Lux coin: whisky with a hint of mint

Those crazy kids at Wealth Solutions have been at it again. As their name suggests, these Polish entrepreneurs take the view that wealth is a problem needing to be solved and they specialise in creating fantastically expensive things for rich people to spend their money on. Rare booze is a thing with them, and I first encountered them when they sent me a sample of their Jubilee bottling of Glenfarclas 1953. Their next move was the frankly bonkers idea of buying a bottle of 1762 Cognac—the oldest ever sold at auction—then putting a drop of the spirit inside a glass capsule mounted in a specially commissioned wristwatch by boutique Swiss manufacturer Armin Strom.

Compared to the watch, their latest wheeze seems relatively conventional. This time they’ve bought a bottle of Old Vatted Glenlivet 1862 whisky, believed to be the oldest extant whisky in the world, and placed a drop of it inside a glass capsule mounted in a solid gold coin. The coin is carved with images of whisky-making and bears the words “WHISKY 1862” by the capsule. (Which sounds a bit vague to me, for something so rare and valuable—why not “Glenlivet 1862”? There is plenty of room.) This should lessen the risk of the cleaner mistaking it for tea or WD40 and trying to buff it away.

The coin, marketed by subdivision Lux Coin, was created by the Perth Mint, who have been making limited edition precious metal coins for 30 years. Mind you, if you look at their website (where you can buy the coin) there is something bathetic about the way it appears alongside gaudy Looney Tunes commemorative sets and a coin shaped like Iron Man’s mask.

But here’s the kicker: the Whisky Coin is legal tender—in Tuvalu, where its face value is 50 dollars. (You do wonder how many other governments they tried before they found someone who would go for it. The forthcoming Rum Coin is legal tender in Barbados, where the rum was actually made, and the Cognac coin is worth 100 Congolese francs, which at least has a French connection.)*

In case you’re wondering, the spirit coins are all priced at €7,900 in limited editions of 300.

* In fairness, Tuvalu did used to be part of the British Empire, and is still in the Commonwealth, so I suppose there is a tenuous link with Scotland.

G-Line Whisky: A Scotch with an unusual production method

A Guest Writer Article from the IAE South Coast Branch

Today, I’m looking at a whisky that came as something of a surprise on a multitude of levels. Firstly, it arrived without my knowledge as a surprise from Germany (whence it had been ordered by DBS). Secondly, I tried it not knowing what it was. In our household, given our fondness for blind tastings, that happens quite a lot, but today DBS avoided any details for a different reason: I’m tasting G.Whisky No.1 from G-Spirits.

G-Spirits, based in Germany, is run by former barkeepers Maximilian and Julian Goldbach, who have been exploring adding something more to spirits than mere… well, spirit. They noticed that often a drink is so much more than just flavour, and sought to see how they could add something more to the experience of drinking a spirit. 

G.Whisky No.1 is a 12-year-old Scotch whisky, finished in sherry casks, that’s been poured over the breasts of Alexa Varga, Hungary's Playmate of the Year 2012. They even have a making-of video to show you how it’s done (they use a special basin). The company also make a vodka and a rum, and say that the models are chosen to reflect the spirit that they work with.

Tasting notes

Colour: Quite light—pale gold or Champagne.
Nose: Very pleasant: distinctly sweet, but with a slight tartness, like a combination of sweet liquorice, dark toffee and apple cider vinegar. There’s a little bit of wood polish at the end, too, but that’s pretty faint.
Taste: A long but light and dry note of woodiness to start with a little vanilla and light sherry. This then quickly develops: there’s a burst of toffee sweetness, which then swiftly changes to a different type of sweetness on the finish: one which is less like processed sugar and more fruity; it reminded me more of dried peach or apricot. The finish is also very warming indeed, which isn’t surprising given that it’s cask strength. I thought it would go particularly well in a hipflask, but—now that I know what it is—that strikes me as a rather expensive hipflask to keep!

So does it make a difference?
In reality, given health and safety regulations (and the fact that it’s cask strength alcohol), the impact on the whisky’s content and flavour is likely to be minimal, if anything; it’s primary impact is the psychological response that it inspires (whether that be positive or negative!).

Upon reflection, I am amused at how, after my initial surprise, I did look at the whisky slightly differently; in particular it seemed softer (it’s pretty soft for 57.9% ABV anyway). So maybe there’s something more to G-Spirits than initially meets the eye…

In Conclusion
Despite obviously not being in its target market, I liked the whisky—the flavour is smooth, but flavourful, with a range of lovely fruit notes, and has a great warmth and strength to it. I don’t think there can be any doubt that there’s a gimmick here, but the fact remains that it tastes lovely.

—Mrs B.

G-Line Scotch is available from their website for €139 for 500ml

A good blow for whisky lovers

I received this little item recently from the Whisky Exchange as a bonus with an order—it’s a handkerchief printed with a single malt whisky flavour map! Just the thing for an evening spent drinking whisky and taking snuff, I would have thought.

I don’t know what you have to do to get one, as they don’t appear to be for sale. But perhaps if you ask nicely…

Lab Update #3: Snow.

Lab update #3 - Fun with Snow

With all my scheduled meetings for the day cancelled, I decided to make the best of this impromptu day-off and use the weather in some drinks.

First I tried a Snow Julep using Jim Beam Green Label Bourbon, it's looks good and I thought it was a nice idea but it was very difficult to drink without a straw.

The next idea (below right) was inspired by Clayton (and I have to admit I feel the same) love of the G Vine ice balls, rather than one big ice ball to add to your whisky why not use a compacted snowball. Once I had packed it together I put it

in the freezer for a minute to let it harden up.

this seems to cool the drink moderately, but not as much as the Gvine cubes.

Below left: you can see a Gin & Tonic, "Evans" style served with another chunk snowball ice.

Some readers may think, using snow ice is all well and good but I would like to be warmed up.

Well I shall introduce you to my simple hot toddy recipe:

2pts Whisky

1pt Sugar Syrup

1pt Lemon Juice

4pts Boiling Water

I have scaled this up using 500ml whisky, 125ml sugar syrup, 125ml honey, 250ml lemon juice. I added the whisky sugar syrup and lemon juice to a saucepan and gently heated it, I then added the honey,a pinch of nutmeg, and stirred. After heating for a few minutes I removed the pan from the heat. After cooling I strained it and bottled it.

Voila! You have a premix hot toddy, just add hot water (1pt toddy mix : 2parts boiling water.)