Category: Whisky Comparison Page 2 of 9

Ardbeg 10 vs An Oa Whisky

On 07/03/2023

From the peat capital of the world, another peated side-by-side comparison; the Ardbeg 10 vs An Oa single malt Scotch whisky.

Both are from the Islay-based distillery, part of the LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) stable. Both these releases are part of the Ardbeg core range, together with the Uigedail and the Corryvrecken single malt whisky.

The Ardbeg distillery is situated on the south coast of the isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides group of islands. The distillery uses malted barley sourced from the maltings in Port Ellen. The distillery has been producing whisky commercials since 1815.

Every year, the distillery celebrates Ardbeg Day; this year, it fell on the 3rd of June. The distillery releases an annual Ardbeg Day bottling, and I have tasted many of these releases.

For the 2023 Ardbeg Day, the release was distilled without a purifier. A purifier is responsible for Ardbeg’s balance between extreme peat and floral fruitiness. The Ardbeg Day release was called “Heavy Vapours”, and the release was available worldwide in limited quantities.

But today, I look at the two entry-level drams side by side.

Also Read: Ardbeg 10 vs Talisker 10 yo Whisky

Ardbeg 10 year old Whisky

The Ardbeg 10 year old is a heavily peated single malt Scotch, aged for ten years in American oak barrels with no chill filtration. It is peated to between 55 to 65 ppm. Enthusiasts see the Ardbeg 10 year old as one of the peatiest, smokiest drams.

Ardbeg An Oa Whisky

The Ardbeg An Oa single malt whisky was the first addition to the core range since 2009, and Ardbeg named this release after the Mull of Oa in the southwest of Islay. The Mull forms the most southerly point of Islay.

The Ardbeg An Oa single malt was aged in a combination of PX casks, charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon casks. These casks were then married in a French oak marrying vat before being bottled. It has no age statement.

Ardbeg 10 vs An Oa Whisky

	Ardbeg 10 yo whisky	Ardbeg An Oa whisky
ABV	46%	46.6%
Region	Islay Whisky	Islay Whisky
Peat Level	55 to 65 ppm	50 - 60 ppm
Colour	Pale Straw with green hints	Light gold
Nose	Peat and smoke with hints of vanilla, sea salt and citrus sweetness. It is not overwhelming but inviting and intriguing.	Peat, creamy honey, salted liquorice with hints of cough syrup. In the middle sweet vanilla floats about mingling with bits of toasted nuts and pine needles. It’s complex, subtle and different all at once. Faint smoke lurks around.
Palate	After the initial peat, some warming citrus and hints of vanilla. It continues to bring you hints of coffee and a bit of iodine. This Ardbeg 10 yo is a big whisky but not overwhelming at all.	Ash, peat, soft honey, sweet vanilla and cinnamon sugar, hints of chocolate and toasted oak. Faint hints of lemon pepper. It’s smooth and velvety. Water softens the few rough edges and adds more sweetness.
Finish	What an epic finish! You will remember the Ardbeg 10 yo long after you have emptied the glass.	Smoothly with a long and lingering finish that hug and comfort you like a favourite jersey. Filled with sweetness and bits of nut.
My Rating	Excellent	Divine
Comments	Complex and well balanced	Rich and comforting. Just perfection.
Price	$65	$65
Pairs well with	Garlic leg of Lamb or a charcuterie platter	Strong Cheese, salmon sashimi and pulled pork

This side-by-side tasting is so tricky. We did the tasting blind to see if we could guess which one was which. You can work it out if you sit down and think about it. The An Oa has more vanilla, chocolate and nutty notes than the 10 year old. Both are big, bold drams and just delicious.

The citrus notes in the Ardbeg 10 year old whisky are more pronounced and have a smoother mouth feel. The peat, coffee and iodine wrap around you like a warming blanket. It has a bold finish that stays with you long after the glass is empty.

The Ardbeg An Oa whisky has a creamier mouthfeel, reminding me of burnt butter. It is sweeter on the palate with more pronounced green pine notes. The peat is softer and more elegant when next to the 10 yo. The finish is also smoother and slightly richer.

My sweeter palate enjoyed the An Oa more, but hubby preferred the Ardbeg 10 year old whisky. Regardless, both are a worthy addition to my collection.

I have also done a side by side comparison between the Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Uigeadail whisky to see where they differ.

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Also Read: Ardbeg 10 vs Lagavulin 16 yo whisky

Maker’s Mark vs Woodford Reserve Bourbon

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/22/2023

In Whisky Comparison

It has been ages since I have done a comparison post, and they are always so much fun. The last ones I did was between rye whiskey. So let’s look at a comparison I have been avoiding, two of my favourite bourbons against each other. The Maker’s Mark vs Woodford Reserve bourbon.

To make it fair, we did the tasting in unmarked glasses. It is much more difficult when you have to compare whiskey and are unsure of what is in your glass. But to objectively choose our favourite, we tasted it blind.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey

The bourbon that made me fall in love with bourbon. I always have a bottle, it’s perfect in cocktails and in my glass. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight bourbon whiskey is produced at the old Burk’s Distillery in Loretto. Beam Suntory owns the distillery and brand. It is bottled in very recognizable squarish bottles sealed with red wax.

The mash bill does not include rye. Instead, the Maker’s Mark mash bill uses red winter wheat (16%), along with corn (70%) and malted barley (14%).

Maker’s Mark bourbon whiskey has no age statement. It is bottled when the tasters agree it is ready, roughly around 6 yo. Other expressions include the Maker’s 46 and the Maker’s Cask Strength bourbon. It is an excellent introduction to bourbon for someone unfamiliar with it and an ideal base for cocktails.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey

Another bottle that I always have in my house. Woodford Reserve is a small-batch Kentucky Straight bourbon brand produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation. Distilling began on the site of the current distillery in 1812.

The distillery was formerly known as the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. Brown Forman introduced the brand to the market in 1996. Other releases in the brand include the Double Oaked and Rye whiskey.

The mash bill for Woodford Reserve features a high percentage of rye. It has a 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malt ratio. Woodford Reserve has no age statement but matures for at least 6 years. This bourbon is perfect for an Old Fashioned cocktail.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Blue vs Black Label Whisky

Maker’s Mark vs Woodford Reserve Bourbon

	Maker's Mark	Woodford Reserve
Type	Bourbon	Bourbon
Mashbill	70% corn, 16% Red winter wheat, 14% malted barley	72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malt
ABV	45%	43.2%
Colour	Light golden copper	Dark copper
Nose	Cherries, brandied fruit, toasted wood and vanilla spice. Adding a few drops of water brings out more spice and woody notes.	Honey sweetness with apricots and oranges. Bits of condensed milk richness mixed with vanilla, dark chocolate and hints of spices.
Palate	Full of vanilla, followed by sweet cherries and fresh red fruit. Cinnamon and toasted oak. A few drops of water brings butterscotch and warming nutmeg. Delicious and very easy drinking.	Oak and sweetness perfectly balanced with apricot and cinnamon spiciness. Tangy winter fruits and vanilla mixed with toffee. Creamy and smooth with a full body and a satisfying mouthfeel.
Finish	Long with hints of sweetness, vanilla and caramel.	Long and lingering and ends in notes of sweetness and spices
My Rating	Excellent	Excellent
Price	$33	$40

Such a problematic comparison: Maker’s Mark vs Woodford Reserve bourbon. Both are stellar drams. Delicious, bold and drinkable. Glass 1 was the Woodford and glass 2 was the Maker’s bourbon. I did not even attempt to guess which one was which; I just tried to find my favourite.

For me, the Woodford Reserve was my favourite. I liked the fruity sweetness more. The condensed milk, vanilla, dark chocolate notes, and soft oak spices suit my palate. Woodford Reserve bourbon will suit someone who likes sweeter drinks.

John preferred the Maker’s Mark bourbon. It is slightly spicier than the Woodford Reserve, with more vanilla, wood and cherry notes. This bourbon will suit someone who likes a bit of a spicy kick mixed with a red fruit sweetness.

John ventured a guess as to which is which, and he was correct. If you look out for the cherry notes in the Maker’s Mark, you can identify it.

Both have a long finish, with the Woodford ending slightly sweeter and the Maker’s ending in vanilla and caramel. I am not going to complain about either bourbon in my glass. They are both delicious.

Also Read: Woodford Reserve Rye vs Bulleit Rye whiskey

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Woodford Reserve Rye vs Jack Daniel’s Rye

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/21/2022

In Whisky Comparison

Today I do another side-by-side comparison using the Woodford Reserve Rye. The Woodford Reserve brand is part of the Brown Forman portfolio with Jack Daniel’s, GlenDronach and Benriach whisky.

There is not a rye whisky in the Brown Forman’s Scottish whisky portfolio (not yet anyway), but last year, I tried the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye whiskey, which makes for a great comparison; Woodford Reserve Rye vs Jack Daniel’s Rye whiskey.

There are two significant differences between these releases. The mash bill between them is very different, and the Lincoln country process that is only part of Jack Daniel’s production.

The mash bill for the Woodford Reserve and the Jack Daniel’s differ considerably when you compare the percentage of rye that make up the mash bill. The Jack Daniel’s is rye heavy with 70% rye compared to the 54% of the Woodford Reserve whiskey.

The other difference is the maple charcoal filtration that characterises Tennessee whiskey and Jack Daniel’s. The Lincoln Country process is the process of filtering new make distillate through sugar maple charcoal.

The charcoal filtration allows some other flavours imparted by fermentation to shine through. The process doesn’t add flavours or sweetness to the spirit itself.

So let’s get to the two glasses in front of me.

Jack Daniel’s Rye Whiskey

The Jack Daniel’s Rye whiskey was released in September 2017 as a new addition to the standard Jack Daniel’s lineup. This Tennessee Straight rye is produced using a mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, 12% malted barley.

It follows the same Lincoln County Process that makes Tennessee whiskey unique. It is a NAS release. Like other rye whiskey bottles, the labelling is green in the familiar Jack Daniel’s square bottle shape.

Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey

The Woodford Reserve Rye whiskey was launched in 2015 as the third permanent addition to the brand’s core range. Woodford Reserve Rye uses a pre-prohibition style rye ratio to pay homage to history’s original rye whiskeys.

The Woodford Reserve Rye mash bill is 53% rye, 33% corn, and 14% malt. It is a NAS release. The Woodford Reserve Rye bottle shape is similar to the Woodford Reserve bourbon, just with green labelling.

Also Read: Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit Bourbon

Woodford Reserve Rye vs Jack Daniel’s Rye whiskey

	Jack Daniel's Rye	Woodford Reserve Rye
Type	Tennessee Rye whiskey	Rye whiskey
ABV	45%	45.2%
Mashbill	70% rye, 18% corn, 12% malted barley	53% rye, 33% corn, and 14% malt
Colour	Light amber	Polished copper
Nose	Tropical banana, hints of dark chocolate and toasted oak. Cinnamon and sweetness.	Caramel sweetness, fresh green orchid fruit, cereal and toasted wood. The traditional rye spice notes with hints of black pepper.
Palate	Freshly baked banana bread sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Drying cinnamon and nutmeg with hints of chocolate sweetness. Bits of oily wood and vanilla.	Rye spices mixed with fresh fruit, green grass and black pepper. Bits of honey and bourbon vanilla with a butterscotch note. Toasted oak, green herbs with bits of orange. Medium body that is soft and oily.
Finish	Black pepper, spicy cinnamon and oak spices.	Medium length with oaky notes, pepper and caramel sweetness. Something green in the background.
My Rating	Excellent	Excellent
Price point	$35	$40

This has probably been one of my favourite comparisons. I like both these rye’s, and to make sure we don’t get influenced by our preconceived ideas, we did a blind comparison. However, because of the tropical notes that I associate with Jack Daniel’s Rye, it was relatively easy to pick it out from the two. The Jack Daniel’s is sweeter than the Woodford Reserve, but the rye notes were bolder.

The Woodford Reserve is not the boldest rye but has a great balance between the rye spice and sweet fruity notes. The rye notes were more green herby when compared to the Jack Daniel’s. Choosing a favourite will be difficult. Both are in the affordable price range, and both are readily available.

You might enjoy Jack Daniel’s Rye more if you like a sweeter dram. Suppose you are looking for an easy-drinking rye whiskey with an excellent spicy-sweet balance. In that case, the Woodford Reserve Rye will be perfect.

Also Read: Evan Williams vs Jack Daniel’s

Woodford Reserve Rye vs Bulleit Rye Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/22/2022

In Whisky Comparison

I have not done a side-by-side whiskey comparison in months, and it is so much fun. So today, let me look at a rye comparison: Woodford Reserve Rye vs Bulleit Rye whiskey. Earlier this year, I tasted the Woodford Rye whiskey, and the bottle gave me so much inspiration for side-by-side comparison posts.

Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit Bourbon

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/15/2021

In Whisky Comparison

This is my last side-by-side comparison for 2021, and today I am looking at a comparison between the Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit bourbon. I have enjoyed doing these comparisons. I learned so much, and it highlighted the variety in taste within the bourbon category.

It showed me how something that is made in essentially the same way could have such different notes by changing the mash bill and the toast level of the casks.

After the available selection of bourbon dropped off during 2017 / 2018 in South Africa, the category has grown these past two years, and the variety available is growing again.

As much as I like a good peaty Islay Scotch or a Speyside sherry bomb, I have a soft spot for the sweeter bourbons. The combination of toasted oak, vanilla and red cherries fits my palate just right. It works well in cocktails and is relatable and accessible to a broad audience.

So for my last comparison this year, I look at the Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit bourbon. Both my bottles are nearly done, which is proof of how often we reach for these bourbons. Both brands have a distinct history of producing their whiskey varieties and the ingredients used in their creation.

Also Read: Woodford Reserve vs Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey

A 150-year-old family recipe created by founder Tom Bulleit’s great-great-grandfather Augustus Bulleit inspired the creation of Bulleit Bourbon whiskey. The original recipe was for a rye whiskey made with 2/3 rye and 1/3 corn. It was produced between 1830 and 1860 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Tom always dreamt of recreating his ancestor’s recipe. In 1987, he opened the open Bulleit Distilling Company and created a small batch bourbon bearing the family name.

The mash bill has been adjusted to make sure it is a true bourbon. The mashbill is 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley and it is aged for at least 6 years.

The bottle shape is modelled on old medicine bottles, with raised lettering and a skew label, as it might have looked in the 1860s.

Diageo now owns the Bulleit brand, and it is produced at the Kirin Brewing Company Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. This bourbon is readily available in SA and retails for around R 400. In the USA it retails for around $42.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey

Records show that some form of distilling took place on the site in Frankfort Kentucky in 1775 already. Harrison Blanton constructed the first official distillery in 1812.

It has historically been known by several names, including most notably, the George T. Stagg Distillery. It is currently owned by the Sazerac distilling company.

The distillery introduced the Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight bourbon whiskey brand in August 1999. The whiskey was named in tribute to the mighty buffalo that carved paths through the wilderness in the trek to the Great Planes and the pioneers’ rugged, independent spirit.

Readily available in SA and retails at around R 330 and $50 in the USA. It is perfect for cocktails and pairs well with chocolate.

Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit Bourbon

	Buffalo Trace	Bulleit Bourbon
Type	Bourbon whiskey	Bourbon whiskey
Mashbill	Not disclosed	68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley
ABV	45%	45%
Colour	A reddish copper	Light amber
Nose	Fruity sweetness, rich and bold. There are hints of candied fruit, caramel, vanilla, brandy pudding and oak. Bits of spice float in the background.	Quite spicy. In the background, there is some sweetness reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding, nutmeg and vanilla. After standing for a while, some caramel comes through.
Palate	There are notes of fruit, orange marmalade, white pepper and oak. Bits of cinnamon with toasted oak. Water tones down the spice.	Loads of warming freshly ground spices. It's a rich, chewy mouthful. Toffee caramel and vanilla with a bit of wood and orange. Freshly baked sugar biscuits. With water, this bourbon becomes smoother and a bit sweeter.
Finish	Before adding water long and ended in notes of spicy sweetness. After adding water, the finish was quite flat.	Lovely. Very long and lingering. The finish is big and bold and has notes of mild spice and hints of oak.
My Rating	Very Good	Excellent
Comments	Without water it is bold and delicious. Drink it neat!	Unusual and unique.
Price point	$35	$33

Why did I leave such a difficult comparison for last? These two bourbons could not be more different. We spent most of Saturday afternoon savouring a few glasses of these. As usual, we did a blind tasting for our Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit bourbon side by side comparison.

Most of the time, we can accurately guess which bourbon is which, but this time it stumped us. Perhaps it was just a long week, and our taste buds were tired, but we had to try a few times before we could make up our minds.

The Buffalo Trace is fruity with mild spice and a nice drinkable mouthfeel. It has a medium body and lovely toasted oak notes. Just don’t add water. It is perfectly drinkable without water.

The Bulleit is bolder and spicier with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and freshly milled black pepper. Faint hints of orange and vanilla. The toasted oak notes are more subdued, but the Bulleit bourbon is bolder and richer than the Buffalo Trace.

John loved the Bulleit release the most, but after the second glass, I found the spices overwhelming. I preferred the Buffalo Trace and the more traditional bourbon notes for my sweeter palate.

Now both my bottles are finished, and I need to stock up again. Fortunately, that is not a problem as they are both readily available and not too expensive.

I have done a similar comparison between Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve.

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Also Read: Jack Daniel’s Rye vs Old No 7 Whiskey