blend Archives - Page 2 of 3

Whisky #371 – White Oak Distillery Tokinoka Blended Whisky

June 25, 2015 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

White Oak Distillery Tokinoka Blended Whisky. Akashi, Japan. ABV: 40%. Tasted at Must Wine Bar.

Colour: Light yellowy amber.

Nose: Slight prickle; straw & faint toffee notes.

Palate: A very cool entry. Toasted malty flavours.

Finish: Dry, grassy, some bamboo shoot afternotes. Quite short.

Comments: Not all that inspiring. Apparently Tokinoka means “fragrance of time” in Japanese – unfortunately for me I’d rather spend my time nosing something with a bit more body and character.

Whisky #367 – Wemyss Peat Chimney 12 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

May 22, 2015 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Wemyss Peat Chimney 12 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. Edinburgh, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Helvetica.

Colour: Bright gold.

Nose: Orange peel, bush honey and a faint hint of smoke.

Palate: Light, cool entry. Front palate cops the flavour.

Finish: Smooth, subtle peaty fade.

Comments: Wemyss are noted for blending together malt whiskies, with this release being a vatting of 16 different whiskies. The peatiness in this blend comes from a 12 year old Islay malt. I was impressed at the smoothness of this one, particularly the cool smokiness – very easy drinking.

Whisky #359 – Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch Whisky

December 29, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Lowlands & Islay, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at The Glenmore Hotel (Sydney), $9.50.

Colour: Slightly cloudy light gold.

Nose: Honey sweet straw notes.

Palate: Very thin; tastes like it’s been watered down. Faint cloves, herb & notes. Watery honey is the best way I could describe it.

Finish: Insipid, short, thin.

Comments: The label waxes lyrical about the whisky’s signature smoothness and how it’s “soft as a pig’s nose”. If this was a cut of meat it’s hardly a fine fillet or cutlet, rich and full flavoured – it’s more like all the lips and arseholes minced together to form some semblance of a sausage that when consumed seems to fill you up but leaves you quite unsatisfied and even a little unsure whether you’ve eaten real meat.

Whisky #355 – Blairmhor 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

December 26, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Blairmhor 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at my friends Carly & JC’s place, $0.

Colour: Ambery amberish amberosity.

Nose: Honey, vanilla, sweet hessian sacks.

Palate: Smooth, sweet straw-like flavours.

Finish: A dry finish, yet slightly sweet honied notes in a short to medium fade.

Comments: I was really surprised, thought this was going to be a “truly awful” whisky but it was actually ok! Produced from a vatting of up to 20 malts apparently.

Whisky #354 – Sheep Dip 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

December 26, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Sheep Dip 8 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Riverbar & Kitchen (Brisbane), $11.50.

Colour: Light honied amber.

Nose: Smells like fresh straw in a stable. Quite grassy.

Palate: Honied sweetness, some slight herb notes too. Very faint aniseed undertones. Cool oily mouthfeel. My good mate Pete adds that it tastes like compacted fairy floss. Definitely not peaty…or Petey.

Finish: My mate JC has a sip and suggests that it is “threatening butteriness”. Herby fade.

Comments: A very easy blend to drink after 6 hours of imbibing other beverages.

Whisky #347 – Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky

December 23, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky. Kilmarnock, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at The Royal Hotel, $35.

Colour: Pure gold.

Nose: Surprisingly complex – I was not expecting that. Light floral and almost a few sherry-like fruit notes. The barest touch of oak too.

Palate: A very smooth entry with a cooling sensation as it floats around your mouth. Oily mouthfeel, vanilla and floral notes.

Finish: Medium length. A salty fade initially, but then there’s a semi-sweet buzz of honey and gentle warmth that tingles on your gums long after you swallow the last drop of liquid.

Comments: I was a bit apprehensive about tasting the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, as it has so much hype and I was prepared to be quite disappointed. However, I really enjoyed it. It has fantastic complexity for a blended whisky and a great flavour profile, not unlike some single malts actually. I think it’s overpriced and there are better value blends to be had, but if you don’t mind paying for the marketing it’s actually a very enjoyable whisky.

Whisky #287 – Dewar’s 12 Year Old Double Aged Blended Scotch Whisky

November 9, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Dewar’s 12 Year Old Double Aged Blended Scotch Whisky. Scotland.
ABV: 40.00%.

Comments: Very rich honey. Or the colour of a middle-aged strawberry blonde Scotsman drinking whisky.

Nose: Earthy straw-like notes. My good mate Donald (aforementioned middle-aged strawberry blonde Scot) detected some toffee.

Palate: Buttery yet quite thin. A bit floral.

Finish: Quite dry, short to medium length. Almost a faint sweet tobacco aftertaste.

Comments: Meh, nothing special. Special though to share it with such a great mate that I don’t get to see nearly as much as I would like. Donald – absolute legend, a shame I don’t get to spend more time in Melbourne to share a few more drams with you mate.

Donny doing what he does best.

Whisky #276: Suntory Hibiki 21 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky

November 4, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Suntory Hibiki 21 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky. Osaka, Japan. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (375mL bottle).

Colour: Rich, dark amber.

Nose: Very soft straw, caramel and toffee notes.

Palate: Very delicate; buttery toffee, vanilla, a hint of cane – super smooth.

Finish: Such a gentle fade, like a piece of silk lightly touching your skin.

Comments: Outstanding. A huge step up from both the Hibiki 12 and the Hibiki 17. I’m quite confident that I can name this as the best blend I’ve had so far this year, a shame it’s only a half-size bottle!

Whisky #268 – White Oak Akashi Blended Japanese Whisky

October 26, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

White Oak Akashi Blended Japanese Whisky. Akashi, Japan. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at home, $15 (500mL bottle).

Colour: Orangey gold. Starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel with new ways to describe different hues of gold.

Nose: Straw and bamboo notes. Is that because it’s a Japanese whisky that I’m associating bamboo? Debatable, but I’m sticking to it.

Palate: Cooked vegetables, like a vegetable stew. Dry hay-like flavours, some dry white wine notes too.

Finish: Short finish, very dry. Dry is the word of the day.

Comments: It was certainly a bargain – I have to admit that when I ordered it I misread the size of the bottle. For $15 I was expecting a 50mL bottle, so I was pleasantly surprised when my order arrived and it was a 500mL bottle! It’s ok, a little too dry and thin for my liking really.

Whisky #262 – Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

October 14, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at home, $9 (50mL sample bottle).

Colour: Light caramel.

Nose: Citrus, straw and faint honey notes.

Palate: Smooth yet more flavour depth than I was expecting from a blend. A little like sweet biscuits – think of buttery Nice biscuits, the ones with sugar sprinkled on top.

Finish: Medium length, minimal heat. Quite dry. You can taste the Nice biscuits gradually fading as the grains of sugar dissolve in your mouth.

Comments: Again much like the Chivas 12 year old, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s no world-beater and is a little too mild and unassuming for my tastes, but it’s certainly easy drinking.

Whisky #254 – Suntory Royal Blended Whisky

September 29, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Suntory Royal Blended Whisky. Japan. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $7 (50mL miniature bottle).

Colour: Dark caramel.

Nose: Musty oak, a bit grassy. Some faint aromas that almost remind you like you’ve just opened a bag of plain corn chips.

Palate: Velvety smooth entry, it slithers its way around your palate. Very oily mouthfeel, quite a cooling sensation initially before the heat starts to build. Soft woody notes, a touch of sweetness.

Finish: Juicy, like chewing on a long fresh piece of grass.

Comments: It’s Suntory time, and I quite like this one actually. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, particularly being a blend; ultimately very drinkable.

Whisky #239 – Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Blended Irish Whiskey

September 17, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Blended Irish Whiskey. Tullamore County, Offaly, Ireland. ABV: 40.00%.

Colour: A bright lustrous gold.

Nose: Honied straw. Kryptonite for diabetic horses.

Palate: Thin; a little sweet yet creamy in flavour but not texture. Not thick & sweet like honey, but more like sugar syrup.

Finish: Short, a little dry.

Comments: A fairly run of the mill whiskey, I really didn’t have high expectations for this one – expectations which have not been exceeded, nor failed to be met.

Whisky #237 – Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

September 17, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at my mate Ryan’s place, $0 (courtesy of the poker fund).

Colour: Pale gold, like the $50 notes I’m about to throw away in poker tonight.

Nose: Very soft aromas. Toasted cereal & oak feints.

Palate: Cigar box, straw, dried pineapple, sweet oak.

Finish: A gentle flavour fade, medium length. Much longer than I expect to last in this poker game.

Comments: Pleased to say my low expectations were exceeded with the Chivas 12. It surprisingly had more going on than I’d previously given it credit for, I expected it to be more one dimensional. Solid but certainly not spectacular, good value though. Personally if was to recommend a good value blend I’d prefer the Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.

Whisky #203 – Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

August 23, 2014 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. Dufftown, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at home, $43 (bottle).

Colour: Brilliant bronze.

Nose: Honey and straw; quite light.

Palate: Sweet; a touch of liquorice, plenty of oak and a bit of vanilla.

Finish: Flavours have a very long and gentle fade out. There’s not a lot of heat, which allows you to really savour the rich sweet flavours.

Comments: The name Monkey Shoulder comes from the condition that was common amongst many distillery workers back in the day before machinery was used, whereby they experienced shoulder strain injuries from manually turning the malting barley on the floor of the malting room with a ‘shiel’, which is kind of like a big wooden spade.

This is a cracking blend, so much depth of character, plus it’s great value. It would appeal if you’re mainly into blends but are curious about transitioning into single malts; likewise if you’re strictly into single malts and usually steer clear of blends, this could be a great bridge to the world of blends. Recommended.

Whisky #193 – Grants Family Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky

August 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Grants 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

August 2, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Canadian 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.