Age vs. NAS round 2: Dalmore 12 vs Dalmore Valour

Posted on 30 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The second round of NAS vs Non-NAS (or Age Stated) is another pair from around the tiny speck of the North Sea that ends in the Moray Firth. That’s a very creative way of saying that they’re not too far from each other (as the crow flies). It’ll take you a while to drive from A to B though.

Dalmore is not a whisky I try often. Mostly because there’s not much to go around at indie bottlers. And, let’s be honest, the official Dalmores that are interesting are out of most folks’ range. The ones that we can afford are mostly watery NAS whiskies with some kind of freaky cask finish.

Image from WhiskybaseHonestly, outside of a bottle share (and I even doubt that) I’ve never spent money on Dalmore, except for one masterclass with whisky-tasting-legend Richard Paterson. That was an awesome tasting as he had brought a bunch of cask samples of the non-blended whiskies that went into the King Alexander III, which has six cask in it.

Sample A2A. Dalmore 12 years old, 40%

The nose of this whisky is sweet and woody, and light. Slightly chemically fruity. Thing, but mostly those artificial flavors are not really to my liking. The palate is slightly malty. Some candy sweetness and honey licorice. Sweet, sugary and some oak. The finish very similar but slightly less licorice like.

Image from WhiskybaseSample A2B. Dalmore Valour, Matusalem Oloroso casks, 40%

There a little bit of oak on the nose, and it smells less chemical. More focused and weighty. Fruity with some apple and some peach. The palate is smooth and slightly creamy. Fruity, some peppery spice and oak. The finish is slightly oaky. Raisins, quite long and sweet.

In this case I was mistaken to guess the NAS one. I guessed the first since it lacked some depth compared to the Valour. I preferred the latter but scribbled in my little notebook that it still wasn’t all that good. Neither of them are whiskies I’d like to buy.

The short review of those would be that the second sample was slightly better in my opinion, but since I was behind on tasting these drams and had more to go, both went down the sink.

Dalmore 12 years old, 40%
Dalmore Valour, Matusalem Oloroso casks, 40%

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Age vs. NAS round 1: Glen Moray 12 vs Glen Moray Port Finish

Posted on 29 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

With all the NAS releases being done over last couple of years, and the flack the industry is getting for doing those instead of ‘properly aged whisky’ there was bound to be someone to do a comparison.

Of course, a comparison by one person wouldn’t really matter, so Oliver Klimek invited 70 friends along for the ride. We could become part of the testing panel and try five pairs of whiskies from one distillery. Each pair would be the distillery’s entry level dram and a similarly priced NAS whisky from the same company.

While you’ve probably read about the results being practically a draw and there not being any significant favor for either the age stated or NAS whisky, I still think this is a slight loss for NAS. Well, actually, more for marketing departments that have been rambling on about NAS being better. They charge more for most NAS whiskies because they are more flavor driven and therefore should be better. The shackles of the age statement have been removed, so they say. Apparently, it doesn’t really matter when compared low-end booze.

I mean low-end with respect, since most whiskies in this competition are from very decent distilleries and not just some random branded crap from the bottom shelf of the supermarket. Low-end means, in this case, the cheapest expressions from a distillery.

Oh, and obviously, this was all done blind. The only thing we knew was that each pair was from the same distillery, and that it’s from Scotland. Which was which was for us to figure out.

Sample A1A. Glen Moray Port Finish, 40%

Sweet and wine-like. A tad malty on the nose. Mostly light, with some alcohol and red fruits. The palate was a bit sharp from the alcohol. Sweet, fruity, malty and gets heavier after a while. The finish is short and simple. Just the sweetness lingers a bit.

Sample A1B. Glen Moray 12 years old, 40%

Less sweet on the nose with more clear oak influence. Heavier and a bit more depth. Dusty, chalky, barley. The palate has pepper and barley, and tastes less alcoholic. Wood, chalk, licorice, peppermint and malt. The finish is a lot longer with oak, licorice, malt and apples.

I clearly preferred the second sample and thought the first tasted mostly like they put in a lot of effort to make something of the whisky, but ended up with something that tastes too much like trickery. Like the over active oak is used to mask something. Not very refined at all.

The second sample is still a very basic whisky, but at least it tastes a lot more like whisky. Like wood, and patience, and being okay with waiting a little bit. Quite acceptable booze, to be honest. And cheap!

 

Short review: I drank the 12 year old, and poured the other down the sink.

Glen Moray Port Cask Finish will set you back € 27
Glen Moray 12 year old will cost you € 25

 

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Benromach 15, 43%

Posted on 26 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

On Tuesday I was welcomed home by a big brown envelope. Normally when you say brown envelope you start thinking of discreetly packed goods you don’t want your neighbors to know about, but in this case I don’t really care. There were samples inside!

The new Benromach 15 had arrived. I was looking forward to trying it but since I’ve put my whisky spending on hold for a while I have not ordered a bottle yet. I knew there might be a sample coming, but otherwise I would have aimed for a sample at Maltstock. With 200 whisky geeks there’s bound to be someone who brings a bottle…

Since the release of the new Benromach 10 last year the guys from Forres are on a roll. They’ve collected many awards and lots of praise from bloggers and aficionados. Probably from magazines and companies too, but I try not to follow that too much.

It’s not very strange that this sudden love for the brand and the distillery has emerged since they are doing what a lot of disitilleries are moving away from. This might be a little influenced by marketing, but I do have the feeling that they’re giving the whisky an old fashioned production process instead of cutting corners to get to the next NAS release just a little bit quicker.

Sniff:
The heavy, somewhat dirty old fashionedness we’ve come to expect from Benromach is here too. Just like in the 10, 100 proof and Organic. The sherry is more prominently present which might be because of the longer maturation or different cask usage. Oloroso with peach, mango, a lot of fruit. Orange oil, the fatty, estery stuff.

Sip:
The palate is fatty and quite dry. Sherry, oak and orange. Some mango and peach here as well. A touch of smoke and peat? Not too oaky, but it is oily. After a while I get strawberries and rhubarb.

Swallow:
The finish has those strong Oloroso notes. It’s not very long but has lovely fruity flavors. It’s full, rich, a little bit dirty. That dirtiness here reminds me of engine oil or grease.

Like the organic from a little while ago, and both ten year olds from longer ago, this is a great dram. It’s quite different, but also similar. The similarity is mostly in the very old fashioned flavors, or at least a modern take on those. All of the whiskies I’ve had so far had that.

The difference between the younger versions and this is that this has much more cask influence compared to the others. The spirit has been subdued a little bit more and the sherry casks are more prominently showing their flavors. This results in much more fruit and (luckily) not just a lot more wood.

But, anyway you put it, this is a very tasty dram. It might not be as iconic as the 10 year old, or as intense as the 10 year old 100 proof, but it is delicious in its own way.

As was to be expected, the price of this is slightly higher than all others they have in their standard line, at € 80. In the current climate this is not really surprising, of course.

Benromach 15 year old, 43%. Available in most good liquor shops at € 80 or so.

Thanks to Benromach for sending me this sample!

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Macduff 1980-2011, 30 years old, 54.1% – Malts of Scotland

Posted on 25 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I really love old Macduff. I love old Macduff from bourbon casks even more. I’ve tried a couple of them over the years and all of them have been incredibly good. Subtle fruit and malt and oak matured to near perfection.

This one I tasted blind, as the last two reviews. In this case the sample also came from whisky buddy MZ. As I said before, I should taste more whiskies blind and buy based on that instead of a tasting with which I already have a prejudice about the booze.

Macduff is a bit of a fun one. Mostly because almost everything that’s been bottled from the distillery is either from around 1980, or 2000. From in between those years there most likely are bottles around, but the ones that get recognition and fame are from around those two vintages.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Green malt with freshly cut oak. Tree bark and other green scents. Quite bitter, apple and pear skins. Slowly it’s getting warmer with more malty and fruity notes.

Sip:
Lightly bitter still, but less so than on the nose. Gentle with oak and pepper. Some hints of caramel too. Soft, ripe pear and some lychee. The caramel becomes stronger as you drink it.

Swallow:
The finish is very nice with green tree bark again (the mossy kind facing north, you know). Lightly malty, some white fruits (pear, lychee). Quite long and smooth.

This whisky probably is not a favorite for every one. There are some demanding flavors and the bitterness on the nose is not something that’ll make many friends upon a first try. I think a whisky like this won’t do very well at a festival with too many easier drams surrounding it.

However, when you sit down for it, as I happened to do, it’s really rewarding. There’s a lot of discover and it goes slightly off the beaten track. The fruits, with the green malt and foresty flavors combine very well and make for a consistent, delicious experience.

When I tried it I thought it was a Glen Elgin, since they can also have this green flavor going on, but I was wrong about that. In the blind tasting competition I would at least have gotten some points for the region.

Apparently, when I read reviews of this by others (at Whiskybase for example) they got a lot more fruits from it than I did. Not sure what’s happening there, but I didn’t really get the papaya, mango and melon thing. That does not mean I like it less, though!

Macduff 1980-2011, 30 years old, 54.1%, Bourbon Hogshead, Malts of Scotland. Sold out.

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Tomintoul 1967-2000, 33yo, 40% – Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old

Posted on 24 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another sample that I got as a mystery sample. Buddy MZ wanted to know my thoughts. I’m happy to oblige. MZ and I met for the first time at my home when I put an open invitation on our club’s website for a bottom’s up night. He came over from The Hague and we had a lot of fun on a rather crazy night. Crazy as in, there was way too much booze and even though it was a Bottoms Up, we barely ended any bottles since there were so many.

Since then we kept running into each other at club events, festivals and Maltstock. A little while ago I went over to his place for a couple of drams. We talked shop and had some great, great whisky. There are more reviews to follow.

Tomintoul is a bit of a blind spot for me. There is not too much out there from this distillery and it’s not one of those distilleries that you follow. At least I don’t. With quite a lot of distilleries.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Lots and lots of sherry on the nose, with some oak and a light bitterness. After those blast of sherry you really have to look for other flavors. I get some chocolate, pastry and coffee.

Sip:
The palate is gentle but dry. Lots of sweet sherry, chocolate, mocha, coffee and a bit of candied fruit.

Swallow:
The finish is dry with, as you expect, a lot of sherry. Very rich, but the sherry overpowers everything else. It’s long and has a very light spiciness.

I think this whisky has WAY too much sherry. It must have been one active cask which this has been in for over three decades. A bit of a shame, actually, but I can’t really say less active wood would have helped since I can’t really taste the whisky.

It’s really hard to say anything else about this whisky. Sherry sherry sherry, and a tad of other flavors, but almost only sherry. Bummer.

Tomintoul 1967-2000, 33 years old, 40%, 1st fill sherry butt, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old. Available in some shops for € 550.

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Macallan 1991-2014, 23yo, 47.7% – SMWS (Northern Lights)

Posted on 23 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

This fairly well aged Macallan from a refill hogshead came from my whisky buddy DSA, who sent it as a blind sample in our latest swap. He loves it, but I know Gal hates it. I think Bourbon matured Macallan is truly a hit & miss thing. Unfortunately, even the hits from Macallan are not great, or not affordable.

The distillery is, from my point of view, purely running on past results and getting a headline here and there with their next ridiculous decanter and € 50.000 price tag. In short, not a distillery I’ve bought anything of for a long while now. It’s a shame, really, since their sherry matured whisky is awesome. They’ve just priced themselves out of many regular folks’ wallets.

Now this one. A bourbon matured one. I’ve not had many great experiences with bourbon matured Macallan, and I was glad to taste this one blind. I find you become much more critical but also more open minded. Critical in a way that I generally don’t buy much whisky I’ve tasted blind since there is no reputational pollution of my opinion. Doing this more often, or preferable with every dram I try would save me a lot of money. I wouldn’t fall for the “Oooh, a new Clynelish!” trap.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
It starts very malty, but there is a very freaky sweetness to it. Not malty in the sweetness but more fishy. Like seared scallops are sweet too. That’s the first thing that comes to mind, strangely. There’s some oak, some green, leafy scents too. Weird.

Sip:
The palate is rather sharp and slightly peppery. Lots of malt, some oak, sweet and sugary. Tree bark, and pizza crust. Dough, but with something of an oregano flavor to it.

Swallow:
The finish is fairly straight forward for a well aged whisky at first with malt, wood, spices. Then that pizza crust and the fishy sweetness pop up again.

What the hell is happening here? I had no clue what to make of it, but I was fairly certain we had to do with a single malt here. No idea where from since those weird flavors can also be an indicator of it being from a not-expected region or the world.

The seared scallops scent and flavor is not something I’ve come across often, and I can’t say I really mind. I like scallops well enough but I think the flavor was a bit out of place here. It would fit better with a more briny whisky I think. Bruichladdich, Springbank or Old Pulteney for example.

In short, an interesting whisky for a tasting or something to share it with others. It will polarize opinions, I think. But I’m glad I don’t have to go through an entire bottle since it’d take me years.

Macallan 1991-2014, 23yo, 47.7%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society. It’s called Northern Lights and went for some € 150.

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Lagavulin 1991-2015, Triple matured, Feis Ile 2015, 59.9%

Posted on 22 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

During that one week in May when a lot of folks make their pilgrimage to Islay I’d rather not be on Facebook. Or Twitter for that matter. Not that I’m jealous of everyone being at their favorite distillery and drinking awesome drams, but after a couple of days of selfies with casks, it tends to get a bit tedious.

The hunt for bottles has dissipated a little bit over the years by most distilleries simple releasing more bottles than they used to. Where a couple of years most distilleries released a single cask bottling, nowadays most just blend some casks and increase the number of available bottles.

I don’t think it has done anything for auction craziness right after the festival, since it still seems lucrative to buy a couple of bottles to pay for your holiday afterwards. Shop prices for the Lagavulin are currently over € 700, where the initial retail price at the distillery was some € 175! Of course, auction results might very well differ from this, as it usually does.

Last two years I’ve been able to ask someone to bring me a bottle of the Feis Ile release from Lagavulin, sometimes even in July they were still available at the distillery. This year was different and the bottles sold out really fast. A bummer since everyone bought their own two bottles (one to drink, on for later) and had none to spare. Luckily I was able to get some samples to try it a couple of times.

Oh, and triple matured shenanigans again, like in the most recent Lagavulin FotCM bottling. In this case I believe they finished the entire product in Puncheons after being in American oak and PX casks.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Hickory smoke from the barbecue, so a really thick and meaty smokiness at first. Quite some alcohol and a tad of acetone. Rather green and barley, a light hint of vanilla. The sherry is a little dry and astringent, then oak and tea.

Sip:
The palate is spicy and dry with fresh oak shavings, smoke and heather. Grass, a little greasy. It becomes sharper as you let it swim (it’s almost 60% after all). Slightly salty and a lot of oak.

Swallow:
Heavy smoke and warming. Sweet, long with lots of oak, heather and chocolate.

As with the FotCM I don’t really know what the triple matured stuff does for the whisky. It seems a bit like most Lagavulins except the Distiller’s Edition and the 12 year old Cask Strength release (respectively sherry and bourbon casks) in that this is a mix of flavors. What the puncheons did for it except add more oak influence is a mystery.

Also, Diageo is, in this case, not as forward with their information as they seems since they just say American Oak (first fill, refill?) and Pedro Ximenez (European oak, American oak, first fill, refill?). The same goes for the ‘oak puncheon’.

What’s more important is to know whether or not this is a good whisky, but come-on, it’s a Feis Ile Lagavulin. Of course it’s awesome! It’s ridiculously tasty and quite strong, but there’s a lot of flavor and a lot to discover. Quite a demanding dram from start to finish.

The combination with that hickory smoke and the dryness of the heather and oak is a great combination. Luckily it’s not just some vanilla driven modern dram. So, so good!

Lagavulin 1991-2015, Triple matured, Feis Ile 2015, 59.9%

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Ledaig Dùsgadh 42yo, 1972-2015, 46.7%

Posted on 19 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I generally don’t like Ledaig, as I’ve said on multiple occasions before. I also generally don’t get samples of this caliber. Luckily, I was at our 25th Anniversary party of the Usquebaugh Society last weekend, and Ronald Zwartepoorte brought the sample he had gotten.

Ronald is the general manager of the most prominent Dutch whisky magazine ‘Whisky Passion‘ and a general nice guy. Even though he wraps that part in off handed comments and cynicism. I like to think we get along, but that’s hard to gauge.

Anyway, I had totally missed that he brought the sample but just before we all went home we met up and he gave me the last 2cl of his sizable sample. Kudos to him. My subscription turns out to be money well spent!

Normally, when I tell people I don’t have much of a love affair with Ledaig, they generally comment something in line of ‘Have you tried this and that 1972/1973 one?’. Until now, I could only state that I had not. Kind of a bummer, apparently, since the world seems to think it’s awesome.

Sniff:
The nose starts with the typical dirty, oily smoke Ledaig often displays. With the sherry added it’s actually rather likable (understatement). There’s lots of oak and dried plums, spicy and olive oil. Something creamy as well. It’s rich and heavy with lots of oak and rancio.

Sip:
The palate is somewhat more spicy but focuses heavily on the oak. Wood spices, wood and very dry, but not overweight. It’s surprisingly light for this age and style of whisky. Sherry, red and black pepper. Very dry, and even quite bitter. Dried plums, almonds and rancio. It mellows after half a minute of swimming and becomes more juicy. Dirty smoke again, olive oil. Some heather and other dry plants.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more feisty, but gentle. Rich and slightly spicy. Wood spices. Nutmeg and clove. Some fruit, the dried plums again. Very long. The bitterness that’s there too is a bit like plum stones.

This is an awesome dram. There is so much to discover here with a focus on the dried plums, oak and smoke. The combination of all flavors works very, very well and the dirty smoke from Ledaig is delicious.

It’s oily, old and smells like every bit of a distillery except the mash room. The still room, the warehouses (dunnage) are all represented. It’s all quite mesmerizing, actually.

In short, it’s one of the best whiskies I’ve ever had. I didn’t expect that. Kudos to Ledaig/Tobermory. And to Ronald Zwartepoorte for giving me a sample!

Now the uneasy part. A bottle of this stuff will set you back € 3600. At least.

Ledaig Dùsgadh 42yo, 1972-2015, 46.3%, A variety of casks finished in Oloroso sherry. 500 bottles in total.

PS: My sample said 46.7%. Contrary to what every site on the internet says, that’s the correct ABV. So, not 46.3, but 46.7%

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Benromach Organic 2008-2014, 43%

Posted on 18 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

This is a bit of a thing nowadays, isn’t it? Making things organic. The food hype is already dying out a bit, but in the world of whisky it’s gaining momentum. At least, I seem to be hearing things about it more than I used to.

As far as I know Benromach have had an organic whisky for years so it’s nothing new for them. I wonder what made them decide to go for an organic whisky instead of a regular one. Personally, I don’t give a rats ass about a whisky being organic or not. I think much more is to be won if we focus our organic-mindedness elsewhere. Meat, for example, and veggies.

Anyway, Benromach was kind enough to send me a sample of this. It’s already been ages but I’ve been struggling to keep track of things. Luckily, they don’t appear to be in a rush and they haven’t pushed me for a more speedy review. But anyway, here it goes.

Sniff:
It’s heavy and old fashioned. A combination of good distillate and oak. It’s pretty sharp and I would have guessed the ABV to be 46% or even 48% if I didn’t know any better. The oak smells quite ‘European’. I tried this blind and would have sworn there were some sherry casks in the mix. Spices, dark spiced cake, aniseed. Some crisp and herbaceous too. Licorice and peppermint.

Sip:
The palate is as heavy as the nose, but also shows those more crisp herb notes. Blackened barley and dried barley. Lots of oak and that inexplicable sherry note again. Ginger, baking spices. Really, really rich.

Swallow:
The finish is rich and quite sharp. Mostly spicy and lots of oak. Quite long as well.

This is a very weird whisky. As in, I just read that it’s been matured in virgin oak barrels and I would have sworn there were some sherry casks in the mix. Also, it tastes quite a bit stronger than the 43% it actually has.

I guess the age is also lower than I would have expected when tasting this blind. Closer to ten years instead of 5 or 6.

But, apart from my apparent surprise, this is a really good dram. It’s more fierce than the regular ten years old, but obviously not as strong as the 100 proof. What it boils down to is that this whisky has a lot more to offer than you’d expect from reading the label.

I love that. I like being surprised. Especially when the whisky is this good and this affordable (€ 46.50 in NL or so). It’s exactly in line with the other younger Benromachs I’ve tried over the last couple of months. The 10 year old, and the 10 year old 100 Proof. I have yet to try the 5 years old the newly released 15.

Where does this one stand compared to the others? The 100 proof is a very fierce and demanding dram, but utterly delicious. It’s much stronger and shows a more depth than this one. The regular 10 year old is more comparable, but that also shows more depth and more layers than the Organic. The Organic is a bit stronger on the palate, so if that’s your thing…

Luckily I’m visiting the distillery in November. It’s still months away but I can’t wait for my next trip to the promised land!

Benromach Organic, 2008-2014, 43%. Avialable regularly at varying prices.

 

Full disclosure: Benromach sent me this sample free of charge. The opinion is my own.

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Yoichi 15, 45%

Posted on 17 June 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Yesterday I finished this bottle. I’ve been enjoying it for a while and at some point the time comes to drink the last drop. The drawback of that is that my stash of Japanese whisky is shrinking rapidly. If you discard the ones that aren’t overly interesting (Yamazaki 12 comes to mind) there isn’t much left.

Add to that that most distilleries in Japan have announced sizable price hikes and Nikka at least has announced that quite a few of the Age Stated versions are going to disappear in favor of NAS editions. I think that kind of sucks, but it makes sense if Suntory can get away with increasing the Yamazaki 18 from € 80 to over € 200 in about three years.

Anyway, it’s all gone. I drank it. A lot of people at last weekend’s Usquebaugh Society party did too. It’s really good.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Really rich and heavy. Smoky too, some spices and a hint of vanilla. There’s quite a lot of oak but also curry. Some bitterness later on, in an espresso and dark chocolate way. It also has that typical ‘Japanese whisky’ hint of rancio.

Sip:
The palate is still rich, but also gentle. Peat and smoke. Slightly rugged, somehow (coal fired, maybe…). I think I’m also getting some sweet orange and tea. A bit like Lagavulin actually. Chocolate again.

Swallow:
The rancio from the nose is back again. In full swing. It’s good. The finish isn’t very long but it shows quite a lot of oak, with mostly smoke and peat.

This is a much better dram than I thought it was a year ago. Somehow I had sort of forgotten about it since it was in the back of the cupboard in the Japanese section being all overshadowed by Karuizawa and some single cask Nikkas. That was a bit justified by the greatness of those drams, but I should have given this one more credit.

The rancio and peat flavors combine very well and make for a very, very rich whisky. Even at 45% this one packs some serious flavor. I’m really loving it, in short. It’s a bit like a Lagavulin 16 with a twist.

Yoichi 15, 45%. Available around different shops starting at € 105 in Germany to € 150 in The Netherlands. € 150 is a lot…

Posted in Nikka, Yoichi | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments