Connemara Amontillado finish

[AlecM]

I noticed Celtic Whiskey shop selling an exclusive Connemara Amontillado Finish Celtic Whiskey Shop Bottling, which sounded great reading their tasting notes. Then I had a look in Murray's latest Whisky Bible and he basically says it is sulphered. That kind of put me off to be honest, until yesterday I noticed Murray also slated a SMWS Clynelish for being sulphered, when my own tasting notes scored it quite highly. So (apart from making me doubt my own nosing and tasting skills)...has anyone bought the Amontillado finish from CWS? And if so how do you rate it?

[Pudge72]

I can't comment on the whiskey itself, only a bit on Jim Murray. My impression, reading commentary on the WWW and Connosr forums, is that Murray is overly sulphur sensitive to the point that his commentary on that particular issue may be considered by many whisk(e)y 's to be over the top (i.e. he finds sulphur in some/many bottlings where no one else has observed/noted the phenomenom). The bottom line from the commentary seems to be that if you have differing experiences from Jim Murray with regards to sulphur...trust your own notes/experiences!

[AlecM]

To be honest that's what I thought when reading his latest Bible. I don't like sulpher either but maybe he has an uber sensitive nose (guess that is what makes him an expert). Thanks for your thoughts!

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

I gave up rating his ratings years ago but not for any personal reason. He has some interesting insights but I believe everyone's experience is different. He slated Yellow spot too from what I heard but that would dissuade me from trying it.

An old man at a bar once said to me "opinions are like a**eh***s everyone has one". I can't remember what we were talking about but I remember the comment and have used it many time since.

Point being that you may find something that you love about a whiskey and someone else hates that particular thing. I don't find the sulphur that he talks about. I have found a few strange tastes and odours in whiskey I tried over the years that he doesn't pick up on. I assume he's sensitive to different things than me.

I however agree with his Power's John's lane so probable our tastes don't differ too much.

By the way that old man also came out with this gem too "children are like farts!, you only enjoy you own" .

[Distiller]

As someone that smelled the cask before it was filled and also had a good look and smell of the small amount of residual sherry in the casks (for shipping purposes)...

Inspected the whiskey as it was being filled and then religiously once it was in the warehouse...

And has a bottle of the finished product...

I have never got the slightest smell of sulphur from that whiskey.

Not going to put myself up as an expert. But I personally have not smelled sulphur or sulfur in the Connemara Amontillado finish.

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Yes I think he (JM) is really out of kilter on this one, the Connemara Amontillado finish is regarded by many whose opinions I value as one of the finest Connemara's to date.

[AlecM]

Well I think that sells it for me then Definitely will be buying a bottle. Thanks everyone and also just to add on the Yellow Spot I've bought two bottles and already drunk one and it is a lovely drink. Will be buying more for sure. Not as good as the Powers John's Lane whiskey (IMO), which is stupendous!

[JohnM]

I have never detected sulphur in this bottling. It is a very interesting whiskey. It tastes different each time I try it.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

It's not just JM, I happened to over hear Dave Broom and another whiskey journalist chatting in Midleton during a launch about getting sulphur from a sample that was offered from cask. Midleton were showing us the big big sherry monsters they had and wanted to show that some like the one offered were too over powering to be bottled as a single cask. And indeed it was a monster and certainly not to every ones taste. However I am quite good at getting the sulphur note and actually like it sometimes in small doses but I could not get anything in the same sample. It certainly was heavy and meaty and not a delicate whiskey and that encounter showed me, that yes, take what "they" say with a pinch of salt.

The Yellow Spot is a wonderful whiskey but I can also see why people could mark it down. There are a few big flavours there that sometimes seem to compete against each other but that is what I like in it and may be what others don't. Your own taste is the only judge in the end and sometimes it is better to enjoy a whiskey rather than dissect it.

[Luke Gough]

It's not just JM, I happened to over hear Dave Broom and another whiskey journalist chatting in Midleton during a launch about getting sulphur from a sample that was offered from cask. Midleton were showing us the big big sherry monsters they had and wanted to show that some like the one offered were too over powering to be bottled as a single cask. And indeed it was a monster and certainly not to every ones taste. However I am quite good at getting the sulphur note and actually like it sometimes in small doses but I could not get anything in the same sample. It certainly was heavy and meaty and not a delicate whiskey and that encounter showed me, that yes, take what "they" say with a pinch of salt.

The Yellow Spot is a wonderful whiskey but I can also see why people could mark it down. There are a few big flavours there that sometimes seem to compete against each other but that is what I like in it and may be what others don't. Your own taste is the only judge in the end and sometimes it is better to enjoy a whiskey rather than dissect it.

Yellow Spot delights me, apart from nose, flavour, etc, because it sharply divides opinions - more whiskeys like this please!

[Distiller]

Yellow Spot delights me, apart from nose, flavour, etc, because it sharply divides opinions - more whiskeys like this please!

This is a very good point. There is not any wrong or correct answer. There is only opinion and when we can have open discussions about peoples opinions then I think we are in a stronger place. The whiskey that interest me is the one that people are talking about.

I think that there is a wonderful world of whiskey. The important thing is to take the time to enjoy it.

[bredman]

To be honest that's what I thought when reading his latest Bible. I don't like sulpher either but maybe he has an uber sensitive nose (guess that is what makes him an expert). Thanks for your thoughts!

Hello Alec. The thing about sulphur taint/contamination is that even those of us that are uber sensitive can have sulphur 'blindspots', and disagree with each other on the nature of the off notes.

I know many will question/doubt/deny Jim Murray's sulphur experience with a specific bottling but it would be ridiculous of him to invent it's presence in that specific bottling. Another thing to remember is that the detection of S contamination can be delayed, and finding it in a small sample is unreliable at best (i'm sure a reviewer that assesses many samples will miss it often because of this). Many times i've sipped a whisky detecting no sulphur (although i will know something is initially wrong) only for the sulphur to hit me the next day/session, i've experienced this many times and seen the same with several geeks that have come to the same conclusion.

[IainB]

Is it possible that it's not a question of whether the sulphur exist or not but whether it's a taste you like or not. For example, lots and lots of people love goat's cheese. I happen to think it's one of the most vile substances on earth and I can smell it a mile away.

[bredman]

Is it possible that it's not a question of whether the sulphur exist or not but whether it's a taste you like or not.

Absolutely Iain. If the reviewer notes accurately the nature if the contamination* then it's left to each and everyone of us to make that call (very few bottlers will mention it in their 'official' notes leading to claims of deception). A fellow forumite of mine from another forum loves the cordite/gunpowder notes but it must be said he's in an extreme minority. I'm not sure about what ratio of people can detect it in the first place. Estimates seem to range from 1/4 to 1/2 of us can detect it.

* by contamination i'm referring to the sulphur left over by the fumigation candles, and not (possible) excessive sulphur left over from the distillation, which is a different set of flavours. I have read that some sherry producers would fumigate the casks before and after they were used for sherry maturation. Many state the practice has stopped completely (hmm i wonder????), even if this is true it would seem the legacy will be an issue for a long time as casks are reused again and again.

[IainB]

From talking to people in the wine industry sulphur seems to be a controversial in winemaking too - sulphur dioxide is used extensively in the wine industry to kill unwanted yeast and leaves a flavour element in the finished product. From what I've heard they say it's difficult to eliminate it from the process but I don't know enough to comment one way or the other. I'm not sure this is relevant to the whiskey discussion but it seems to be more accepted among the wine people.

I do know that IDL are among those who have led the way in reducing / eliminating it's influence - apparently they only ship sherry casks in winter so as to reduce the risk of cask spoilage and remove the need for sulphur fumigation.

BTW I love the Connemara Amontillado finish.

[AlecM]

Have just ordered a bottle and although I won't have a chance to try it for a while, when I do I'll post my thoughts. Can't wait. I love Connemara whiskies and reading through all the comments I have no doubts this is going to be a lovely nosing and tasting experience.

[cianc1]

Where did you order it, i've been looking for a bottle?

[varizoltan]

Where did you order it, i've been looking for a bottle?

you can only buy it from the celtic whiskey shop