Category: Whisky of the Week Page 56 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.

Kornog Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/22/2016

In Single Malt whisky

Today I look at something from France, the Kornog single malt whisky. On the windswept Northern coast of French Brittany, the old farm that houses the Glann ar Mor distillery has sustained life and faced the sea elements since around 1668.

Closer to Plymouth than to Paris, this small distillery makes peated and unpeated whisky. Follow the road from Paris, through Le Mans, Rennes and Saint-Brieuc until it ends by the coast.

Here you will find the small little distillery established by the Celtic Whisky Compangnie in 1999. Their first unpeated single malt was released in 2008 under the Glann ar Mor label. Glann ar Mor translates from “ by the sea” in the Breton language.

Kornog whisky is the peated expression of the distillery. It is peated at about 35 – 40 ppm of phenol. Kornog translates to “West Wind” in Breton. Compared to the Scottish distilleries, Glann ar Mor is a small distillery with only 2 stills. Maturation takes place in Ex-Sauternes casks and ex-bourbon barrels.

The ambition of Glann ar Mor is to offer the world an authentic whisky in the Celtic tradition with a Breton heart. I have the limited release Kornog Taouarc’h Pevared 10SC expression. The peated whisky was aged in ex-Sauternes casks.

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Kornog Single Malt Whisky Review

Kornog single malt whisky is bottled without artificial colouring or chill-filtration.

COUNTRY: France

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: A light wheat colour.

NOSE: Notes of Peat, light smoke, seaweed and salt. Faint hints of fruity sweetness mixed with oak.

PALATE: Peat, TCP, medicinal notes with soft smoke, oak, seaweed, light peppery taste. The fruity sweetness from the nose is very faint on the palate and only released when water is added. The peat is not overwhelming but nicely balanced with the pepper spice and oak. The Kornog is a medium-bodied whisky and not very complex.

FINISH: The finish is medium length and surprisingly sweet. The caramel sweetness comes through in the end and balances the peppery notes.

RATING: VERY GOOD

When I first tried the Kornog Taouarc’h Pevared in 2013, I was not fond of it at all. I found it rough and the medicinal notes to harsh. I think over time, my palate matured as I tried more and more peaty whiskies. Re-tasting this whisky now, I can better appreciate the peaty smoke, and I don’t mind a second glass.

It is also an excellent whisky to pair with mature cheddar cheese such as the Wyke mature Cheddar or a Etorki cheese. Another whisky from France worth trying is the Armorik whisky.

Also Read: Glen Grant 12 yo whisky

Glengoyne 17 year old Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/08/2016

In Single Malt whisky

Today I look at the Glengoyne 17 year old single malt Scotch whisky. Situated on the A81 in Scotland, next to a beautiful wooded area, the Glengoyne distillery sits at the foot of Dumgoyne Hill near Loch Lomond.

The distillery was started in 1833 and was known as the Burnfoot Distillery. It changed owners and names a few times; However, it has been one of the longest continuously run distilleries in Scotland.

It is located right on the line that divides the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland. Glengoyne’s stills are in the Highlands while the filled casks of whisky mature across the road in the Lowlands.

It also sits on the popular West Highland Way, a long-distance footpath. The path is a 150km long trail, from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands.

Although Glengoyne is a Highland whisky, the whisky characteristics are closer to the Lowland drams. The water and the malt are unpeated. Glengoyne does not use peat smoke to dry their barley but instead uses warm air.

Glengoyne claim to have the slowest distillation rate, and according to the distillery, this creates a softer, smoother taste. In April 2003, Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. acquired the Glengoyne Distillery from the Edrington Group.

Glengoyne doesn’t release the 17 year old anymore. The Glengoyne 17 year old whisky has a higher portion of 1st fill Sherry casks compared to their other releases. I loved the Glengoyne 21 year old, and it was my Single Malt of the Year 2014. Hopefully, this release will live up to my high expectations.

Related Article: Glenfiddich Age Of Discovery whisky

Glengoyne 17 year old Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 43%<

COLOUR: A rich dark reddish copper

NOSE: Initially the nose has notes of fruitiness and sherry. Then some spicy oak bits mixed with vanilla and nougat come through. The nose is rich but gentle.

PALATE: Compared to the nose, the palate on the Glengoyne 17 year old whisky is bold and robust. The palate is full of ripe fruit, sweet juicy pears, figs, condensed milk sweetness balanced with oak spiciness and malty goodness. The addition of water seems to bring out much more wood and dried citrus. I prefer it, however, without water.

FINISH: Long and lingering and stays for a long time. It ends in spicy wood notes.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is sad that this Glengoyne 17 year old single malt Scotch whisky has been discontinued. This dram is a wonderful warming whisky, perfect for winter. It is not as great as the 21 year old whisky, but certainly good enough to call for a second glass. What did you think of this release?

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The Balvenie Peated Cask 17 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/01/2016

In Single Malt whisky

Today I am raising a glass to the Balvenie Malt Master, Davd Stewart, with the Balvenie Peated Cask 17 year old single malt Scotch whisky. In honour of the Queen presenting him with a MBE medal.

Scottish Cousin Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/18/2016

In Blended whisky

I am not impartial to some wine now and again. Whisky is perfect, but a nice glass of wine, on a hot day, is refreshing. A while ago, on a Friday afternoon, John brought me a bottle of wine. It was in a plastic bottle. The snob in me was slightly horrified. What was he thinking?

Not to be rude, I tried it. And oh my, what a fantastic glass of wine it was. The bottle in question was the Tangled Tree Tropical Sauvignon Blanc. After that, I have tried all five wines in the range and love the Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon and the Moscato Rosé wine the most.

Jump forward a few months, and there I was, wandering around the Whisky Life Pretoria in Brooklyn. I visited one of my favourite people, Pierre Meintjies, at the Bunnahabhain exhibition, then turned around and walked straight into a new blended whisky.

It’s called Scottish Cousin whisky. I stood there listening to an enthusiastic man talking about this affordable blended whisky and realised that the label is reminiscent of the Four Cousins wine.

To say that I was sceptical might be an understatement. Were a few wine farmers from Robertson trying to sell whisky? At an event where you had some of the most loved whisky brands on the planet? Seriously?

About the Scottish Cousin whisky Blends

I watched people walking up, tasting and standing around with a smile. The man saw me and offered me a taste. I declined at first but listened to the story behind this blend. The Cousins of Van Loveren visited Scotland and decided to extend their range with a Cousin from Scotland. The blend of traditional Scottish whisky was hand-selected by Neil, the youngest of the Four Cousins and fourth-generation Scottish ancestry.

Now I am from a Dutch background, but that does not make me an expert cheesemaker. After a bit of research, I realised that the Tangle Tree Eco Wine Range was part of the Four Cousins’ portfolio. They made excellent wine, but did the fourth generation wine farmer know something about whisky?

The Scottish Cousin whisky range includes a 5 year old, an 8 year old and a 12 year old blended whisky. They were all aged in American Oak and use the Optic and Concerto barley strains. The whisky was distilled, blended and bottled in Scotland and released at a 43% ABV.

The pricing ranges from the very affordable Scottish Cousin 5 year old at about R200 to the very reasonably priced +-R 400 for the Scottish Cousin 12 year old. But what did they taste like?

Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo Whisky

Scottish Cousin 5 year old Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Gold with dark amber hints

NOSE: Oak, toffee, Christmas pudding with hints of butterscotch and vanilla. It’s not a very complex nose. The addition of water brings out more sweetness and marshmallow notes.

PALATE: There is a spiciness balanced with sweetness. Hints of cloves, balanced with fresh berries. Light and refreshing, a summer sipping dram. Adding water to this Scottish cousin 5 yo makes it smoother and very easy drinking.

FINISH: Medium length and ends in sweet woody notes.

RATING: VERY GOOD

At a R200 price point, this is an amazing dram. The Scottish Cousin 5 year old whisky can easily compete with older more expensive drams and hold its own. It is an unpretentious, easy-drinking and thoroughly enjoyable whisky which offers great value for money.

Scottish Cousin 8 year old Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden yellow with copper hints.

NOSE: Floral and fresh summer fruit drizzled in honey, mixed with vanilla, butterscotch and marshmallow. Faint hints of cinnamon spiciness.

PALATE: Fresh fruit, spice, roasted nuts and sugar sweetness wonderfully balanced with that rich bourbon vanilla taste. There is a creamy chewiness to the Scottish Cousin 8 yo. An almost chocolatey yumminess. The addition of water soothes the fruity notes and brings a little bit of the oak to the forefront, but at the same time makes the whisky deliciously enjoyable.

FINISH: Medium length that ends in light notes of sweetness and toasted rice. The addition of water brings out the dryness and a woodiness that reminds me of faint hints of leather.

RATING: EXCELLENT

At around R 280 for the bottle of deliciousness, it is the best buy! The 8 year old whisky is my favourite. It is an easy-drinking, fun, thoroughly enjoyable whisky that will not be out of place in an upmarket bar.

It’s rich with wonderful complex notes. This is what liquid sunshine tastes like. I paired this Scottish Cousin with some Oreo cookies over here, and it made for a delectable combination.

Scottish Cousin 12 year old Whisky

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Dark Gold with mahogany hints.

NOSE: Rich and complex. Condensed milk fudge sweetness, fresh summer berries, maple syrup with hints of vanilla, butterscotch and cream. Faint hints of bread pudding.

PALATE: Heaviest of the three, it’s rich and creamy. On the palate, there is fruity sweetness followed by spicy notes and faint hints of oak. There is a deliciousness to this dram that invites you to try some more. The Scottish Cousin 12 year old becomes smooth and easy drinking with the addition of water. It is complex and fun drinking; especially at R400.

FINISH: More significant and longer than the other 2 expressions and end in notes of dried oak, malt biscuits and toffee.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a warming and comforting dram that you will reach for again and again. Trust me, I know, my bottle is nearly half. I also paired this 12 year old whisky with a Royal Ashton cheese, and the results were delicious!

These amazing Scottish Cousin drams are available at Pick n Pay, Checkers, Spar, Liquor City, Liquorland, Norman Goodfellows, Makro and online at Takealot. So go out and grab a bottle.

Also read: Bell’s Special Reserve Whisky

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/11/2016

In Rye Whiskey

During November the annual Whisky Bible ratings come out. For some, it is an event that is highly anticipated. For others, not so much. Over the last couple of years, the top awards have been somewhat controversial, and Jim Murray even depicts himself a bit of a devil (playing a bit of Devil’s advocate) on the front page of the 2015 bible.

November 2015 was no different. The Whisky Bible crowned the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye whisky as the highest-scoring whisky. An affordable whisky from Canada? Can it be possible? Not from Scotland?

Some critics jumped up to complain. Bitterly in some instances. Supporters of the Crown Royal and Whisky Bible cheered. The Scottish whisky industry barely showed a ripple.

I have looked at Jim Murray’s comments over the years, especially when I want to buy a new whisky. Some of his top-rated whiskies I loved. Examples such as the Ballantine’s Finest, Johnnie Walker Black, Ardbeg Supernova has gotten high ratings and are some of my favourites. But other suggestions, I did not particularly enjoy.

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Examples include the Old Pulteney 21 yo and Kornog whisky. For me, I have started to take his reviews with a pinch of salt. Then a family member came to visit. From Canada! And he brought me a bottle of the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. I did not mind. You don’t find many Crown Royal releases in SA, and rye whisky is also limited. So regardless of Jim Murry’s rating, I was happy.

But what is a Canadian Rye whisky?

Not the easiest questions to answer, it seems. It seems like the term “Canadian whisky” and “rye whisky” are used interchangeably in Canada and refer to the same thing. Whisky which generally is made with some percentage of rye grain. According to a Canadian whisky website, rye whisky began as a “whisky style” two centuries ago when the Canadian Flour miller began making whisky from their excess wheat.

There are a few distinct differences between the USA version of a straight rye and the Canadian rye. In the USA, the mash bill needs to have at least 51% rye where in Canada this percentage is not defined.

American straight rye whisky is aged in new charred oak barrels, where in Canada the whisky is aged in a mixture of used and new barrels.

Rye whisky is not very well-known in South Africa. I have tasted over 300 different drams over the last five years, but never tasted a rye.

Due to the hype around this dram and the limited availability of rye whisky in SA, I invited a few South African whisky friends to join me for a Twitter tasting of this Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye whisky. My tasting notes include their comments as well.

Also Read: JP Wiser’s Deluxe Rye Whisky

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky Review

The Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye is a blended whisky and has a 90% rye mash bill. I have a bottle from batch number L6021 N3.

COUNTRY: Canada

ABV: 45%

COLOUR: A golden wheat colour with hints of sunshine.

NOSE: Sweet cereal, woody oak and butterscotch with some chocolate. Light flowers with hints of spice, specifically cinnamon and nutmeg float about. There are a grape syrup note and fruity sweetness on the nose mixed with crème brûlée.

PALATE: Without water has notes of sweet winter spice, aniseed, fresh-baked rusks and is creamy. Notes of grape sweetness mixed with more of the wood spice. Water adds a chewy note and allows the balance between spicy, woods and cereal to come out. Adding water creates an interesting mix of winter and wood spices with a bit of hotness tingle.

FINISH: Medium length and ends in notes of spiciness, condensed milk and malted biscuits.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Individual ratings were very broad. John gave this a Divine, I gave it an Excellent, Bernard rated it as ‘Good to Very Good, and Edward from Smoky Dram said ‘Very Good, just shy of Excellent’.

Is the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye the best whisky in the world? Probably not. I have tried various drams this year, that I enjoyed just as much or more.

John loved it. He thinks that the Northern Harvest Rye is one of the best drams this year. And that is the beauty of whisky. It lies in the eyes (taste buds) of the beholder. What do you think?

On a whim, I paired the Crown Royal with some Royal Ashton cheese, and the results were delicious!

Also Read: Sazerac Rye Whiskey