Single Cask Vs. Blended

I got a few emails this week about the single cask vs. standard edition post I wrote earlier this week. The main question: Macallan 25 is a blend? Yes, the official Macallan 25 is indeed a blend of many different Macallan 25+ year old barrels. It’s not a blended whisky because it’s made entirely of Macallan single malt, but it is a carefully crafted blend of Macallan single malt whiskies.

Here’s a visual analogy of how I think about single cask whiskies versus blends (or standard edition releases):

I took these photos from jeweler Jean-Noel Soni’s Instagram page (@topnotchfaceting) to show you what a precious stone looks like before and after it’s cut to perfection. I follow Jean-Noel because he’s friends with my other jeweler friends, and I have jeweler friends because my wife is into jewels. Which means, in order to be a good husband, I am also into jewels.

The photo above is an emerald—uncut (cask strength!).

The photo below is the stone after it’s been cut by Jean-Noel.

Which version is more beautiful to you?

You might actually prefer the uncut stone. And, in fact, after seeing nothing but cut stones for your entire life on television and in magazines, you might be tired of hand-crafted perfection. It could be that the rugged, uncut nature of an emerald captures a new and exciting ideal of natural, rough-hewn beauty in your mind. It’s completely subjective.

Single cask whiskies can be mind-blowing; so good that you lament every drop you’ll never get back.

But, to me, they will never capture the light the way a perfectly-cut blend of different whiskies does. In turn, I gravitate towards cut, rather than uncut.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live Repost: Talking Bourbon with Jim Beam’s Amanda Gunderson

This time we had the audio fixed, but for some reason a random dude with a leaf blower decided to clean the alley behind my house and next to my front window right as Amanda and I were getting started.

As a result, I had to edit out the first few minutes due to noise and skip the introduction of Old Tub Bourbon. What you missed:

• I said Old Tub Bourbon is awesome.

• Amanda agreed.

• We talked about the differences in the various Beam 100 proof bottled-in-bond whiskies, and how Beam uses two recipes and fills at different proofs to differentiate them.

Continue from there!

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live Repost: Talking Wheated Bourbon with Phil Olson from Maker's Mark

For those of you who couldn’t tune in live last night for our Instagram conversation, I’ve embedded the recording here on the blog. This is the first time I’ve tried to do this, so there’s a difference in my audio versus Phil’s. My apologies.

I will tweak the audio for this evening’s second conversation with Amanda Gunderson from Beam, and I’ll try to post that on the blog tomorrow.

I need some practice, but this was a decent first go. Thanks again to Phil and Maker’s Mark for sitting down and having the conversation.

-David Driscoll

The Exception or the Rule?

Lots of people asking me when we’re going to start a single barrel Scotch program here at Mission, in line with the program I helped create at my previous employer.

The answer: as soon as we’re ready. Single barrel selections are what I built my reputation on, so it’s a given that I’ll want to dip into that well again ASAP.

That being said, here’s the issue with single barrels that I want more people to understand: when they become the rule rather than the exception, you lose the context within which they gain their value and their meaning.

To give you an example: HBO is an amazing network and it dominates much of my screen time these days. I loved The Undoing. I also very much enjoyed Murder on Middle Beach. Now I’m on to How To With John Wilson. There’s so much good programming to watch just on HBO.

But what happens when I go to a party and everyone’s talking about The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix? I have no context if all I watch is HBO. Hence, I can’t be a part of the conversation and offer an opinion.

Context is everything in the world of wine and whiskey appreciation. If you don’t know what else is out there, then you can’t say for certain whether something is or isn’t worth the money.

It’s the same reason people say traveling is so important for young people; when you have context for the world as a whole, you can better appreciate your situation or what you want out of life.

Single barrels are a fun contrast to the standard marketplace, but what they offer in value and uniqueness they often lack in complexity and nuance. For me, they’re more like educational curiosities and opportunities for exploration than they are polished products.

But there’s more to it than that.

First off, single barrel whiskies are rarely better than standard editions. When I go to Scotland, maybe 10-15% of the barrels I taste are worth looking into. Then it’s about price from that point on.

Second, single barrel whiskies only gain a uniqueness if you have the context from the standard edition.

To give you another example, if you’ve never had the standard Balvenie whiskies, how can you understand if a single barrel edition of Balvenie offers value, or maybe a new and interesting flavor that you can’t get from the standard editions?

This goes back to my initial blog post and how many modern consumers value specs over flavor. People see that Macallan 25 costs $2000, so they get excited about buying a 25 year old single cask for $400.

But they’re not the same thing. They’re not even close.

A single barrel of 25 year old Macallan is a fun experience, but it’s not like you’re getting a $1600 discount on the same whisky.

As an aside, I tasted an older single barrel of Balvenie last week with my buddy David from William Grant. We both agreed it was delicious. But then I tasted the official Balvenie 30 year old edition and wanted to cry because it was so damn incredible. If you’ve never had Balvenie 30 year, it’s one of the best whiskies that money can buy at any price.

In my mind, I’d rather splurge on the 30 than settle for the single barrel. But I have that context, so I can say one way or the other.

The point is: you need to try everything.

-David Driscoll

Two Instagram Live Conversations

You can’t operate in the digital marketing world today without getting on the old Instagram for some live content.

However, much like with politics, there are few things I find less stimulating than watching booze industry people repeat talking points and tow the company line when people want real answers to real questions, so we won’t be doing that.

I told Beam last week we should discuss two subjects people would actually be interested in knowing more about:

1. Wheated Bourbon as a category, rather than just Maker’s Mark.

2. What has changed at Beam over the last few years that has led to a rather remarkable improvement in the quality of their small batch editions?

We’re gonna try and go back-to-back this week, starting tomorrow at 4:30 when I sit down with Phil Olson to talk about wheated Bourbon. Why do people like it so much? What does wheat do to the flavor of Bourbon? Do people actually like it as much as they say they do, or is saying you like wheated Bourbon just a way for insecure guys to look less like Pappy/Weller fanboys?

This all happens tomorrow on Instagram by following @missionliquor and logging in at 4:30 PM PST.

Conversation two is scheduled for Wednesday at the same time, but I’ll confirm tomorrow.

I hope you’ll join us! I’ll do my best to make it fun.

-David Driscoll

Home Bar Report - 12/12/20

Yesterday, my friend Crystal and I were discussing when and when not to talk about your own personal taste while selling wine. As anyone who works in sales knows: wine retail isn’t about selling what you like personally.

Actually, lemme rephrase that.

Anyone who works in sales should know that wine retail isn’t about extolling your own personal taste.

Your job is to help the customer find a wine that fits their personal taste. Period. End of story (yet, how often I see people forget).

That being said, sometimes people do ask what you’re drinking at home. If a customer is interested enough to ask, I’m happy to share with them my own personal purchases. And since some of you have asked me via email, I’m going to share this week’s selections here and now. I bought three things this week for the home bar.

First off, the 2018 Hirsch Bohan-Dillon Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir for $39.99.

I didn’t just buy one or two bottles of this, I bought a CASE. Because pound for pound, dollar for dollar, there is no California pinot noir in the store as good as this. In fact, there’s no pinot noir in the store from anywhere as good as this.

I’m a big Burgundy fan and I love cold climate pinot noir in general. But the problem with Burgundy right now is two-fold:

1. The wine tariffs have added 25% or more to the retail prices.

2. The recent vintages aren’t all that approachable in their youth.

Because I’m neither a Côte d’Or citizen, nor a wealthy entrepreneur, I don’t have a Burgundy cellar full of perfectly aged Bourgogne Rouge to pull from. I go from bottle to bottle, but lately I’ve been somewhat disappointed with the options. The 2018 Hirsch Bohan-Dillon, on the other hand, is far from a disappointment. It’s for Burgundy drinkers in search of something approachable now, or for California drinkers who enjoy acidity and brightness in their reds. This wine is simply electric on the palate; loaded with cranberry, tart cherry, and spice. I can’t get over how good it is and I’ll never get tired of drinking it.

While the Hirsch is indeed an incredible wine, it’s also $40 a bottle. And while I’m always willing to spend to drink well, I don’t have the funds to crush $40 bottles every night. I need something closer to $20 for Tuesday night takeout. That’s where the 2018 Huards Envol Cheverny Rouge comes in: a 50/50 blend of pinot noir and gamay from the Loire Valley that again gives me everything I want from Burgundy, for a price that I can afford; it just happens to not be from Burgundy.

I know many drinkers who love pinot noir and Burgundy, but for some reason shy away from gamay and its juicier flavor profile. Personally, I love Beaujolais, but I wouldn’t use that as a comparison for the Huards. It’s bright and it has lift, maybe even a bit of carbonic action, but it isn’t Beaujolais in its profile. It’s got too much of that classic cherry flavor that you get in something like Marsannay or even Sancerre Rouge. It’s pure red fruit on the palate, never too earthy or acidic, and it has real body to it. I also bought a case of this because the importer is sold out until February.

On the spirits side, I’ve got so many open bottles right now that my only real purchase this week was for the Nachtmann Punk decanter sets that we have at roughly $100 off the standard retail price. For $59.99 you get one decanter and two glasses, each adorned with Riedel-quality rivets, giving it that studded punk rock edge. These are currently $150 on the Riedel website, so I bought four of them. Two to use now (as pictured above) and two in reserve for when I eventually break the two I have currently in use.

Now I just really wanna stay home and watch The Crown.

-David Driscoll

The Customer Is Half Full

Optimism versus pessimism.

Is the glass half full, or is it half empty?

We all know the age old question about personality types and how different people see the world, but did you know that the same question applies to business?

It’s not necessarily something you’re thinking about as a consumer, but it’s definitely what businesses are thinking about you. I spent almost eleven years working retail in the same store, so I only really ever understood one approach: the customer is half full, meaning most people are generally good natured and will return if you treat them well.

That being said, after spending two years on the other side of this business, handling distribution to retailers across California, I can tell you with certainty: there are more retailers who see things the other way. They think the customer is half empty, meaning most people are generally out to screw you, so you need to defend yourself at all times.

It’s a fascinating subject for me because, even though I’ve been on the receiving end of countless negative customer service experiences, I still believe that giving people the benefit of the doubt is the way to go.

Yes, sometimes I lose out in the transaction.

Yes, sometimes people take advantage of my generosity.

Yes, I understand that people think I’m a sucker.

But the amount of business I’ve been able to generate over the years from taking care of people has always outweighed those losses—by a ratio of 100000000 to 1.

I’m willing to take those odds 100% of the time. And I’m willing to take the beating now and again to continue that style of business. To me, the best defense is a good offense.

But not everyone is built for that style of service or that level of commitment. Most people I’ve met who work in retail just want to get through the day, cross their duties off the list, and go home so they can watch TV. To them, taking the time to answer 200 emails about why you cannot get a bottle of Pappy is a gigantic waste of time. They could be using that time to do any number of more profitable activities.

You can absolutely make the argument that personalized customer service doesn’t scale economically. There is plenty of evidence that shows retailers can be just as profitable by selling fewer bottles at higher margins, rather than more bottles at lower margins. At the same time, retailers who show little to no interest in their customers can counteract that lack of service with access to bulk pricing and special offers.

I have my way of doing things, and it’s worked for me my entire career, but I don’t have any metrics that can prove whether my time could have been better spent doing other things, or whether a shrewder sense of business would have benefited me in the long run. Maybe the guy who I sold the bottle of Blanton’s to didn’t really have a dying father whose final wish was to drink Blanton’s with his son. Maybe the guy who said his bottle of Lagavulin broke in the mail was lying and he suckered me out of a free bottle. Who knows.

The point is: I don’t really care.

I’m too busy thinking about all of the other people that I could be helping. I see retail as half full: there’s always something else I can be doing to make customers happy. Just like I don’t dwell on whether I could have saved 15% by switching to Geico, or whether I got the cheapest price on premium unleaded, I don’t think about how much money I could have made if I had done things differently.

But I have that luxury. I’m an optimist. I’m just lucky, I guess.

-David Driscoll

An Insider's Guide to Macallan

When I first started in retail there were two core Macallan single malts: the 12 year and the 18 year.

The 12 year came in a red box; the 18 in a purple one. We sold tons of both.

Every now and again we would bring in the Fine Oak Series: a 15 year old and a 17 year old edition that came in pastel colored boxes. We sold fewer of those.

It was a simple time. Everything had an age statement.

People used the number to designate their desire. “Mac 12, please,” they would say. I would grab the bottle. They would pay. There wasn’t much else to discuss.

In 2020, however; much has changed. Macallan has become a luxury juggernaut. It has supplanted Glenlivet and Glenfiddich as the most recognized single malt Scotch in the world, and rare editions can sell at auction for seven figures per bottle.

As a result, the brand has exploded into a multitude of new editions, expanding the reach and the profile of the whisky has a result.

There are three different Macallan 12 year olds labels now, in addition to three different 18 year old expressions. There’s also a number of NAS (no age statement) editions with names like: Gold, Estate, and Rare Cask.

Seeing that it’s been a few years since I’ve tasted the core portfolio, let alone all the new offerings, I thought I’d break down the bulk of Macallan’s 2020 selections and re-familiarize myself with the market’s most coveted brand, while creating a guide for Mission shoppers in the process.

It’s very easy to be overwhelmed simply by the sheer number of Macallan labels on the shelf at Mission, let alone the thousands of other whiskies. Let’s take a look at the core expressions:

THE 12 YEAR OLDS

Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak

• The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak is what we used to know simply as Macallan 12, albeit it now comes in a black box rather than a red one.

• Where as other Sherry-matured whiskies like Balvenie 12 and Aberlour 12 are generally finished for a couple years in Sherry barrels, the Macallan 12 Sherry Oak spends the entire 12 years in Sherry, giving it a denser, more supple texture.

• David’s Notes: This whisky starts out mildly sulfurous before moving into fudge and cocoa and finishing with coffee bean notes. I always remembered this being quite sweet, but this new Sherry Oak is more like dark chocolate than bittersweet. It’s surprisingly savory at times, and also quite thick.

Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask

• With the Double Cask series, Macallan has pivoted over to the Balvenie/Aberlour model I mentioned above: the whiskies are aged in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in Sherry.

• Rather than pick up those heavier, more brooding dark chocolate notes, the Sherry finish is more like sweet frosting on an American oak vanilla cake.

• David’s Notes: I like this whisky much more than the 12 year Sherry Oak. You still get the richness, but it’s far more balanced from front to back and the sweetness flows seamlessly across the palate from the beginning to the end. To me, this should be the new standard Mac 12. There are no rough edges, lots of Sherry and fudge notes, and it tastes expensive, which all luxury whiskies should.

Macallan 12 Year Old Triple Cask

• This is Macallan’s newest core label that adds a third type of cask to the maturation process: Sherry seasoned American oak, or basically ex-Bourbon barrels that are filled with Sherry, left to sit, then dumped and used for maturation.

• Both color-wise and flavor-wise, it’s lighter and maltier than the Sherry Oak and Double Cask editions. If you like Sherry, but you don’t want it to dominate the flavor profile, this is the Macallan expression for you.

• David’s Notes: Lighter and airier, more spice and malt flavors at play, nice creaminess in the middle, ginger and orange peel finish. Yum, I could drink this all day.

THE 18 YEAR OLDS

Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak

• Now in a black box, rather than a purple one (like the Sherry Oak 12), this what used to be the only Macallan 18 on the market; full-term Sherry maturation.

• For many single malt drinkers, this is the standard for luxury single malt. It’s the Rolex Submariner of whiskies.

• David’s Notes: It’s everything you need it to be, but the competition for 18 year old single malts has become fierce and there are a number of options well under $300 that I think rival the Mac 18 for the money. That being said, I would never, ever turn down a glass.

Macallan 18 Year Double Oak

• Just like the 12 year Double Cask, the 18 year old sees time in both ex-Bourbon and Sherry oak.

• For my money, this is the new 18 year standard. I enjoyed this much more than the 18 year Sherry Oak. Expensive whisky should have layers. It should expand on your palate and you should uncover new flavors as it rolls over your tongue. The Double Oak 18 has those layers. That’s what you’re paying for.

• David’s Notes: Stewed fruits and raisins on the entry, thick and chewy on the way in, it mellows out into cocoa and dark chocolate on the finish. Very elegant. In my mind, this is what luxury should taste like.

Macallan 18 Year Old Triple Cask

• Just like with the 12 year, the 18 year old Triple cask spends time in ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and then American Oak barrels that have been seasoned with sherry.

• Whereas I very much enjoyed the 12 year old version of this, the Triple Cask is my third favorite of the three 18 year old expressions. It’s delicious, but if I’m choosing how to dedicate my $300 then I’m going with the Double Oak.

• David’s Notes: Lighter in color, more malty on the initial entry with hints of caramel and cakebread from the sherry. Fine and smooth on the finish, lots of ginger spices and vanilla, malty notes.

I’m going to leave out the 15 year olds right now as they’ve now been streamlined into the the same three labels and they’re pretty much what you expect: 3 years richer than the 12s, and 3 years less rich than the 18s. I will say that the 15 year old Triple Cask is divine. It’s absolutely gorgeous on the nose, with lots of vanilla and almond notes from the malt with sweet biscuits and oak spices on the finish. I loved it.

The NAS Editions

Macallan Double Cask Gold

• More expensive than the Double Cask 12 year despite the lack of an age statement, the Gold focuses more on the ex-Bourbon matured whiskies with its leaner and fruitier profile.

• While the whisky does carry some Sherry maturation, this is pretty much what un-sherried Macallan tastes like. Lots of stone fruit, toasted oak, and vanilla flavors.

• David’s Notes: If you’ve ever wanted to taste the actual Macallan whisky itself, rather than the Sherry residue it’s aged in, this is a great expression that showcases how beautiful the malt itself is. It’s very un-Macallan in terms of how it fits into the rest of the book, and that makes it a fun diversion.

Macallan Estate Reserve

• While not entirely distilled from Macallan’s own estate grown barley, the whisky does indeed have some grain-to-glass Macallan liquid in the marriage.

• Matured entirely in Sherry butts and seasoned Sherry hogsheads, this is the best new Macallan I’ve tasted in years. There’s no information about the ages used in the marriage, but it doesn’t matter when the whisky tastes this good.

• David’s Notes: Absolutely charming, impeccably balanced between sweet and spicy, decadent and fluid—this whisky has it all from front to back. It has loads of richness, but it never overpowers the malt and the inherent graininess of the barley. It’s fantastic.

Macallan Rare Cask

• I remember when this whisky first came out and I had to explain to customers why it didn’t have an age statement on it. The Rare Cask is basically Macallan’s version of Booker’s: a small batch marriage of hand-selected “cherry” barrels (cherry Sherry!) that represent the top casks in the warehouse.

• While you may think that extra Sherry means extra sweet, there’s a lot of savory and somewhat funky flavors that can appear as well. You can sense those elements in the Rare Cask. There’s a rancio note right at the front that isn’t in any of the Double or Triple Cask offerings.

• David’s Notes: Super dense Sherry, you can almost chew it. Little notes of sulfur and fudge, sweet cake bread in the middle, dark fudge on the finish. Opulent as all hell.

Macallan Edition No. 5

• The Macallan website will attempt to explain their numbered editions as tributes to the natural color of Macallan, but really they’re just nuanced blends of different barrel types, broken down on the front of the box by type. You’ve got seasoned American oak, various types of butts, etc.

• Again, there’s no age statement on the whisky or attached to the various barrels used, but like the Estate they’re making up for the lack of details with all the flavor. I LOVED this whisky.

• David’s Notes: Uber fruity on the entry, absolutely dripping with stone fruit and syrup. This is exquisite. It’s thick and textural all the way through, with waves of sweet Sherry on the finish. Absolutely mouth-pleasing in all the best ways possible.

Now we’re all caught up for the holiday shopping season! Thanks to Edrington for getting me back up to speed.

-David Driscoll