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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.

Old Pulteney 21 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 09/22/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Today I am trying a whisky from the Scottish Highlands. A whisky that has won numerous awards and is a favourite of many people. I am looking a the Old Pulteney 21 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

In 1826, during a period in the Wick county town history known as the Great Herring boom, a small distillery was established right in the heart of ‘Pulteneytown’.

This Old Pulteney Distillery was and still is one of the most northerly distilleries on the Scottish mainland. This Highland distillery was quite inaccessible before they built roads. Barley was brought in by sea, and they shipped the whisky out the same way.

Many of the distillery workers were also employed as fishermen. Wick became known for the barrels of silver (herring) and gold (whisky), which left the port in huge numbers.

The distillery itself has a fascinating history, with its distinctive pot stills defying convention to this day. The wash still is an ongoing source of interest due to the absence of a ‘swan neck’.

Legend has it that it was too tall for the still house when the still was delivered, and the manager decided to cut the top off. The Old Pulteney bottle incorporates a bulbous neck to reflect the shape of the stills.

The distillery closed in 1930 due to declining trade after the local parish enforced prohibition laws. However, it was re-opened in 1951 when the parish abolished the law. The distillery bottle single malt whisky under Old Pulteney’s name, and there are both official and independent releases over the years.

Pulteney is part of the International Beverage Ltd company, whose whisky portfolio includes Hankey Bannister, Balblair, anCnoc, Catto’s and Speyburn whisky.

Related article: Glengoyne 21 yo Whisky

Old Pulteney 21 year old Whisky Review

The Old Pulteney 21 year old whisky has been voted 2012 World Whisky of the Year by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. The Old Pulteney single malt has been matured in ex-Olorosso sherry cask as well as ex-bourbon casks. Non-chill-filtered and with natural colour.

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: A golden amber with straw highlights. It is an oily whisky with slow fingers on the inside of the glass.

NOSE: The first impression of the nose brings sherry with cereals. There are notes of oak and florals. The nose is smooth and quite subtle. The sweetness from the bourbon casks comes through in notes of toffee and vanilla.

PALATE: When tasting the Old Pulteney without adding any water, it is fairly spicy. After adding a bit of water, the palate brings notes of oak, spice, cereals with hints of butterscotch. There are notes of fruit and malt cookies in the background.

FINISH: A medium length finish that ends in notes of spice, oak and fruit

RATING: VERY GOOD

Strangely the Old Pulteney reminded me a bit of the Highland Park 18 year old that I tasted. There are notes in the finish of both these whiskies that are very similar. Looking at a map of distilleries, I noticed that these two distilleries are quite close together.

As enthusiastic as many people are about this whisky, it will never be a favourite. I find the spice overwhelming and the light sweetness underwhelming. It feels to me like they just don’t fit. After 21 years in a barrel, it is not the most complex dram. With the endorsement of Jim Murry, I was expecting something more.

In terms of a whisky food pairing, Marc, owner of the WhiskyBrother shop in Hyde Park (and my favourite whisky shop in South Africa), suggest that you try the Old Pulteney 21 year old whisky with a whole quail. Now that sounds interesting!

Also Read: Chivas Royal Salute 21yo whisky

The Glenlivet 18 year old Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 09/01/2014

In Single Malt whisky

I grew up with a dad who enjoyed blended whisky. His favourite drams were Dimple and Chivas Regal. This experience shaped the way I enjoyed whisky in my younger days, and I gravitated to blended whisky too. Then a friend poured me a Glenlivet 12 year old whisky and I was blown away.

The smooth, complex flavours just knocked me over. Needless to say, I still hold the Glenlivet 12 yo whisky as one of my favourite whiskies of all times. But today I, try the Glenlivet 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The Glenlivet distillery is a Speyside distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland. The distillery draws water from Josie’s Well and other springs a short distance from the distillery. It is owned by Pernod Richard.

Also Read: Glenfiddich 18 yo Whisky

George Smith was the first distiller in the region to get a license for legal distillation. In 1824, he established The Glenlivet on what was once a farm distillery called Upper Drummin. Some of the region’s illegal distilleries were not too happy with George and made several threats to his life. He, however, persisted and finished the building of his distillery.

He dealt with the treats in a very wild west manner – 2 pistols were always at his side to discourage any trouble makers. The pistols were a personal gift from the Laird of Aberlour, who was impressed with George’s perseverance.

The majority of the whisky made by the Glenlivet distiller is sold as The Glenlivet single malt, and the remainder is used in Pernod Ricard’s blended whisky, including Chivas Regal. Today, The Glenlivet is the world’s second best-selling single malt, and it is one of the top sellers in the US.

Glenlivet 18 year old Whisky Review

The Glenlivet 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky is matured in a combination of first and second fill American oak and sherry casks.

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: The colour of the Glenlivet 18 year old has a bronze golden copper shade. The official description is ‘old gold with apricot hues’.

NOSE: While pouring this single malt whisky into the glass, you immediately get whiffs of banana and sweet tropical fruit. The nose brings cereals and oak and little hints of sherried sweetness. Slowly, long fingers form in the glass. It is a very oily whisky that holds much promise.

PALATE: On the palate, there are notes of oak and spice. It grows slowly to butterscotch and sweet banana toffee. Traces of orange peel, raisins and honey mix with the oak. It is a wonderfully smooth whisky. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy with lots of spices.

FINISH: Long and lingering. The spice notes slowly turn to more oak with mild sweetness at the very end. This Glenlivet whisky comes oh so close to a Divine rating. It just lacks a little bit of the last WOW factor.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Well balanced and delicious. Every time I drink this Glenlivet 18 year old whisky, it reminds me of a special time with special friends. It brings back wonderful memories and makes me appreciate all the wonderful experiences we have been fortunate to share.

Many of them with this bottle of Glenlivet 18 year old whisky. That is perhaps why the bottle is nearly empty. I have also tasted and wrote about a Glenlivet 15 yo whisky.

Related Article: Hammerhead 1989 Vintage whisky

Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/18/2014

In Blended whisky

The 15^th of August is an interesting day in the history of South Africa. A day that started the beginning of the end. To celebrate that we can live in a different South Africa, we decided to have a South African whisky that embodies the pioneering spirit that our country is known for – the Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish blended whisky.

On that night in August 1985 the then South African President, Mr P.W Botha, delivered his infamous “Rubicon” Speech in Durban. The world hoped that he would use this opportunity to announce radical reforms to the South African apartheid system.

But instead, he disappointed and announced that he will be consolidating the power his party had, but would not give in to pressure to engage with the ANC. After this speech, the Rand traded very low against the dollar and economic sanctions against South Africa followed.

Also Read: William Lawson’s Whisky

Four years later, the Groot Krokkedil (Big Crocodile the nickname for PW Botha) was gone. On the 15th of August 1989, FW de Klerk became president of South Africa. Not long after that, things started to change.

Today we can celebrate a country that has come a long way since that fateful day in 1985. And what better way to celebrate than with a whisky that has also come a long way – the Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish. I have written about this amazing Wellington-based distillery before. You can read my blog post on the Three Ships 10 yo single malt here.

Most recently this whisky won Double Gold at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at the China Wine and Spirits competition.

Three Ships Bourbon Cask Whisky Review

Released in 2005, this premium whisky is a 100% South African blended whisky. This Three Ships Bourbon cask consists of malt and grain components that are distilled and matured in South Africa. After its first three-year maturation period, the whisky is placed in first-fill American bourbon casks for a further six month period.

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: A rich gold. It is a lovely oily whisky that leaves long fingers on the glass. The appearance of this Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish promises a rich experience.

NOSE: My first impression on nosing this whisky is delicious bourbon sweetness. There are notes of caramel and marshmallow mixed in between the cereal and barley. In the background, there are hints of fruitcake, dried fruit and Christmas pudding. Adding some water helps this whisky open up.

PALATE: Tasting this Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish brings spice and warm sticky toffee pudding. It has a rich and smooth mouthfeel. There are notes of sweetness mixed with Christmas cake, toffee apple and vanilla.

FINISH: The finish is long and lingering with a sweet-spicy ending. Amazingly smooth and rich for such a young whisky. A true testament to the teams’ whisky-making skills. This is the most underrated whisky in the Three Ships stable.

RATING: EXCELLENT

If you live in South Africa and you have not yet tried this amazing whisky – what are you waiting for? Go and get a bottle for yourself and enjoy. Recently this Three Ships whisky won a Gold Medal at the China Wine and Spirit awards 2014.

I have written about many more of the Three Ship whiskies. Just search the blog and you will find tasting notes on both the Bain’s Single Grain and the Three Ships Masters Collection releases.

Also Read: Drayman’s Solera whisky

The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/13/2014

In Single Malt whisky

I heard that The Glenlivet Distillery was releasing a limited edition whisky with little details. It sounded quite mysterious and interesting. Lucky for me, WhiskyBrother, my favourite whisky shop, had a few bottles of this Glenlivet Alpha single malt Scotch whisky available, and Marc kept one for me.

Only 3,350 bottles were released worldwide. No tasting notes. No cask details. Just trust in The Glenlivet, that they know how to distil great whisky. During the run-up to the release, there were some online teasers and sensory challenges.

Master Distiller Alan Winchester interacted with the online community, fielding questions. He revealed that the limited release has been matured in ‘first-fill Scotch whisky cask. The full tasting notes were only released after the Glenlivet Alpha was launched at the end of June 2013.

The Glenlivet Alpha single malt sold out very quickly. It came presented in a black bottle with minimal labelling, and the only information revealed about its contents is its strength.

It has a 50% ABV. So, after all this secrecy, online challenges and marketing effort, the most important question remains. Is this quite expensive, limited edition Glenlivet Alpha worth it?

Related Article: Bain’s 15 yo whisky

The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Golden yellow

NOSE: Visions of citrus and fruits. There are notes of oranges, pineapple and fruit mince pies blended with chunks of caramel sweetness and little hints of vanilla and spice. I added a drop of three of water and this just created the most amazingly smooth feel to the whisky.

PALATE: The palate brings more citrus and fruit notes. There are hints of coconut and marshmallow. There are tropical notes blended with spice and toffee. It is an amazingly complex whisky that just keeps on giving you different tastes every time you try it. Taking a second sip bring notes of nuts and more sweetness.

FINISH: It has a long and lingering finish. There are notes of spice, more citrus and honey. It has an amazing finish. We just looked at each other and went WOW. This amazing Glenlivet Alpha has the WOW factor. It has wonderfully layered complexity with notes of honey, caramel, marshmallow, spice and fruits. The overall experience was just amazing.

RATING: DIVINE

Without revealing the distillery, we offered it to some of our whisky friends, and they came up with the same comments and conclusion.

It is an amazing whisky. To answer the question, was it worth it? A big definite YES. Drinking this whisky is an amazing experience. Well worth the expensive price point.

Was it Whisky of the Year?

The Glenlivet Alpha is one of 2 whiskies that I shortlisted for my Whisky of the Year 2013. A truly magnificent dram! I paired this whisky with a Woolworths Clemengold Mandarin discs covered in dark chocolate for New Year.

The joint citrus in this whisky chocolate pairing became overwhelming. I then tried it with toasted coconut and dark chocolate and this worked a lot better. Other Glenlivet releases I have tried include the Whiskybrother Glenlivet 15 yo and the Glenlivet 18 year old whisky.

Also read: Glenfiddich 19 yo Madeira Cask whisky

Sullivans Cove Bourbon Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/11/2014

In Single Malt whisky

A world whisky today, the Sullivans Cove Bourbon Cask single malt whisky. This is not a traditional whisky distilling country, but together with New Zealand, there has been some level of distilling going on for a few years.

The Cove was the initial landing site of what is now the city of Hobart. It was founded on 21 February 1804 by the British, who travelled to the shore via what was then a rocky island named Hunter Island.

Separated from mainland Australia by the 240 km stretch of Bass Strait, Tasmania is a land apart. Being a penal colony, the locals were quite fond of a drink with 16 legal distilleries and countless illegal stills operating by 1824. However, in 1838 Governor John Franklin imposed a total prohibition on distilling which lasted 150 years.

This was only overturned in the early 1990s. Sullivans Cove whisky was established in 1994 at Sullivans Cove in Hobart. Sullivans Cove is one of Tasmania’s most successful and widely distributed whiskies and available in 11 countries. Tasmania has some of the most favourable growing conditions on the planet.

Deep red basalt soils, ample water and a mild climate result in barley that is perfect for malting. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world and its rainwater is so pure that quantities have been shipped to Australian Olympic athletes competing overseas.

One of the World Meteorological Organization-Global Atmosphere Watch network’s three Baseline Air Pollution stations is in Tasmania.

The air is so clean, it is used as a benchmark against which air pollution is measured around the world. Given the cleanliness of the air, rainwater and therefore freshwater in Tasmania is vastly cleaner than anywhere else in the world.

Related Article: Scottish Cousin Whisky

Sullivans Cove Bourbon Cask Strength Whisky Review

I have bottle number 186 from 203 from barrel number HH0281. The barrel date is May 2000 and the bottling date is June 2009.

COUNTRY: Australia

ABV: 60%

COLOUR: The whisky is quite dark in the bottle but the colour in the glass is a more light golden-yellow with a hint of green. It is a nice and oily whisky with lovely fingers down the sides of the glass.

NOSE:Immediately brings bourbon sweetness and sticky toffee pudding to mind. The Sullivans Cove Bourbon get more hints of citrus fruits when you add a few drops of water. The nose is rich with hints of oak.

PALATE: On the palate, there are notes of barley, spice and caramel mixed with vanilla sweetness. The Sullivans Cove Bourbon Maturation is a creamy smooth whisky and the 60% ABV surprisingly drinkable. It does not feel like such a high ABV. There are hints of citrus in the background.

FINISH: The finish is long and ends in notes of mild spice and sweetness. In the background, there are hints of leather and tobacco.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Sullivans Cove Bourbon Maturation started amazingly. The nose is rich and complex and the first taste is creamy and smooth. The finish is however what caught me. The old leather and tobacco notes leave a strange after taste that reminded me a bit of the Dalmore Cigar Malt whisky.

However, the nose and palate are amazing and it makes for a worthwhile addition to my world whisky collection. I also have a Sullivans Cove Double Cask whisky in my collection and captured my tasting notes for this dram.

Related Article: Amrut Fusion Whisky