Category: Blended whisky

Blended whisky

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for blended whisky. A collection of all the interesting releases I have tried. From Scotland and all around the world including some of the most well known and loved brands.

Chivas Royal Salute 21 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/22/2014

In Blended whisky

What a beautiful container. The blue porcelain flagon stands out on my whisky shelf. The Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 year old blended Scotch whisky is produced by Chivas Brothers.

Chivas Brothers trace its roots to the opening of a grocery store in Aberdeen in 1801. The grocery store took the name Chivas Brothers from the 17th century House of Schivas, a large house in the town of the Schivas in Aberdeenshire.

The store sold luxury food items such as coffee, exotic spices, French brandies, and Caribbean rums to wealthy customers. As the business grew, Chivas Brothers gained a reputation for supplying smooth malt whiskies of the highest quality.

In 1842, Chivas Brothers were requested to supply provisions to the royal family at Balmoral Castle upon Queen Victoria’s first visit to Scotland. The Royal Salute brand’s home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1786 on the banks of the River Isla.

Also Read: The Old Pulteney 21 yo whisky

It is the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. Chivas Brothers purchased Strathisla in 1950 to safeguard this natural sweet malt for Chivas Regal whisky.

Strathisla single malt is one of the malt whiskies used as part of the Chivas Regal blend. Launched in 1953, this Chivas Royal Salute 21 year old blended whisky served as a tribute to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Named after the traditional 21-gun salute, this blended whisky has been aged for at least 21 years.

The Chivas Royal Solute 21 year old whisky is bottled in porcelain flagons, manufactured by Wade Porcelain. The flask incorporates the image of Robert the Bruce and bearing a Gaelic motto.

Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 year old Whisky Review

Inspired by the jewels in the Coronation crown, it is packaged in three collectable colours: sapphire, ruby and emerald. I have the sapphire Royal Salute.

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: This is quite a dark whisky. The colour is close to amber, and it is reasonably oily.

NOSE: The Chivas Royal Salute 21 yo whisky has a very delicate nose. There are notes of vanilla and caramel with lots of fresh-cut flowers. The fresh-cut flowers become more pronounced after adding a few drops of water. There are very subtle hints of smoke in the background.

PALATE: It is very smooth. Tasting it brings notes of vanilla and sweetness to the palate. There is an abundance of fresh fruit and little hints of smoke. It is not the most complex whisky and quite thin on the mouth. But the flavours of oak and barley combine with fresh fruit and becomes amazingly balanced. There are faint hints of spice and ginger.

FINISH: The whisky finish ends in notes of spice and toffee. The Royal Salute has a medium-long finish.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The sapphire flask is a beautiful addition to any bottle collection. I had another glass and for me, wanting a second glass, is always the double-check to see if my rating is correct. If we share a second glass it is a whisky worth spending some quality time around. It is delectable.

Other releases from the Chivas Royal Salute stable that I have tried include the Chivas Regal 12 year old whisky and the Chivas Regal Extra whisky.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky

Wild Reeds Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/15/2014

In Blended whisky

My most read blog post of this past year was the arrival of the Wild Reeds Bourbon Cask whiskey. I found this interesting looking bottle at my local Pick n Pay liquor store. It’s produced by Schoonspruit Distillers in the North-West Province of South Africa. I have never heard of this distiller or whiskey, so I immediately purchased a bottle.

Schoonspruit Distillery is an independent business owned by the Henning family. Ernst Henning established the Schoonspruit whiskey distillery in South Africa in 1992. They are better known for the Totpak concept. The Henning family founded Totpak more than 20 years ago. Totpak popularised the then unfamiliar concept of a liquor sachet in South Africa.

The whiskey is distilled with water from the Schoonspruit river (meaning clean river). The origin of the Schoonspruit river is about 6km from Ventersdorp on the Koster road.

The bottle is interesting in that it is the shape of the African continent. Bottled at 43% ABV, it is pot stilled, charcoal filtered and aged in ex-bourbon casks.

This Schoonspruit Distillery Wild Reeds whiskey was aged for between three and five years. The label says it was pot stilled from South African grain and charcoal filtered to a bourbon taste. With no history of whisky making from this region in South Africa, this is a journey into the unknown!

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Wild Reeds Blue Bourbon Cask Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: South Africa

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: It is a fairly dark whiskey. It is a deep red copper. It is not an oily whiskey at all and comes across as somewhat thin in the glass.

NOSE: There is a sweet sherry nose that hits you at once. The sherry notes dominates the nose with some oak and methylated spirits. This Wild Reeds bourbon cask whiskey needs to breathe for quite a while for the smell of methylated spirits to evaporate. After the addition of some water, the whiskey changes significantly.

PALATE: The first thought on tasting the Wild Reeds whiskey is that this is a bourbon. There are notes of marshmallow, dried sultanas and the familiar bourbon sweetness. It is not a very complex whiskey.

FINISH: Lingers around for a bit and then ends quite sharply with some sweet notes at the end. We had to put aside our prejudice on this bourbon cask.

RATING: GOOD

I was not expecting too much from this bottle. But it was not as bad as I had feared. It is not by any means a great whiskey, but it is sort of drinkable. Just let it stand for a good 10 minutes to breathe and for most of the raw spirit alcohol to evaporate.

It might show a bit of potential if it was aged a couple of years longer. Have you tried it yet? What did you think? They also released a Schoonspruit 2010 whisky which I also tasted. This is a slightly better tasting release than the Schoonspruit release that received an ordinary rating on my rating scale. But it still does not get close to a Bains or a Three Ships whisky.

Related Article: Boplaas Single Grain Whisky

The Black Grouse Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/26/2014

In Blended whisky

Time for a blended whisky again – the Black Grouse blended Scotch whisky. The Famous Grouse whisky is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son in 1896. The brand is now produced and owned by The Edrington Group.

Its emblem is the Red Grouse, Scotland’s national game bird.Matthew Gloag was a grocer and wine merchant in Perth, Scotland. He purchased whiskies from distilleries around Scotland and sold them at his shop.

In 1860, his son, William Gloag, took over the company and began producing blended whiskies. But the Grouse brand only started taking shape when William’s nephew, also named Matthew, took over the company. He created The Grouse Brand blend in 1896.

This brand was so popular that they renamed it “The Famous Grouse” in 1905. Matthew Gloag’s daughter Phillippa first designed the label’s grouse icon. In 1970, Matthew Gloag & Son was sold to Highland Distillers, after the death of the chairman, Matthew Frederick Gloag.

The marketing and distributive power of the new company saw Famous Grouse become the highest selling Scotch in Scotland by 1980 and the second highest-selling in the United Kingdom.

In 2007 they released a peated version of the Famous Grouse called The Black Grouse whisky. The packaging displays a black grouse in place of the usual red grouse. It is readily available in South Africa and retails for around R250. Jim Murray awarded it 94 points in the Whisky Bible.

Also Read: Teacher’s Whisky

The Black Grouse Whisky Review

The Black Grouse blended whisky combines the Famous Grouse blend with specially selected Islay whiskies to create this peaty expression.

COLOUR:A dark gold. It is not a very oily whisky.

ABV: 43%

NOSE: Peat and smoke come through at once when nosing. There are some medicinal notes, sweetness and wood as well. Notes of fresh pear and malt.

PALATE: This Black Grouse is quite light on the palate. Peat and smoke are followed by spice. Especially ginger and pepper notes come through. There is a woodiness in the palate with notes of oak and rich chocolate sweetness. The peat and smoke notes continue into the finish.

FINISH: Medium length and ends with spicy notes. It is quite a complex whisky for the price point. This whisky proves again that you don’t have to pay exorbitant prices for good whisky. It has a finish that makes you want another glass. The peat is also not too overwhelming. Even a non-peat-head like me enjoyed this peaty expression.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is an affordable whisky from the Edrington Group that you can proudly offer to whisky enthusiasts. It is also an amazing whisky to pair with Indian food. I have also used the Black Grouse whisky in a marinade for a Leg of Lamb that I roasted. The smoky notes work wonderfully with the meat.

At the end of 2015, the Black Grouse was renamed the Famous Grouse Smoky Black whisky. It has new labeling and I have captured my tasting notes for this release as well.

I have also managed to taste the Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask blended whisky and it is probably my second favourite Grouse whisky after the Black Grouse.

>Also Read: Johnnie Walker Green Label whisky

Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Gold Route Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/26/2014

In Blended whisky

In August 2013, a fire broke out inside the main terminal building of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. The fire destroyed most of the international terminal. John had to fly to Kenya for business, and it was with trepidation that he set off. He was unsure what the state of the airport would be and if they will be able to land.

With typical African ingenuity, however, the airport was up and running within two days. When John departed Nairobi, the Duty-Free shop was set up in a tent. In this tent, next to the burnt down terminal building, he found a bottle of Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Gold Route whisky.

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According to the company, the Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Gold Route was inspired by journeys around South America. They claim inspiration from the lush Amazon forests of Central America through the snow-capped Andean mountains, passing the mystical Inca pyramids and along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

The blend comprises a variety of ages of whisky, including some very old cask. As it was purchased in duty-free, the bottle was a 1 litre, not the standard 75cl or 70cl. The Gold Route is the second expression in the Explorers’ Club collection. The Spice Route and The Royal Route complete the collection.

Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Gold Route Whisky Review

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Light amber. It looks lovely in the light. The whisky is nice and oily.

NOSE: Initially offers spice, butterscotch and dried fruits. In the background are hints of honey. The addition of a few drops of water opens this whisky up. Fresh fruits, greengage and oak now come to the fore. The nose is lovely.

PALATE: On the palate, one is struck by the smoothness. The greengage and fresh fruit also carry on to the palette. The fruit slowly turns to butterscotch and spice. Some aniseed and dried apricots also come through. It’s a medium-bodied whisky that feels great in the mouth.

FINISH: Not long, but smooth and mellow. It ends with cinnamon and cloves. Some pepper also appears at the end.

RATING: EXCELLENT

This bottle is an excellent addition to the Explorers’ Club collection. It is an incredibly smooth whisky. I did not, however, pick up any notes of smoke that other reviewers mentioned in their tasting notes. It is, nevertheless, a great expression from Johnnie Walker. If you like blends and happen to be in an airport, do pick up a bottle.

It will be a fabulous addition to whatever you may already have. Based on how delicious the Gold Route is, I think the Royal Route might also be worth getting. I will keep a lookout for it when I travel. What were your impressions of this Gold Route from Johnnie Walker?

Some of the other Johnnie Walker releases I have tried include the Johnnie Walker Swing as well as the Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

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