Month: March 2014

Whisky #49: J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky

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IMG_2630J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky. Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Best Brew bar, Four Points Sheraton Hotel. $9.

Colour: Insipid cat’s piss.

Nose: It doesn’t smell much better than the colour suggests…

Palate: Tastes surprisingly better than it looks and smells. Soft spice, toasty oak flavours with a hint of peat.

Finish: Pretty short, nothing much doing here.

Comments: I was expecting this to be a candidate for the “Truly Awful” whisky category. Early indications weren’t promising, but it ended up surpassing my low expectations given the price point. Not by a vast amount however.

Whisky #48: Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt

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IMG_2626Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at The Trustee, $15.

Colour: Deep brownish amber, clearly showing it’s sherry roots.

Nose: Currants definitely, cloves & cinnamon maybe?

Palate: Soft, warm chocolatey type flavours.

Finish: A gentle heat fills the mouth, but the best part is that the flavours last for ages in your mouth and don’t morph into something else.

Comments: Like biting into a really moist sticky date pudding drizzled in some salted caramel sauce *drool*. I had a bottle of this at home a few years ago and it was my first experience of a sherry matured whisky. Thought it was ok at the time, but maybe because of this early experience I’ve never considered myself much of a sherry head. Glad I’ve tried it again – definitely the best sherry dram of the project I’ve had so far.

Whisky #47: Auchentoshan Triple Distilled 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2625Auchentoshan Triple Distilled 12 Year Old Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00% . Tasted at The Trustee, $12.

Colour: Plain old amber, no makeup. Not as dark as the Auchentoshan Three Wood (which obviously has spent considerable time in sherry casks).

Nose: Buttery toffee scents.

Palate: Smooth & oily.

Finish: Quite a thin, short finish.

Comments: A triple distilled Auchentoshan? How very Irish of you. Quite ok, nothing too out of the box to remark on – just a solid, smooth, middle of the road single malt.  I definitely prefer the Auchentoshan Three Wood, which has a bit more depth and character than this entry-level dram.

Whisky #46: Balblair Single Malt – 2000 Vintage

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IMG_2624Balblair Single Malt – 2000 Vintage. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at The Trustee, $13.

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Sweet alcohol feints, touch of leather. Not too hard though (the safety word is “whisky”).

Palate: Peppery spice dominates like a leather-bound dominatrix. Has a bit of saltiness; not the sweetness I was expecting.

Finish: Long spice at the front of the mouth.

Comments: More trivia following on from yesterday’s Whisky #45. Apparently Balblair, founded in 1790, is the second oldest working distillery in Scotland.

Anyway, this is my first whisky tasting of the year in a Glencairn glass. While it may be the preferred whisky glass of connoisseurs around the world, I’m not such a fan. When I’m having a dram purely to relax and unwind, I like my whisky glasses to have heft; the Glencairn is too light & dainty for my liking. Yes the shape of the glass is designed to channel the aromas towards your nose, but if I’m having a whisky tasting my preference is a stemless glass, much like a stemless white wine glass. The Glencairn falls somewhere between the two types.

Whisky #45: Springbank Calvados Wood 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt

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IMG_2620Springbank Calvados Wood 12 Year OldCask Strength Single Malt. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 52.70%. Tasted at Helvetica, $22.

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Peat dominates, some oaky notes, hint of vanilla. Like a vanilla Paddle Pop.

Palate: Wow, lots happening here. Oaky buttery goodness, fair dose of peat.

Finish: Long finish, spice lingers at the front half of the mouth.

Comments: Strong (both in flavour & ABV), quite complex flavours, love it. Matured in ex Calvados (apple brandy) casks. Couldn’t pick up any apple flavours, haven’t actually tried apple brandy before so wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Without such a reference point it’s hard to compare apples with apples…definitely keen to try this one again!

Whisky #44: Tobermory 1798 Limited Edition 15 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2615Tobermory 1798 Limited Edition 15 Year Old Single Malt. Isle of Mull, Scotland. ABV: 46.30%. Tasted at Choo Choo’s, $14.

Colour: Leathery middle aged Amber.

Nose: Currants or some other dried fruit. Don’t tell Putin, he’s not a fan of fruits.

Palate: Very smooth entry, sherry like flavours. Maybe some dry cocoa flavours?  Not entirely sure about the cocoa, but there’s something there.

Finish: Dry with a hint of sweetness, fades with a bit of heat.

Comments: Huh, bit of trivia…prior to the Whisky a Day project I hadn’t even heard of the Isle of Mull as a whisky region of Scotland.  Turns out that the only distillery there (although I stand to be corrected!) is Tobermory, who also produce Ledaig…both of which I have tried within the first 6 weeks of the project.  Would be keen to try another dram of this one to explore the tastes in more detail.

Whisky #43: Bushmills Black Bush Blended Irish Whiskey

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IMG_2612Bushmills Black Bush Blended Irish Whiskey. County Antrim, Ireland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Durty Nelly’s, $10

Colour: Rich Amber. The madam of the knock shop.

Nose: Oaky sweetness, smells a bit like a sherry matured drop.

Palate: Soft entry, minimal heat.

Finish: Short finish, quite dry.

Comments: As a blend, it’s obviously quite smooth. But with some time in the glass it seems to develop slightly fuller flavours, all the better for it. I hadn’t come across a sherry-matured blend before, but I would definitely give it another burl ahead of other blends, quite decent.

Whisky #42: Suntory Hibiki 17 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky

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IMG_2606Suntory Hibiki 17 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky. Osaka, Japan. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Laneway Lounge, $20.

Colour: Pale gold. Shit this is getting hard to come up with new ways to describe shades of straw/gold/amber!

Nose: Hmmm, found it a little hard to describe the nose on this one. Ended up trying to come up with witty descriptions with my mate Tim who joined me on this tasting; we got sidetracked and finished a rather enjoyable dram without a) making suitable notes on the aromas, or b) coming up with anything suitably comical to make the cut onto this post.

Palate: Taste has a hint of dried apricots. And a hint of a taste of whisky.

Finish: Oily finish on the tongue, bit of heat.

Comments: Apparently there’s over 30 different single malts from Suntory’s three distilleries that went into this one. Not sure how you’d add 30 components of any drink or food and expect them to all have a significant influence on the final flavour. A nice drop, but a little bit one dimensional for my tastes.

Whisky #41: Bruichladdich The Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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IMG_2605Bruichladdich The Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at Laneway Lounge, $16.

Colour: Very pale straw. Not that colour really matters, as I’ve quickly learnt.

Nose: A bit of oak, hint of smoke.

Palate: Sweet spice, a bit more oak. Not a strong flavour – quite subtle.

Finish: Spicy aftertaste without being fiery. Medium length.

Comments: Overall, it was ok; a decent drop. Quite pleasant to drink but nothing that really stands out and makes you go “Wow, this is so much better than the other Bruichladdies”. The fact that it’s organic? Really, who gives a toss – I choose my whisky because I enjoy the flavours, aromas etc., not because it’s been produced organically.

It’s by no means a bad drop (in fact it’s eminently drinkable!), but you can’t help but feel that it’s perhaps a bit of the marketing department suggesting it be produced to fill a (non-existent) niche in the market.

Whisky #40: Nikka Miyagikyo 12 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky

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IMG_2604Nikka Miyagikyo 12 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky. Sendai, Japan. ABV: 45.00%. Tasted at The Terrace, $13.

Colour: Bright gold. Like Torah was at the last Winter Olympics.

Nose: Oaky, almost a bit dusty like the smell of an old book.

Palate: Subtle smooth entry, oaky, quite an oily feel. A hint of sweetness.

Finish: Medium length, not much spice; subtle sweet notes at the end.

Comments: I was distracted and made rubbish notes, so I was forced to try a second glass. Twist my rubbery arm…

Whisky #39: Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve Single Malt

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IMG_2603Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Laneway Lounge, $20.

Colour: Really deep browny amber colour

Nose: Quite a strong smell like fresh fruitcake.

Palate: Sweet. Smooth, oily & coats the mouth with flavour.

Finish: Quite long flavours, soft heat though.

Comments: With a name like “Cigar Malt” I was expecting big smokey scents and flavours. As it turns out, with the sugary sweetness I guess it’s probably more suited to drinking whilst smoking a cigar, to balance out the smokey cigar flavours.

Whisky #38: Springbank Kilkerran, “New make” D/1494 sample

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IMG_2602Springbank Kilkerran, “New make” D/1494 sample. Unknown ABV. Campbeltown, Scotland. $0, free sample from Alan Anderson after his “Whisky for Dafties” show at the Perth Fringe.

Colour: Totally clear like water.

Nose: Not very nice, like sweaty socks. Strong alcohol fumes.

Palate: Spice, smoke and peat. Overpowering.

Finish: Plenty of heat that sticks around like a nasty Estonian vodka.

Comments: Unrefined, brutal. Not pleasant to drink I’m afraid. It was even less pleasant last night when after brushing my teeth & climbing into bed, I grabbed a water bottle and took a drink, only to realise that the bottle contained my Kilkerran sample given to me on Friday night by Alan Anderson after his comedy show. Toothpaste and whisky do NOT mix.  I can only hope that being in a soft plastic water bottle for 48 hours may have somehow affected the whisky.  Should have tried it on Friday straight after the show, though to be fair I had possibly already had more than enough that night.  I don’t even remember getting home!

Overall, this is the first entry into the “Truly Awful” whisky category of the project so far. Sorry Alan, but thanks all the same for your generous gesture.  All the best for the rest of your tour!