“This is insanely good for the price,” said a friend of mine last week when I let him taste my sample of Hye-Land Armenian single malt. As a Los Angeles bartender with an incredible pedigree, I knew he wasn’t blowing smoke up my ass. He was legitimately impressed.
As was I.
Having poured my third glass at that point, I was trying to figure out if we were both missing something. In no way, whatsoever, had I expected this whiskey to be anywhere near as good as it was, especially given how inexpensive it is. When my boss placed the bottle on my desk last Friday and said, “See what you can do with this,” I thought he was asking me for a personal favor.
If you’re not up to speed on the history of Mission Wine & Spirits, it’s a family-owned Armenian business founded in Pasadena, so I thought maybe he had a buddy back home who needed some help or a family member involved.
Not the case. He just really likes it.
“Is there anything online about it?” my friend queried.
“Unsurprisingly, not much,” I answered; “Yet, the one small tidbit that does exist is a glowing review from the Whisky Advocate of all places.”
“87 Points: The nose offers seasoned oak, citrus, ginger, and allspice. The palate brings sweet notes of melon, coconut shavings, tobacco, Christmas cake, ginger, and clove, all lightly accented by black pepper. The finish is viscous and has balanced sweetness.”
“So they like it, as well,” he added.
No doubt. But where did it come from? Who made it? How? Considering it had to come halfway around the world on a boat, then make its way through the American three-tier system, how in the hell is it so inexpensive?
Here’s the scoop:
WHY: Mission is clearly a huge supporter of Armenia and Armenian products as a whole, but our enthusiasm for the new Hye-Land 12 year old Armenian single malt is about more than just Armenian pride. It’s just a flat out delicious whiskey for a HOT price, unique in its soft and creamy profile with a sweet, mealy, grainy profile that mends beautifully with the oak and vanilla spices on the finish.
HOW: While most single malt whiskies are 100% malted barley, the Hye-Land whiskey is made from 100% malted wheat, then aged in Caucasus Mountain oak before being finished in Armenian brandy barrels.
WHAT: Hye-Land is made at Eraskh Winery and Distillery in the Ararat Valley of Armenia. Known more for its wines, brandies, and vodkas, the facility was established in 1967 roughly 80 miles outside the capital city of Yeraskh in the village of Aralez. The Ararat valley is one of the most ancient agricultural regions on Earth, dating back to Noah and the time of the flood, and its flowing wheat fields, sprawling vineyards, and orchards of fruit trees offer an endless bounty of quality produce for Eraskh’s distillation. All of the wheat used in the Hye-Land single malt is grown locally.
I’ve had plenty of wheat whiskies in my life, but I honestly can’t say if I’ve ever had a single malt wheat whiskey. I worked to create a 100% wheat whiskey with Germain-Robin back in the day, but I don’t remember if the wheat was malted.
What’s the difference, you ask? “Malted” grains have been steeped in water in order to start the growth process, but then dried before the grain can do so, trapping the necessary enzymes and sugars for the fermentation process. When you use unmalted grains for fermentation and eventually distillation, like with American whiskey, producers generally add commercial enzymes in order convert the starch into sugar. Most Bourbon recipes also add in a small percentage of malted barley to the mash to jump start the process and help manage the thick, gummy mash of pure starch.
That’s not to say malted grains are necessarily better, just that purists tend to respect the malting process (especially the old school floor malting method).
But doesn’t single malt whisky have to be made with 100% malted barley? Yes, that’s definitely the case for Scottish single malt. But there are other examples of single malt whiskey made elsewhere from other malted grains, such as the Old Potrero single malt rye whiskey from San Francisco.
A single distillery making whiskey from one singular malted grain is technically a single malt. In the case of Hye-Land, it happens to be wheat.
So do you need this bottle in your collection? The answer is an enthusiastic YES for a number of different reasons:
It’s quite good and it likely tastes like nothing else in your bar. It’s like something in between Scottish grain whisky and American whiskey, with butterscotch and spicy oak. It lacks the weight and the viscosity of single malt Scotch, but it does have richness. And after you’ve taken a few sips, you definitely want more.
From an educational point of view, it’s just cool to have a whiskey made from 100% malted wheat. And it won’t cost you more than $34.99 to take the plunge. That’s a great price.
Armenia has a vibrant food and drink culture. Ararat Armenian brandy is awesome, if you’ve never had it. As is Ararat sparkling water and a number of Armenian wines. The Armenian Lahmajun flatbread I eat for lunch everyday at Old Sassoon Bakery in Pasadena is a taste sensation that explodes on my tongue. I think my favorite part of my new job thus far is the cultural education I’m getting on a daily basis, being surrounded by a majority of Armenians, learning the language and getting a deeper look at the culture.
It turns out that Armenia makes some pretty good whiskey, too. Or at least one really good whiskey so far. I’ll be on the lookout for others.
-David Driscoll