Category: Single Malt whisky Page 3 of 43

Benriach The Smoky Twelve Whisky

On 09/05/2022

My previous post featuring Benriach was looking at the Benraich The Twelve whisky. Today I explore further and look at the Benriach The Smoky Twelve single malt Scotch whisky. I got to taste both these drams as part of a Benriach tasting in June.

One of the things I enjoy about Benriach whisky is the links with South Africa. John Duff travelled through South Africa before he opened Benriach in Scotland.

During June, my whisky friend Paul S tweeted about some more Benriach South Africa connections. He posted about the Benriach Cape of Storms 12 year old and 16 year old whisky released exclusively for the South African market at Whisky Live in 2007.

Benriach Cape of Storms was a limited release special bottling created to celebrate the launch of BenRiach into South Africa.

Going to be doing a series next…12 days of BenRiach, presenting some of my favourite whiskies from one of my favourite distilleries…1️⃣
First up are the Cape of Storms 12yo & 16yo. These were released exclusively for the South African market at Whisky Live in 2007… pic.twitter.com/d8VJ9CSFoS
— P.S.Whisky (@pswhisky) June 8, 2022

The casks were shipped to South Africa, where they were left to mature for another three years before bottling. SWA rules stipulate that Scotch whisky must be matured in Scotland, which meant that the extra three years of maturation in South Africa did not count towards the age statement.

There were 225 bottles of the Benriach 12 year old and 195 bottles of the Benriach 16 year old released. Both bottles were packaged in wooden crates. The crates for the Benriach 16 year old were made from staves of old BenRiach oak casks.

But back to the current dram in my glass: The Smoky Twelve single malt whisky. It is part of the core range together with The Twelve, Benriach The Ten and The Smoky Ten. All four of these core expressions are made up of different cask types.

BenRiach The Smoky Twelve Whisky Review

The Smoky Twelve single malt Scotch is created from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit, and these casks matured for at least twelve years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and Marsala wine casks. The whisky from each cask is then married together.

According to Rowan, it is peated to about 35 ppm, which is similar to the Lagavulin 16 year old whisky. The peat used is from Caledonia.

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Burnished gold

NOSE: Heaps of oranges, smoky peaches and roasted almonds. A smattering of peat, vanilla and cloves is mixed with raisins and red fruit. Banana bread baking in the oven.

PALATE: Sweet red berries dipped in dark chocolate, peaty goodness, orange peel, brown sugar and toasted oak. Oranges and vanilla with BBQ smoky notes. A simply satisfying mix between the fruity sweetness and smoke. Hints of nuts and warming oak spice and the peaty notes are green and heathery. I finished my glass without water. Just a few drops allow more sweetness through.

FINISH: Long and lingering with nuts, black pepper and soft smoke.

RATING: EXCELLENT

What a lovely dram. Rich, smoky with sweet fruity notes balanced with green earthy peaty notes. The Benriach Smoky Twelve is perfect for autumn days next to the BBQ. The spice, sweetness and peat balance is perfect, and the peat is inviting but not overwhelming. Adding water takes away a bit of the complexity.

I can drink this without water every day in winter. Another point in its favour is the price range. It is readily available and retails for around R700 in South Africa.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the BenRiach team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: KWV 12 yo Brandy

Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/01/2022

In Single Malt whisky

A couple of months ago, I was invited to try some Belgian whisky that will hopefully become available in South Africa over the next year or 2. I have tasted the Belgian Owl Identité whisky before. This 3 yo whisky has won various international prizes and is just lovely. Today I look at the Belgian Owl Evolution single malt whisky.

Whisky (or whiskey) is produced all over the world, and in my collection, I have whisky from about 21 countries. Alcohol bans and shipping shortages have slowed my world whisky collecting, so I will be thrilled when these Belgian drams eventually arrive in the country.

The Belgian Owl distillery was founded in 1997 in the town of Grâce Hollogne, near the city of Liège. Etienne Bouillon, founder and Master Distiller, brought two authentic Scottish stills to Belgium to keep close to the ancient whisky-making tradition. These stills were from the former legendary Caperdonich distillery in Speyside.

The whisky in the package included some new make spirit, the Belgian Owl Evolution, Passion and Belgian Owl Intense whisky.

The Belgian Owl Evolution single malt whisky is unpeated malt, aged in ex-bourbon barrels for at least 4 years. The Belgian Owl whisky is colouring free and non-chill-filtered.

Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Belgium

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Bright copper

NOSE: Subtle fruit sweetness, dark chocolate, apples and grapes with cinnamon and oak. Bits of green herbs, vanilla, with dried pear.

PALATE: Fruity sweetness, summer spice with brown sugar, Dutch breakfast cake, wood and pepper bites. The Belgium Owl Evolutions has a medium body that doesn’t need a lot of water to open up. Hints of vanilla and green notes in the background.

FINISH: Medium length with pear sweetness, oak and black pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

You can easily pick out the distinctive Belgian Owl fruity notes balanced with lovely spices and hints of vanilla. Of all 5 Belgian Owl drams we tasted, John enjoyed the Evolution the most. My favourite was the Passion, and I will capture its tasting notes soon. A lovely single malt. Worth adding to your whisky collection.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the SA Belgian Owl team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: Penderyn Whisky

Benriach The Twelve Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/04/2022

In Single Malt whisky

A beautiful box arrived a week or three ago. It was an invitation to join Rowan Gibb, the Super Premium Whisky Ambassador, to taste some Benriach whisky now available in SA. The tasting pack included the Benriach The Twelve Speyside single Malt Scotch whisky as well as the Benriach Smoky Twelve whisky.

The Benriach distillery has many links with South Africa. John Duff, the original owner, travelled through South Africa with his family during the 1800 and visited Johannesburg during the gold rush. He wanted to start a distillery here, but that did not work out as planned.

He went back to Scotland and, in 1898, built two distilleries next to each other in the Elgin region of Speyside. The other distillery was the Longmorn distillery. The Benriach distillery shut down during the Pattison crash, and only the malting floor remained active.

In 1965 the distillery was reopened by Glenlivet Distillers and, over the years, changed hands various times. In 2004 the Benriach distillery was bought by a consortium formed by two South Africans and Scottish whisky expert Billy Walker.

Also Read: Teerenpeli Whisky

The consortium expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of the Glendronach distillery in 2008 and the Glenglassaugh distillery in 2013. In 2016 the consortium sold all three of these distilleries to Brown-Forman.

Brown Forman appointed Dr Rachel Barry as the Master Distiller, and she has been refreshing the core range’s branding and structure. The look of the bottles and branding is reminiscent of the more classic branding from the early years.

Today let’s look at the Benriach The Twelve single malt whisky. In a week or two, I will also publish my tasting notes for the Benriach The Smoky Twelve whisky.

The Benriach The Twelve whisky was launched in 2020 as part of BenRiach’s new core range of single malts. It combines whisky matured in sherry casks, bourbon barrels and port casks for at least 12 years. Dr Barry then married the whisky from each cask together to create a sherry-rich single malt.

Benriach The Twelve Speyside Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden bronze

NOSE: Rich and sweet with notes of red fruits, sherry and cherries. Something fresh in the background reminds me of fresh summer meadow flowers and green apples. There are hints of cocoa and honey in the background.

PALATE: Sweet with toffee apples, summer fruit salad and fresh cream, chocolate-coated cherries and pepper. Bits of wood and tropical fruit floating around. Warming chilli spiciness balances out the sweetness. Water softens the fruity notes and takes away a bit of the complexity.

FINISH: Long and lingering with fruity sweetness and soft pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

A rich sherry forward dram perfect for summer. Perfect as a pre-dinner sipping drink. The Benriach The Twelve is bold and memorable.

The Benriach The Twelve Scotch whisky is an excellent addition to any whisky drinker’s cupboard. The new branding is clean and classic and does credit to the spirit in the bottle.

It is available in South Africa and rentals for around R500. That is an excellent price for a 12 yo single malt from this innovative distillery.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the Benriach team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask Whisky

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/20/2022

In Single Malt whisky

I was in the mood to try a whisky finished in red wine casks again, so my choice this week is the Tullibardine 228 Burgundy finish single malt Scotch whisky. It has been so long since I tried a red wine cask (Three Ships Shiraz Cask) and even longer since I had a Tullibardine.

Tullibardine distillery is a Highland distillery located in Blackford, Perth and Kinross. Some level of brewing and distilling has taken place on the site since the 1800s, but the distillery in its current format opened in 1949.

The distillery changed hands a few times, and then in 1995, the distillery was mothballed by then-owner Whyte & Mackay. In 2003, it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd, who resumed production and then, in 2011, it was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux. The French wine and spirit group also owns the Highland Queen and Muirhead brands.

Also Read: Michel Couvreur Peaty Whisky

The Tullibardine range whisky was released in 2013. The Tullibardine 228 whisky was finished for 12 months in a 228 litre Burgundy barrique from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

Red Burgundy wine is recognised for its raspberry, blackberry and cherry notes. Burgundy is not a finish seen often with whiskies. The only other whisky I could see with this finish is the Edradour Burgundy Finish.

The Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish single malt is a NAS release. Other releases from the Tullibardine distillery include a the Tullibardine 225 Sauterness Finish, the Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish and Tullibardine 15 yo whisky.

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Ruby gold

NOSE: Malt and red fruits mixed with toasted oak and honey. A few raw alcohol notes. Not the most complex nose. Faint hints of cherries and vanilla.

PALATE: Red fruits of the forest, creamy malt, hints of toasted nuts with vanilla sugar. After the glass stood a bit, berry notes and apple came through, and some alcohol heat dissipated. Bits of oak with black pepper. Medium body and with a slight drying mouthfeel. Water brings more honey sweetness to the front and tempers the heat. A bit young with a few raw notes.

FINISH: Medium length with notes of red fruit, oak and sugar sweetness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

You can pick up the distinct red berry notes from the burgundy casks in this Tullibardine. A pleasant enough red wine finish, and I will not struggle to finish this bottle. However, I think if this spent a year or two more in the barrels, the rough edges would soften, making it spectacular.

I suspect that this is a dram that will work magically with some cheese, a theory I need to investigate. The Tullibardine 228 whisky is unavailable in SA at present. When it was available, it retailed for around R 550.

Also Read: Glengoyne 21 yo Whisky

Glen Grant 10 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/16/2022

In Single Malt whisky

The last time I wrote about a Glen Grant whisky was in 2019 when I looked at the 12 year old Non Chill-Filtered. I need to rectify this oversight, as it is a whisky distillery that I like. So today, I look at the Glen Grant 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The first time I tasted this whisky was at a Whisky Show many years ago when my good friend Bernard Gutman poured me a tot. The Major’s Release is on my top 5 affordable drams list, and the 12 year old non-chill-filtered is perfection. The Glen Grant stand is always on my whisky show must-visit list.

Glen Grant was founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside, by brothers John and James Grant. After the founding brothers died, James ‘The Major” Grant inherited the distillery, and he had a keen interest in whisky-making.

Also Read: The Top 5 Blends under R500

The Major was known as a renowned innovator and traveller, and he enjoyed trying many new ideas. He was the first man in the Highlands to own a car. Glen Grant was the first distillery to have electric lights. Chivas Brothers Ltd owned the distillery in the past. But in 2005 it was bought by the Italian company Campari Group.

The core range includes a 12 year old and an 18 year old, and there are quite a few independent bottlings available such as the Checkers Private Barrel Co Glen Grant 17 year old release.

It is a well-known brand all around the globe and is readily available in SA. The Glen Grant 10 year old single malt whisky is aged in bourbon casks. Glen Grant launched the revised bottle design in mid-2016. In SA, it retails for around R510.

Glen Grant 10 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden Yellow

NOSE: Elegant with notes of ripe pear, honey and vanilla. Bits of spearmint and fresh coriander with malt.

PALATE: Medium body and soft with sun ripe pear and apple and malt. Notes of vanilla, honey and oak spices. Adding water brings a gentle smokiness and lemon pepper to the front. Not very complex.

FINISH: Medium length with toffee cinnamon and oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

A drinkable summer Scotch. The Glen Grant 10 year is not a bad dram, and I think it is an affordable introduction to Speyside single malt whisky for beginners. It is drinkable, but I miss the bolder, more complex fruity notes from the 12 year old. Even the Major’s Release has more depth and character.

It does, however, showcase the fruity characteristics of Speyside drams. It is readily available in South AFrica and in the affordable category. The Glen Grant 10 year old retail for around R 550 at WhiskyBrother& Co.

Also Read: Balvenie Doublewood 17 year old Whisky