Braes o’ Glenlivet 21, 47.4% – Master of Malt

Posted on 31 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Braes o’ Glenlivet, or Braeval, distillery is one that you don’t see very often. Actually, since I started with whisky about 8 years ago I think this is only the third bottling I’ve tasted.

It closed down in 2002 which doens’t necessarily have to correlate (there is plenty of Port Ellen news) but in this case it also seems almost forgotten. I remember where I had my first BoG, at my first whisky tasting. I don’t recall it being spectacular or anything.

Sniff:

Braes o' Glenlivet 21 at Master of Malt

Braes o’ Glenlivet 21 at Master of Malt

Sweet vanilla and oak. Creamy like caramac bars and some mint. A fairly straight forward bourbon matured whisky but therefore it’s quite nice and very drinkable. Of course, all whisky is drinkable but this can be just watching a movie and sipping a couple of ’em. I get something waxy too, after a few minutes.

Sip:
Crisp and a bit sharper than I expected, with white pepper and quite some wood influence. I get mint and red cinnamon heat too, but the crispness would make me guess this was closer to 15 than to 21 years old. Rich, creamy, pastry cream and custard.

Swallow:
The finish isn’t too long and rather simple. Not bad though.

This is one of those really active bourbon casks. The benefit is that the whisky turns out rather delicious. The drawback is that ALL whisky would turn out delicious. Maybe Braeval doesn’t have much specific distillery character but this could have been any bourbon matured scotch. Having said that, it still tastes pretty damn fine.

Why this distillery is known by two names I don’t know, but it sure is confusing. Especially since Braes o’/of Glenlivet is spelled in two ways too.

Braes o’ Glenlivet 21, Master of Malt, 47.4% is available from Master of Malt at £ 64.95 and a sample will cost you £ 5.01.

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

Posted in Braes o' Glenlivet, Braeval | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Bunnahabhain 23, 46% – Master of Malt

Posted on 30 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Funnily enough, I was wondering why on God’s green earth people would water down single cask bottlings like this. It turns out, that the 46% is right on the money for this cask strength baby! How’s that for a coincidence?

Anyway, another single cask by Master of Malt. I’m trying to do a series that started a few days ago with the Tobermory on the 24th. There’s still quite a ways to go since I had 14 samples from their single casks and That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

Not much to say about Bunnahabhain. One of the less famous Islay whiskies. Famous for old unpeated sherry monsters, nowadays making as much peated whisky as they do unpeated. I’m not always a fan of their releases but their new 12 year old is good.

Sniff:

Bunnahabhain 23 at Master of Malt

Bunnahabhain 23 at Master of Malt

Light and grassy with earthy undertones. Like a Lowlander with dirt. There is something spirity in here too, in a good way, quite gin-like. Quite some dusty barley too, which really makes me feel like this is a spirit driven dram. Good. The wood influence is something you have to wait for, with tones of oak, vanilla. Grass, straw, ginger and malt.

Sip:
Sweet and a little bit of bitter oakiness. It’s a bit rough at some point with quite some flavours you have to search for instead of them being obvious. Wood, vanilla, flowers, straw, gin, spirit, pepper. After a while the more default flavours of wood and vanille get a bit stronger.

Swallow:
The finish is friendly and gentle with a barley spirit base. Not too long and slightly sweet.

This is one hell of a Bunnahabhain. I can’t say I have tasted anything like this and I think this is a bit of a guess to buy blind. It isn’t truly typical for Bunnahabhain, but it is very delicious. What I like about it most is that it is 23 years old, but still rather spirit driven. The wood was probably laze but that is something that works exceptionally well here.

Another one for the wish list…

Bunnahabhain 23, Master of Malt, 46%, available at their webshop for £ 74.95 and a sample will set you back £ 5.51

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

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Springbank, 54.6% – That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Posted on 29 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The only drawback with That Boutique-y Whisky Company I have found so far is that it’s a chore to type. I think that’s part of the gimmick too.

Anyway, early in the new year they released a batch of new bottlings varying from Invergordon to Springbank. Since then, they have released even more bottlings, with a Clynelish, a new Aberlour, and some secrety stuff.

Anyway, the usual yada-yada: Springbank, Campbeltown, small scale, old fashioned. Boutique-y, no age stated, small batch, even rebottlings (as far as I know).

Sniff:

That Boutique-y Springbank at Master of Malt

That Boutique-y Springbank at Master of Malt

At first I get really old fashioned Springbank, with barley, salt, a hint of minerals and it’s crisp. Unfortunately, I get that fennelly note that’s been plagueing my Boutique-y samples. Luckily, after another five minutes of air that’s gone and I get more caramel.

Sip:
It starts off quite sharp with lots of peppery notes and flint. Some apple as well. All in all, a very typical Springbank, and that is pretty tasty!

Swallow:
The finish is the first moment I get a woody note with some vanilla and some orchard fruit. It’s tasty and it lasts quite a while.

Apart from that quickly evaporating fennel note in the beginning, this is a damn tasty dram. Not too complicated but rather classic Springbank. A bit like the official releases since I expect this is a mixture of sherry and bourbon casks. The combination of flavors is really nice.

Springbank Batch 1, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 54.6%, £ 61.95 at Master of Malt. A sample will set you back £ 5.96.

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

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Being an ass about blogging

Posted on 27 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

That is exactly what I was yesterday, but I caught myself in the act.

Bunna 1997. Good whisky. Look at the troll hiding behind it.

Bunna 1997. Good whisky. Look at the troll hiding behind it.

After our snowy Australia Day barbecue, a couple of beers and some drams my friend and I were nearing the end of a bottle at which point I set it aside, stating “If we finish it, I can’t blog about it anymore because I have no notes yet”.

That kind of scared me a bit. Is my blogging more important than drinking a nice dram with a close friend? Has this happened before? And, most importantly: “Sjoerd, what the fuck?!”

So I decided we would finish the bottle right then and there. There were only two glasses left or so, so it was done in no time at all. It got me thinking I have to get my priorities right, right?

And, after all, this post will probably get me more views than a boring review would anyway!

Posted in - News and Announcements | 3 Comments

Deanston 19, 53.4% – Master of Malt

Posted on 25 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another one of the recent slew of Master of Malt releases. At some point I started talking about the daily release they were doing. It has calmed down a bit now. Deanston then, I know absolutely nothing about this distillery apart that I drove past it on our most recent trip to Scotland (almost 2 years ago…). Not much of trivia there.

Sniff:

Deanston 19 by Master of Malt

Deanston 19 by Master of Malt

Dusty and chalky and has a very silky nose to it. Barley, grist, chaff with a hint of flowers. Somewhat later I get a hint of coconut and vanilla. Something meaty too with garden herbs like rosemary. Not too much wood for a 19 year old.

Sip:
A lot sharper than I expected after the rather gentle nose. The flavours are rather predictable though. Slightly sweet, slightly bitter with quite a lot of grain. It tastes ‘honest’ with a clear Highland character that I like in Glencadam and Hillside/Glenesk too. Chalky again and it gets less sharp after a few seconds.

Swallow:
The finish continues in this classic style. Slightly spirity. ‘Spirit driven’ and not overly woody. Vanilla, grain, flowers, straw and a rather long lasting taste.

I have to admit I haven’t tried many Deanstons, but I’m sure this is the best one. I like the chalky, silky style it has and the coconut/grain/floral combination is rather delicious too. Damn, another addition to the wishlist!

It’s from a refill hogshead if that wasn’t clear yet!

Deanston 19, 53.4%, Master of Malt single cask. Available at Master of Malt for £ 59.95 and a sample will set you back £ 4.80. So, very affordable too!

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

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Tobermory 17, 57% – Master of Malt

Posted on 24 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

In a recent batch of samples I received was this wee baby. A 17 year old Tobermory and a single cask. Time for Tobermory to prove itself, since I am not a fan of their usual output. The 15 year old that they released a few years ago was fine enough, but their regular 10 year old I found undrinkable. Actually, after a glass or two I gave the bottle away to someone who did enjoy it.

Sniff:

Tobermory 17 by Master of Malt

Tobermory 17 by Master of Malt

Fairly heavy on the nose with clear bourbon cask influences. Not too typically Tobermory with light smoke, earthiness, salt and some bitter caramel. Old wood too. Fairly complex and nice, but not incredibly special.

Sip:
Sharp and salty at first with lots of chili pepper, wood. It bites. There’s a greasy quality too and some vanilla, bitter caramel again. Some spicy lemon comes along later.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more friendly but still rather heavy for what I expected. Wood, simple syrup, vanilla, caramel, butterscotch. The bitterness lingers.

It’s better than I expected, but that wasn’t too hard. However, I’m not thrilled by it. The complexity is there, the flavours are there but it takes quite a while to open up. After half an hour the nose becomes more and more lovely with more vanilla cream showing itself. Still, a good but not spectacular whisky. At € 71 it’s very affordable though, especially for a single cask at cask strength. That doesn’t happen all too much anymore.

Tobermory 17, 57%, Master of Malt, available in their shop for £ 59.95 and a sample costs £ 4.85.

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

Posted in Tobermory | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Flaming Heart, Compass Box, 4th Edition

Posted on 23 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The entire whisky world seemed to be raving about this dram about a month or two ago. I never tried a Flaming Heart, I think, so I thought it was a good idea to order a sample from Master of Malt. Don’t you just love samples?

The idea behind a lot of the ‘standard’ Compass Box bottlings is that they showcase a certain aspect of whisky. This one focusses wood and charring. Peat Monster focuses on peat (duh!) and Oak Cross also focusses on wood, but in a different way.

Sniff:

Compass Box Flaming Heart at Master of Malt

Compass Box Flaming Heart

Slightly smoky with a fair dollop of wood flavours. Lots of toasted oak (I wrote this down before I looked up the cask composition). Some coffee, chocolate and wood spices. Very nice with a lot of wood without it becoming too dominant or astringent.

Sip:
Not really sharp but there is a certain heat. Black pepper corns and wood, wood spices, tree bark and a hint of fruit in the background. There is a slight bitterness like in peach stones.

Swallow:
The finish is rather classic. Medium length, with peach stones, wood spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) and of course, toasted oak. Tree bark, barley, grist, chaff. I get a certain spiritiness at some point.

I’m not raving. I like it, but I am not swept away by the amount of flavours displayed. What it is supposed to do it does very, very well, but I’m just not a big fan of those big toasted oak flavours. Same goes for the Glenfiddich, for example. There should be a bit more and more varying flavour to really make me enthousiastic, I guess.

Still, a very good dram and if you really want to taste what cask charring does to a whisky, get this one instead of the Glenfiddich. It’s twice as expensive, but that’s worth it.

Compass Box Flaming Heart, 4th edition, 48.9%. Available at Master of Malt for € 82.15 and a sample sets you back € 6.80.

Posted in - Blended Whisky | Tagged | 2 Comments

Master of Malt Speyside 30yo, 5th edition, 43%

Posted on 22 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

In the previous batch of samples that I got from Master of Malt, there were not only some new Boutique-y samples, but also their newest Speyside 30 year old bottling, their fifth already!

I have tasted that a while ago but with the little one in the hospital, I hadn’t gotten around to this wee write-up yet. So here it goes.

Speyside 30 year old is, of course, from an undisclosed distillery, but it being an undisclosed Speysider, my money would automatically go to Glenfarclas. No proof of that however.

Sniff:

Speyside 30 year old, by Master of Malt

Speyside 30 year old, by Master of Malt

Lots and lots and lots of fruity sherry notes. Orange, peach, blood orange, but also the barley is out there, with icing sugar for added sweetness. Fairly crisp and fresh, for a thirty year old dram! There’s grass, flowes and a light herbaceousness. Also, raisins and fruit cake.

Sip:
Light chocolaty flavours and sweet citrus. Blood orange and peach again. Thick fruit drink which I used to have at my grandmother’s (called Dubbeldrank, for the Dutchies out there). A light hint of pepper in the background.

Swallow:
The medium long finish gives more chocolate and orange, a slight spiciness and even a hint of banana.

At first I jotted things down like ‘not too complex’ and such, but reading back my notes, I’d be an idiot to proclaim such profanity. It’s a stunning dram with all the goodness a fruity sherry style whisky can have. I would have loved to taste this around 50% ABV, but apart from that, it’s bloody well done.

Speyside 30 year old, 5th Edition, 43%, bottled by Master of Malt and available from their website, for £ 129.95. They have samples too.

Official sample provided by Master of Malt.

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Black Bull Special Reserve batch #1

Posted on 21 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Black Bull is an old brand of blended scotch whiskies that have recently been picking up some steam. By recently, I mean the last couple of years, we’re still talking whisky of course.

They gained a huge wave of press coverage with the release of their 30 year old ‘blended at birth’ whisky. A massive, dark, sherried blend with an equally massive palate. Great stuff. After that the 40 year old was released which is rather the opposite with almost all single malt whiskies at at least 40 years old. This was an excercise in subtlety, but not less tasty!

Now they are marketing their 12 year old a bit more (haven’t tried that one yet) and in between they released this Special Reserve bottling. This bottling consists of a 50/50 ratio of malt and grain, which is quite rare in the blended whisky world. The 30 year old also has a 50/50 ratio and the 40 year old even has 90% malt whisky in it!

Now, how does is taste?

Sniff:

Black Bull Special Reserve at Master of Malt

Black Bull Special Reserve at Master of Malt

A rather full scent. Quite ’round’ without any scents really leading the way or pushing others back. There’s a hint of sherry in the background but most of the aroma consists of grass, barley and light woody tones. Some autumn leaves, a bit of resin and some vanilla.

Sip:
More waxy and resinous than on the nose, a little more wood too. Slightly drying oak. It’s complex with a good dollop of vanilla cream. The grassy theme continues and the sherry is almost gone.

Swallow:
The finish is both light and waxy. Not too long with some wood and heather. Vanilla and chocolate fondant, all of a sudden.

The waxy theme makes me expect a lot of Clynelish or a comparable highland whisky in there. Now, what do I actually think? I first tasted this at Maltstock and was thrilled by it. Now I bought a sample from Master of Malt and I have to say that I amj glad I only bought a sample. It’s a very good blended whisky, but it’s pretty expensive too. It doesn’t really make me feel like I just had a € 113 whisky.

Anyway, a very good blended dram, but a bit overpriced, if you ask me.

Black Bull Special Reserve Batch 1 is available from Master of Malt at £ 95. It clocks in at a 46.6% ABV.

Posted in - Blended Whisky | Tagged | 1 Comment

A mental note about money

Posted on 18 January 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

My life got a lot more expensive with the family addition of our wee daughter. This means  that this money has to come from somewhere. Unfortunately I had already discarded all my other geeky hobbies (Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, DVDs and computer games and all that), which means there is more or less only booze to downsize in.

I downsized my budget last year as well. I felt I was overspending by a long shot and it felt ‘responsible’ to cut my budget by a large chunk. It worked. I thought for a minute before buying a bottle.

This probably made me miss out on some top drams too, but in general, it made me happy, and happier about my purchases. With a limited amount of spending power you have to make every bottle count, right?

This year, I don’t feel like there is much downsizing to do in my whisky spending. My overall booze spending, however, can use some pruning. No more rum, gin, absinthe, genever and a lot less beer! Focus is the keyword!

I do like to diversify every now and then, but in the end I love whisk(e)y above all other types of spirits and booze in general. So, to prevent feeling like an idiot after spending money on stuff that shouldn’t have priority I write this post as a mental note to self:

Stop spending money on non-whisky stuff!

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