One Helluva Impressive Whisky

I want to talk about a new whisky that really blew me away two weeks ago when I first tasted it, hailing from Tamdhu distillery in the Scottish Highlands. 

Before we talk about the whisky itself, let’s get into the Tamdhu timeline and some important numbers. Tamdhu was shuttered by Edrington (the owner of Macallan and Highland Park) starting in 2009. It was reopened three years later in 2012 after being purchased by Ian Macleod (the owner of Glengoyne and Rosebank). Shortly after, Tamdhu began releasing some of the aged stocks on hand. The 12 and 15 year old whiskies on the market today are still from those Edrington stocks.

For most of the Edrington years Tamdhu was primarily used for Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark (which I loved, especially the Naked Grouse that was pure malt in Sherry). From what I understand about the Edrington stock that was purchased as part of the deal, much of it was first-fill, full-term Sherry in European oak. To give you an idea of why that’s special, I can’t think of another standard release whisky from Scotland right now, other than something from Macallan (also Edrington) and maybe Glenfarclas, that has a whisky expression made up entirely of first-fill, full-term European Oak Sherry butts.

The Edrington stock is important here because a large percentage of the new Tamdhu Cigar Malt is made up of that inherited whisky, and 100% of the marriage is full-term, first-fill Sherry. To give you some context, the great Sherry-matured malts currently on the market—such as Aberlour, GlenDronach, GlenAllachie and Balvenie—are mostly finished for a couple of years in Sherry after maturing in hogsheads and other types of casks. If they are full term, they’re usually not first-fill European Oak butts from Jerez, but rather a mix of Bourbon casks and hogsheads treated with Sherry, then filled.

Maybe you’ll track down a European Oak single barrel here and there, but today it’s rare to find full-term European Oak Sherry in a global release, let alone first-fill Sherry. Those casks are almost always used in a marriage to flesh out the other ex-Bourbon and hogshead barrels. I honestly can’t remember the list time I tasted a marriage of solely first fill, full-term Sherry butts where I am 100% certain that’s the case.

Which is why I’m fired up about the new Tamdhu Cigar Malt. I’ve tasted it both with and without an actual cigar and it is nothing short of spectacular. Even if you hate cigars, you’re gonna love this whisky. If you love cigars, you won’t find a better pairing than this. 

Bottled at 53.8% ABV and oozing with Oloroso goodness, this is a robust, tobacco-laden Sherry malt that falls short of what most would consider a “Sherry bomb,” but does so in the name of both complexity and balance. There’s a lot more going on here than just Sherry. There are no specifics on the NAS label, but I can let you in on the insider details. From speaking with the folks at Ian Macleod, the understanding was that the age range of first-fill Sherry butts was 8 to 18+ years of age for the marriage (there may be some 20+ in here too, if I remember correctly) so you’re getting a level of complexity from the combination of casks that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

To be clear, however, this is NOT a sweet, supple, soft Sherry sipper. This is a dry, robust, spicy, and thick malt that is equal parts savory. You get rum cake, dark cacao, anise, diesel, blood orange, Christmas pudding, and all sorts of other goodness. Throw in the right cigar and now you’re really talking!!! It takes those notes and elevates them to new levels of deliciousness.

As much as I enjoy this whisky, the cost of the Tamdhu Cigar Malt is not cheap. It’s $279.99 a bottle. But before you freak out, ask yourself how much a marriage of 53.8% ABV, full-term European oak Sherry butts between 8 and 18 years of age from Macallan would cost you. I use this analogy because the same Edrington Sherry butts that Macallan utilizes were used to age the majority of this whisky. It was made by Macallan’s parent company and aged in Edrington warehouses before Ian Macleod took over.

Because of how tremendous this whisky is, I’m giving the Tamdhu Cigar Malt my highest possible recommendation right now. If you want to know what bottle I’ll be treasuring over the holiday evenings, it’s this one. If you miss the days when you shelled out $200+ for a bottle and it actually fucking delivered, this one’s for you. I can’t imagine anyone not being impressed with this.

-David Driscoll

Rye Whiskey For Bourbon Drinkers

I've been surprised by how many customers have told me they love Bourbon, but don't really appreciate rye whiskey because of the intense herbaceousness and peppery character of the rye itself, so I took it upon myself to find the sweetest, creamiest, and most Bourbon-like rye that I could get my hands on. This is rye whiskey for Bourbon drinkers. 

Templeton “Mission Exclusive” Single Barrel #15 Rye Whiskey $46.99

If you like Graham cracker pie crust, cinnamon-dusted oatmeal, and other combinations of sweet baking spices on top of grain-based goodies, then this bottle is for you. Bottled at 47.5%, it's neither too hot, nor too soft. It's right where it needs to be: completely in balance with every facet working in utter harmony. The oak spices on the nose and on the finish are also charming. This won't be our fastest-selling barrel of the year by a long shot, but I'm positive it will be a fan favorite amongst those who appreciate good whiskey.

-David Driscoll

Bordeaux's Last "Affordable" Luxury

In the Spring of 2016, I travelled all over Bordeaux with a group of colleagues for the annual en primeur tastings; a preview of the 2015 wines. I'm going to tell you now what we were telling each other back then: the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier is the wine of the vintage. Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, from the complexity of the flavors to the elegance in the glass, the 2015 Chevalier outshone its first and second growth Bordeaux colleagues, many at more than four times the price. No other Cabernet came close in our minds.

We all ordered cases for our personal collections upon return. We still talk about the wine to this day. Hence, when I saw five cases available direct from the domaine earlier this year, I jumped all over them. They've now arrived and quantities are scarce, but we have a few cases in both the Pasadena and Sherman Oaks locations at the moment.

What makes the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier so special? I'll do my best to succinctly explain.

2015 Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan $99.99

First off, Domaine de Chevalier has been owned and farmed by Oliver Bernard since 1982 when he bought the property. His family's commitment to excellence over the last four decades has been widely documented. Vinous's Antonio Galloni remarked in 2014: "Olivier Bernard owns one of the crown jewels of Bordeaux, as these wines clearly make evident."

Second, Chevalier's terroir is completely unique in that it's one single square block, rather than a winding network of vineyards or series of parcels. It's a contained and isolated ecosystem that, as Oliver once told me, "is free from outside contamination." It's actually known by many as "the secret garden," as it's planted in the middle of a forest that protects it from extreme weather.

The result is an early-ripening cabernet that's often as aromatic as it is finessed, defined by mineral notes and hints of graphite—the calling card of the Graves—with light accents of pepper and spice. The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier holds a very special place in my heart, but you can read the reviews on the product page to see that I'm far from alone. Do not miss this bottle.

-David Driscoll

Found North Batches 005 & 006

The new Found North whiskies are here and once again Zach and Nick Taylor have knocked these batches out of the park. For those of you who’ve enjoyed the corn-dominated, more Bourbon-like batches in the past (which I refer to as the George T. Stagg of Canadian whisky), you’re going to love the new Batch 006 that continues on that same trajectory. Lots of big sweet oak flavors, punchy grains, candied fruit, and all the other good stuff that you love sinking your teeth into. It clocks in at 64.1% ABV and at a reasonable $139.99 given its age.

The real shocker here is Batch 005: a marriage of a 21 year old 100% corn Canadian whisky with a super creamy 8 year old wheat whiskey. As you can see on the label, 73% of the blend is the 21 year old corn whisky. I absolutely LOVED this whisky when I first got the sample and I continue to love it with each return. It’s so sexy and sweet right off the bat, lots of sweet vanilla right on the forefront with loads of power behind it. It’s not going to blow your mind with complexity, but it’s a simple whisky that does a couple of things really, really well and given the age and proof of the 21 year old juice again I think it’s more than reasonable from a price perspective.

-David Driscoll

Our Smoothest Single Barrel Of The Year

The word “smooth” has been demonized in the booze business over the last decade, attributed to people who don’t really like alcohol and prefer it when alcohol doesn’t taste like alcohol. Nevertheless, I’m still going to use that term to describe this barrel because it’s completely apropos. This is 120 proof beast of a Bourbon from Knob Creek that is so lush and supple on the palate you’ll be wondering if it’s actually 60% ABV. It’s dark in the glass, amazingly rich, and surprisingly sweet for 9 year, 8 month old whiskey.

What’s left on the palate is the outcome of big heat going up against big sweetness: they neutralize one another and you’re left with one helluva smooth Bourbon. There’s a reason why some producers use sugar to mask the heat of alcohol. In the case of this Knob Creek selection, it’s purely the result of the cask itself. You’re going to LOVE this, trust me.

Knob Creek Mission Exclusive "Fifth Floor Wood" (4th) Single Barrel 120 Proof Kentucky Bourbon $59.99

So why does the name of this whiskey include (4th) in the title? Good question! This actually the first of many Knob Creek barrels from our most recent trip to Kentucky, all of which we named after the floor of the rick house from where the barrel was matured, along with the dominant flavor profile. This particular cask because is the exception to this rule, however. In short, it’s a misprint. An error. If it were a baseball card, it would be the Upperdeck Dale Murphy reserve negative.

This barrel was actually supposed to be called “Fourth Floor Sweetness” but instead was labeled as “Fifth Floor Wood” by mistake. To be clear, there is actually another barrel coming called “Fifth Floor Wood” that was actually matured on the fifth floor of the rick house and has a very oaky character. This is not that whiskey, however. This barrel comes from the fourth floor of the rick house and when you taste how smooth and sweet it is you'll understand why we meant to call it "Fourth Floor Sweetness.

The World's Peatiest Whisky Returns

Every year, the build-up to the release of Scotland's peatiest single malt whisky gets more and more intense as global demand increases. Distilled at a snail's pace by Bruichladdich on Scotland's island of Islay (the Mecca of peated whisky) and bottled at a whopping 59.2% ABV, the legend of Octomore grows with every new batch, as more and more whisky drinkers become converts to its unbridled intensity.

This year's 13.1 release is peated to an insane 137.3 parts per million, which—to give you some context—is roughly quadruple the amount of peat you'll find in Lagavulin 16. Aged entirely in ex-Bourbon casks and distilled from 100% Scottish barley, the vanilla from the American oak and the creaminess of the malt provide a striking contrast to the salinity and brininess of the whisky, to say nothing of the smoke!

Bruichladdich Octomore 13.1 Single Malt Whisky $219.99

Normally we would impose a one bottle limit for a whisky this coveted, but we were blessed by a larger than usual allocation. If you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite whisky lover, but would like an extra for yourself, we've got you covered. These won't last long, however.

Scotland's peatiest single malt only has so many bottles to go around.

The Road to Thanksgiving Begins With Sancerre

Now that November is here it's time to start prepping for the #1 wine pairing holiday of the year: Thanksgiving! As with most things in life, getting a head start on your preparation (especially given this year's turkey shortage) is never a bad idea, which is why we're here today to tell you about this incredible Sancerre value: the 2021 Domaine Daulny from esteemed Loire Valley legend Etienne Daulny. Given that most of our favorite Sancerres are now pushing the $30 threshold, the $21.99 bottle price for the Daulny is even more impressive.

2021 Domaine Daulny Sancerre $21.99

Etienne Daulny owns 15 hectares of vines that are divided into about 50 different plots within the Sancerre wine region. Daulny combines diverse plots from varying types of soil, including clay and flint, Portlandian and Kimmeridgian, into his regular cuvée of Sancerre.

But Daulny's standard Sancerre is far from normal.

Grapes from some of the appellation’s most revered vineyards make their way into this cuvée, including old vine plantings at Les Monts Damnés, Les Bois Butteux, and La Perriere. Clos de Chaudenay (the hot spot) is a single vineyard cuvée from a gentle slope just above Verdigny. These southwest facing vines average 40 years of age. The 2021 expression is a classic Sancerre in every way: mineral notes of crushed rocks, hints of citrus and stone fruit, with racy acidity from front to back and a refreshing finish.

If a more perfect Thanksgiving white wine exists, we haven't found it yet. With its classic label, complex profile, and general deliciousness, we're 100% confident your guests will say "WOW!" with every sip. Sauvignon Blanc of this quality is generally much, much more expensive.

Wine Made in LA County...And It's Good!!!

If you want to impress your Angeleno friends at the next dinner party, roll in with a bottle of 2021 Angeleno Gold Line and tell them you brought some something extremely local!

As if the wine wasn't delicious enough, the story is even more interesting. Made by the team of Jasper Dickson and Amy Luftig Vista, along with grower Juan Alonzo, the Angeleno Gold Line already has a cult following in Los Angeles and we're excited to offer the wines here at Mission!

2021 Angeleno Gold Line Skin Fermented White Wine $24.99

First off, this wine is actually made in Los Angeles County!! If you’ve ever been to Vasquez Rocks just east of Valencia (where they filmed Star Trek amongst other sci-fi classics), it’s a hidden spot in the west end of the Antelope Valley.

What's it made of? From a field blend of Treixadura, Godello, Loureiro, and Muscat, all the fruit is sourced from Alonso Family Vineyards in Agua Dulce. Fermented with the skins, this wine is dry, but fleshy, giving it the mouthfeel and texture of a fruity Chardonnay, but without the oak or the butteriness.

Organic and sustainably farmed, the wines are also naturally made and 100% vegan, but they're also clean and without the tartness and often funky flavors that are driving the natural wine movement. It's a perfect crossover for those who love aromatic Riesling or Muscat wines from Europe, but also want to support local farmers and growers. You’re going to love it.

-David Driscoll