Only 6.660 Bottles

 

Eigashima ‘Akashi’ 12yo Private Bottling - Cask Strength -  (59%abv)

 
The Eigashima 12yo was bottled in 2010 – together with a 5yo -
in a limited edition of 102 (for more information, see this post).
About half of the outturn went to Sweden, the other half stayed 
here, in Japan. On the nose, the initial impressions are Christmas
cake, dates, figs, candied orange peel, breakfast cake 
(spice cake), lots of wood smoke, peat, charcoal, cigar boxes – 
also freshly roast coffee beans, vegetal notes (turnip, jacket
potatoes), a hint of motor oil, nail polish, rubber and traces of 
sulphur. It was clear that the latter was responsible for the 
polarizing response: some couldn’t get past it; most people felt 
it worked in the context of the other aromas. On the palate, you
get candied fruit, toffee, burnt toast with orange marmalade, 
tobacco, burnt marshmallows, beef jerky, barbeque smoke 
(pumpkin), goya and a hint of cointreau. Water smoothens 
the rough edges but makes it a bit more bitter. The finish is 
long and bittersweet on dried fruit, chicory and goya.
 
At the end of the evening, I got quite a lot of requests from 
people who wanted a bottle or two of the Eigashima. When
I put my bottle (actually two, because they’re only 500ml) 
in my suitcase, I couldn’t imagine it would topple the Yamazaki
18, but such are the wonders of blind tasting… a Suntory brand
ambassador’s nightmare if ever there was one, this little Akashi 
12yo private bottling. A pity or good fortune – whichever side of 
the divide you fall on – that there’s nothing like this in 
the ware-houses at Eigashima anymore and that there
were only 102 bottles to start with.
 

A Dark Horse: Eigashima 12yo (1997/2010) Private Bottling

Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo

A few weeks ago, after spending a fortnight exploring the 

calvados and whisky distilleries of Normandy and Bretagne 

respectively, I made a little excursion to the city of Ghent 

in Belgium to host a Japanese whisky tasting. The organizer

 – importer/retailer The Bonding Dram – wanted to offer 

a sort of panorama of Japanese whisky and the decision 

was made to limit the selection to single malts 

(but no single casks). To cater to both well-seasoned 

Japanese whisky drinkers and newcomers, there was a

selection of drams only available in Japan (brought over by 

yours truly) in addition to malts generally available in 

Europe (supplied by the organizer).

 

As part of an effort to try and compile a flavour map of 

Japanese whiskies – based on the model developed by 

Dave Broom for the Classic Malts – I thought it would 

be interesting to get some feedback from whisky 

enthusiasts in Europe and so it was decided to do the 

entire tasting blind, with no hints whatsoever as to what

was in the glass. Just out of curiosity, to see what the 

collective preference was, we also asked the attendees 

(32 in total) to score the whiskies.

 

The line up was as follows:

 

Miyagikyo 12 (45%abv)

Miyagikyo NAS (43%abv)

Yoichi 10 (43%abv)

Karuizawa 12yo (an original bottling from the 90s, 

40%abv)

Ichiro’s Wine Wood Reserve 

(leaf label, only available in Japan, 46%abv)

Yamazaki 18 (43%abv)

Hakushu Heavily Peated (first release, 48%abv)

Eigashima ‘Akashi’ 12yo Private Bottling (59%abv)

 

During the first half of the tasting I said very little, 

not wanting the influence people’s evaluation of 

the whiskies. When scores were tallied and

the top 3 drams of the evening were announced 

a shockwave went through the room: in third 

place was Ichiro’s Wine Wood Reserve; runner 

up was Yamazaki 18 and the top dram of the 

evening was… the Eigashima 12yo private bottling. 

The fact that it managed to win – and win by 

quite a large margin! – was even more surprising 

given 

the fact that this particular whisky had received 

the lowest score from a small group of 

people, indicating that those who had given it their 

highest score liked it quite a bit.

 

 

    

  The Macallan no. VI

 

                                       

The Macallan Oscura 

 

 

 

  The  Macallan - Lalique.    

  Fifth decanter, in six pillars collection!

 

      10) Chivas Regal Royal Salute, 50 years old.  
            Price: $10.000
 

The Chivas Regal 50-year Royal Salute is released 
2003 as a special edition to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II 50 
years on the throne (coronation day in 1953). 
Each bottle features
a hand-engraved 24-carat gold plaque.  
There were only 255 bottles in the world.  


9) The Macallan 1939, 40 years old.  
    Price $10.125

First bottled in 1979, this peaty and powerful whisky 
that comes with dried fruit
and sweet toffee flavors was re-bottled in 2002,
and added to McCallan's Fine and Rare line.  


8) Glenfarclas 1955, 50 years old.  
    Price: $10.878

This whisky, bottled in 2005 exactly fifty years to the day
after it was distilled, was hand-picked by George S. Grant 
to celebrate the birth of his ancestor, John Grant, 
who bought the Glenfarclas distillery
back in 1865.  The entire 110 bottles sold out even 
before this whisky was released.  


7) Dalmore 50 Year Old Decanter
    Price: $11.000

Bottled in 1978 into just sixty crystal decanters.  Reputably 
one of the best 50 year
old whisky ever made, and a personal favorite of many 
rich families in the world.  
 


6) The Macallan 55 Year Old Lalique Crystal Decanter

     Price: $12.500
   

 

A celebration between two great nations and one of the finest
creative collaborations between Scotland and France, 
The Macallan 55 Years old Lalique is bottled in 1910 in a 
perfume bottle designed by Rene Lalique.  Worldwide, only 
420 decanters were released, with only one hundred available
in the United States.  


5) Glenfiddich 1937
    Price: $20,000

 

64 year old Glenfiddich, widely regarded as the oldest bottle
of whisky in the world.  This Glenfiddich's 1937 Rare Collection 
whisky had only one bottle ever produced, with the single
bottle sold at a 2006 auction.  


4) The Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch
    Price: $58.000

One of the only twelve bottles produced in 1943.  

The whisky was purchased for $58,000 at the 
Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey, where the 
anonymous buyer reportedly share it with 
five of his lucky friends.  


3) The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare
    Price: $75.000

It is rumored that a South Korean businessman paid $75.000
in 2005 for the chance to own a bottle of this scotch, whose 
flavor is described as dry and concentrated.  The rumor is later
confirmed by Macallan themselves!


2) Dalmore 64 Trinitas

    Price: $160.100
   

Trinitas is named because there are only three bottles of this 
whisky been made.
This whisky is a blend of rare stocks, containing spirits dating from 1868,
1878, 1926 and 1939.  This is the first scotch to sell for six figures. 


1) Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique

    Price: $460.000

And here it is, the most expensive scotch in the world: The Macallan 
64 Year Old in Lalique!  The scotch was sold for $460,000 at an 
auction at Sotheby's, New York on November 2010, breaking the 
record for the most expensive whisky ever sold, and claiming the 
title of world's most expensive scotch.  
 
The special decanter was designed and created by famed French
designer Lalique, and contains 1.5 litres of the rare "The Macallan" 
whisky.The special decanter, itself, is crafted with a unique 
"cire perdue", or "lost wax" method.  

 Ecxeptionel !!!

  Henri IV Dudognon Hermitage 41% *****  100cl.

  (worth $1,982,300)

 

  

Karuizawa Noh Multi Vintages nr.1 27yo for LMdW 59.1% Vol.

 

 
 
Quote from : 'The Perfect Whisky Match':
 
"Karuizawa - Pronounced Ka-REE-zaR-wa. 
(Ian Buxton - reference).
This distillery was quite different from the giants 
of Japanese Distilleries as it was started as a vineyard. 
The owner converted it into a whisky distillery six years
later in 1962. 
Most Japan distilleries produce vast ranges of whisky 
styles, but Karuizawa focused on one style only.  
Their whiskies are typically very rich, smoky, hardy and 
they predominantly used Spanish ex-sherry casks.  
The distillery closed without any apparent reason in 2001. 
The site was then turned into a museum which gave 
tours of the mothballed distillery. 
Then last November (2011) the building and lot was sold 
to an unknown buyer. 
The distillery is officially "lost".  
Stocks of the whisky were purchased by Number One
Drinks and have slowly been leaking out onto the market
year after year.  
They are bought just as quickly. This bottling is the first of 
a series of multi-vintage releases planned by Noh. 
I`m super happy I was able to acquire one of the three 
bottles that was allocated to our area of the world".
 
And a quote from Ruben(WN):
 
N: powerful, with typical Karuizawa notes; kirsch, leather,
blackberry jam, baked apples, roasted almonds, sherry 
wood, dried figs, eucalyptus, turpentine and varnish, 
humus, pine needles...nicely sweet & sour. A classic!
T: very intense again and quite hot. Very sherried, burnt 
sugar, roasted hazelnuts, dark chocolate, leather, bitter
spices, Seville oranges, cough syrup, pepper, dark tea, 
smoke and lots of tobacco. Not for the faint-hearted, be
prepaired for big resonating oak. 
F: long, herbal and spicy. Quite some earthy notes
as well. A good blend of Karuizawa elements.
Too bad it costs about the same  as a single cask 1981: € 275,-
The main retailer(LMdW) is out of stock but there are still quite
a few bottles left in other stores:
Score: 91/100

 

Davin de Kergommeaux

Whisky Writer & Author Davin de Kergommeaux said:  whisky means, whisky friends.

I enjoy the conversations and camaraderie that go along with being a whisky geek. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I’ve made a lot of great mates throughout the whisky world!

Doug McIvor

Congratulations! You have found the on-line resume of Johannes van den Heuvel. Due to the modest nature of my nature, 
that’s no mean feat. Via this website, I’ll try to provide a relatively interactive impression of myself, my work and my life.

Johannes van den Heuvel

 

      

Because I'm serious!

Especially with whisky! 

 

 

  Redback Buzzard.

 ...and more very special whisky bottles....

       

                   Lochranza.

 
 Ben Braithwaite is a graphic design
 student in his final year, his latest 
 project was to design a whisky bottle.
 The concept of his Whisky - Lochranza 
 was that it is an "elegant, smooth,
 feminine, simple design with no 
 traditional labels putting it right 
 into the 21st Century, appea-
 ling to an international female market."
 
The idea behind the bottle design is highlighting 
that whisky is a blend from the two parts of Scotland. 
This bottle elegantly shows the "Highland Boun-
dary Fault, the division between the Highlands and
the Lowlands." The stylish drip on the bottle" 
represents water flowing from the Highlands
downthrough the Lowlands, to create the drip at
the end, a premium drop of whisky created
from  the blending of whiskies from the
Highlands and lowlands. He chose
the colour blue/purple, to represent 
Scotland and  the fact that the drip is water.
"The concept and simplicity of the bottle makes
 it a winning combina-tion. If you have any
questions or you're interested in any of Ben's
work please, contact us. You can also find
him on  twitter @benjiham.

  

 Glenmorangie Signet.

 
 A superb, beautifully 
 packaged Glenmorangie. 
 Signet is distilled from malt 
 with a good portion of 
 chocolate malt too. 
 Chocolate malt is heavily 
 roasted malted barley.
 Some of this whisky was 
 also matured in virgin oak 
 casks.
 
 Nose: Chocolate raisins, 
 an old-fashioned 
 cocktail, cocoa. Peels.
 Palate: Sweet, syrupy 
 cinnamon, dries, huge
 cocoa, oranges, lychees, 
 malt.
 Finish: Dries and becomes 
 pleasantly rubbery, 
 fruity.
 Overall: Utterly superb.

 

 Glenmorangie Pride.

 
Colour: Intense, deepest gold. 
Aroma: Captivating and heady 
 with the combination of poached 
 pears, baked pineapple sponge, 
 demerara sugar, nutmeg and 
 aniseed.
 Taste:The layers of delicious 
 desserts are joined by honeydew 
 melon and lemon vanilla 
 madeleines with oak tannins 
 bringing hints of French toast.
 Finish: Long, succulent and 
 sweet  withsultanas, toasted 
 almonds and the lingering 
 memory of  lemon and  coconut
 desserts.
 

 

  

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                          

 

        

                    

The Dalmore Trinitas

Colour: Intense, deepest gold. 
Aroma: captivating and heady with the combination 
of poached pears, baked pineapple sponge, demerara
sugar, nutmeg and aniseed.
Taste: the layers of delicious desserts are joined 
by honeydew melon and lemon vanilla madeleines
with oak tannins  bringing hints of French toast.
Finish: long, succulent and sweet with sultanas, 
toasted almonds and the lingering memory  
of lemon and coconut desserts.

 

 

  

 

 

 

  Breedvleugelbuizerd.

There are two main answers – the skill of our mash men and still men, and our insistence on time-old methods, such as wooden washbacks
and triple distillation for every single drop.
Malting
Auchentoshan’s clean, complex character starts with malted optic barley. Only gently kilned, completely unpeated barley 
lets the Auchentoshan taste shine through.
Next Stage  Milling
We grind the barley to suit our lauter tun. It’s vital we have evenly milled starch grits – this maximises the amount of starch that converts into sugars 
during mashing. All this effort means a fresh-tasting, clear wort from the lauter tun.
Next Stage
Mashing
We feed the milled, malted barley – and pure water – into our lauter tun, first of all at 63.5°C. The heat helps turn the starches into sugar. 
After two fillings we are ready for fermentation – the third filling is used as the first water in the next mash.
Next Stage
Fermentation
Many distilleries prefer the consistency that comes with stainless steel washbacks. We use Oregon pine instead – so the results are always a little different
each time. This also means that our mash men need to keep an especially keen eye on everything.
Next Stage
Triple Distillation
Distillation takes our fermented liquid from around 8% ABV (alcohol by volume) up to 81%. No other Scottish distillery insists on this for every drop
– double distillation usually reaches just 70% ABV.
Next StageWhat Is Triple Distillation?
Maturation
Our oak casks have a huge influence on flavour – so we spend a lot of time and money selecting them. We use casks that held bourbon,
sherry or fine wines – each lending its own unique flavour.
 40 years old Auchentoshan

 

 

 My "Best" Friends!