Impression // Asta Morris & Rasta Morris expressions (Macduff 2012, Glenallachie 2008, Glentauchers 1996, Foursquare 2007, Bielle 2011)

The best way to end the summer holidays, before going back to classrooms to each, is to explore a variety of expressions selected by whisky and rum connoisseur Bert Bruyneel, who releases these bottles under the independent “Asta Morris” & “Rasta Morris” labels. A digital tasting session that feels like a pub visit? Well that’s what I’ll always sign up for.

I don’t think it’s necessary to introduce Asta Morris & Rasta Morris, but for those who might not have heard of these labels: they often are synonymous with ‘quality’ and ‘hidden gems’. Owner Bert Bruyneel started the Asta Morris label with an independent bottling of a Glenlivet 1977 / 2010. Yeah. He’s that kind of guy.

Currently, he’s working on the whisky (Asta Morris), rum (Rasta Morris), and gin (NOG - No Ordinary Gin, meant to be enjoyed neat). But knowing him, he’s already working on something entirely new as well. He’s a busy bee like that.

Last week, we got together digitally to taste the newest releases, which included 3 whiskies and 2 rum expressions. And if you want to get your hands on them, stop reading, and order them now. They are very limited.

Back? Did you get them? Awesome! Enjoy!

Back? No luck this time? Well, there’s always next time!

In any case, if you feel like knowing a bit more about the expressions we tasted, feel free to continue reading! I’ll be discussing them in the tasting order: Macduff (2012, 8 y/o), Glenallachie (2008, 11 y/o), Glentauchers (1996, 24 y/o), Foursquare (2007, 13 y/o), and finally Bielle (2011, 8 y/o).

This is Bert. Bert knows a lot about whisky, gin, and rum. Bert doesn’t like Brussels sprouts. Please ask him about it.

Macduff (2012, 8 y/o)

We started our evening with a Macduff expression, distilled in 2012 and bottled in 2020. With its 58% ABV, you might expect this to be cask strength, but you are wrong! In reality, the cask strength whisky measured 63% ABV! Now that is a tad too strong for me.

Speaking of which, at 53% ABV, this whisky still packs quite a punch. But it’s a good punch. A well-deserved and well-needed one? My metaphor ran out.

Tasting a Macduff release is, by itself, a rare thing. Owned by Bacardi, the distillery mostly produces whisky for blends, as John Dewar & Sons is in charge of the distillery.

Before I forget, let me add that this release, and all others discussed in this post, are single cask releases. This particular Macduff expression has a limited availability of 233 bottles.

On the nose, there’s heavy influence of the sherry cask that was used as extra maturation. At first, I got sharp/fresh notes, with hints of a sweeter side to the liquid. There are notes of red fruits, and later some caramelized peanuts.

The liquid itself is deliciously malty, with explorations of sultana’s, more nutty flavours, and a hint of green melon. With a drop of water, there are more influences of oranges, to the point that I tasted notes of bitter marmalade (the good brand you get at the delicatessen shop).

As a finish, a subtle dry note that lingers for quite some time. A recommendation if you want to step away from the ‘big flavour profiles’ to explore lesser-known combinations. In other words. I liked it.

Glenallachie (2008, 11 y/o)

Our second sample of the evening was a Glenallachie sherry butt release, bottled at 56% ABV. With 724 bottles available, this is a ‘slightly less limited release’, if compared to the other expressions in this review.

It’s interesting to taste an independent Glenallachie, and it’s even more interesting to compare this release to the new releases the Glenallachie distillery has brought on the market after their ownership change (a new core range of 10, 12, 18, 25 y/o expressions + single cask releases).

On the nose, think chocolate chip cookies, then try and mentally push out the ‘chocolate chip’ element to that scent. That’s what I got the first time I nosed this dram. It might also be a bit ‘soapy’, and there’s definitely a layer of stewed fruits / apple sauce in there. A good start!

Palate-wise, I can’t pin-point exactly what I’m tasting. There’s elements of sweetness, mixed with stone fruit. There are some cherries in there. The kind you use when making a cherry pie with a rich filling.

The finish is delicate, and short-lived. Blink and you might miss it. I’d classify this whisky as the kind you have to treat with respect. Take your time with it. Get to know the flavours. Sip, don’t drink.

Glentauchers (1996, 24 y/o)

But then. Oh boy. Then came the moment suprême. A 24 year old Glentauchers, bottled at 49.7% ABV. 186 bottles available. Probably all gone by now. What an expression.

The antagonist to the previous expression, this Glentauchers is rich with scents and flavours, and so delicious it brought back childhood memories. When you get that in a whisky, you just know you’ve made a connection.

On paper, it’s a more ‘simple’ and ‘straightforward’ release. 24 years on ex-bourbon casks. Some whisky drinkers might call this ‘boring’. I say, it’s proof that you don’t necessarily need extra maturation on other casks. This'll do. And it’ll do fine. More than fine, even.

I got scents of sugar, pears, ripe bananas, hints of eau de vie (google that). A rich blend of different impressions. Inviting, warm, cozy. And a hint of tutti-fruity bubble-gum.

Then, the flavours, best described by explaining the childhood (and student-time) snack known as ‘fruit mash’* (fruitpap): take 2 ‘mash biscuits' (pletkoekjes), the brand Betterfood works best. Add a mashed banana, some apple slices, pear slices, some orange bits, and some fresh orange juice. Then, well, mash it all up. There you go. Instant happiness.

*It’s a Belgian (Flemish) thing. Every mother has her own recipe, passed down from her mother. And it’s a delicious, filling, nutritious, and absolutely ridiculous snack for adults.

Back to the Glentauchers. Yes. Well. I got that as the dominant flavours. I consider myself lucky, really, because you can’t go any further down the rabbit hole of childhood snacks than this. Bliss. I’ll leave it at that.

Texture-wise: waxy, well-rounded, a bit oily, some ‘bite’ to it. Make your own sentences, I’m preparing a snack as I’m writing this.

Foursquare (Rum) (2007, 13 y/o)

Then came the second part of the digital tasting session. We were happily sharing tasting notes, and Bert just kept adding extra information, jokes, and personal thoughts. And by then I thought: ‘Well, now’s it rum. Yeah. Rum.’

But little did I know… BANG! Another winner! Just when I thought that the flavour-bomb had already gone of with that Glentauchers, I sampled a % Foursquare rum, 13 years old, bottled at 61% ABV. Ooh yes.

The Foursquare Distillery can boast impressive dates. Their owners can retrace their roots on Barbados to the 1650s, and five generations of rum-makers (starting in 1820) have shared their expertise to create an absolutely delicious rum, offering ‘tropical paradise in a bottle’.

On the nose, flambéed pineapple, toasted wood, molasses(?), freshly cut wood shavings (like the ones you get in a woodshop). All sweet and a little smokey.

The flavours, good heavens the flavours. This is tropical fruits, rich, creamy, with a very enjoyable ‘burn’ added to the tasting experience. A fireworks of flavours, a small open fire, started with kindling of wood shavings and exotic fruit peels.

A mellow finish wraps everything up. There’s some caramel, to top things off. Not as long as you might want, but long enough to give you something extra before the next sip (or the bottle kill).

Get this bottle, if you still can. There were 239 available on release day.

Bielle (Rum) (2011, 8 y/o)

And here we are. The final expression tasted during our online get-together. A Bielle expression, 8 years old, and bottled at 52.8% ABV (258 bottles). In style, this is a sugarcane juice rum, or rhum agricole, originating from the French-Caribbean islands, more specifically Marie-Galante, an island belonging to Guadeloupe. Obviously very different from Foursquare, which uses molasses instead of the sugarcane as basic ingredient.

Normally, I’m not much of an ‘agricole aficionado’, but a good tasting wouldn’t be without ‘that one expression that changed your mind’.

On the nose, both a little bit sharper and sweeter than the Foursquare, with a whiff of white wine vinegar, which made things very interesting. There’s a bit of gouache as well, as is expected when I sniff an agricole rum.

The same can be said about the flavours as well. Again, sharper than the Foursquare, less fruit notes, but sweeter. More influence of the sugarcane, I imagine. There’s a dry finish, with some tingling on the lips and gums.

I got proven wrong. There’s a ‘rhum agricole’ that I enjoy.

Conclusion

I don’t think you can go wrong with an Asta Morris or Rasta Morris single cask release. If I had to pick favourites, well, obviously the Glentauchers and the Foursquare, because they resonated with me the most.

I strongly suggest either getting samples yourself (as a bargaining chip for not revealing Bert’s horrible secret about sprouts*) or simply getting a bottle and sharing it with your friends, when it’s possible again.

*Ask me about Bert’s horrible secret concerning Brussels sprouts. The information might shock you…

Bonus picture. You figure it out.



Photography is © Bert Bruyneel / Asta Morris, minus the random ‘fruitpap’ picture I found on the internet, but couldn’t trace back to its legal owner.