Category: Grain Whisky

Grain whisky

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for single grain whisky. A collection of all the interesting grain whisky (whiskey) based releases I have tried. Single grain whisky from around the world.

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.

Also Read: Helden Hickory Wood Single Malt Spirit

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.

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?

Loch Lomond Single Grain Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/27/2016

In Grain Whisky

A month or two ago, I found an affordable new distillery release at our local Checkers and grabbed it immediately. It was a Loch Lomond single grain whisky. Not too long afterwards, I got invited to the Checkers launch of this same release and accepted with great anticipation.

It is exciting to see Checkers go to great lengths to bring a broader range of reasonably priced whiskies to SA. Loch Lomond is just the latest in a long line of prominent brands that Checkers is building relationships with.

The Littlemill Distillery Company Ltd built the distillery in 1965. In 1984 the distillery fell silent, but shareholders bought the company and created the Loch Lomond Distillery Company. Malt production restarted in 1987, and grain whisky production began in 1993.

Loch Lomond has an unusual set up of stills. It allows them to release a variety of bottlings. There were three sets of stills; two were fitted with rectification columns as well as five continuous stills.

Bottlings under the names: Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Inchfad, Crotengea, Glen Douglass, Craiglodge and, Loch Lomond comes out of the one distillery.

Loch Lomond marks the boundary between the Lowlands and the Highlands of Scotland and is classified as a Highland whisky. It is also the brand name of the whisky consumed by Captain Haddock in Hergé’s famous comic book series “The Adventures of Tintin”.

This Loch Lomond release (and a few others from this distillery) is available at Checkers Liquor stores and definitely in the affordable price range.

Also Read: Teeling Single Grain Whiskey

Loch Lomond Single Grain Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: It is one of the lightest colour spirits I have in my collection. It has a pale yellow colour with green hints.

NOSE: The first thing that strikes me about the nose of this single grain is that it’s very clean. I get malt and freshly baked cookies, flowers and grass mixed with juniper berries and fruit. Hints of butterscotch and vanilla come through. The nose is not very complicated.

PALATE: Initially surprisingly spicy with hints of fruit and almond floating around. Citrus zest from the nose is present, and the whisky has a medium mouthfeel. The dram needs a few drops of water to release the fruity notes. The addition of the water improves the drinking experience and makes it smoother.

FINISH: Medium length and ends in notes of citrus peel and vanilla sweetness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It seems like this dram is just a tad too young. For me, it feels like there are a few rough ends to this whisky. A little bit longer in barrels might smooth this whisky out and create a more of a rounded integrated feeling.

Not a bad whisky at all! It is a versatile addition to my collection. And it is affordable as well. In South Africa, it retails for around R350. With all the spicy notes, it might make an excellent dram to pair with food. Let me go and experiment.

Have you tried this Loch Lomond release? I have also tried the Loch Lomond Original whisky, and you can read all about it to. There is a new batch of Single Grain available with a new label, and I captured my tasting notes about it as well

Also Read: Glen Scotia Victoriana whisky