A bird taking off from the snow covered landscape leaving a fine blended whisky for us to sip.

The Famous Grouse has been the most favourite blended whisky in Scotland for years and for a good reason. It is a delicate blended whisky.

In 2018 two releases in a new Cask Series of Famous Grouse hit the marked. First intended for the Marked in the UK but has grown to larger markets.

The Cask Series is the regular blend finished in different cask. The first was a Bourbon Cask finish and the Second release is this Ruby Cask.

When I opened the bottle for the first time and sipped, my thoughts was that the finish had not helped the “Original” and I set the bottle a side.

One day my wife served a whisky to me and it was pleasant with just a little of this characteristic sent of a blended whisky, the grains, but it was also mild, round, with notes of raisins a little hint of heather peated smoke.

It had been a longe time since I last have had a Highland Park 10 year old single malt and something reminded me of this. I knew I didn’t have the Highland Park 10 on my shelf so it couldn’t be this and the grain sent tricked me.
I took a sip and had a mild raisin tasting whisky in my mouth a very pleasant taste. Normally I would take a guess on what was in the glass, but this time I simply asked my wife and she answered; Famous Grouse.

This could not be true and I said she was joking. She just gave the bottle.

I was surprised, I admit. It tasted totally different from what I had tasted the first time. Of course it hadn’t changed but it had gotten a little air and my taste buds were in a different mood.

The port finish have made an impact on the whisky and I think the Ruby port suits it very well. More sweetness with dried fruits and vanilla than the original and lets hope Edrington keeps this one in the range.

A surpriser in the blended range.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (4/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

A had a very pleasant surprise one Tuesday in Bremen, Germany, when visiting my friends at Piekfeine Brände.

Birgitta Schulze Van Loon, the owner, welcomed me and we had a good chat about what had been going on at the distillery since I visited last time.
I had time to chat with Ole and Philipp who were busy bottling and labeling in the production area.
Mathias joined us and told about some of the new products.
Now it was time for Jannik and me to go to the new warehouse. It is a little drive from the distillery, just about 10 minuets if traffic allows it.

I was about to witness the upcoming warehouse, visitor center, shop and a gorgeous tasting room.
The warehouse is located at Union-Brauerei, a brewery where some of the wort for Van Loon whisky is made.
Jannik showed me around the new warehouse, that was in the making and he also had a surprise for me He showed me how to use the valinch (the tool to take the whisky out of the cask with. In this case a glass pipe you suck up the whisky from the cask and put your finger over the inhale hole and place the pipe in the bottle and let the whisky flow into the bottle by removing your finger again and the repeat) He then told me to fill my own bottle
We had been talking about what new whiskies they had been making and when He told me to fill my bottle with the not yet released Van Loon Port wine finish it was like a dream come true
That feeling of smelling the whisky in the cask and having the privilege of taking out of the cask and tasting…… What a great feeling.

Straight out of the Port wine cask!
The whisky has been resting in different cask types. A First fill 100 liter ex-bourbon barrel and a 225 liter Burgundy red wine barrique was married after 3 years and then finished in Tawny Port wine cask for about 1 year.

I tasted it straight out of the cask at 60% ABV and it is full of fruity flavours, warming but soft with a load of pear notes, plum and dark chocolate. It has a good burst of the red wine and the Port wine takes over at the end and stays together with some vanilla and wood for a long time.

It is a whisky that tastes significantly different from other with a port wine finish. It’s one of the things that makes Piekfeine Brände Van Loon whisky interesting and one of a kind.

When it is released it will be at 43% ABV but I belive it still will be a fantastic whisky it can take the lower ABV without los in complexity.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

I really enjoy when people collaborate and use each other products like in this case Windswept Brewing Co. have aged a Dark Scottish Ale in Glen Moray whisky casks.
“The Wolf of Glen Moray” Ale is a limited edition that has aged 6 months in freshly emptied Glen Moray casks that have matured the Port Cask finish edition.

It is a nice ale at 9% abv where you can catch the notes from the whisky but I must admit it disappointed a bit specially at the price. I had expected a more full bodied thick ale. The colour is dark almost like a stout and has a fine white creamy head (foam).

Well a little more about the whisky

Glen Moray – This one is from the Elgin Classic serie in the core range with a Port Cask Finish and an abv at 40%.
We don’t get the age of the whisky but the finish is about 8 months in Tawny Port pipes from Porto Cruz.
It is a pleasant dram and as Glen Moray is a Speyside distillery you get a fine floral whisky with the touch of port wine that gives it a heavier feel but it is still a light whisky.

This whisky will not scare anyone away and can easy be used as a daily dram, or a pre dinner drink.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (4/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩