Over the holidays, our good friends from Belgium stopped by as they were on their way to New Zealand and other points in that area. They came baring gifts, including a package of wonderful Neuhaus Belgian chocolate and a three-bottle tasting package of Gouden Carolus Belgian whiskey. That was enough to open any door and be welcomed!
The Neuhaus chocolates are famous not only in Belgium; on a cruise in the Baltic last year, a coffee shop in Lithuania boasted that they carried Neuhaus chocolate! The quality of chocolate is excellent, and they are very creative in their fillings. Unfortunately, I limit myself to one treat a day as who knows when our friends shall return! Onto the whiskey tasting!
You will find that more and more beer distillers are beginning to come out with a line of whiskey. Why? Because they both use the same basic materials and some of the same steps, so adding whiskey to a brewers’ offering makes sense. By brewing standards, Carolus is new to the game, officially starting beer production in the late 19th century. Their line of whiskey is even newer but let us take a look at what they are offering.
First Sample: Sherry Oak
This whiskey has a sweet smell and there is a slight fruity taste to it along with a hint of dark chocolate. The fruitiness comes in part from the use of Oloroso sherry barrels, made from 100% American oak. It has the darkest color of the three samples, but it is a beautiful rich gold in color that just entices you to give it a try.
For the novice whiskey drinker, this could be a good introduction to whiskey and certainly would encourage further exploration of the blends.
Second Sample: Blaasveld Broek
The name of the product refers to a beautiful nature preserve next to the Molenberg distillery in Blaasveld. It was from that area that peat has been harvested for centuries as a fuel and for drying out malted barley.
This product is not as sweet and has a hint of peat. It is a new formula and uses a specialty prepared wash containing peated malt. The result is a hint of smokiness combined with a tad of vanilla. This would be a good second step for a novice and might lead one to try a smoky scotch or two.
Third Sample: Imperial Mask Whiskey
This is the newest addition to the line and in fact, it is not even shown on the corporate website. Gouden Carolus (Golden Charles) Imperial Day is celebrated on 24th February which was the birthday of Emperor Charles V. The first batch was distilled in 2015 and allowed to age for more than five years in oak casks.
This is a very smooth whiskey with a bit of fruit flavor from apricot and vanilla. Like the other two, this is a gentle whiskey and can be enjoyed with a bit of dark chocolate or a nice cigar. The dueling favors of the cigar and whiskey is quite nice.
PRICE: About $60.00 a bottle
