Category: Whisky of the Week Page 32 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.

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.

Another delicious Loch Lomond release that I have tried is the Loch Lomond Steam and Fire single malt whisky and the Noble Rebel Orchard Outburst Whisky that I was fortunate to taste during my trip to Scotland.

Also Read: The Belgian Owl Whisky

Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky Review

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/19/2020

In Grain Whisky

Some time ago, I managed to get my hands on a bottle of the Nikka Coffey Grain whisky on one of the whisky auctions. I tasted the Nikka Miyagikyo during 2014 and loved it. So to add another Japanese whisky to my collection, was for me, a great treat. My bottle was distilled during 1992 and bottled in 2007.

Nikka is a subsidiary of the Asahi brewing company. Nikka was founded in 1934 and now owns two distilleries; Miyagikyo and Yoichi. What makes this specific Japanese whisky so interesting is that it is a grain whisky.

Crafted from a mash bill mainly made up of corn with a bit of malted barley added, it’s produced in continuous distillation using a Coffey still. Nikka operates 2 Coffey stills at their Miyagikyo distillery. The Coffey still were imported from Scotland in 1963.

Related Article: Galloway Single Grain whisky

Grain whisky is cheaper and easier to produce than malt whisky. It is made in continuous column stills rather than pot stills. This allows much of the distillation process to be automated and reduces overheads.

The flavours and aromas of grain whiskies tend to be softer and lighter than those of malts whiskies. Because of this, most grain whisky is blended with malt whisky to produce blended whisky. The Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese whisky got a rating of 94,5% in the Whisky Bible.

Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese Whisky Review

The pinkish label makes this bottle stand out from the more traditional whisky bottles in my collection. This bottle is a 1992 Vintage.

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 57%

COLOUR: Quite a light gold colour.

NOSE: Sweet with notes of vanilla and oak mixed with cereals and spice. The Nikka Coffey Grain whisky has a complex and layered nose and has great promise.

PALATE: On the palate, this grain whisky is chewy and spicy. There are notes of Wilson Toffee, cake and coffee mingling with the spice and sweetness. The Coffey Grain is wonderfully smooth after adding a bit of water. There are hints of plump fruit, chocolate layered with caramel, coffee cake and wood.

FINISH: This Nikka finish is wonderful. It lingers for the longest time and ends in notes of spice and wood. The finish is rich and layered and perfect for this cold winters afternoon. It warms you up from the inside.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a beautifully smooth, rich and complex grain whisky. Probably the best grain whisky we have tasted this year. Have you tried this Japanese whisky yet? I see that this fantastic Japanese release is still available via Master of Malt.

Other interesting whiskies from Japan that I have tasted include the Nikka from the Barrel, Yamazaki 12 yo, the Suntory Chita whisky as well as the Nikka Miyagikyo.

Also Read: Balblair 2000 Vintage whisky

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/12/2020

In Single Malt whisky

Trying the Inchmurrin 13 yo from Bottega whisky club made me interested in trying more from this distillery. It was bold and delicious, and when I got the opportunity to listen to the Master Distiller, Michael Henry, talk about the Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky and to taste it, I grabbed the chance.

It is the 3rd time that Loch Lomond feature on the blog this year. Exploring more from this versatile distillery has been lots of fun. Loch Lomond is in the Highland region in Scotland. You can read more about the Loch Lomond 12 year old whisky and the Loch Lomond history here.

Inchmurrin is one many single malt styles produced at the Loch Lomond distillery. The distillery is capable of producing at least eight styles of spirit.

Inchmurrin is the largest freshwater island in the British Isles, and it sits in Loch Lomond. They also produce Inchmoan, also named after an island on Loch Lomond. Inchmurrin’s character is typically fruity, floral and soft, while Inchmoan offers a peaty variation. The Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 year old single malt whisky is aged in ex-bourbon, refill and recharred casks.

Also Read: Loch Lomond Steam and Fire Whisky

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden Amber

NOSE: Fruity sweetness, banana and tropical fruits with oak and butterscotch. Hints of butterscotch, malt and vanilla. Some red berries and hard candy in the background. Rich and inviting.

PALATE: The fruity sweetness continues on the palate, but now there are green grass and herby notes added. Bits of black pepper with old leather and caramel. Toasted oak and vanilla, bits of tropical fruit and tobacco. It has a bit of alcohol heat, but it makes the Inchmurrin chewy and full-bodied. Water softens the pepper spices and alcohol heat and brings more fruit to the front. Very drinkable.

FINISH: Long, warming finish with spice and liquorice; drying oak and caramel.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Delicious. If you see a bottle, grab it. It is a lovely addition to any collection, and if you like 18 year old whisky, then this will be a unique and different addition. The Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 year old whisky is available in SA and retail for around R1500.

I have seen some at Whiskybrother online and Bottega’s Whiskey Club. The next on my list, I want to try the Inchmoan to make sure that I have tasted my way around this whole distillery.

Also Read: Ballantine’s Finest vs Teacher’s whisky

Craigellachie 13 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/05/2020

In Single Malt whisky

One of the most exciting and indeed the oldest dram I tasted during 2019 was the Craigellachie 51 yo single malt whisky. Georgie Bell, the Global Malts Ambassador for Bacardi, brought a few bottles of this very very limited release to South Africa and I was fortunate to try it.

It was my first foray into whisky from the Craigellachie distillery. So let’s look at the entry-level single malt from this distillery, the Craigellachie 13 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The Craigellachie distillery was built in 1891 by Craigellachie Distillery Co. Limited, a group of blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward. It is a Speyside distillery in Banffshire that overlooks the little town of Craigellachie. The Gaelic name means “Rocky Hill” and is pronounced Krai-GELLacky.

Also Read: Milk & Honey Elements Peated Whisky

The brand is part of the John Dewar & Sons stable. For many years, it was only used in blends like White Horse and various Dewar’s blends. It is only in 2014 that distillery releases become available. The distillery is known for its meaty, sulphurous nature.

The Craigellachie single malt range includes a 17 year old as well as a 23 year old whisky. There used to be a 19 year old release, but this has been discontinued. There are also various independent bottling available. It is part of the Bacardi stable of brands.

Craigellachie 13 year old Whisky

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Pale gold

NOSE: Apricots and dried cherries with toffee sweetness. A fruity sweet nose. The nose is like a colourful fruit salad with bits of malt and toasted nuts in the background.

PALATE: Medium body with the sweet fruit salad from the nose continuing on the palate. White pepper, oak, hints and malt with bits of smoky bacon and toasted nuts behind it all. I was hoping for a bolder meaty note on the palate. There was also a bit of alcohol heat. Water softened the alcohol heat and brought more sweetness to the front.

FINISH: Medium long, with some oak, pepper and fruity sweetness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a good introduction to the Craigellachie stable and taste profile. John enjoyed the Craigellachie without the water, and I preferred it with the water. The water toned down the spices and the alcohol heat and created a smooth drinkable dram.

I want to explore more of the meaty notes from this distillery and need to find the 17 year old release somewhere. I do have a bottle of the discontinued 19 year old whisky in my collection, and perhaps I need to go and open that bottle.

Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo Whisky

Milk & Honey Classic Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 09/21/2020

In Single Malt whisky

Today I have the opportunity to try the Milk & Honey Classic single malt whisky. What an exciting opportunity, the chance to try whisky from a new country; Israel. This country is certainly not known for whisky distilling.

Plans for a whisky distillery began in 2012 after a group of entrepreneurs decided to establish the first whisky distillery in Tel Aviv.

The Milk & Honey distillery was Israel’s first urban single malt whisky distillery and began operating in 2014 in the south of Tel Aviv. The distillery’s first products reached the shelves during the first quarter of 2016.

The climate in Israel is certainly as far removed from cold and wet Scotland as possible. Similar to India or indeed South Africa, the hot, humid climate speeds up maturation.

Also Read: Signature whisky

The entrepreneurs hired the late Dr Jim Swan, one of the world’s most accomplished master distillers and an expert in hot climate distillation and maturation, as an advisor. Dr Swan assisted with the recipe and all kinds of specifications to make sure the production was optimal for warm weather.

Other releases from this Israel based distillery include the Elements Red Wine Cask, Elements Peated and the Elements Sherry Cask. They also produce gin, namely the Levantine gin and oak-aged gin and even a young malt aged in pomegranate wine casks.

It is matured in ex-bourbon and red-wine STR (shaved, toasted, re-charred) casks. The Milk & Honey Classic is unpeated, non-chill-filtered with natural colour. It is now available in SA and retails for around R 790. I see that Whisky Brother and Bottega Whiskey club has some bottles available. Milk & Honey Classic single malt is certified kosher.

Milk & Honey Classic Single Malt Whisky

COUNTRY:Israel

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Rich gold

NOSE: Caramel sweetness, dry oak with hints of vanilla and toffee. An amazingly bold nose for such a young release. I love the creamy caramel sweetness. The Classic has a unique nose.

PALATE: Dry wood with vanilla and pepper and faint hints of green grass. After the sweet nose, I was expecting a sweeter taste, but the sweetness only comes through after adding a bit of water. Medium body and quite oily. Bit of alcohol heat.

FINISH: Medium body with oak and soft black pepper.

RATING: VERY GOOD

Not the most complex release, but easy drinking and distinctive. The best feature is the nose. It is warming with creamy caramel; I could smell my glass the whole evening.

This Classic edition is one of those releases that leaves a clear picture in my head; eating cream caramel toffees while hiking through an old forest. I enjoyed it, and I am happy that I have a big bottle in my collection to enjoy this again.

I tried the Classic and a few of the Element releases as part of an online tasting event hosted by WhiskyBrother and Universal Beverages, the importer of Milk & Honey to South Africa. We had the opportunity to listen to the team at the Tel Aviv distillery.

We even had a virtual walkabout in the Tel Aviv distillery. The attention to detail and quality from this distillery shines through in the whisky, and I will extend my collection with more when they become available in South Africa.

Also Read: Ballantine’s Finest vs Teacher’s whisky