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Greenore Single Grain 8 Year Old Irish Whiskey. County Louth, Ireland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Clarence’s, $13.
Colour: Pale straw.
Nose: Grassy; maybe a faint feint of fresh leather.
Palate: Soft entry, a touch of spice. If I had to guess I would’ve said it’s a bourbon.
Finish: Very dry, quite brief, front of the palate. Almost a bourbony kind of finish.
Comments: Inoffensive but nothing much to write home about I’m afraid.
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The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask (cask #990). Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 56.4%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 – another birthday beverage from Brett & Gordy.
Colour: Deep sherry copper colour.
Nose: Dried muscatelles; sweet muscat-like scents. Also a bit earthy.
Palate & finish: Yet again I have been thwarted by Brett, Gordy and this leaky whisky glass. In the name of research, I shall have to revisit this dram. As a scientist though, a repeated measures test design is the only methodology that is suitable here…
Comments: The nose was very complex, much more interesting than the other drams we’ve tasted tonight. Helvetica bar manager Jason reliably informs me it was a 1996 distillation which was specially made for 2012 Tokyo bar show.
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Longrow 7 Year Old Gaja Barolo Wood Single Malt. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 55.80%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 – birthday beverage courtesy of my mate Brett.
Colour: Like a varnished timber floorboard.
Nose: Creamy peat. Like the smell of a campfire the morning after as you stick your head out of the tent with a whisky hangover.
Palate & finish: Obviously I was enjoying the birthday festivities, as my notes here were as empty as the whisky glass which seemed to have developed a leak somewhere…
Comments: I didn’t know that Barolo was a variety of Italian red wine. Would not have picked this for having spent time in ex-wine barrels (it had 1.5 years, after having spent 5.5 years in refilled bourbon barrels). The peat is quite strong & dominates any flavours that may have been imparted by the Barolo casks.
Overall, quite a neat dram but not a standout – there are better examples from Longrow in my opinion (e.g. Longrow Red Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 11 Year Old).
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Longrow CV Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Campbeltown, Scotland. 46.0%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 – birthday beverage courtesy of my mate Giles.
Colour: Orangey gold.
Nose: Lots of peat, expecting a big mouthful of smoke.
Palate: Definitely smokey & peaty, bit softer than the nose suggests. Not too salty.
Finish: Almost a bit of a minty aftertaste, but still plenty of smoke. Like you’ve just smoked a cigar at the end of the night then brushed your teeth before heading to bed. Minty, but you can still taste the smoke.
Comment: I’m not sure why they’ve called it CV, maybe because it’s a selection (a veritable resumé if you will) of Longrow whiskies? They’ve combined some 6, 10 and 14 year old Longrows in here, matured in a variety of barrel sizes.
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Whipper Snapper Whiskey (Prototype). Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 40.0%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 – on the house as it was Whisky a Day’s birthday.
Colour: Burnt amber.
Nose: Corn, smells like a bourbon; a hint of leather.
Palate: Soft, not as much heat as your regular bourbons. Sweet notes.
Finish: Dry mouthfeel, soft, quite short. Not heaps of flavour depth, but a clean finish.
Comment: Exceptionally easy to drink, very smooth and just the right amount of sweetness. An “audaciously Australian salute to bourbon” according to the label. If you’re not usually a bourbon drinker or are looking to get to know the style a little more, Whipper Snapper is a great introduction, particularly if your palate is more attune to Highlands, Japanese or Australian malts. In fact, I’d rate it better than some of your more “traditional” bourbons.
These guys are just starting up a distillery right here in East Perth which is where Whisky a Day HQ is located, dangerously close to home! Looking forward to tasting their first release which hopefully isn’t too far away.
Check out the Whipper Snapper whiskey story here: http://whippersnapperdistillery.com/
There’s also a great article on ABC news recently about the burgeoning whisk(ey) scene here in Perth right now: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-07/whisky-resurgence-as-perth-distillery-set-to-open/5507224
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Balvenie Cuban Selection 14 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).
Colour: Deep golden honey.
Nose: A little more abrupt than I was expecting; a fair whiff of alcohol along with some orange peel notes.
Palate: Lots of vanilla and sweet oak. Much smoother than the nose suggests. Lots of flavour complexity, gentle spices and a bit of peppery heat at the front of the palate.
Finish: Sweet spices, not too much heat. Flavours stick around longer than the warmth, especially the sweet notes.
Comments: As a keen pirate sailor with a penchant for a nice rum, I was rattling my cutlass with excitement to crack open this bottle that has spent some final time maturing in barrels that previously held Cuban rum. I really liked it, especially the palate (not so much the nose). It’s not a world-beater but certainly a great whisky to have in the collection at home which offers something a little different to others.
I was perhaps expecting something a little more unusual, I would have expected the extra maturation in rum barrels to have a more significant impact on the whisky’s flavour profile, making it sweeter especially. In hindsight, maybe I was expecting some more spiced rum flavours coming through, but perhaps given that Cuban rum tends to be lighter than other Caribbean rums it’s perhaps not so surprising.
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Johnnie Walker Green Label Pure Malt Scotch Whisky. Kilmarnock, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Canton Lounge, $17.
Colour: Golden amber.
Nose: Mandarin peel (definitely not Cantonese peel).
Palate: Soft peaty & briny flavours. Plenty of spice and some dried fruit flavours; very smooth.
Finish: Gentle spice and a bit of pepper lingers at the front of the tongue. Quite dry and clean, a medium to long finish.
Comments: A lot more character than other Johnnie Walkers, the Green Label is certainly the best offering from the vast Johnnie Walker stable that I’ve tried. Perhaps because I normally gravitate to single malts, particularly the fuller flavoured ones with lots of flavour complexity and spices, so your typical Johnnie Walker blend just doesn’t really do it for me.
I had heard that the Johnnie Green was once known as a “vatted malt”, but that this term has now been replaced by the more correct “blended malt”. This is supposed to differentiate this type of whisky as being a blend of single malt whiskies, rather than a blend containing inferior and cheaper grain malts.
The Johnnie Walker Green Label has been discontinued, which explains why some bottles has been fetching some surprising prices online. In my opinion it’s a shame it is no longer made, it never pretended to be a world-beating whisky but it’s probably the most under-rated Johnnie Walker offering around. If you can get your hands on a bottle, it will be good for drinking, but dare I say in time it might make a good investment as the last supplies dry up.
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Nikka Pure Malt White Blended Japanese Whisky. Hokkaido, Japan. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $0 courtesy of my mate Damien. Offered as payment for staying at my place when over visiting from Sydney. Whisky is a much preferred currency for any transaction, certainly more useful than Bitcoins.
Colour: Deep oaky, orange colour.
Nose: Very peaty for a Japanese whisky, lots of smoked woody notes too.
Palate: Velvety. Also very oaky, it’s a bit like licking a cane reed (saxophone players will understand the taste here).
Finish: Medium length & heat.
Comments: It’s quite ok, but nothing too flash. Nikka also have the Pure Malt Red and Pure Malt Black in their blended malt range, each in a different style of whisky. Thankfully not a salute to Johnnie Walker Red and Black, but rather the Red apparently is more fruity and spicy, whereas the Black is mellow yet complex. I will have to try these others to judge for myself if I stumble across them, although on the strength of the Nikka Pure Malt White’s tasting I won’t be going too far out of my way to hunt down some Pure Malt Red or Black.
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Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M100 Single Malt Whisky (Bottle 095 / 372). Albany, Western Australia, Australia. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $125 (bottle).
Colour: Like a rich amber ale.
Nose: Sweet hay scents. At only 43% ABV, it doesn’t have the complexity or kick up the nostrils like the Limeburners Barrel M67 (which runs at a cheeky 61% ABV).
Palate: Quite grainy, also a few sweeter citrus notes – lemon and orange peel. Reasonable amount of heat.
Finish: Sweet and syrupy (a bit like golden syrup or molasses), a hint of pepper, with a gentle warming sensation around the mouth – definitely not a burn, just a very subtle warmth. Quite a long finish.
Comments: I really rate the Limeburners whiskies. Obviously as single barrel releases you would expect each batch to have some variation, and they do – but they still share a lot of qualities that I really enjoy…full flavour, lots of spices, oak and residual sweet notes. I’m looking forward to taking a drive down to Albany at some point to visit the distillery!
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Glenfiddich Malt Scotch Whisky Liqueur. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.
Tasted at home, $0, courtesy of my cousins Trudi & Marcus.
Colour: Golden viscous honey.
Nose: Surprisingly strong alcohol feints. Some oak and grain aromas.
Palate: Not as sickly sweet as I was expecting, though still some soft syrupy sensations. Amazing alliteration also. Cloves and cinnamon are probably the main flavours, though neither is really jumping out at you.
Finish: There’s definitely some sweetness I was expecting in the finish, along with a hint of cinnamon. Oily, creamy mouthfeel.
Comments: On a spectrum of whisky at one end and liqueur at the other, it definitely (and somewhat surprisingly) leans more towards the whisky side. Overall it’s ok, but it’s not as unique a drop as I was hoping for.
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Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at a Mad Men themed party, $0 courtesy of my friend Katy.
Colour: A deep rich gold.
Nose: Well…it’s here where things go a little awry. Shortly after my friend Katy poured me a dram of the Glenfiddich 18, I met a gorgeous young lady whose stunning looks and conversation completely distracted me from the important business of whisky tasting. Being a Mad Men themed party, we consumed many more whiskies through the evening and into the wee hours, but alas (well, at least for you dear reader) I was totally distracted and neglected to make many observations at all. Of the whisky.
I am looking forward to re-tasting the Glenfiddich 18, at which point I will endeavour to update these tasting notes with something a little more insightful than tales of other nocturnal endeavours…
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Linkwood 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Helvetica, $29.
Colour: Pale amber.
Nose: Wow, like sweet smoke from a campfire. Not a peaty kind of smoke, more like when you burn some green leaves & branches on a fire.
Palate: More peat on the palate than the nose suggests, but it’s not the mouthful of ash like some Islay malts, a little more subtle. A little nutty, a bit like having a bite of Swiss cheese. No holes in this though.
Finish: Medium length, not as much heat as the Cadenhead’s Dalmore I had a few minutes ago.
Comments: I hadn’t heard of Linkwood previously, perhaps unsurprising as the majority of their production goes into blends. So having happened upon a more unusual dram I took the chance to try it, as I’m sure it will get progressively more difficult to find unique whiskies I’ve not tasted as the year progresses. I’d say it’s priced more for its rarity, but I’m very glad I tried this one – would definitely give it another run.
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Cadenhead’s Dalmore 24 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.60%. Tasted at Helvetica, $30.
Colour: A really pale gold, which really strikes you through the clear bottle.
Nose: Soft leather & toasted grains.
Palate: Subtle sweet honey flavours, like biting into a piece of hot buttered toast with honey on top.
Finish: Dry; gentle warmth that fills the mouth & hangs around for a while like eating a very mild chilli. Not saying it’s hot, just trying to describe the warmth. Toasted bread flavours linger on the palate too.
Comments: A lot more flavour intensity than I was expecting, especially as it’s matured for 24 years, was expecting it to be a lot softer and smoother. Not a bad thing mind you, I like my whisky more full flavoured. And with a hint of sweetness as this one does, it makes me a very happy man. Highly rated!
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Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey, Distillers Edition, Batch 27. Kentucky, United States. ABV: 45.20%. Tasted at The Sentinel.
Colour: In this light, it’s harder to pick than a…ok it’s a deep caramel.
Nose: A medley of aromas, like walking through the perfume section of a department store with a freshly varnished floor.
Palate: Slight grainy nutty taste akin to having just eaten a handful of trail mix.
Finish: A bit more heat lingering than the Basil Hayden’s we just tasted. Medium length, dry finish.
Comments: Overall it’s quite decent. Woodford Reserve really is a reliable decent bourbon whiskey that you can safely order and drink neat, plus it’s available at most good bars, even those that don’t have an extensive whisk(e)y selection.
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Basil Haydens Bourbon Whiskey. Kentucky, United States. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at The Sentinel.
Colour: Deep copper.
Nose: Rye, plenty of it. Now that I’ve read it’s a combo of rye & corn based spirits, you can definitely smell the corn.
Palate: Rye comes through more; oily mouthfeel, quite creamy.
Finish: Subtle oak, medium length.
Comments: Much smoother and creamier than a lot of other American whiskies I’ve tried, would like to give this one another try as there’s something a little different (in a good way!) about this one that I’d like to explore in more detail.
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Talisker 2013 Distillers Edition Double Matured Single Malt. Isle of Skye, Scotland. ABV: 45.80%. Tasted at my place, $125 (bottle).
Colour: Burnt nectar.
Nose: Apart from the initial whiff of self-loathing & regret from drinking too many whiskies last night, the nose here is more pleasant – subtle oak, smoke & sherry notes, but the strong alcohol feints dominate.
Palate: Lots of smoke & my mate Mahesh got plenty of ash flavours. Could it be the lingering taste of that sneaky cigarette he had earlier when his lovely wife Katie wasn’t looking? Shhhh! 😉 It’s not quite as spicy as the Talisker 10, but still plenty of heat. A slightly smoother entry, the sherry influence is there but it’s not a huge sherry bomb, more of a subtle persuasion from the sherry barrels. Certainly a rich, intense kind of flavour profile overall though.
Finish: Very long; the heat lingers through the mouth and also makes its way down the throat as you swallow, warming the whole body.
Comments: Distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2013, double matured in ex-Amoroso sherry casks. It’s definitely a big whisky, undeniably a Talisker, another real ‘winter warmer’ kind of whisky.