Month: August 2014

Whisky #196 – Bowmore 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_3522Bowmore 12 Year Old Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at home, $70 (bottle).

Colour: Amber; a touch darker than the Bowmore Legend.

Nose: There’s a fair bit of smoke here as you would expect, but it’s not quite as raw or intense as the Legend.

Palate: It tastes a little like dusty bookshelves smell, if that makes sense. I haven’t personally tried to eat a dusty bookshelf, but the taste here is reminiscent of that smell. Earthy yet with plenty of soft smokey peat.

Finish: Smoother than the Legend and the finish seems a fraction shorter too. It’s still quite a long fade, especially the gentle heat.

Comments: The Bowmore 12 and Bowmore Legend are quite similar, but the 12 year old is a bit softer and well rounded; the Legend a little less refined.

Whisky #195 – Strathisla 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_3520Strathisla 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Laneway Lounge, $12.

Colour: From above it looks like a light gold as you’re sipping it, but through the side of the glass it appears more of an orange gold.

Nose: Reminded me a little of The Glenlivet 12 year old.

Palate: Plenty of pepper, not much sweetness. The pepper really dominates. Toasted malty flavours, overall a bit briny.

Finish: A very dry mouthfeel, short flavour length, but a long gradual fade with the warmth. Maybe a hint of fennel in the fade.

Comments: I wouldn’t race back to have another, I tried it as part of my rigorous training regime for the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship.  Overall I’d prefer a Glenlivet 12.

Whisky #194 – Ardbeg Galileo 1999 Single Malt

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IMG_3518Ardbeg Galileo 1999 Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 49.00%. Tasted at The George, $17.

Colour: Orange gold. Much darker than most Ardbeg expressions.

Nose: Soft smoke, honey.

Palate: Honeycomb, dark chocolate, smokey peat but not as intense as I expected.

Finish: Softer, slightly sweeter peat taste which builds. Flavours linger on the tongue.

Comments: Much softer than other Ardbegs. I really enjoyed this one, although as a special release it’s a little harder to get your hands on than your average Ardbeg. My trusty whisky imbibing lieutenant Joel also quite enjoyed it – he found it peaty but not too over the top. Good to see some subtle variation from Ardbeg with this one, as often their releases can be a little too similar for me – cracking whiskies, but just a little similar. The Galileo certainly is one of their better ones that I’ve tried.

Whisky #193 – Grants Family Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky

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IMG_3509Grants Family Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky. Banffshire, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at my mate Ryan’s place, $0. Well given it was included as part of a poker night and I lost $200, it could be argued it cost me $200. Bugger.

Colour: Orangey gold.

Nose: A very mild, inoffensive nose. Smells faintly a little like fresh bread.

Palate: Less inspiring than being dealt an off-suit 2 and 6 when you’ve got so few chips you have to go all-in just to make the big blind.

Finish: A little bit oaky in the fade.

Comments: Meh. The less said about this one the better. It’s not awful, but there’s nothing really to write home about this one. Pass.

Whisky #192 – Canadian Club Classic 12 Year Old Blended Canadian Whisky

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IMG_3502Canadian Club Classic 12 Year Old Blended Canadian Whisky. Ontario, Canada. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at the Brass Monkey Hotel, $10.30.

Colour: Deep copper. I think.  Hard to tell in this light.

Nose: Soft sweet aniseed and sawdust.

Palate: Toffee and aniseed. Syrupy mouthfeel.

Finish: Brett remarks that “it’s not the worst aftertaste”. What a compliment. Sweet, shortish finish for me.

Comments: Unsurprisingly, Brett doesn’t rate it as one of his favourite drops and neither do I. There’s a suggestion that the Canadians don’t do whisky right; suggest Canadian Club stick to clubbing seals.

Whisky #191 – Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_3500Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at the Brass Monkey Hotel, $0 (courtesy of my mate Brett).

Colour: Light gold. Paler than I remember.

Nose: Subtle; sweet and woody.

Palate: Gentle spice, vanilla, sweet oaky flavours.

Finish: Hay-like sweet notes in the fade. A touch of liquorice. Not much heat at all.

Comments: Glenmorangie is probably my favourite distillery, and while I don’t usually drink their Original 10 year old (my go-to whisky is the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or, which will bookend this whole Whisky a Day project), it actually holds a pretty special place in my heart. You see it was when I first tasted the Glenmorangie Original at a university scotch and cigar night that my interest in whisky was piqued (check out the story here). So I guess you could say the Original is a great introduction to the world of whisky for those who haven’t tried much before!

Whisky #190 – The Macallan Amber Single Malt

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IMG_3493The Macallan Amber Single Malt. Speyside / Highlands (there is some conjecture on this one), Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at The Royal, $12.

Colour: It certainly is amber. No escaping that. But a slightly lighter shade than amber amber.

Nose: Reminds me of the smell of a dish I once had, warm Greek cheese with hot honey drizzled on top and sprinkled with fennel pollen. I know this sounds incredibly specific, but when I sniffed the Macallan Amber it immediately triggered my memory of that dish. Weird, but good.

Palate: Hot buttered toast with honey. Looks like this review is going to be food based! Quite fruity, a bit syrupy.

Finish: Sweet buttery notes, oily mouthfeel. Medium length, slight heat lingering at the fade.

Comments: Macallan have gone for a No Age Statement (NAS) with their “1824” range of whiskies (1824 was the year Macallan Distillery was founded), differentiating them by colour: Amber, Gold, Sienna and Ruby.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one, having not really enjoyed the Macallan Ruby too much when I tasted it recently. Pleasantly surprised though; it’s no world-beater, but if you’re looking for an easy drinking malt with some decent flavour complexity, residual sweetness, not much heat and all at a reasonable price, the Macallan Amber is worth a shot. Steer clear of the Ruby though.