Category: Grain Whisky Page 2 of 3

Tweeddale Grain of Truth Peated Whisky

On 11/16/2020

A few weeks ago, we visited Dullstroom. After being housebound for the last eight months, we needed a change of scenery. We rented a small house in the town and spent the weekend relaxing. However, we did make time to visit our favourite whisky bar, Wild About Whisky, to try a few new releases. One of the drams they had available was the Tweeddale Grain of Truth Peated single grain Scotch whisky.

It was just after I read the article on Malt Musings about the Loch Lomond Single Grain compared to the Tweeddale Peated and a few other releases. So I was glad for the opportunity to taste it as well. Let me say up front; I liked the Tweeddale whisky so much that I bought a bottle. Now I can capture proper tasting notes for the blog.

Peated grain whisky is not readily available in SA, so it is a unique experience to try something different. Tweeddale claim to be the first peated grain whisky available. The Tweeddale brand started, like so many other blends, in a grocery store.

Also Read: Teeling Single Grain Whiskey

The Tweeddale blend was created by Alasdair Day in 2010 from a recipe discovered in his great grandfather Richard Day’s cellar book for Coldstream grocer J&A Davidson.

Tweeddale has been part of the R&B Distillers portfolio since 2015, also co-owned by Day. A new limited batch of Tweeddale is released every year. Currently available in SA is the Peated release and the Grain of Truth Sherry releases.

The Grain of Truth is non-chill-filtered with natural colour. Half of the malted barley is peated to 50 ppm, and the other half is from unpeated single grain (wheat). The whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks.

Tweeddale Grain of Truth Peated Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Pale gold / light wheat

NOSE: Sweetness and peat balanced with fruit. There are hints of green apple mixed in with light smoke. Bits of creamy lime and oak. Delicious and inviting you to taste.

PALATE: Sweetness and peat. Spicier than the nose suggests there are notes of nutmeg and cinnamon with caramel and fresh orchard fruit. Some light chocolate notes with stewed pear. Delicious and well balanced. I finished my first glass without water. Bits of oaky spice and nuts with wisps of smoke. Unique and delicious, I had to have a second glass of this whisky.

FINISH: Slightly drying with oak, lime and cinnamon. Faint bits of fruity sweetness. Long and lingering.

RATING: EXCELLENT

What a delicious dram. Easy drinking. Nothing like Islay peat and smoke with fish and medicinal notes. More of a Highland style peat and smoke with fruit, heather and burning grass. A dram I will be exploring a bit more over the summer. Comparing last week’s Loch Lomond Single Grain to the Tweeddale Grain of Truth Peated would be quite tricky.

They are both delicious releases and will feature quite a lot over my summer. The Loch Lomond is perfect for hot sunny days; it is light and fragrant. The Tweeddale is bigger and bolder and more for after dinner drinking.

The Tweeddale retails for around R690 in SA, and I found it at Wild About Whisky, and I see that McBeth on Whisky also has some available.

This peated grain pairs well with a cheeseboard. The smoke and sweetness will work with creamy or harder cheese.

Also Read: Toor Whisky

Loch Lomond Single Grain Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/09/2020

In Grain Whisky

It feels like it is Loch Lomond’s year on the blog. It is the fourth release I have tried from this versatile Highland distillery this year. A couple of years ago, I tasted the Loch Lomond Single Grain Scotch whisky. My tasting notes included freshly baked cookies, flowers and grass mixed spicy hints of fruit and citrus zest. I rated it as very good and commented that it seemed a bit young with some rough edges.

During my Inchmurrin chat with Muzi, the Loch Lomond Brand Ambassador, he mentioned that they are bringing out a new Single Grain release. John saw it in the shops and loved the packaging, so he bought it. I added it to my whisky collection and scheduled it for tasting sometime next year.

However, an interesting article on Malt Musings highlighted the fact that the Loch Lomond Single Grain whisky is made from malted barley and not the standard grains like wheat, rye or maize. The article also mentioned the Tweeddale Grain of Truth Peated Grain whisky.

The article explains why it is classified as a single grain and not as a single malt. It all has to do with the unusual still set up of Loch Lomond and the continuous still distillation process.

After reading all of this, I had to try this release, and it jumped my tasting schedule to this week. I asked Muzi regarding the differences in the two releases and he confirmed that both have the same mash bill and continuous still process.

The Loch Lomond Single Grain whisky is matured exclusively in American oak. It is a NAS release.

Also Read: Glenbrynth Bourbon Cask Whisky

Loch Lomond Single Grain Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Pale gold

NOSE: Sweet and fruity. Notes of fresh ripe fruit and malt. Freshly cut mango and pear drizzled with honey, sugar biscuits, hints of vanilla and bits of lemon.

PALATE: Light and easy drinking. More spice than sweetness. Nutmeg and vanilla with condensed milk. Hints of pineapple, banana and tropical notes together with toffee, oak spice, and pepper. Malty notes. Water brings more sweetness.

FINISH: Short and soft with fruity notes.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Loch Lomond Single Grain Scotch whisky is the perfect summer dram. Fresh and easy drinking and perfect for a braai (BBQ) and a hot summer’s afternoon. It retails for R290 and is readily available at most liquor shops. I like this release more than the previous one.

I am not sure if it is my taste buds, but it feels like the new release is more rounded and matured. Just delicious. Muzi suggested that in this heat, the Single Grain makes for a great ginger ale high ball.

Also Read: The Belgian Owl Whisky

The Chita Single Grain Japanese Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/25/2020

In Grain Whisky

I am expanding my grain tasting notes a bit today with The Chita single grain Japanese whisky. A grain whisky from Japan which had fans of Japanese whisky very excited. There has been lots of hype around Japanese whisky these last couple of years.

The prices of Japanese whisky has skyrocketed, and brands like Hakushu, Yamazaki and Hibiki are sold at premium prices.

There has also been a new focus on grain whiskies with grain releases coming from Japan, Scotland and of course South Africa’s own Bain’s whisky.

I received this bottle of The Chita single grain Japanese whisky as a gift from a friend of John’s. He could not believe that that I did not have a bottle in my collection and immediately went out and bought me one.

The Chita grain whisky is the primary grain component of many of the Suntory blended whiskies. Founded in 1972, Chita distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery located in the Chita district of the Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Also Read: Milk & Honey Classic Whisky

The Chita distillery produces three types of grain whisky using corn through a continuous multiple column distillation process. The first two are blended whisky components that are used in blends.

Both in Suntory’s domestic market Kakubin and Suntory Old as well as high-end Hibiki respectively. The third type is the distillery’s flagship single grain release called “The Chita”.

Launched in 2015, the Chita is matured in three different kinds of casks: American ex-bourbon barrels, Spanish oak barrels and European oak wine barrels. It has no age statement.

The Chita Single Grain Japanese Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light autumn golden

NOSE: Honey sweetness, cereal, pineapple, mango and melon. Hints of soft spices and vanilla. Delicate and sweet with hints of tropical fruit.

PALATE: Vanilla sponge cake sweetness and oak with honey and tropical fruit. Hints of floral notes with toasted grains. Honey drizzled mango and pineapple. Medium body but not very complicated. Faint traces of cinnamon and cardamom. A few rough edges. Water smoothes out the sharp bits and brings even more fruity sweetness forward. Easy drinking.

FINISH: Medium length, with notes of lemon drops, vanilla and wood.

RATING: GOOD

Not the most complex whisky. Also, one of the sweetest drams I have had in a while. A bit too sweet perhaps. Take into account that I have a sweet tooth and love sweet things; it was a bit much even for me. I found it bland and uninspiring.

I might be biased, but this is not in the same class as my beloved Bain’s grain whisky. The Bain’s whisky is bolder and make you sit up and take notice. It has sweetness and tropical notes, but they are better balanced.

Compared to this Japanese release, the Bain’s is way more memorable. The Chita retail price in South Africa is around R1 300, which is rather steep. The Bain’s whisky sells for only R300 (before Covid).

Suntory launched The Chita, especially for use in the Japanese highball cocktail market. It will undoubtedly make a good base for a cocktail.

What did you think of this Japanese grain release? Overhyped or best thing ever?

Also Read: Boplaas Single Grain Whisky

Galloway Single Grain Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/02/2017

In Grain Whisky

About two years ago, I found this bottle of Galloway single grain Scotch whisky somewhere in a small bottle shop and bought it. It was relatively affordable, and it was a single grain. Not that this means much, but the information on the bottle about it being made on the banks of Loch Lomond looked interesting.

According to the label…”Lowland Scotch whisky. Produced on the banks of Loch Lomond then aged and matured in oak casks in the heart of Scotland. The whisky comes to life on Loch Lomond’s beautiful banks, born from the pristine waters that arise in the surrounding hills.

Thomson & Gray have named this whisky Galloway, after the ship the company owned from 1876 – 1882. The Galloway carried cargo to South Africa in the empire years.”
The Galloway single grain bottle landed up in the back of the cupboard for about two years, and after cleaning up a bit, I found it again. There is barely anything available on the internet on this bottling, and an email to the company who imported it into SA went unanswered.

Looking at the map and distilleries around Loch Lomond, the only distillery that does grain (and malt) is the Loch Lomond distillery. Might this be a cask from Loch Lomond but bottled under a different name?

Or someone just wanting to piggyback off the success of the Loch Lomond grain whisky by using the name of the Loch? Is it some Loch Lomond single grain bottled under a different name? Let’s find out.

Also Read: The Chita Whisky

Galloway Single Grain Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Dark gold with red hints

NOSE: Overly sweet caramel. I let the glass stand for a while for the heavy caramel notes to disappear. There are faint notes of oak, cinnamon and vanilla.

PALATE: When you try to take a sip of the Galloway single grain, the heavy caramel sweetness is still overwhelming on the nose. However, not on the palate. There are notes of pepper, bitter lemon and very little sweetness with a sharp alcohol bite.

The sticky sweet caramel nose does not translate to the palate (small mercies). John describes the Galloway as “…cheap cane spirit laced with even cheaper corn syrup. Rich layers of benzine and methylated spirits overwhelm the senses.” He is not far off. Adding some water softens the alcohol burn a bit, but does little else,

FINISH: Fortunately very short ending in notes of pepper and bitter lemon. John describes it as”… What finish… I did not finish it…”

RATING: ORDINARY

This Galloway single grain whisky is the kind of whisky that people who have never tasted whisky would distil. It’s awfully, and John’s view is that someone is committing a crime bottling it. It is certainly NOT from Loch Lomond Distillery.

I don’t think this liquid has even seen Scotland. Let alone the beautiful Loch. If you happen to see this bottle somewhere, put it down and take something else; anything else.

Has anyone else noticed this bottle somewhere?

Also Read: Dewar’s 15 yo whisky

Boplaas Single Grain Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/07/2017

In Grain Whisky

Every month, WhiskyBrother & Co publish their top 5 sellers for the month. It is always interesting to see the old favourites (Glenmorangie, Ardbeg and Glendronach) share space with newcomers. The June the list had an exciting surprise. A South African whisky aged in Brandy Casks – Boplaas single grain whisky.

Obviously, after Ardbeg Day at the end of May, it was expected that the Ardbeg Kelpie would make an appearance. However, number 2 on the list was unusual.

I saw the Boplaas whisky a while ago on social media and managed to grab a bottle. It is great to see that this local release is getting more exposure. I was rather intrigued by this SA release and did some more research on Boplaas.

Top sellers for last month:
1. @ardbeg_com Kelpie (sold out)
2. Boplaas
3. @Glendronach
4. Clan Denny by @DLaingWhisky
5. @TheGlenmorangie pic.twitter.com/gpDtq57ay2
— WhiskyBrother&Co (@WhiskyBroShop) July 12, 2017

The Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo is known for crafting and distilling pot still brandy, port and wines. The brandy distillery dates back to 1880, with the first order of brandy sent to Cape Town harbour for export to London.

In the early 1920s, the distilling license was repealed, and the pot still stood dormant for nearly 70 years. However, it was fired up again in 1989, and in 1994, Boplaas released the very first estate brandy – the Boplaas 5 yo potstill estate brandy.

The Boplaas brandy, ports and wine have won numerous prizes around the world. I have also seen a Boplaas gin but is yet to get my hands on this one.

Boplaas Single Grain Whisky Review

The Boplaas Whisky is a blended cask-aged grain whisky. It is made from maize, and distilled to an alcohol content of 93% and then diluted with distilled water to 68% strength. The ageing takes place in American oak barrels for between 54 and 60 months. The spirit is then finished in Boplaas brandy barrels for a short time. The Boplaas single grain whisky is bottled unfiltered.

COUNTRY: South Africa.

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden amber

NOSE: Brandy and sweet fruits. Bits of vanilla. Let it breathe for a bit to allow some of the alcohol notes to disappear.

PALATE: Brandy, sweet fruit, cinnamon and bits of orange peel. Hits of wood. Medium body. Not too complex. Water smoothes out the alcohol bite but releases more of the sweetness.

FINISH: Brandy and spices

RATING: VERY GOOD

There is no age statement on the Boplaas, and it drinks more than a 3 yo than a 5 yo. It is not the most complex of whiskies, with mainly brandy fruitiness. After my experience with the Schoonspruit, I opened this bottle with reluctance. It is not a Bain’s Grain whisky, but it has potential. It is better than the Wild Reeds and a few of the well known Scottish releases I have tried over the years.

I shared it with a few whisky loving friends, and they all agreed. It has definite potential and was better than expected. Have you tried this South African release?

Also Read: Helden Hickory Wood Single Malt Spirit