Category: Whisky of the Week Page 29 of 77

Whisky of the Week

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whisky, bourbon and whiskey from all around the world. Single malts, blends, blended malts, rye and grain whiskey tasted and reviewed.

Milk & Honey Elements Sherry Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/29/2021

In Single Malt whisky

In 2020 I was fortunate to be invited to join an online tasting of whisky from Israel. The tasting included the Milk & Honey Classic whisky as well as samples from the Elements range. I enjoyed the Milk & Honey Elements Sherry Cask single malt whisky the most from all the samples that I received. And I am happy to see that it is now available in SA.

The Milk & Honey distillery is situated in Tel Aviv, Israel. Planning started around 2012, and the distillery started operating n 2014. The middle eastern climate is hot and humid, and this speeds up maturation.

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The distillery hired the late Dr Jim Swan, one of the world’s most accomplished master distillers, to assist with the recipe and ensure that the production was optimal for warm weather.

Other Elements releases include a red wine cask and an Elements Peated expression. There is even a whisky ageing in pomegranate wine casks that I also got to taste. The Milk & Honey Elements Sherry Cask Single Malt whisky is aged in kosher Oloroso, and PX sherry casks from Jerez Bodega made exclusively for the distillery.

Milk & Honey Elements Sherry Cask Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Israel

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Dark Gold with hints of red

NOSE: The nose is sweet and fruity. It has notes of ripe red berries and plums with hints of malt and oak; quite a sweet nose.

PALATE: The red fruity sweetness makes way for mild spice and dried fruit. Hints of citrus and white pepper with dry wood and bits of cocoa nibs. Vanilla and cinnamon in the background. Medium body. The glass needs a few drops of water to bring back the fruity red berry sweetness promised by the nose. Water also brings forward a yummy maltiness.

FINISH: Drying and medium length. Notes of pepper, cherries and dark chocolate with oak.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Milk & Honey Elements Sherry Cask whisky is a lovely release. The sweetness promised by the nose disappeared on the palate until I added a few drops of water. Then the fruity sweetness burst forth again. It is not the most complex whisky, but it is easy drinking and delicious.

From the four Milk & Honey releases I tried, this one was my favourite. This release is now available in South Africa, and you can order it online from WhiskyBrother&Co. It retails for around R 980.

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

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Kamiki Blended Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/26/2021

In Blended Malt Whisky

Time for a world whisky again and this week I look at the Kamiki blended malt whisky. I tasted this interesting expression last year at Bottega Cafe in Parkhurst, where Savi has an fantastic variety of whisky.

Kamiki is a blended malt whisky that combines Japanese malt whiskies with specially selected malt whisky from around the world. After blending, the Kamiki whisky is cut with Japanese spring water and then finished in casks made from Japanese cedar wood.

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Japanse Cedar or Yoshino Sugi trees are indigenous to Japan and grow at the base of Mount Miwa. These trees are well known as a particularly aromatic type of wood.

The brand website states that Kamiki is the first whisky ever to enjoy a cedar cask finish. According to the experts, the aromatic wood is difficult to handle but imparts immense depth to the final liquid.

Kamiki translates as ‘God’s breath’ and is named after the winds that descend from Mount Miwa in Nara. Kamiki blended malt whisky was bottled at cask strength and is non-chill-filtered and has no age statement.

Kamiki Blended Malt Whisky Review

ABV:48.5%

COLOUR: Rich Gold with hints of red

NOSE: Fruity sweetness and caramel with red berries with lashings of dry wood. Faint spicy hints with smoke. Not a very complex nose and there is a bit of alcohol burn.

PALATE: Tobacco and white pepper with caramel sweetness and raw wood. It is like standing in a carpenters workshop while they are sanding, and the wood dust burns your eyes and throat. The first bit of wood is warming, but then it quickly becomes overwhelming. Light fruity notes with cinnamon.

Many people commented that the Kamiki has some peaty notes, but neither John nor I picked up any peat. It needs a bit of water to tone down the alcohol burn. Water brings more fruity sweetness to the forefront. However, the whisky is a bit one dimensional with not a lot of depth.

FINISH: Medium length and end in notes of pepper and wood.

RATING: GOOD

I was expecting a bit more from this blended malt. The spice and woody notes quickly become overbearing and drown out any of the other, more subtle notes. My personal view; the cedar wood makes for a clever marketing angle.

However, the impact of the cedar wood finish drowns out of anything else. I also suspect that there are a few rather young malts in the blend, as some of the alcohol has distinct raw notes.

The Kamiki whisky retails for around R800 in SA and is only available in a 500ml bottle. You can find out more about Savi’s Bottega Whisky Club and see what other interesting releases he has.

Also Read: Milk & Honey Classic Whisky

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/22/2021

In Irish Whiskey

Today I look at a single grain whisky from Ireland. The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey was first released in 2013. It is the second release that I try from this innovative, unconventional brand. The first release I tasted was the Teeling Small Batch whiskey.

I was fortunate to be invited to a Zoom tasting where Jack Teeling, Marc from WhiskyBrother&Co and Luke Knox took us through a tasting of three Teeling releases.

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The Teeling Distillery of today was officially opened in 2015. However, the family’s distilling history in Ireland stretches back to 1782, when a chap called Walter Teeling set up a distillery in Dublin’s Liberties area. Today the Teeling distillery is only a stone throw from where Walter set up his distillery in the heart of Dublin.

The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey mash bill consists of 95% corn and 5% malted barley. It is triple distilled and matured exclusively in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon red wine casks from California for just over 5 years.

There is also a Teeling single malt whiskey as part of the core range. Teeling whiskey has no added colour and it not chill-filered.

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Amber

NOSE: Notes of fruity sweetness and creamy condensed milk. Sweet ripe grapes with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. The nose is elegant, sweet, and clean.

PALATE: Tropical fruit salad drizzled with honey, freshly baked cinnamon rolls with bits of oak and warming black pepper. So smooth and drinkable, you don’t even need to add water.

FINISH: Long and lingering with warming pepper balanced with soft honey sweetness and oak.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey is deliciously drinkable. It has a chewy mouthfeel with a warming finish. This is not the most complex whiskey, but that is what makes it so drinkable.

You can sip it anytime and enjoy it. It is quite a sweet release, and it works for my sweet palate. However, it is wonderfully balanced with some pepper heat and malty goodness.

This release is available at WhiskyBrother&Co and retail for around R670.00. I think that it is pretty affordable for something so delicious! If you like Irish whiskey and want to experiment a bit more, this is a wonderful release to try.

I have done a side by side comparison between this release and the Teeling Single Malt Irish whiskey to see how they differ.

Also Read: Tullamore DEW vs Jameson Whiskey

Glenglassaugh Evolution Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/08/2021

In Single Malt whisky

Earlier in 2020, I started exploring whisky from the Glenglassaugh distillery. The first whisky I tried was the first release of the series, the Revival release. It’s named to celebrate the reopening and revival of the distillery. Today it is time for the second release in the series, the Glenglassaugh Evolution single malt Scotch whisky.

Col. James Moir founded the Glenglassaugh distillery in 1875. He ran the distillery with his two nephews until 1892, when Highland Distillers sold Glenglassaugh. The distillery had periods of being closed, and then in 1960 was completely re-built.

Glenglaussagh distillery mainly produced whisky for blends, including Cutty Sark and the Famous Grouse. The distillery continued to produce whisky until 1986, when it was mothballed.

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On the lookout for a Scottish distillery to buy, Scaent Company acquired this Highland distillery in 2008. The intention was to bring this distillery fully backs to life. They restarted production and upgraded some of the processes. In 2013, the BenRiach Distillery

Company acquired the Glenglassaugh distillery, and they continued to build upon the work done by Scaent.

Torfa followed Glenglaussaugh Evolution, and there are various Limited Editions also available. The Evolution release is a NAS whisky matured in a unique combination ex-Tennessee first-fill whiskey barrels. It has a natural colour and is non-chill-filtered.

Glenglassaugh Evolution Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Crisp gold

NOSE: Delicious sweetness with white grapes, green grass, cinnamon and vanilla. Warming and inviting. A bit of alcohol on the nose, and it needs to stand for a bit to breathe. The nose is lovely and promises many delights.

PALATE: White pepper and dry oak with hints of malt. Only later does some of the fruitiness come through. Some alcohol heat. The sweetness promised by the nose has disappeared. There are hints of lemon rind, which softens with the addition of a bit of water. The water softens the alcohol and pepper heat but does not bring any more sweetness. Medium body with not a lot of complexity.

FINISH: Lemon pepper and dry oak.

RATING: GOOD

I could not finish my glass. The pepper is just too overwhelming on the palate and the finish. The nose was delicious and promised all kinds of pleasures, but the promised sweetness did not appear.

Looking back at the Glenglassaugh Revival release I tasted a year ago, my tasting notes were pretty similar for that release, just to peppery. I might only try the Torfa release next year at this rate.

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Talisker Skye Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/01/2021

In Single Malt whisky

I love the Talisker 10 year old whisky. It is one of those drams that I will take to a desert island with me. It is smooth, smoky and comforting, and of course, very drinkable. However, I need to expand my tasting notes from this Scottish Island distillery, so today, I am trying the Talisker Skye single malt Scotch whisky.

The Talisker distillery is a whisky distillery on the Isle of Skye. It is part of the Diageo stable. Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill founded the distillery in 1830. It was rebuilt and upgraded a few times over the years.

Talisker’s water comes from Cnoc nan Speireag (Hawk Hill) and flows over peat, which adds an extra dimension to the whisky. Talisker has an unusual feature—swan neck lye pipes.

Diageo introduced Talisker Skye whisky in early 2015. They named it after the rugged landscape and jagged peaks of the Cuillin Mountains and the island’s wild seas. The Talisker core range also includes the Talisker Storm and the Port Ruighe.

Also Read: Ledaig 10 yo Whisky

It was great to see this distillery in the TV adaptation of one of my favourite books. In Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, the demon Crowley (played by Scotsman David Tennant) drinks Talisker by the bottle as he awaits the coming apocalypse.

This expression aims to create a more well-rounded and sweet flavour profile combined with the traditional Talisker maritime notes. It’s matured in a combination of refill and toasted American oak casks, with a slightly higher proportion of toasted casks. It is peated to an estimated 20 ppm and is a NAS release.

Talisker Skye Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Island

ABV: 45.8%

COLOUR: Bright gold

NOSE: The nose is clean and fresh. There are bits of fresh fruit, a peaty earthiness mixed with underlying smoke. Hints of honey and salt.

PALATE: The Talisker Skye has a medium body. There are notes of dry oak, citrus fruit, fresh apples and peat. Bits of smoke and lemon pepper. Adding water bring forward more barley and softens the pepper. It is not the most complex dram and rather delicate.

FINISH: Drying oak and pepper.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Talisker Skye whisky has a few unfinished edges and feels like it is not quite rounded off. It is not a bad whisky, but it is difficult not to compare this release to the Talisker 10 year old whisky. The 10 year old whisky is easier drinking, more complex and smoother than the Skye.

Although the taste difference between these two is quite pronounced, the price difference between these two releases is relatively small. On Amazon, the Skye retails for £45 and the Talisker 10 year old single malt for
£43. I would rather grab the 10 year old release than the Skye.

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