Blind Tasting Competition Day 4: Ben Nevis 18, 1995-2013, 51.8% – The Whisky Agency

Posted on 10 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

After yesterday’s disappointing zero-pointer I had to put in another semi-random guess. I waited with today’s distillery selection until after the results, but since I tasted the whisky on Monday I wasn’t overly sharp on specifics anymore.

Apparently, I wasn’t sharp on Monday either since I was convinced this was a sherry cask instead of a bourbon hogshead. Silly me. Somehow I seem to be f-ing up my cask identification all over the place at the moment.

Anyway, this Ben Nevis, which I thought was one of the lighter GlenDronachs (19yo, some 55%) turned out to be one I have already tried during a tasting some year and a half ago. Back then I wasn’t overly thrilled with it, but I have to revise that opinion.

A true stunner for yesterday’s Blind Tasting Dram.

Image from WhiskybaseSniff:
Warm with stewed fruits. Blood orange but some red fruits too. Syrupy. A very good oakiness. Could be a sherry cask?

Sip:
The palate is rather sharp and slightly Armagnac-like. Lots of chocolate suddenly. I’d go for sherry again. Fruits too, strawberry, orange and lots of lovely oak.

Swallow:
The finish is really gorgeous with blood orange and stewed fruits. Long and sweet.

Bloody awesome, this is.

So far, this is my favorite dram of the competition and they’re going to be hard pressed to find something to top it. I’m sure Ewald is up for it, though.

The depth and layeredness of this whisky is incredible, but it also goes a nice dram just for ‘drinking’ instead of tasting. Kudos for getting enough bottles of this, even though it’s sold out right now. I wish I had picked it up when it came out.

I got 50 points with this one. 20 For being in the right region, and another 30 for only being one year off on the age.

Ben Nevis 18, 1995-2013, 51.8%, The Whisky Agency (Old Times Diving). No longer available, but used to cost around 100 euros.

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Advent Calendar Day 10: Monkey Shoulder

Posted on 10 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Behind door number 10 was a whisky that I know I’ve had before some years ago, but have never reviewed yet. I think, but am not sure, that I even ordered that sample from Master of Malt as well.

Anyway, Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt whisky from William Grant & Sons, based around the old malting floors they still use at Balvenie. Monkey Shoulder was the injury people attained from turning the malt by hand for long hours, in long days, in long years.

Because of that I started this whisky a little apprehensive. I remember not liking it very much back in the day, but I was curious to find out whether that still held true.

Sniff:
Slightly acidic, with old malt and slightly sweet. Some honey but rather flat.

Sip:
Smooth and not as thin as I expected after the nose. Slightly drying with oak, malt and some pine. Not resin, but the needles. Quite dull.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly more spicy, but that acidity is back too. Short.

So, as you might have guessed, my opinion hasn’t changed over the years on this dram. I’m not a fan and find it lacking at all levels. The nose isn’t good and neither is the palate and the finish. There’s just not enough happening to keep me interested. And if it’s a simple dram it needs a lot more intensity.

Even things like Balvenie Double Wood or Glenfiddich 12 have more going for it, and those are ‘starter drams’ in my book (nothing negative about those, mind!).

So, not recommended from my end. At 25 quid you can do better. For example, by buying Compass Box’ Great King Street.

Monkey Shoulder, 40%, available from almost everywhere.

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this as part of their Advent Calendar

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Advent Calendar Day 9: Tullamore D.E.W. 12, 40%

Posted on 9 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

On the ninth day of Christmas Master of Malt brought us to Ireland. Tullmore D.E.W. (D.E.W stands for Daniel E. Williams, the original creator of the brand) is currently produced by William Grant & Sons, and while they wait for the distillery to finish and produce their own they still buy stock and blend it. As with other unnamed Irish whiskeys it’s most likely to come from Cooley and Bushmills.

Sniff:
Light and fruity and very Irish because of it. Perfumy in a good way with soft pear, rose water, lychee and a bit of chalk.

Sip:
The palate is slightly sharper than the nose, a bit more fierce (surprising for a 40% whisky). There’s white pepper, pear and lychee. Ever so slightly bitter, but also a sweetness of icing sugar.

Swallow:
The finish is nice, fruity and light. Some spices (garden herbs) and chalk again. A bit of malt suddenly. Rather short, though.

The palate is the least attractive bit of this whisky, somehow. The nose is pretty good and the finish as well, but the fierceness on the palate seems strangely misplaced. What’s also interesting is that I don’t get any oak on this 12 year old whisky.

Because of the fierceness that’s not necessarily too much, but just out of balance, it’s not entirely my cup of tea.

Tullamore D.E.W. 12 years old, 40%, available from Master of Malt for £ 50.

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this as part of their Advent Calendar

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 3: Kininvie 2008, 7yo, 52% – Duncan Taylor The Octave

Posted on 9 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Right on the back of sample two, I tried the third one. At the moment of typing this wee bit I don’t have a clue how I’ve done yet, so the next paragraph was inserted later.

At least I got some points yesterday. Far more than I get on average so this one is probably going to bring me down a bit again.

Sniff:
The nose is quite heavy and rather funky too. Earthy with smoke, oak and some minerals. Also boats and ropes like in a harbor. Maybe iodine. A certain cloying fruitiness, dried plums.

Sip:
The palate is not overly sharp, lower than yesterday’s whisky, I’d guess. It’s rich and salty. That harbor flavor is present here too. Boats, ropes, salt. The dried plums too. It gets a bit sharper after a while and develops a certain flavor of minerals and basalt/slate.

Swallow:
The finish shows more peat and some heather. Stone, minerals and it’s heavy. Not overly long though.

A nice dram that doesn’t really give me much to go by. Somehow I don’t think it’s an Islay whisky. At the time of writing my mind goes to Jura (a good one) or Longrow. It’s based on the heaviness and the peat. I do think Longrow would be too heavy on the peat normally, so depending on what yesterday’s outcome is, I might have to change my guess.

Strangely, surprisingly, this is a Kininvie from an independent bottler. Not that it would have made any difference, but I didn’t even know there was independent Kininvie available. A great pick from Ewald and a very obscure one.

In the introduction letter he announced he’d be skirting the rules at some point and I guess that means this whisky since, technically the name Kininvie is not on the label anywhere.

An interesting dram but not that makes me want to run to the store and get a bottle. Zero points for me, also because my age guess was quite off, and I was exactly two points out on ABV.

Auchindoun 2008, 7 years old, 52%, bottled by Duncan Taylor. Available in Germany for some € 59

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 2: Old Pulteney 17, 46%

Posted on 8 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

So, since yesterday didn’t get me anywhere, I had to make today count. Big time, since I’m away from home the coming two nights. If my palate is as crap as it was yesterday, it’s not going to get me anywhere.

Then again, one or two lucky guesses can propel you to stellar heights in the competition for a while. And one or two zero pointers can kick you down faster than you can imagine.

Sniff:
The palate is quite malt forward and has a certain level of green malt again, but not entirely similar to the Glenfarclas we had yesterday. A very light smokiness, maybe. Slightly salty with light vanilla tones. A quite restrained nose. Rosemary and some creaminess.

Sip:
The palate is quite sharp, around 55% I’d say. Vanilla and cream, leafy herbs and a very gentle salinity again. Iron, pepper and the tiniest hint of smoke.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly drying, lots of malt again with something green (herbs and malt). Quite long with chives maybe.

Hard to guess what this is, especially with that salinity and smoke that might or might not be something. I’m thinking highlands, (since Speyside is not an option…) and somehow I’m coming up with Teaninich.

Whiskybase brought me a 55.9% Teaninich that was bottled last year by Blackadder at 18 years old. That’s my guess.

After the reveal it turned out to be the 17 year old Old Pulteney. Curious, since I would have sworn this was a cask strength dram. Based on flavor that is. I did like it, and I did get a nice 50 points (30 for age, 20 for region) and that makes me a happy camper.

Not entirely sure if I’m buying this whisky, but I did like it. I just can’t wrap my head around the intensity of it. Also, it is slightly greener than I remembered, but at least the very gentle peat and salinity are explained.

Old Pulteney 17, 46%, available everywhere for hugely varying prices.

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Advent Calendar Day 8: Balvenie Single Barrel, Sherry Cask, 15yo, 47.8%

Posted on 8 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

It’s good to try another Balvenie so shortly after my trip to the distillery. It was fun and it kindled my love for the distillery. Still, I don’t care all that much about most of their regular releases. They’re all good, but not awesome or so.

Of course, they have ridiculously awesome whisky available in a range that is sort-of affordable if you want to shell out, like the Tun 1509 / Tun 1401 series. Last year they releases the new 15 year old single cask and I got to try it at this year’s Hielander Whisky Festival. Back then I wasn’t thrilled with it, but things can change.

I do think Balvenie is not a whisky that works at a festival. Unless it’s the first one of the night, but after some cask strength whisky it just doesn’t have enough oomph to overpower anything. That’s what happened in February. That’s not what happened when I tried it now.

Sniff:
Sweet and fruity sherry without being too sweet. Orange, plums, peaches. Gentle whiffs of malted barley. Some oak, with a great balance to it, especially for a single cask. After a while I get light notes of chocolate.

Sip:
Quite sharp on the palate with strong oaky notes (American oak?). I get Valencia oranges, plums and candied fruit. Light hints of baking spices with cinnamon and clove. Some milk chocolate and nougat.

Swallow:
The finish is very nice, full and rich. Oak and fruit.

Like the Kilchoman Machir Bay, this one went straight to the wishlist. It’s quite punchy for a whisky under 50% but the balance is outstanding and I am absolutely loving the fruity sherry that this Balvenie brings. It works well with the shite weather we’re having at the moment and brings a warm wintry feeling that works well with the gentle background of Balvenie.

It’s quite interesting how I don’t care about a lot of Balvenies (the old 15 year old single barrel, the new 12 year old, the double wood and such) but sometimes one pops up that is outstanding. This one is that. And, in a current climate I think a 15 year old single barrel from the distillery itself is acceptably priced at £ 74.

Balvenie Single Barrel, Sherry Cask, 15 years old, 47.8%. Available in most outlets and should not exceed £ 75. Master of Malt is sadly sold out.

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this in their Advent Calendar

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 1: Glenfarclas 25

Posted on 7 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

So, yesterday night was the first day of the Blind Tasting Competition. I have been looking forward to it for a while now, and I made sure I tried the sample in time. I have been known to forget about it when the time came, even though I was looking forward to it.

From now to the 24th of December we’ll try one dram every day with the following rules:

  • They’re all single malts
  • They’re all from Scotland
  • A distillery is only in the competition once
  • The minimum ABV is 43%
  • A region is never represented two days in a row

So, with that in mind (this doesn’t give us any info on the first day, obviously) I started my dram yesterday. It was fairly clear that this was a low ABV right away. I couldn’t imagine this being over 43%, even 46% seemed too high for this one.

Sniff:
A malt forward single malt at first, rather quiet and classic. Some green scents, like mossy trees, fresh barley, that kind of stuff. Some leafy herbs and a bit of oak.

Sip:
The palate is gentle and slightly peppery. There’s oak and barley, but still in that green, sappy way. Slightly creamy and not strong at all.

Swallow:
The finish is nice and grainy (barley-y) and green. Hints of oak that last fairly long.

Because of the creamy green-ness it reminded me of Tomatin 18, albeit a bit sharper on the palate with the pepper. I still wanted to go for that since there might be some single cask around that is similar.

Of course, me being me, I was about to fill in my guess just before eleven when I remembered the reveal is at eleven PM and the deadline for filling in your guess is 10.45. Two minutes too early for me, apparently. So no points and I did miss out on the first 20 points.

The only thing that would’ve gotten me any points was the ABV. Although Tomatin is quite near to Glenfarclas it is a highland whisky instead of Speyside. The age was a bit off too.

Interestingly, I also tried Glenfarclas 25 last week for the Advent Calendar, and I didn’t like it then (too oaky and bitter, not enough fruit) today it was a green sappy dram. Is this suddenly the most inconsistent whisky available? What is going on with Glenfarclas?

Strangely, I liked my own bottle when I had it some years ago. I didn’t like the sample from the Advent Calendar, but I loved this one. I realize that buying a bottle of whisky can be a gamble when you don’t know it, but with this one it can apparently be a gamble from bottle to bottle.

Glenfarclas 25, 43%, available from Zonneveld (Uw Top Slijter) for € 110

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Advent Calendar Day 7: Glen Scotia Double Cask, 46%

Posted on 7 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

A few years ago Glen Scotia renewed it’s package to all kinds of shiny metal tubes in the colors of your average Christmas tree decoration. That didn’t really pan out, so they redid their package once again and now are slightly more distinguished with more subtle boxes and color schemes.

The old range from the last couple of years

Apart from all that, they don’t seem to be getting a foothold in most whisky lovers books. And I have to admit, I’ve tried a few Glen Scotias over the years, but the modern official bottlings are not among them. Not the current range, not the previous one and not the one before that. I do think I tried one of the really old 14 year olds at some point. As in, bottled in the 80s or before, but nothing more recent unless it’s an indie bottling.

The new, new range

So, this one was an interesting find in the calendar. Not sure what to think of it, and double cask doesn’t mean much unless you look it up. There most likely is a description on the official label, but since I don’t have that I had to resort to the interwebz.

What I found was not very clarifying at all. It is finished in first fill bourbon barrels and PX casks. So, yes, that’s two casks, but what happened before the finishing? I guess it is refill bourbon, which is the cheapest obviously.

Sniff:
Wow, that’s funky. Quite spicy sherry with not much fruit going on (which seems to be a bit typical of Campbeltown). Thick vanilla porridge. A weird combination of scents.

Sip:
The palate is better. A tad sharp in a good way, thick sherry, sweet and syrupy. Some vanilla. The funkiness is not completely gone but more restrained. Ever so slightly smoky?

Swallow:
The finish is sweet with vanilla and very, very sweet. Too sweet for me. Not very long though.

Well, this sure is a weird dram. The funkiness is not entirely unexpected, but it is way more in your face than I would have thought. It does put me off, but not entirely of the brand. As in, I am curious how this measures up to the others in the line-up and might just see if I can do a bottle-share with some bottles of this in 2016. In a way of ‘getting to know Glen Scotia’.

Anyway, an interesting dram but not entirely to my liking. Good to have tasted something like this. It’s not often you get to try this kind of interesting randomness.

Glen Scotia Double Cask, 46%, available at Master of Malt for £ 37

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this as part of their Advent Calendar.

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Advent Calendar Day 6: Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014, 46%

Posted on 6 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

On the sixth day of Christmas Master of Malt sent to me, a nice little sample of Kilchoman from Islay.

Kilchoman is one of those distilleries that I genuinely like, but never buy anything of. Of course, there’s a hundred plus distilleries in Scotland, so there’s bound to be a few of those. But still, given the quality of the booze coming from the tiny Islay distillery, you’d expect there to be more of in my collection.

If you take the quality of some releases in account, like Loch Gorm, some single casks, and this Machir Bay one, I should have bought some in the past. I did, but those were the three year olds that came out a couple of years ago. Those were nice but not worth the amount of money I could get for them when I sold them.

Anyway, all rambling aside, this one popped up in the Advent Calendar and I was happy to see it. I think I’ve had it before but never reviewed it properly. So, thanks to the guys in Tunbridge Wells for sending it.

Sniff:
The peat scent coming off it when you just poured it is magnificent. Quite sharply smoky. Furthermore you get soft scents of vanilla and oak, with pastry cream in the background. Tall grass, some rosemary and garden herbs.

Sip:
The palate is rather gentle ‘on arrival’. It gets a bit sharper right after that with heather, oak, peat and smoke. There’s vanilla that brings all those flavors together nicely. After a few seconds I also think I get some thistle.

Swallow:
The finish really flavorsome with a somewhat lighter smoke than before. Heather and grass.

This made the wishlist straight away. I had a feeling this was going to be good, but this is a dram that is a nice drinker but also a great one for properly assessing. I love it that it’s not overly punchy and brings the full smoky flavor quite gently. It’s almost like a smoked pastry with a nice added garden herbs for some depth.

It’s remarkably well balanced too and the vanilla isn’t overpowering the whisky in any way. Kudos to Kilchoman, this just might be the whisky from them that I like most. I loved last year’s release from Abbey Whisky, with all its fiery sherry flavors (quite Devil’s Casks like), but I think this is a dram that can captivate me for longer.

I just might have to get my hands on both of them to see where that lands me. (In trouble with the misses, that’s where it would land me)

Kilchoman Machir Bay, 46%, available everywhere for about € 50 / £ 40. Master of Malt is currently sold out. There’s a gift pack available though, for £ 50

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this!

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Advent Calendar Day 5: Dalmore 15, 40%

Posted on 5 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

This one deserves a bit of warning. I’ve said before that I don’t like Ledaig, but this year I’ve been proven wrong several times. I also don’t like Dalmore. My dislike for this distillery is based on my limited experience with the brand, but some issues that bug me are these:

  • Their regular releases are bottled at 40% and are too watery and thin
  • Their ‘premium releases’ are a (a lot) better but way too expensive

Also, how their marketing works rubs me the wrong way. I understand it from a business perspective, but making your whisky exclusive not by quality but by ridiculously aggressive pricing is something I can’t get behind. (The 19 year old Constellation thingy for £ 2000 in 2014, really?)

The affordable releases (let’s say, under a hundred quid) are all 40% to 44%, chill filtered stuff. A lot of them are NAS whiskies but are priced like they’re not. In short, meh.

This Dalmore 15 fits that bill too, by the way. I never reviewed it before but I did try it a couple of years ago. So far, it’s my least favorite whisky of the calendar (and I’ve worked ahead to day 18 by now…).

Now, let’s nuance these statements a bit. I know there is nothing wrong with Dalmore in itself. I know they can make great whiskies, and they do. It’s just a shame they don’t release them as such. I’ve tried some cask samples at a masterclass with Richard Paterson and those were awesome. It’s just their regular releases that aren’t up to scratch, in my book. Well, apart from those that mere mortals can’t afford.

Sniff:
The nose is very soft and gentle, thin. Quite a lot of orange and blood orange. There’s hints of barley and even some spirit (quite rare at 15 year old). Old wheat bread toast.

Sip:
The palate is too thin and smooth. Some orange again and slightly bitter. Quite sweet behind the orange and bitterness. Some barley, a hint of vanilla. Creme Catalana and caramel.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly spirity again and slight richer than the palate. Not long, sugared orange and vanilla custard.

Apart from the thinness, it’s quite hard to get a bit of an idea from this review (the tasting notes part) since I generally like whiskies that show some spirit, orange and barley. However, somehow in this one it doesn’t work for me.

I’m not even entirely sure what it is about this whisky that bugs me, but I just don’t like it. If you want a sherried 15 year old that’s smooth, I’d go for the Glenfiddich, or spend a bit more and go for a Balvenie or something like that.

Dalmore 15, 40%, available at Master of Malt for £ 52

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this sample in their Advent Calendar.

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