2 new continental whiskies

[mier]

In november whiskylive leiden 2007 (NL)starts with some new whiskies,from Sweden comes a single malt Macmyra with its 6th bottling but the real novelties are the whiskies from Filliers bros. Belgium and Valleidistillery Holland.Filliers is known in Canada and the US for their jenevers and Vanhoo vodka,they now come with two grainwhiskies 3yo and 10yo.Filliers used their stock of moutwijn for these whiskies because the jenevermarket gets smaller and smaller.Surprisingly the results seem smashing according some nosing&tasting sessions.Within a month we know more.The Valleidistillery started in 2002 and is experimenting with their ingredients.Their first bottles are on the shelf in december 3yo.The distillery uses ecological barley,wet yeast(not dried) and the still(200 litres) is heated from the inside.Their barrels come from Ireland and held previously Irish whiskey and bourbon.More info can be found on www.filliers.be or www.valleidistill.nl .

Eric.

[Gillman]

Thanks Eric. In effect, aged moutwijn is whisky since it is an aged, low-proof spirit made (generally) from mixed grains with a rye component.

If it was aged in reused wood as I assume, it might taste like some of the Potrero whiskies (maybe the 11 year Hotalings version) or Lot 40, or it might taste like a 10 year old regular Canadian whisky, depending I would think on the proof the whisky was distilled at. E.g., if it was distilled at 180 I think it would tend more to the Canadian whisky palate (although for different reasons than explain the Canadian palate) and if it was distilled at around 140-150 it might resemble more Hotalings or Lot 40.

It could even approach a U.S. straight whiskey in palate, but to do this it would need to have been aged in new charred wood which is probably not the case.

Anyway, these developments are most positive and really (in my opinion) are not anything new, it is a development of an old strand of Dutch and Belgian distilling.

Gary

[mier]

Gary i know more in november and let you know.It was aged on used barrels(jenever)from European oak.

Eric.

[Gillman]

I was speaking in my immediately preceding post of Filliers.

With respect to this other distillery, clearly it is using reused barrels and since malted barley is used the taste would I think resemble a young malt whisky.

The new Whisky Magazine reviews a number whiskies from "new" countries around the world and gives them decent but not great ratings, but the reason as pointed out by the reviewers is that these whiskies are in most cases only a few years old. As time goes by and aging is prolonged, quality will surely increase.

There is no doubt in my mind that fine whisky can be made almost anywhere as I found out not long ago with a superb malt whisky from India (Amarut is the name I believe, this from memory).

Gary

[Gillman]

Thanks Eric, we are speaking here I know of Filliers and if they used their own genever barrels, that might lend a slight taste of juniper to the whisky, which would be interesting.

Oddly enough, Hotalings has (to my taste) a certain juniper character. In that case it seems to be a maturation characteristic, i.e., not connected to the same company's gin (Junipero). In other words I would doubt Hotalings was aged in ex-gin barrels although it did certainly use reused barrels of some kind.

Gary

[mier]

I know Amrut, very crispy and good indeed and there are more distilleries troughout the world that have not being affected by Anglo-Saxon or Celtic backgrounds that are making whisky,i have a rare selection of whiskies from Germany(both east and west),France,tjech republic,Austria and if my correspondance works out Surinam, you should comeby for a visit sometimes,i don`t count the old English empire for they`ve had influences from the UK.You are right the most of them have a young whiskey but never the less they are learning more and it will be a matter of time that they put down some whisky of very good quality.Untill than i support them by trying their "brew".Filliers has earned his name of a good distiller long ago so no doubt his whiskey is from good quality and it will resemble something like a straight whisky.The Valleidistillery is very busy with experimenting and i am very curious what comes out of his still.The junipertaste can come in by maturation but from the Pur.E distillery that made the Belgian Owl single malt you really can taste that it was matured on used barrels that hold jenever.

Eric.

[cowdery]

I don't know Amrut specifically. If it is legally sold as whiskey in Canada and Europe, then it probably is, in fact, whiskey and not the sugar cane spirit often labeled as whiskey in the Indian market.

[Gillman]

This one is all-malt Chuck, and the barley is grown on foothills of the Himalayas. It loses considerable volume, and is therefore mature, after just a few years due to the great heat where it is aged (in a different location from where the barley is grown). So in a sense an analogy with Kentucky is present, i.e., the accelerated aging time due to the climate.

Gary