whiskytastings

[whiskytastings]

Review #217: Kilchoman Machir Bay

46% ABV, natural colour, non-chill-filtered Distillery: Kilchoman Distillery, Islay, Scotland Producer: Kilchoman Distillery Co. Ltd.

This review is part of a series of peated Scotch single malt reviews.

When Kilchoman distillery was founded in 2005, it became the 8th active distillery on the island and the first to open on Islay in 124 years. Anthony Wills, the founder and owner of Kilchoman was running an independent bottling company, before he decided in 2002 to start a distillery on Islay. Kilchoman is the only farm distillery and by far the smallest distillery on Islay, with an annual production output of about 200 thousand litres of new make spirit per year. Production started in 2005 and in 2009 the first single malt was released. In 2010 Wills hired John MacLellan, who previously had been in charge of Bunnahabhain distillery, as distillery manager of Kilchoman. In 2015 the company purchased Rockside Farm, the land that surrounds the distillery and that has been providing the distillery with barley since it started.

Kilchoman is one of the very few distilleries in Scotland to perform all steps of the production on site, including using locally grown barley to having its own floor maltings and bottling plant at the distillery. About 20% of the malt used at Kilchoman is grown, malted and kilned at the distillery, with the remainder being purchased from Port Ellen Maltings in the south of Islay.

The malted barley produced at the distillery is peated to a phenol content of about 15-25ppm, while the malt from Port Ellen is at 50ppm. The first regular distillery bottling, 100% Islay, was released in 2010. It is made from barley grown on the farm and malted and kilned on site. In 2012, Machir Bay and Loch Gorm were added to the core range, and they were joined in 2016 by Sanaig. All three are made from Port Ellen malt. While Loch Gorm is 100% matured in ex-sherry casks, Sanaig is predominantly sherry-cask influenced with a small amount of ex-bourbon casks used in the blend, while Machir Bay is mostly matured in ex-bourbon casks with only a small percentage of sherry matured whisky added. In addition to these core-range bottlings, Kilchoman also has an ever changing lineup of vintage, cask strength and single cask bottlings as well as whisky matured in Port, Madeira, Sauternes and other casks.

Eye: The packaging is simple but effective and immediately recognizable. I love the broad shouldered bottle, with a thick glass base that has the words “Islay’s Farm Distillery” embossed, and a Celtic emblem in gold-metallic colours above the label. The whisky itself is pale straw in colour. Nose: Fresh citrus, green apple, vanilla, flinty mineral, brine, farm yard and a warming peat fire. Palate: Quite dry, full flavoured and yet light bodied, with peat smoke, heather honey, tart fruit, lemon zest, cereal and a touch of peppermint. Finish: Medium in length with lingering smoke, barbecued meats, euchalyptus, chilli heat and sea salt. Verdict: I really enjoyed the Kilchoman Machir Bay. For an approximately 5 year old whisky it is remarkably complex and incredibly well made. While definitely part of the heavily peated category, it is crisp, dry and light, with almost none of the heavy medicinal flavours that you’d find in other Islay malts. A definite must-try for all peat heads. 86/100 

Other people’s opinion of Kilchoman Machir Bay:

http://thewhiskeyjug.com/scotch-whisky/kilchoman-machir-bay-2017-review

http://scotchnoob.com/2012/09/17/kilchoman-machir-bay

https://thesinglemaltalliance.com/2017/05/24/kilchoman-machir-bay-reviewed

http://smokybeast.blogspot.ie/2013/12/review-kilchoman-machir-bay-it-beast.html

http://peatedperfection.blogspot.ie/2016/02/kilchoman-machir-bay-whisky-review.html

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Review #216: Caol Ila Distiller’s Edition 2001/2013

43% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Distillery: Caol Ila Distillery, Islay, Scotland Producer: Diageo plc

This review is part of a series of peated Scotch single malt reviews.

Caol Ila was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson, the owner of Camlachie distillery in Glasgow at that time. The distillery is located in the north east of Islay, near the village of Port Askaig. Pronounced ‘cool-eela’, the name is Gaelic for the Sound of Islay, the straight between Islay and the isle of Jura, that the distillery overlooks. Hector Henderson went bankrupt a few years after founding Caol Ila, and the subsequent owner, Norman Buchannan, who also owned Isle Of Jura distillery, suffered the same fate in 1863. The same year, Caol Ila was acquired by Glasgow blenders Bulloch Lade & Co., who rebuilt and extended the distillery in 1879 and added a pier in front of the buildings for better boat access. 

At the time of the 1880's, the distillery produced in excess of 147 thousand gallons of whisky each year, all of which was used for the production of blended whiskies, including the Bulloch Lade (B&L) brand, as well as a blended malt whisky called Glen Ila. Bulloch Lade & Co. went bankrupt in 1920 and the distillery was bought by J.P. O'Brien Ltd., who sold it again the same year to a consortium lead by Distiller's Company Limited (DCL). DCL, one of the predecessors of today's Diageo, finally took full control of the distillery in 1927.

Between 1972 and 1974 the entire site, with the exception of the warehouses, was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up, and the distillery extended greatly. The number of stills was increased from two to six, and the on-site maltings were closed. From then on, the malted barley was supplied by the equally DCL-owned Port Ellen Maltings. When Caol Ila reopened in 1974, it had become the largest distillery by volume of production on Islay. After DCL was taken over by Guinness in 1986, and the spirits devision was renamed to United Distillers (UD), the first single malt bottling of Caol Ila was released, a 15 year old single malt, that was part of UD’s Flora & Fauna series. 

Traditionally, almost all of the distillery output from Caol Ila has been used for the production of Blended Scotch, particularly for the various “colours” in the Johnnie Walker range. In the late 1990′s, the distillery started producing “Highland-style” whisky, made from unpeated malt, in addition to making peated whisky, and this unpeated whisky was released as an 8 year old bottling in 2006. Guinness/UD became Diageo in 1997, and the 15 year old Flora & Fauna bottling was replaced in 2002 by a proper distillery range of Caol Ila bottlings. It consisted a NAS Cask Strength edition, the flagship 12 year old, and an 18 year old bottling. 

In 2006, a Distiller’s Edition of Caol Ila, also around 12 years of age and finished in Moscatel casks (a sweet dessert wine from the south of Spain), was introduced. The Distiller’s Edition is released in vintages, and always states both the distillation as well as the bottling year. The Caol Ila Distiller’s Edition bottling in this review was distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2013. It is approximately 12 years old, is bottled at 43% ABV, contains E150a caramel colouring and is chill filtered.

Eye: The dark grey / metallic gold label design and the dark green glass bottle make for a mysterious looking packaging. The whisky itself, while adjusted with caramel colouring, is old gold +1 in colour. Nose: Tropical fruit, mango and honeydew melon, maritime aromas, seaweed and brine, floral honey, iodine, vanilla and earthy peat. Palate: Tart lemon, red apple, ripe melon, Gewürztraminer, sweet honey, slight medicinal notes, white pepper and chilli heat mid palate with a maritime character and an undercurrent of dry peat smoke. Finish: Medium long with lingering peat, charred oak and bitter chocolate. Verdict: The Caol Ila Distiller's Edition exhibits a great balance of sweet and sour flavours with a spicy middle and gently warming, woody peat that is omnipresent but doesn't overpower. 88/100

A few other reviews of other Caol Ila Distiller’s Edition vintages:

 https://malt-review.com/2012/09/25/caol-ila-1998-distillers-edition

http://www.allthingswhisky.com/?p=819

http://www.allthingswhisky.com/?p=1976

http://thewhiskeybar.org/caol-ila-distillers-edition-review

http://www.insearchofelegance.net/blog/2017/9/12/review-caol-ila-distillers-edition-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky

https://alcoholandaphorisms.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/tasting-notes-caol-ila-distillers-edition

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Review #215: Talisker Skye

45.8% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Distillery: Talisker Distillery, Isle of Skye, Scotland Producer: Diageo plc

This review is part of a series of peated Scotch single malt reviews.

Located in the village of Carbost, on the western side of the Isle of Skye, Talisker distillery was founded in 1830 by two brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill. Originating from the small island of Eigg, south of Skye, the MacAskills had leased Talisker House and the surrounding lands from the MacLeod of MacLeod five years earlier, and despite resistance by the local clergy, decided to build a distillery on the estate.

The distillery struggled however, and in 1848 the MacAskill’s had to sell the distillery to the North of Scotland Bank. Kenneth MacAskill passed away in 1854, and in 1857 the distillery was taken over by Hugh’s son-in-law Donald MacLeannan. Unfortunately Donald went bankrupt in 1863, and the distillery was sold to John Anderson. But Anderson also ran into troubles, and was sent to jail in 1879 for selling non-existent casks of whisky. In 1880 Alexander Grigor Allan, co-owner of Glenlossie distillery, and Roderick Kemp, a spirits merchant from Aberdeen, took over as new owners of Talisker. They renovated and modernized the distillery, and business was flourishing. In 1892 the joint venture was dissolved when Allan bought out Kemp, who went on to buy Macallan distillery in Speyside. In 1894 Allan founded the Talisker Distillery Ltd., which merged with Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distillers in 1898, and Dailuaine owner Thomas Mackenzie took over as managing director of Talisker.

After Tomas Mackenzie passed away in 1916, Dailuaine-Talisker Distillers Co. Ltd. was taken over by a joint venture lead by John Dewar & Sons, Johnnie Walker & Sons and Distiller’s Company Ltd. (DCL). DCL took over the other companies in 1925, and Talisker was added to the ever increasing array of distilleries owned by DCL. Following the takeover, the process of triple distillation at Talisker was abandoned in 1928 in favour of the more common double distillation.

In November 1960 a fire caused severe damage to the still house, after which the distillery was rebuilt and extensively renovated over the next two years, and production resumed in 1962. During the reconstruction of the still house, new stills were put in place that were exact copies of the stills before the fire, as to not change the distinct flavour of the distillate. For example, the two wash stills have and unusual U-shaped bend in the lyne arm with a purifier pipe at its lowest point that recycles some of the vapour back into the still. In addition to the two wash stills, Talisker has three spirit stills, a rather unusual setup that is a remnant from the time when Talisker was triple distilled. All stills have worm tubs rather than the more modern condensers to cool the spirit vapours, which give the spirit a fuller, more complex flavour.

The on-premise maltings were closed in 1972 and since then Talisker gets its malt, medium peated at a level of about 22ppm, from Glen Ord Maltings in the northern Highlands. After DCL was taken over by Guinness in 1986, United Distillers, the spirits arm of the new company, launched it’s Classic Malts selection of single malts in 1988. Each of the whiskies in the Classic Malts represents one of the whisky regions of Scotland (with the exception of Campbeltown, since UD/Diageo does not own a distillery there), and Talisker 10 year old became the representative of the Islands sub-region. A decade later, the Talisker Distiller’s edition, finished in Amoroso casks, was introduced, becoming only the second bottling beside the 10 year old. 

Since 2013, Talisker has added a number of NAS (non-age-statement) bottlings to the core range, which consists today of the age stated 10, Distiller’s Edition, 18, 25 and 30 year old and the NAS 57° North, Neist Point, Storm, Dark Storm, Port Ruighe and Skye. 

Talisker Skye was introduced in March 2015 and is matured in heavily charred and refill American oak ex-bourbon casks, which brings out more sweet vanilla and spice flavours. It has no age statement, but would be made from mostly young whisky under 10 years of age. It is bottled at the Talisker typical 45.8% ABV, however it appears to be chill filtered and has been colour adjusted with E150a caramel colour.

Eye: The design of the large cardboard box, bottle label and the iconic typeface make this immediately recognizable as a Talisker. The pressed-chip cork sits a tad too loosely in the bottle. The whisky itself is deep gold +1 in colour, albeit not natural. Nose: Bitter lemon, baked apple, toffee, golden syrup, ginger, ozone, sooty smoke, walnuts and black tea. Palate: Citrus tartness balanced with maple syrup sweetness, apricot, pepper, chilli spice, gentle smoke and nutty oak. Finish: Milk chocolate, more chilli, lingering peat and a bit of astringent wood tannins. Verdict: The Talisker Skye is a bit more gentle on the peat and quite a bit sweeter than the 10 year old. A very easy drinking and moreish whisky, even so it’s not a hugely complex malt and clearly made from relatively young spirit. But it’s very successful at that! 83/100

Other people’s reviews of Talisker Skye:

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2015/03/review-talisker-skye.html

https://malt-review.com/2017/04/17/talisker-skye

https://www.somersetwhisky.com/review-talisker-skye

https://whiskygospel.com/2015/03/12/whisky-review-talisker-skye

http://misswhisky.com/2015/04/10/talisker-skye

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Irish Whiskey Tasting 

I was presenting a tasting of Irish Whiskies at work last week. The aim was to showcase the different styles of Irish Whiskey, and to talk about some of the exiting developments in the Irish whiskey industry in recent years. We tasted the following whiskeys:

Teeling - Spirit of Dublin Poitín Method and Madness - Single Grain J.J. Corry - The Gael Glendalough - 13 year old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Powers - John’s Lane Release 12 year old Pot Still Connemara - 12 year old Peated Single Malt

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Review #214: Ardmore Traditional Cask

46% ABV, E150a, non-chill-filtered Distillery: Ardmore Distillery, Highlands, Scotland Producer: Beam Suntory Inc.

This review is the first in a series of peated Scotch single malt reviews.

Ardmore is located near the village of Huntly in the eastern Highlands, some 50 kilometres north west of Aberdeen and just outside the Speyside region. The distillery was founded by William Teacher’s son Adam in 1897, to secure supply of malt whisky for the production of Teacher’s Highland Cream. To this day Ardmore is one of the principal contributors to the Teacher’s range of blended Scotch, and the source of its smoky undercurrent.

Adam Teacher chose the location of the distillery, erected on land owned by Col. Leith-Hay, a friend to the Teacher family, because it was next to the rail line between Inverness and Aberdeen, allowing goods to be transported easily to and from the distillery, as well as for the good water supply and availability of local barley and peat. The distillery remained in the ownership of the Teacher family until 1976, when it was sold to Allied Brewers, alongside the Teacher’s Scotch brand. Allied Brewers became Allied Lyons after merging with J. Lyons & Co. in 1978, and Allied Domecq Plc, after Allied Lyons merged with Pedro Domecq S.A. in 1994. Allied Domecq was subject to a hostile takeover by Pernod Ricard S.A. in 2005, and the following year the Teacher’s brand, as well as Ardmore and Laphroaig distillery were sold to Beam Inc. from Kentucky. Beam was subsequently acquired by Suntory in 2014 to form Beam Suntory Inc., the brand and distilleries’ current owners.

In 1955 the number of stills at Ardmore was doubled from two to four, and doubled again to eight in 1974. The stills (4 wash- and 4 spirit stills) all have a capacity of 15000 litres, producing in excess of 5 million litres of new make spirit each year. In 1976, following the sale to Allied Brewers, the on-site Saladin maltings were removed, and in late 1980′s the on-site cooperage was shut down. Ardmore was one of the last distilleries in Scotland to use coal-fired stills, but in 2001 they were replaced with stills heated with the more common system of steam coils.

Because of Ardmore’s importance as a component in Teacher’s Highland Cream, very little of the distilleries’ whisky has been available as single malt in the past, with only a few intermittent bottlings over the years. In 2007, the producers decided to make Ardmore more readily available and launched Ardmore Traditional Cask, a NAS (no-age-statement) bottling of Ardmore single malt, peated at about 14ppm, and bottled at 46% ABV without the use of chill filtration but containing caramel colour E150a. The whisky is matured for the most part (about 6-8 years) in ex-bourbon casks, and is finished for the final few months in small 125 litre quarter casks, that were used frequently in the past to transport whisky, but are much less common nowadays (hence the name “Traditional Cask”).

The Ardmore Traditional Cask was discontinued in 2014 and replaced with the current distillery lineup of Ardmore Legacy, Tradition, Triple Wood and the 12 year old Port Wood Finish.

Eye: The design of the cardboard tube with a golden eagle soaring above the distillery in a moody sky may seem a bit dated, but the bottle itself is kept simple and elegant. The whisky is pale gold +1 in colour, and thus does not seem overly colour adjusted. Nose: Red apple, mint, forest leaves, flint stone, milk chocolate, wood shavings and slightly medicinal peat smoke. Palate: Quite dry with bitter lemon, citrus peel, crisp apple, camp fire, hot ginger, porridge and brine. Finish: Medium length with wood ash, fading vegetal peat smoke and a touch of bitter almond. Verdict: The Ardmore Traditional Cask has a lovely herbal, dry character with a gentle medium peatiness. It’s great to see a bit of Scotch mist developing after adding a few drops of water. A dearly missed bottling from a rather underrated Highland distillery. 84/100

Other people’s reviews of Ardmore Traditional Cask:

http://www.allthingswhisky.com/?p=2018

https://malt-review.com/2014/04/05/taste-ardmore-traditional-cask

http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2014/10/single-malt-report-ardmore-traditional.html

https://thecasks.com/2010/12/15/ardmore-traditional-cask-peated-highland-single-malt-whisky-review

http://maltandoak.com/ardmore-traditional-cask-a-very-special-dram-for-me

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Great Northern Distillery - Year 3

Over past two-and-a-bit years, I have been following the progress at the Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk in Ireland with great interest. The distillery became operational two and a half years ago in August 2015, when its column distillation plant for the production of grain spirit was taken into service. The following month the pot distillation plant came to life, where malt spirit, both double and triple distilled, as well as pure pot still spirit,  made from triple distilled malted and unmalted barley, is being produced. 

In October 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting distillery founder and owner John Teeling and his team at Dublin’s Whiskey Live. For the event they brought straight-off-the-still new make samples of GND grain and malt spirit, which I took the opportunity to review and introduce the distillery. A year later, at 2016′s Whiskey Live in Dublin, GND had a stall again and this time brought samples of new make malt, peated and pot still spirit at casked strength, that had been in the casks between 2 and 11 months at the time, and that I wrote about last year. At the 2017 Whiskey Live Dublin in November last year, I was very happy to once again receive a couple of samples, pictured above, that had been in the casks between about 12 and 24 months and should showcase nicely how the spirits have developed since, and on what trajectory the maturing spirits at Great Northern are.

This time next year of course, GND will have spirit in their warehouses that has crossed the important 3 year threshold and can be classified as whiskey. Whether or not they will have a product on the market yet at that stage remains to be seen, even so they do plan to sell malt and grain whiskey in bulk to other new and up-starting Irish distilleries and to supply the private label market worldwide fairly soon after the stock reaches maturity in the autumn of 2018.

Review #210: GND Grain Spirit

Column distilled on 18 Sep 2015, ex-bourbon cask, drawn and reduced to 40% ABV in November 2017 (ie. approx. 2 years old). 

Nose: Very soft, some light fruit, vanilla, butterscotch and coconut. Palate: Also very soft, light and sweet. Citrus, aniseed and a touch of nutty oak. Verdict: After two years in the cask, the GND new make grain distillate has turned into a light and very clean spirit, that reminds me of a good grappa or mezcal, maybe even an ouzo. It has very little of the metallic notes that I often tend to pick out in grain sprits. 

Review #211: GND Pot Still

Triple pot distilled on 26 Sep 2016, ex-bourbon cask, drawn and reduced to 40% ABV in November 2017 (ie. approx. 1 year old).

Nose: Quite intense for the young age. Aromas of rhubarb, custard, fresh cut grass and farmyard. Palate: Tart lemon and lime, green apple, gooseberry, sorrel, sourdough and some bitter notes.  Verdict: The pot still typical green notes and a good level of tartness make this a very crisp and surprisingly moreish spirit.

Review #212: GND Double Distilled Malt

Pot distilled on 11 Mar 2016, ex-bourbon cask, drawn and reduced to 40% ABV in November 2017 (ie. approx. 1.5 years old). 

Nose: Thick, floral and sweet, with banana, maraschino cherry, citrus, cereal, rose water and perfume. Palate: Creamy, sweet and bready, with barley sugar, ripe apple, cherries, apricot, citrus, brioche and vanilla. Verdict: Surprisingly full flavoured and full of sweet barley notes. This should be very interesting indeed when it has reached maturity.

Review #213: GND Triple Distilled Malt

Pot distilled on 2 Dec 2015, ex-bourbon cask, drawn and reduced to 40% ABV in November 2017 (ie. approx. 2 years old). 

Nose: Citrus, pineapple, sweet vanilla, pastry and farmyard. Palate: Flavourful with soft citrus, tropical fruit, cereal, soft vegetal notes and the crisp flinty character of a Marlborough sauvignon blanc.  Verdict: Drier and more refined than the double distilled spirit. Very drinkable already.

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Review #209: Aldi Irish Reserve 26 year old Single Malt

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Distillery: Undisclosed, Ireland (see below) Producer: Aldi Süd, Germany

This Irish Single Malt was released by German supermarket discounter Aldi in its UK and Ireland stores in early November last year. Given the the scarcity of Irish whiskey with a 20+ year age statement, it was quite surprising that a supermarket chain like Aldi had managed to source a large enough quantity at all, and even more astonishing that it was sold for just £40/€50 respectively. 

Consequently, there was quite a bit of excitement about the release in social media and whiskey forums leading up to the release, followed by a bit of scramble to pick up a bottle on the day the whiskey hit the shelves. Some stores got it earlier than others, and some people had to go home empty handed. Suffice to say that it was sold out very quickly.

As one would expect, Aldi does not provide a lot of information about the whiskey on the packaging. So what do we know about it? It’s a single malt from an Irish distillery that was operational 26 years ago, which will allow us to speculate a bit, which distillery it may originate from. Other than that, the packaging states that the whiskey was bottled at 40% ABV (no surprises there), and that it was matured in “oak casks” (still no surprises), which are said to be both “traditional” and “hand-crafted” (stating the obvious). The tin also mentions it is a “limited release”, which probably just means that it was a once-off bottling, rather than one that we’ll be seeing in the shelves again at some point. There is a signature of one “J. Arnold” on the label, who has “approved” something, possibly the release. No idea who he is, maybe someone working for Aldi. Lastly, and this is the only bit of atypical, unexpected information on the label, the whiskey was bottled in Scotland, rather than in Ireland where it was produced, which I’m speculating is because Aldi have a bottling facility there. 

Since the whiskey was released in 2017 and is at least 26 years old, it has to have been distilled in 1991 or earlier. At that time, there were only three whiskey distilleries operating in Ireland: Irish Distillers in Midleton, County Cork, Bushmills in Co. Antrim and Cooley in Co. Louth. As far as I’m aware, single malt whiskey, which is made from 100% malted barley, has never been produced at Midleton distillery. Midleton only makes pot still whiskey, made from malted and unmalted barley, and grain spirit, which is usually made from corn or wheat. That leaves Bushmills and Cooley as the potential source for this Aldi Single Malt. We don’t know whether the whiskey was double or triple distilled, which would give us an indication towards Bushmills (triple) or Cooley (double). But the latter distillery only started making whiskey in 1987, so if it was a Cooley whiskey, it would come from the fairly early days of production. But the distillery didn’t produce quite that much malt whiskey in those days yet, and I’ve heard that the quality of the malt wasn’t quite that great yet then. 

So that leaves Bushmills as the most likely source. When and how the casks that made up this release made it to Aldi is complete speculation. I’d be surprised if it was sold by Casa Cuervo, the current owners of Bushmills distillery, directly to Aldi. The prospect of a Bushmills bottling of 26 years or more would certainly have been way too attractive for the owners of the distillery, to sell on that asset for cheap. I’d rather think Aldi sourced the casks from someone else. That could possibly have been Diageo, the previous owners of Bushmills, or Irish Distillers, the owners before that. Or it could, as some people have speculated, have come from John Teeling, who had sourced malt whiskey from Bushmills at some point. Or it came from someone completely different. Chances are, we’ll never find out.

Eye: It’s certainly not the most stunning packaging ever designed, but the look of the cardboard tube and bottle are “grand”, as we say in Ireland. The whiskey itself is certainly chill-filtered and probably contains caramel, so the yellow gold colour is probably not natural. Nose: Heaps of ripe fruit with pear, apple, cantaloupe and guava, vanilla, milky coffee and a hint of sulphur. Palate: Very sweet and fruity, with peach, pear and mango, honey, cotton candy, vanilla, cookie dough and soft oak tannins. Despite the high age and low ABV a bit of burn mid-palate. Finish: Medium length, turning drier but not a huge amount of development. Some wood char and ash, the oak tannins becoming more prominent. Verdict: This whiskey is a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, it’s surprisingly fresh and vibrant tasting, much younger than the age statement would suggest. It is very fruit forward and the cask influence is fairly subdued. On the other hand, in a blind tasting I would probably place it much closer to 12 years than in the 20+ years range. But either way, considering the price tag this is an incredibly tasty whiskey for very little money. 87/100

Other people’s reviews of the Aldi Irish Reserve 26 year old Single Malt:

https://malt-review.com/2017/11/15/aldi-irish-reserve-single-malt-26-years-old

http://spiritedmatters.com/2017/11/aldi-irish-26-single-malt-whiskey

https://westmeathwhiskeyworld.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/aldi-irish-reserve-26-year-old-single-malt-40

https://whiskyapocalypse.com/2017/11/17/aldi-irish-single-malt-26-year-old-40

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2017 - A year of whisky reviews in review

Once again, it is time to reflect on a year of whisky reviews here at The Drammer’s Notes. What were the highlights of they year? What were the big surprises? What will 2018 hold in store?

Looking back over the reviews of the past year, the most immediately noticeable change was the photographs that accompany each review. In the past, I used to photograph the whiskies in front of my living room door, which gave them the same setting in front of a neutral, white background, but in hindsight they were also a bit boring. Not that I had planned it, but when I found myself without living room door on a trip to Australia in March, and wanted to take pictures for a review I was working on, I decided to try taking a nature shot, and the result worked really well. So after returning home, I decided to stick with the new photo format - and the switch from portrait to landscape. Even though it adds another hurdle in getting a review ready to be published, and in retrospect not all shots were perfect, I’ve come to really enjoy the location hunts and setting the whiskies up in beautiful scenery.

2017 started with a review of the first generally available Single Malt from Dingle distillery, a release that marks the beginning of a new era for Irish whiskey. It was followed by an update on the progress at Great Northern, another one of the trailblazers of the new wave of Irish whiskey distilling. These were soon followed by a mini series of reviews of 12 year old Speysiders, which for many distilleries marks the “flagship” bottling, that is both the entry point to the range and showcases the distillery character, and it was really interesting to taste these whiskies side-by-side. 

Over the course of the year, I also reviewed a number of whiskies from independent bottlers, both Irish - comparing the two Writer’s Tears bottlings  Copper Pot and Red Head - and Scottish, from the Càrn Mòr Glentauchers, the Gordon & MacPhail Miltonduff and Highland Park, to the Signatory Fettercairn and the TBWC Invergordon.

The year ended with a series of reviews of Blended Scotch, a category of whisky that I previously hadn’t spent too much attention to on my blog. I wanted to include both slightly more obscure bottlings like the Adelphi Private Stock as well as big-name brands like Johnny Walker and Ballantine’s, to really showcase the breadth of the category. Once again, it was a very insightful and educational exercise to try these whiskies in quick succession, and be able to compare them side-by-side. 

So what were the big surprises of the year? Which whiskies exceeded my expectations and were particularly memorable? Aside from the aforementioned Dingle Single Malt, there are two whiskies that really took me by surprise. First was the Aultmore 12 with it’s zesty character and elegant complexity, it’s such a well crafted and understated whisky. The other was the Great King Street Glasgow Blend, hands down the Blended Scotch I enjoyed the most during the mini-series, and a testament to the incredible craftsmanship of John Glaser and his team at Compass Box.

Last but not least, what was the cream of the crop, what were the - in my opinion - best whiskies I reviewed over the past year? And like in previous years, I find it hard to pick out just one whisky, as I realize that merely looking at the score, the points I give each whisky, does not suffice to pick an all-out winner. Also taking into account the “craftiness” of the presentation (bottling without the addition caramel colourant, omission of chill filtration and higher ABV), as well as the price in relation to the age of the whisky, I once more would like to highlight three whiskies. So without further ado, and in order in which they were reviewed, the “winners” are:  Kilkerran 12, Springbank 15, and the  TBWC Invergordon 43.  The Kilkerran 12 is hands down one of the most impressive new releases of 2016 and the first regular bottling of this new old distillery. Purely considering value for money, at about 40 to 45 Euro a bottle, this whisky is almost impossible to beat.  Springbank 15 is in my book one of those rare whiskies that strike a perfect balance of flavours and combine that with a captivating complexity that makes you want to come back to them over and over. It’s just simply (near) perfection in a bottle and one of the great whiskies of our time.  Lastly, as far as I’m concerned I don’t get to taste whiskies past the 25 or even 30 year mark very frequently. Since I pay for all the whiskies I review myself, these are mostly outside my price range, so having the chance to taste and review a 43 year old single grain whisky from Invergordon was a rare treat indeed. Add to that the fact that this was a batch size of only 186 bottles, produced by the rather unorthodox That Boutique-y Whisky Co. and is obviously long sold out, made this a truly deserving whisky for review #200 and a great bit of extravagance.

So what’s next? What are the plans for 2018? Not that I have many plans at all, but without giving away too much, I’m planning on doing a mini-series on peated Scotch single malts, would like to look at a few bottlings from smaller whisky nations, and am hoping to do a second run of Blended Scotch reviews later on in the year. And who knows what else the new year will bring.  

With that, I’d like to wish you, my good readers and followers, a happy new year, the best of health for 2018, and many fine drams in the months to come.

Sláinte mhaith!

Gregor

[whiskytastings]

Review #208: AnCnoc 22

46% ABV, natural colour, non-chill-filtered Distillery: Knockdhu Distillery, Speyside, Scotland Producer: Thai Beverages Plc (through Inver House Distillers Ltd.)

AnCnoc, meaning ‘the hill’ in Gaelic, is the name under which the single malt from Knockdhu distillery ('black hill') is marketed since the late 1980′s, when the distillery was taken over by the current owners, Inver House. But more on that later. First, let’s rewind the clock for a moment and go back in time to the mid-19th century.

Following the invention of the continuous still by Aeneas Coffey in 1831, and William Gladstone’s Spirits Act of 1860, that permitted the mixing of malt and grain whisky, a new  style of whisky, Blended Scotch, emerged during the 1860′s. It combined the strong flavoured, and often times harsh, malt whisky with sweeter and smoother grain whisky, to make a product that was altogether more palatable for whisky drinkers around the world, and more consistent in its flavour profile. While malt spirit was traditionally produced by small distilleries dotted around the Scottish countryside, the new breed of grain distilleries was mostly located in the central belt of Scotland around Glasgow and Edinburgh, and much more large-scale and industrial in its making.

In 1877 six large grain producers, Cambus, Cameronbridge, Carsebridge, Glenochil, Kirkliston and Port Dundas, joined forces and amalgamated into Distiller’s Company Ltd. (DCL). The move happened at a time, when malt distilleries were frequently switching between the production of malt and grain spirit, depending on demand, and the merger increased the influence of the grain producers, lead by John Haig & Co. of Cameronbridge, and their control over the grain whisky market. Amidst pressure to have their own production of malt whisky for DCL brands like Haig Gold Label and Dimple Pinch, the company took its first foray into the Scottish highlands and into malt whisky production, when it founded Knockdhu distillery in 1894. The location of the distillery in Knock, on the north eastern edge of the Speyside region, was chosen for its railroad access and the good availability of local barley and peat.

Knockdhu distillery remained with DCL through the post-Pattison crisis years around the turn of the century, and the subsequent consolidation of the Scotch whisky industry. During this time, DCL bought up dozens of distilleries that were on the brink of bankruptcy, and acquired many competing whisky producers, including Buchanan’s, Dewar’s and Johnnie Walker. By the 1930′s DCL had grown into the largest player in the Scottish whisky industry by far, and remained a near-monopoly for almost the next half-century. By the 1980′s, the fortunes of the company were turning in the light of the whisky slump of the 1980′s, and DCL was forced to close many of its distilleries, including Knockdhu, which was mothballed in 1983.

DCL was taken over by Guinness in 1985 and became part of Diageo in 1997, but a new life for Knockdhu distillery began in 1988, when it was bought by Inver House Distillers. The new owners had just gained independence from their founders Publicker Industries, a U.S. based spirit producer, and had acquired the Hankey Bannister brand of blended Scotch. Following the purchase of Knockdhu, the company wasted no time, renovated the site and resumed production in February 1989. With the reopening of the distillery, the single malt was renamed to “anCnoc”, as Inver House wanted to avoid confusion with the similarly named Knockando, another Speyside distillery, and its already established single malt range. The first official bottling of anCnoc was released in 1993, and during the following decade, Inver House greatly increased its portfolio by acquiring Speyburn, Pulteney, Balblair and Balmenach distillery. The company became part of Pacific Spirits Ltd. in 2001, before being bought by ThaiBev in 2006. Inver House remains as a subsidiary of ThaiBev, under which the company’s Scotch whisky distilleries and brands are united.

The current lineup of anCnoc consists of the flagship 12 year old, established in 2003, an 18 year old, 24 year old and 35 year old, as well as two vintage bottlings from 2002 and 1975. The range is completed by a number of peated single malts, that had been produced at the distillery since 2003 and that were launched as a new edition of anCnoc in 2012.

The anCnoc 22 year old was released in January 2013, and withdrawn again from the market in 2016, when it was replaced by anCnoc 24 year old. The 22 year old has been matured predominately in American oak ex-bourbon casks, as well as a small proportion of Spanish oak ex-oloroso-sherry butts. It is bottled at 46% ABV and is non-chill-filtered and natural in colour.

Eye: The anCnoc 22 comes in a slender black cardboard tube with metallic red detailing. I really like the modern looking and elegant packaging. The whisky itself has a chestnut colour with a reddish hue. Nose: Quite uptight and hot straight out of the bottle, it certainly needs time and a bit of water to open up. Then there are aromas of orange rind, crisp apple, raisins, prunes, black cherries and wood spices with vanilla, cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom and liquorice. Palate: Without water fiery, dry and tannic with lots of liquorice, intense oak flavours and tart citrus. With water still quite deep, dark and tannic but much more palatable and sweeter with Demerara sugar, orange marmalade, kumquat, red apple, stewed stone fruit, dried pineapple, dates and apricot, warm spices, chilli heat, over-brewed tea, old furniture and dark chocolate. Finish: Quite long with lingering wood tannins, spicy heat and a hint of charred oak and wood ash in the aftertaste. Verdict: The anCnoc 22 presents itself as a dry and tannic whisky that is surprisingly hot for its age and not immediately accessible. Once it’s been tamed with a good bit of water and given some time in the glass to settle down, we’re seeing a good bit of scotch mist in the glass, and the whisky is transformed into a deep and complex dram with a good bit of oaky sherry influence, and plenty of character, that seems to linger and linger. 88/100

Other people’s opinions of anCnoc 22:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJjZy2jJzug

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-release-ancnoc-22-years-old.html

https://thecasks.com/2013/03/26/ancnoc-22-year-old-review

https://www.somersetwhisky.com/review-ancnoc-22yo

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2013/02/ancnoc-22-year-old-introduced-to-the-range-scotch-whisky-news

[whiskytastings]

Blended Scotch Whisky Series Recap

Over the past few weeks I sampled and reviewed a number of well-known Blended Scotch whiskies. Even though I have sampled quite a few Blended Scotches over the years, they have never before been the focus of my blog, and in fact I have so far written only a small number of reviews. With that, it was a very insightful and hugely educational exercise to try these seven whiskies in quick succession and be able to compare them side-by-side. 

Here is a summary of all seven in review order, with a link to the detailed reviews and a short tasting/impression summary. I’m looking forward to continuing this series at some point in the future.

Black & White - A young and grain-heavy whisky best suited for mixing

Great King Street Glasgow Blend - A sherried and peated gem and a masterpiece in blending

Adelphi Private Stock - Honest and down to earth yet very well assembled

The Antiquary 12 -  Intriguing nose and rich flavour, that takes a bit of time to be deciphered

Johnnie Walker Black Label - Very well balanced and polished with light peat providing depth

Dewar’s 15 The Monarch - Light, sweet and very easy drinking, uncomplicated and luxurious

Ballantine’s 17 - Delicate, mouthwatering and quite seriously delicious with a sublime flavour balance

[whiskytastings]

Happy Holidays to all my readers!

(Image source: https://twitter.com/RMW_Edinburgh/status/944923173144973313)

[whiskytastings]

Review #207: Ballantine’s 17 year old

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Producer: Pernod Ricard S.A. (through Chivas Brothers Ltd.)

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

The origins of Ballantine’s Blended Scotch date back to 1827, when George Ballantine, the son of a farmer, opened a grocery store in Edinburgh, where he began selling Scotch whisky to his customers. With the invention of the continuous still by Aeneas Coffey in 1831 and the subsequent emergence of grain whisky, a new style of whisky, Blended Scotch, was created during the 1860′s. It combined the strong, and at the time often harsh flavoured, malt spirit with sweeter and smoother grain whisky to make a whisky that was altogether more palatable for whisky drinkers around the world and greatly increased the popularity of the drink. In 1865 George handed running of the Edinburgh store to his eldest son Archibald, and opened a larger premise in Glasgow, where he concentrated on the wine and spirits business and began to blend his own whiskies.

His creations garnered him quite a bit of demand and, changing the company name to George Ballantine & Son, he enrolled his younger son George Jr. to help in the business. George Ballantine Sr. retired from the company in 1881, handing the business over to George Jr., and passed away in 1891 at the age of 83. The business continued to flourish under George Jr., and was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1896. In 1910, the company launched its new flagship expression, Ballantine’s Finest, which today is the second biggest selling Scotch whisky in the world.

In 1919 George Ballantine Jr. sold the family business for a substantial profit to entrepreneurs Barclay and McKinlay. The new owners continued the transformation of the Ballantine’s name from a family business to a globally recognized Blended Scotch brand. During the 1930′s Ballantine’s 17 year old and Ballantine’s 30 year old were launched and the brand enjoyed substantial export growth in the US, Europe and Asia. Barclay and McKinlay was taken over by Canadian whisky producers Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts in 1937. Having made a fortune during Prohibition in the United States, Hiram Walker, the owners of Canadian Club, went on a spending spree following is repeal. In order to secure supply of malt whisky for the production of Ballantine’s, Hiram Walker acquired Miltonduff and Glenburgie distillery, and turned an old shipyard in Dumbarton, on the banks of the Leven river, into Dumbarton distillery, the largest grain distillery in Europe at the time.

Focussing marketing and advertisement campaigns mainly on the European market during the 1960′s, Ballantine's Finest had become the biggest selling whisky in Europe by the mid-1980′s, and the third biggest worldwide. In 1987, Hiram Walker & Sons was taken over by British food and drink company Allied Lyons Plc., who in turn merged with Pedro Domecq S.A. in 1994 to form Allied Domecq. In 1989 Allied bought Glentauchers distillery in Speyside and the Glentauchers malt became an additional named component of the Ballantine’s range.

The Dumbarton distillery complex was closed in 2002, and the grain production was transferred to Strathclyde distillery in Glasgow, even through the bonded warehouse complex and the bottling facility remained in Dumbarton. In 2005, Allied Domecq, and with it the Ballantine’s brand as well as Miltonduff, Glenburgie and Glentauchers distillery, were acquired by French multi-national Pernod-Ricard S.A., the brands present owners.

The Ballantine’s range of Blended Scotch today consists of the NAS Ballantine’s Finest and Ballantine’s Hard Fired, as well as a 12 year old, 17, 21, 30 and 40 year old bottling. Ballantine’s Brasil, a lime-flavoured expression, was launched in 2013. Ballantine’s 17 year old was released in 1930, and  contains whiskies from over 50 malt and grain distilleries. The main malt contributories are the Speyside distilleries Miltonduff, Glenburgie and Glentauchers, the primary grain ingredient comes from Strathclyde distillery. All contributory whiskies are aged for at least 17 years, and I’m pretty sure there is no peated whisky used in the blend. The bottle I am reviewing is bottled at the legal minimum 40% ABV, although there is or was also a version of Ballantine’s 17 bottled at 43% ABV, but this is either only available in different markets, or the ABV was reduced to 40% ABV in recent years. In any case, the whisky is both chill-filtered and colour adjusted with E150a caramel colouring. To much controversy, Jim Murray awarded Ballantine’s 17 the title of World Whisky of the Year in the 2011 edition of his Whisky Bible.

Eye: The Ballantine’s 17 comes in an elegant looking cardboard box and bottle, with gold detailing, and the iconic Ballantine’s typeface. The whisky itself is ripe corn +1 in colour. Nose: A very soft and intriguing nose. Citrus and dark cherry, banana, ginger and cinnamon spice cookies, walnuts, vanilla, honey, violets and some vegetal green notes. Palate: Fruity and sweet with a woody undercurrent and an oily texture. Orange, mango, stewed red fruit, nutty oak, a bit of sharp ginger mid-palate, nutmeg, fennel. Zero peat. Finish: Medium to long, turning drier and more savoury with wood spices, leather, herbaceous notes and a bit of tangy sourness. Verdict: I found the Ballantine’s 17 year old to have a great balance between tart and sweet flavours, with some salty/savoury flavours providing depth towards the finish. It’s a very well made, delicate Blended Scotch that is mouthwatering and quite seriously delicious. It’s a pity it seems to be bottled at 40% ABV now, instead of the previous 43%, and I do wonder how much better still it could be if it had not been chill-filtered. 85/100

Other people’s reviews of Ballantine’s 17:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvJ_Ugski_w

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2010/10/have-just-tried-ballantines-17-years.html

https://jason-scotchreviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-ballantines-17-years-old-blended.html

http://scotchnoob.com/2012/05/28/ballantines-17-year

http://www.allthingswhisky.com/?p=1989

[whiskytastings]

Review #206: Dewar’s 15 year old The Monarch

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Producer: Bacardi Ltd. (through John Dewar & Sons Ltd.)

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

Like so many Blended Scotch whisky brands of today, the origins of Dewar’s date back to the Scottish whisky boom of the mid-19th century. The history of Dewar’s begins in 1846, when founder John Dewar opened at wine and spirits shop in Perth, Scotland. At the time, the mixing of whiskies from different sources was still illegal, and he would initially have sold single malts from distilleries that he sourced spirit from, and both aged and bottled it at his premises. When the blending of whiskies was made legal in the 1860′s, Dewar started to also blend his own whiskies. 

When John Dewar passed away in 1880, his sons John Alexander and Thomas “Tommy” Robert took over the family business, at the age of 24 and 16 respectively. After changing the company name to John Dewar & Sons, they greatly expanded the whisky blending business. In 1892 Tommy Dewar set out on a two year journey around the world, visiting some 26 countries, to establish business relations and promote the Dewar’s brand. Heavily investing into advertisement, Dewar’s commissioned one of the first ever movie commercials, that was screened on a New York rooftop around 1898.

While Tommy, the flamboyant marketing genius travelled thew world, his brother John Alexander was the hard-working business man and brain of the company. Remaining in Scotland, he commissioned Aberfeldy distillery in 1898, and the following year introduced the new Dewar’s flagship expression, Dewar’s White Label.

Following the Pattison crisis at the end of the 19th century, and the subsequent consolidation of the whisky industry, John Dewar & Sons merged with James Buchanan & Co. in 1915 to become Buchanan-Dewar Ltd. In an aim to compete against the rise of Distiller’s Company Ltd. (DCL), the joint venture went on a spending spree with the acquisition of Port Ellen and Lochruan distillery, and a short while later of Benrinnes distilleries. 

Alas, the company was taken over by DCL in 1925 and the brand remained with DCL and it’s successor United Distillers for over 70 years. Following the merger of UD with Grand Metropolitan in 1997, and the formation of Diageo Plc., the Dewar’s brand was sold to Bacardi Ltd. in 1998, amidst concerns over the formation of a monopoly. Alongside the Dewar’s brand, Bacardi took over the “Dewar’s distilleries” Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Aultmore and  Royal Brackla, and started to develop the brand as well as the single malts, with an investment of $250 million to established a new headquarter in Glasgow and a maturation facility in Poneil, Scotland.

Dewar’s 15 year old was created by Dewar’s master blender Stephanie Macleod and introduced in 2010. Initially targeted at the Asian market and travel retail, Dewar’s 15 is now available more widely, albeit still less common than Dewar’s White Label, 12 year old and 18 year old. It is dubbed "The Monarch" after a 1851 oil painting by Sir Edwin Landseer, titled "The Monarch of the Glen", that depicts a red deer stag in the Scottish Highlands. The painting became hugely popular during the 19th century. It was purchased by John Dewar & Sons in 1919 and became part of the Dewar’s marketing and advertisement campaign. It remained in the property of Diageo when the Dewar’s brand was sold to Bacardi, and loaned to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, before being sold to the museum in 2016 for the sum of £4 million, half its valuation.

Eye: The golden metal tin with its embossed Celtic pattern gives this whisky a very luxurious presentation, and the distinctive Dewar’s logo makes the brand immediately recognizable. The whisky itself is ripe corn in colour with a slight orangey tinge. Nose: Sweet, floral and spicy, with heather honey, lemon peel, green apple, coconut, something flowery I can’t quite place, icing sugar, pencil shavings and a hint of sulphur. Palate: Fruity, woody and quite luscious. Sweet honey, citrus, apricot, vanilla, prickly wood spices, ginger, and white pepper. Finish: Short to medium, getting dier with lingering wood and a slight ashy bitterness.  Verdict: Light, sweet and very easy drinking, the Dewar’s 15 is a great beginner’s whisky. It’s a bit one dimensional for the age statement and price tag in my opinion, but sometimes an uncomplicated, straight-forward whisky may be just be what you’re looking for. 82/100

Other people’s reviews of Dewar’s 15 The Monarch:

http://whiskeyreviewer.com/2017/10/dewars-15-year-old-scotch-review-101917

http://whiskeyapostle.com/2014/12/dewars-monarch

https://www.whiskysaga.com/dewars-15-yo

http://www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/dewars-limited-edition-15-year

[whiskytastings]

Review #205: Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Producer: Diageo Plc.

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

One of the most iconic names in the world of whisky, Johnnie Walker is not only the best selling whisky worldwide but also one of the oldest whisky brands. Its origins go back to John Walker, a wine and spirits trader and grocery store owner from Kilmarnock, Scotland. Born in 1805, Walker lost his father at the age of 14, and to make ends meet, the family sold the Walker’s farm and instead purchased a grocery store on the High Street in Kilmarnock. John was put in charge of the wine and spirits segment and from about 1850, he began to blend his own whisky, Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, which he made to order for the customers of the grocery store. 

John Walker passed away in 1857, and it was his son Alexander who is largely responsible for commercializing the family whisky blending business and establishing the Walker brand, initially called Walker's Old Highland Blend. In 1860 Alexander introduced the trademark square bottle, with the purely practical purpose of being able to fit more bottles into the same space, and reducing the risk of glass breakage. The same year, the iconic diagonally applied bottle label was established. By 1862, the company was selling some 450,000 litres of whisky annually, and in 1880 the company opened a sales and marketing office in London. 

Alexander Walker passed away in 1889, and the business was taken over by his sons Alexander II and George Walker. In 1893 the company bought Cardow distillery (today called Cardhu), and the distillery’s malt whisky soon became a cornerstone in the Walker’s blends. Between 1908 and 1909 the company undertook a major rebranding of the company and its products, changing the name to ‘Johnnie Walker’. At the same time, the then three bottlings were renamed to White (6yo), Red (10yo) and Black (12yo) Label, and the brand logo, the Striding Man, was developed by illustrator Tom Browne, resembling John Walker in traditional, upscale attire.

In 1923, the Johnnie Walker company went public, being the biggest producer of Blended Scotch at the time, and two years later it merged with Buchanan-Dewar and Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL). DCL became United Distillers in 1986 after it was acquired by Guinness. In 1997 Guinness/UD merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo Plc., forming the largest spirits producer in the world.

The Johnnie Walker brand today consists of a large range of bottlings, most of them named after the colour of their respective label. Starting with the entry-level Red Label, followed by the 12 year old Black Label, the extra-peaty Double Black, the 15 year old Green Label, the sole blended malt in the range and also the only to be bottled at slightly higher strength of 43% ABV. Next on the ladder is the Gold Label Reserve, followed by the Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years, formerly known as Platinum Label, and finally the premium-end, yet no-age-statement, Blue Label. The range is completed by a number of less regular, special releases and a number of super-premium editions. 

As mentioned above, Johnnie Walker Black Label goes back to 1909, when Johnnie Walker’s “Extra Special Old Highland Whisky”, was rebranded. It is a blend of reportedly about 40 whiskies, 35 single malts and 5 single grains. All whiskies in the blend are aged at least 12 years. The dominant single malt comes from Cardhu, with Caol Ila and Talisker providing the peaty components.

Eye: The immediately recognizable square bottle with the diagonal label undoubtedly has a certain elegance to it. The screw cap is to be expected in this price range, and so is the orangey tinge of the “colour adjusted” juice. Colour wise, the whisky is deep gold. Nose: Resinous and floral with orange zest, heather honey, pine needles, fudge, vanilla, ozone, icing sugar, violet and the faintest touch of peat smoke Palate: Quite gentle and fruity at first, red apples, peach, kumquat then getting spicier and more sherried with raisins, ginger, chilli and wood spices. The peat is much more pronounced than on the nose, but still quite soft. Finish: Medium length, getting drier with lingering peat smoke and oak tannins. Verdict: Despite it’s mass-produced image, I really like the Johnnie Walker Black Label. Sure, it is polished and engineered for the mass market, but it is very well balanced and enjoyable neat, with the light to medium peat providing a nice bit of depth. 82/100

Other people’s reviews of Johnnie Walker Black Label:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9YV4T4jwhM

http://thewhiskeyjug.com/scotch-whiskey/johnnie-walker-black-review

http://scotchnoob.com/2012/11/19/johnnie-walker-black-label-12-year-blended-scotch

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/scotch-whiskey/whiskey-review-johnnie-walker-black-label

https://jason-scotchreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/johnnie-walker-black-label.html

[whiskytastings]

Review #204: The Antiquary 12

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Producer: Takara Shuzo Corp. (through Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd.)

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

Named after the eponymous 1816 novel by the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, The Antiquary Blended Scotch was established in 1888 by J&W Hardie Ltd. Founded by James Hardie in 1861, the company started as a tea, wine and spirits merchant in Edinburgh. After Hardie’s sons John and William had joined the business, the company ventured into the whisky blending business around 1880, and became a shareholder in North British distillery in Edinburgh. In 1917  J&W Hardie sold the Antiquary brand to J&G Stewart, who became part of Distiller’s Company Ltd. (DCL) the same year, and in 1948 J&W Hardie Ltd. were acquired by DCL as well.

Today, J&W Hardie Ltd. and the Antiquary brand are owned by the Tomatin Distillery Co, who acquired it in 1996 from DCL successors United Distillers. Tomatin are owned by Takara Shuzo Corp. since 1986, a Japanese conglomerate that has subsidiaries in the beverages, food, printing and medical supply industry, and is the largest distiller of traditional shochu liquor in Japan.

Since at least the 1960′s, and possibly earlier, The Antiquary is bottled in very unique and recognizable diamond-shaped bottles. In 2015, as part of a brand redesign, the bottles got a taller, sleeker, and more striking form. The Antiquary range consists of a no-age-statement, entry-level Antiquary (red label), the 12 year old (black label) and the 21 year old (gold label) bottling. Finally, there is also a limited edition 35 year old Antiquary.

The Antiquary 12 year old is said to have a malt content of about 45%, which is quite unusually high, and is said to have about 25 to 30 contributory malts. The largest percentage comes from Tomatin distillery, which makes sense given the distillery is owned by the producing company. Other malts in the blend are rumoured to be Cragganmore, Clynelish, Royal Lochnagar, Glenkinchie and Bowmore, amongst others. The grain whisky component originates from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge.

Eye: Even though it may seem a bit fussy, I actually quite like the diamond shaped bottle design. Screwcap notwithstanding. The whisky inside the unusual bottle is old gold in colour. Nose: Rich and thick with fudge, brown sugar, stewed fruits, prunes, raisins, stem ginger, vanilla, sour butter and the faintest touch of peat smoke. Palate: Medium flavoured and light bodied with dark fruits, orange peel, bitter almonds, wood tannin, black tea, cinnamon, clove and honey.  There’s some sharp alcohol with a metallic edge mid palate, and very very soft peat in the background. Finish: Short to medium with lingering tannic bitters, ending quite abruptly. Verdict: I’ve enjoyed this whisky more and more as I was going through the bottle. It takes a bit of time and a small drop of water to open up in the glass, after which it is quite a delicious blended whisky, with an intriguing nose and rich flavour. If anything, it is let down just a tad by the somewhat flat and fleeting finish. Nonetheless, I found the Antiquary 12 to be very enjoyable indeed. 83/100

Other people’s reviews of The Antiquary 12:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9xqV2dVUvY

http://www.whiskycritic.com/antiquary-12-year-old

http://www.awardrobeofwhisky.com/post/antiquary-12-years-old-review

http://www.bestshotwhiskyreviews.com/2012/12/best-shot-whisky-review-antiquary-12.html

[whiskytastings]

Review #203: Adelphi Private Stock

40% ABV, E150a, chill-filtered Producer: Adelphi Distillery Ltd.

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

Located in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, the original Adelphi distillery was founded in 1826 by Charles and David Gray. In 1880 they sold the distillery to Archibald Walker and Co., who greatly extended the distillery and installed a column still in addition to four pot stills, making Adelphi one of the largest distilleries in the country at that time. In 1903 the distillery was sold to Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL), one of the predecessors of today’s Diageo. With the downturn in the whisky industry during the early 20th century, malt whisky production at Adelphi stopped in 1907, and the distillery was closed entirely in 1932 before the buildings were demolished in the late 1960′s. 

Today’s Adelphi Distillery Ltd. was founded in 1993 by Jamie Walker, the great-grandson of Archibald Walker, as an independent bottling company. With the assistance from famed whisky writer Charles MacLean, who is leading the company’s nosing team, Adelphi specializes in high-end single cask malt whiskies. In 2004 Walker sold the business to Keith Falconer and Donald Houston, who brought in Alex Bruce as the managing director, and in 2013 the company began construction of its own distillery, Ardnamurchan, in the western Highlands. The distillery is in production since 2014, and puts great emphasis on sustainability and low carbon footprint, utilizing local renewables and hydro-electric energy sources as well as recycling the by-products of the whisky-making process.

The Adelphi company logo and mascott is the Dancey Man, a mid-19th century cartoon of Sir William Gladstone, dancing over an ear of barley. While serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gladstone passed a law that abolished the taxation of the angel’s share, so that taxes were collected on the amount of whisky left in a cask after maturation, rather than the level to which it was originally filled. This allowed producers to mature their whiskies longer without getting penalized for the reduction in cask contents, and resulted in the improving the quality of whisky.

Deviating somewhat from the rest of the Adelphi range, which targets the high end of the independent whisky market, Adelphi Private Stock Blended Scotch is a very affordable and available Blended Scotch. Bottled at 40% ABV it is made using the Solera method, where each time a quantity is removed from the blending vat, the same proportion of blend ingredients is added back into the vat, giving the product a larger degree of consistency between bottlings. There is not a lot of information available about the whisky, like the ratio of grain to malt (it appears quite heavy on the grain) or the malts involved in the blend, the type of casks used or the age of the whisky. From the colour of the whisky and the lack of any statement to the contrary on the label,  we have to assume that it was colour adjusted using E150a caramel colour and at 40% ABV it is most definitely chill filtered.

Eye: The whisky comes in a straight-sided clear glass bottle with a plastic cork stopper. The label features Adelphi’s mascott, the Dancey Man. The whisky itself is amber -1 in colour. Nose: Grain spirit, cereal, nutty with walnut and almond aromas, ginger, tropical fruit, dried apricots, chilli oil, rubber and soft peat smoke in the background. Palate: Light bodied, but quite full flavoured, with fresh fruit, citrus, overripe pineapple, burnt caramel, bitter almond, with some sharp young spirit mid-palate and subtle peat smoke. Finish: Short to medium with lingering soft peat, umami flavours and a slight metallic note from the young grain spirit. Verdict: An honest, down to earth blended Scotch with young malt and a high grain content, that is nonetheless very well made and enjoyable. 79/100 

Other people’s reviews of Adelphi Blended Scotch:

https://therumhowlerblog.com/whisky-reviews/scotch-whisky/adelphi-blended-scotch-whisky-private-stock

https://adventuresinwhiskyland.com/2015/05/15/adelphi-private-stock-blended-scotch-whisky

[whiskytastings]

Review #202: Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend

43% ABV, natural colour, non-chill-filtered Producer: Compass Box Whisky Co.

This review is part of a series of Blended Scotch reviews.

Whisky blending company Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser. Born in the United States, Glaser initially worked in the wine trade before moving into the whisky industry and becoming the marketing director for Johnnie Walker. When he decided to start his own blending company, he set out to create something new and fresh, to push the envelope on the way whisky is made and break with a lot of industry practices and conventions. Inspired by the great Scotch blending houses of the late 19th and early 20th century, Compass Box was built on the core belief that, if done right, blending whiskies can create expressions that are better than the sum of its parts. Glazer realized, the most important factor in influencing the flavour and quality of whisky is cask maturation, and thus the quality of wood being used. 

The maverick image of Compass Box was heightened in 2005, when it’s first release of Spice Tree had to be withdrawn from the marked following a legal threat by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The casks used in the maturation of the initial Spice Tree had been lined with inner staves made of new oak, a technique that is quite common in the wine industry, but was deemed “non-traditional” by the SWA. 

In 2015 Compass Box got into trouble again, this time for, what the SWA deemed, giving too much information about the contents of two of their blended malts. By communicating the precise recipes, including the ages of all the components in the blends, they were informed they were breaking the law, because under UK and EU law, producers may only disclose the age of the youngest component. Subsequently, in early 2016 Compass Box started a global campaign for greater transparency in whisky and other distilled spirits, and lobbied to have the relevant laws changed to give producers the option to reveal the precise recipes of their products. Despite having to end the transparency campaign later that year, after realizing that there was no short-term prospect of a change in laws, they are now asking interested consumers to simply get in touch for more information about their whiskies, than they are legally allowed to advertise.

Named after the address in Edinburgh at which Compass Box Whisky Co. is registered, Great King Street is Compass Box’ range of Blended Scotch whisky. The first release, named Artist’s Blend, was launched in 2011 and is a rich and fruity blend of about 50% grain whisky with a number of unpeated malt whiskies. In 2014, Compass Box released the second regular Great King Street bottling, the Glasgow Blend. With an even higher percentage of malt whisky in the blend, some of which is peated and some of it aged in sherry casks, it adds a bolder, more full bodied expression to the Great King Street range. It plays homage to Aeneas McDonald’s 1930 book “Whisky”, in which he describes the Glaswegian palate as preferring fuller bodied, bolder styles of whisky than people in the rest of the world. With this, the label features the famous Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow, that is capped with a traffic cone since the 1980′s, representing the civil disobedience and humour of the local population.

The grain component, 34% of the blend, comes from Cameronbridge distillery, and is aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks. The malt components consist of whisky from Benrinnes distillery (35% of the blend) aged in ex-sherry butts, Laphroaig (17%) aged in a refill hogshead, Clynelish (8%) and Miltonduff (2%) both aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels, and the final 4% are a blend of Highland malts aged in new French oak casks. Even though none of the Compass Box whiskies have age statements, they will share the ages of each of the components on request. I’m not at liberty to share this information here (ask them yourself if you want to know), but the average age of all components is roughly 11 years. It is bottled at a commendable 43% ABV, without chill filtration and is natural in colour.

Eye: The black-and-red colour scheme makes reading the back label a bit tricky, but I do love the front label design featuring the Duke of Wellington. The whisky is pale straw +1 in colour. Nose: Rich and spicy with dried fruits, raisins and apricots, stewed apple, ripe lemon, vanilla and cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, pencil shavings, mint and gentle peat smoke.   Palate: Full bodied and rich with dark fruit flavours, peat smoke and an earthy undercurrent. Cherries, prunes, orange, forrest honey, a touch of brine, wood spices, and plenty of well integrated peat.  Finish: Medium length, but given the initial impact seems to fade a bit too quick. Lingering peat smoke that gives way to wood ash and soft tannins. Verdict: A marvellously delicious blended Scotch that is full of sherried fruit flavours and peaty tanginess. Incredibly well crafted, it puts many big-name blends to shame. One of the best blended Scotch I have ever tasted. 86/100

Other people’s reviews of Great King Street Glasgow Blend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzIhFR-8b0w

http://scotchnoob.com/2014/11/17/great-king-street-glasgow-blend

http://whiskeyreviewer.com/2014/11/great-king-street-glasgow-blend-scotch-review_112614

https://www.somersetwhisky.com/review-compass-box-great-king-street-glasgow-blend

https://whiskygospel.com/2014/11/19/whisky-review-compass-box-great-king-street-glasgow-blend