一酹還祭肚皮-------我的Single Malt歲月

2002年Balvenie將倉庫中最後一桶1950年代存酒裝瓶上市,而這瓶便是著名的Cask 191,
Balvenie 1952/January/26 ~ 2002/ September/6 50yo ( 45.1%,ob,Cask# 191,83b )
酒廠訂價£6000,折合台幣約39萬元,這等價位自非我這升斗小民所能入手的珍品,
不過看看報導還是能發現一些趣事(註一)。

據原廠所公佈的新聞稿,Cask 191不僅是Balvenie公開上市產品中,年份最老、裝瓶數量最少,
除此外他還是Balvenie最早開始嘗試使用雪莉桶去進行陳年的桶子。
或許有人立馬要抗議,
Kingfisher兄不是珍藏了一支Balvenie 1951/1998(46.7% ,ob, Cask No: 1236/1, 6b )? (註二)
是的,若說年份最老、裝瓶數量最少,當非Vintage 1951莫屬,可惜這應該並非是”公開上市”的酒款,
詳情請見Kingfisher兄所寫”珍品入手”http://blog.pixnet.net/kingfishertw/post/2775745。

其實隨Cask 191上市而公佈的資料中,無意間暴露出不少訊息,
首先Balvenie使用雪莉桶的歷史相較其他蒸餾廠為晚,
雖說Balvenie在蘇格蘭本來就不算歷史悠久的蒸餾廠,但遲至1952年才使用雪莉桶,
這點還是頗令我意外。
另外Cask 191只裝了83瓶,在新聞稿中有以下敘述:
“ Cask 191 消耗在angel's share的部分高達77%,換算成裝瓶數約為173瓶 “(註三),
如果原廠所公佈的資料無誤,那我們做一下計算
83瓶+ 173瓶= 256瓶 ( 此即為完全無angel's share時的裝瓶數 )
由於每瓶酒容量為0.7L
256 * 0.7L = 179.2 L
這真是非常奇怪的數字,因為Cask 191標榜使用的是雪莉桶,而一般雪莉桶的容量為500 L,
難道Balvenie所使用的雪莉桶容量介於180~200之間?
Balvenie出過不少的Vintage,不過通常並未詳細說明所使用的桶子,
茲將一些Balvenie Vintage Cask的資料表列於下 :
Balvenie 1961/1999 Vintage Cask (49.3%, OB,Cask # 4194, 141b )
Balvenie 32yo 1964/1996 Vintage Cask (46.4% ,ob, Cask No:8997,158b )
Balvenie 30yo 1966/1997 Vintage Cask (45.5%, OB ,Cask # 1904, 156b )
Balvenie 30yo 1966/1997 Vintage Cask (45.5%, OB ,Cask # 1906,?b )
Balvenie 32yo 1966~1998/Oct/19 Vintage Cask (42.6%, OB ,Cask # 6432, 264b )
Balvenie 1966/1998 Vintage Cask (42.6%, OB ,Cask # 6434, 270b )
Balvenie1966/1998 Vintage Cask (42.1%, OB ,Cask # ?, 264b )
Balvenie 32yo 1967~1999/Oct/4 Vintage Cask (49.7%, OB ,Cask # 9909, 165b )
Balvenie1967/1999 Vintage Cask (49.7%, OB,Cask # 9912, 171b )
Balvenie 32yo 1968~2000/Sept/9 Vintage Cask (50.8%, OB, Cask#7294, 180b.)
Balvenie 32yo 1968/2000 Vintage Cask (51%, OB, Cask#7296, 177b.)
Balvenie 30yo 1970/2001 Vintage Cask (44.6%, OB, Cask#12524, 320b.)
Balvenie 1972/2003 Vintage Cask (44.6%, OB, Cask#14810, 167b.)
Balvenie 30yo 1972~2003/Jun/13 Vintage Cask (49.4%, OB, Cask#14816, 135b.)
Balvenie 31yo 1973~2004/ Apr/28 Vintage Cask (49.7%, OB, Cask#7484, 309b.)
Balvenie 33yo 1971~2005/ Apr/19 Vintage Cask (46.7%, OB, Cask#8919, 197b.)
Balvenie 34yo 1971/2005 Vintage Cask (47.1%, OB, Cask#8935, 219b.)

當然以上的資料並不完整,不過拿來作為觀察應該還算充裕,
眼尖的朋友應該會發現,上列所有Vintage Cask的裝瓶數都不高,
照常理,換算回去大概只可能陳年在Barrel或Hogshead這種容量的桶中。
以前我曾讀到酒商文宣中說Balvenie 1964 Vintage Cask是在雪莉桶內陳年,
當時並未留意,因為畢竟並非原廠資料,不過現下對照Cask 191的狀況似乎可能性大增。
大家都知道Glenfiddich是Balvenie的母公司,而且是少數至今仍保有桶匠的蒸餾廠,
因此如果Glenfiddich為節省運輸成本,直接從國外引進雪莉桶板材再之後自行組裝成桶,
其實不無可能,而Glenfiddich也絕對有此能力。
若果真是如此,那Balvenie有Barrel或Hogshead此等容量的雪莉桶也就不是什麼希罕事,
以此推論當桶子外觀相同,又缺乏詳細紀錄時,酒廠無法確定所用桶子種類為何(故不敢強調桶型),
應該也不足為奇。
當然這些純屬臆測,缺乏直接有力的證據,Balvenie Vintage Cask我喝的很少,
亦無法從品飲經驗中攫取什麼佐證,不過我很難相信Balvenie裝過的雪莉桶僅Cask 191而已,
可惜Balvenie並非熱門蒸餾廠,國內外收藏家太少,相關的研究資料亦付之闕如,
在這方面Ardbeg、Bowmore、Glenfarclas等蒸餾廠的收藏、研究者相對就幸福多了。
文章最後依舊難有什麼具體的結論,不過炎炎夏日缺乏品飲single malt的欲望,
品酒紀錄自然怠工,就請權充此一時刻的閒喀牙吧!

(註一)茲將新聞稿原文附錄於下:
03/12/2002 - The last Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky from the 1950s, called Cask 151, has been bottled and launched in the UK market by the brand's owner, William Grant & Sons. But getting hold of a bottle will not be easy.

The whisky was laid down to mature in a single sherry cask on 26 January 1952. Over 50 years later, the cask was finally emptied on 6 September 2002 to allow the whisky to be bottled, and just 83 bottles of the 50-year-old malt were produced, making it the smallest ever release by The Balvenie.
The reason for the limited bottling is simple - a whisky this old is affected by a number of factors, not least the evaporation of the spirit through the wood of the barrel, what is commonly called the Angel's Share. This happens to all whiskies when they are laid down, and is the cause of the peculiar black mould which appears on the warehouses where the spirit is stored for ageing.
But with the 50-year-old whisky, the angel's share was far more than usual - some 77 per cent of the whisky in the cask had evaporated by the time it was finally opened, the equivalent of 173 bottles.
Not only is Cask 191 the smallest ever release of The Balvenie, it is also the first to be matured in sherry casks, making it a shame that so few drinkers will be able to find it. And for the select few who are able to get their hands on a bottle, it will not come cheap: the whisky is expected to retail for around £6,000 (€9,400) a bottle.
The whisky was bottled at cask strength and has not been chill-filtered or coloured in any way. However, the age of the whisky and the evaporation over the years means that the strength of the whisky has dropped from 63.5 per cent to 45.1 per cent.
The sherry cask is said to have given the whisky a variety of flavours, "from butterscotch to clover, honey, liquorice and chocolate", according to David Stewart, malt master at The Balvenie.
Each bottle of Cask 191 is individually dipped in wax in order to ensure that no more of the precious - not to say expensive - liquor goes the way of the angels. The bottles will also feature a hand-written label, signed personally by Stewart, and will be presented in a cherry wood box.
As well as the UK, the whisky will be available in selected outlets in France - where the market for single malt whisky is not inconsiderable - the US and travel retail.

(註二):
另外曾讀到一支Balvenie 1951的紀錄,可惜只知酒精濃度為51.9%,至於其他詳細資料則不得而知

(註三):
新聞稿中的計算似乎有些小問題,如果angel's share的部分高達77%,
代表目前裝瓶數量為原本的23%,Cask 191裝瓶數為83瓶,反算回去總數約為360瓶
360 – 83 = 277,換句話說angel's share的部分若高達77%,那損失總量應該是277瓶而非1 73瓶。
又,如果損失數量173瓶是正確的數字,那代表原本的裝瓶數應該為83 + 173 = 256
換言之angel's share的部分應為67.578%。