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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.

Glengoyne 21 year old Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/30/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Time for something a bit older, the Glengoyne 21 year old single malt Scotch whisky. Positioned in the Highlands, Glengoyne Distillery is situated in a valley close to a river that flows into the famous Loch Lomond. In the past, the woodlands, which covered the surrounding area, gave good shelter for illicit whisky distilling.

The Glengoyne Distillery began distilling legally in 1833 and was known as the Burnfoot distillery. The story goes that the owner intended to name the distillery Glengoyne, but due to a mistake by a clerk, it was recorded as Glen Guin. Later it was changed to Glengoyne, which translates from ‘Glenguin’ or ‘Glen of the Wild Geese’.

Glengoyne is one of the few distilleries left producing whisky in this part of Scotland today. Glengoyne is owned by Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd., a Scottish, family-owned business. Various features make Glengoyne unique. They produce Highland single malts, but the whisky is matured in the Scottish Lowlands.

Also Read: The Macallan Quest Whisky

The boundary line runs underneath the A81 road and passes in front of the distillery. Glengoyne’s stills are situated in the Highlands, while the maturing casks of whisky rest across the road in the Lowlands.

Unlike many malt whisky distilleries, Glengoyne does not use peat smoke to dry their barley but instead uses warm air. As a result, Glengoyne has been noted as being stylistically closer to a Lowland single malt than a Highland single malt. Glengoyne is also one of only two distilleries remaining today that uses Golden Promise barley.

This barley is low in yield but high in quality. Glengoyne also enjoys the slowest distillation rate in Scotland (the spirit comes from the still at around 4-5 litres per minute). It encourages the formation of ‘esters’, giving Glengoyne its distinctively sweet, smooth taste.

Glengoyne 21 year old Single Malt Whisky Review

The Glengoyne 21 year old single malt Scotch whisky is matured in oak casks from Spain, which previously contained sherry.

REGION: Highland

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: Another dark whisky where the colour is closer to red copper than gold. It is quite oily and leaves long legs in the glass.

NOSE: at once brings sherry sweetness. There are dried fruits, Christmas cake and hints of oak and vanilla. The addition of a few drops of water changes the nose. With the water, the Glengoyne nose brings more fresh fruit.

PALATE: This is quite a spicy whisky on the palette. It is wonderfully smooth and rich. Mixed with the spiciness, there are notes of sherry, oak and honey sweetness. The Glengoyne 21 year old balances the sweetness with the spicy to create a warming and comforting taste. There are hints of barley, vanilla and toffee.

FINISH: Long and lingering and goes on and on. It is a full-bodied whisky that ends in notes of spice, oak and ginger. John forgot to finish his notes and had to pour a second glass to complete the tasting notes.

RATING: DIVINE

This whisky makes you want to sit in front of a fire with loved ones and just stop to appreciate life. It’s delicious! The Glengoyne 21 year old whisky is well-balanced, smooth and rich.

It is a satisfying whisky that lifts your spirits and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling that everything is well with the world. I can’t wait to try more expressions from this interesting distillery.

Also Read: The Old Pulteney 21 yo whisky

Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/25/2014

In Blended Malt Whisky

In 2013 John graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy. I wanted to find something special to celebrate this momentous occasion. My first stop was the WhiskyBrother shop in Hydepark, and there I found this very special bottle of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt whisky.

It is a replica of the Mackinlay’s whisky left in Antarctica by Sir Ernest Shackleton during his Antarctic expedition. In February 2007, after almost a century buried under thick ice beneath Shackleton’s expedition hut, a maintenance team discovered three crates of this long-lost Mackinlay’s whisky.

However, in line with international protocols, the team could not remove the crates from Antarctica unless for conservation or scientific reasons. Whyte and Mackay, who owns the Mackinlay brand, jumped at this opportunity. Under the leadership of their Master Blender, Richard Paterson, they managed to recreate this special whisky almost perfectly.

Down to the very last detail, including the packaging. Early 2010, one crate of the whisky removed from the ice and flown back to Canterbury Museum. With the whisky from the frozen crate, the museum conservators completed a detailed analysis of the packaging, labels and bottles. Eventually, this crate returned to its original resting place.

The result of all this is a faithful reproduction of the very bottle of Mackinlay’s whisky that Shackleton took with him on his expedition. It was a blended whisky using malts from Speyside, the Islands, and the Highlands, including a 1983 Glen Mhor.

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic expedition is one of the greatest survival stories in history. It has inspired adventurers across every continent over three generations.

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Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky Review

ABV: 47.3%

COLOUR: The official colour description for this whisky is light honey, straw gold with shimmering highlights.

NOSE: Light and elegant but still complex. There are notes of fresh fruit, vanilla sweetness and hints of smoke and cinnamon spice. This well-balanced Mackinlay doesn’t need too much water.

PALATE: Bits of smoke and peat mixed with barley, honey and rich toffee sweetness. There are delicate florals and a bit more spice. It is a lovely complex whisky that warms you from the inside.

FINISH: The Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt whisky is full-bodied with a medium finish.

RATING: EXCELLENT

A delicious dram. Perfect for that exceptional occasion where you need something different. The Mackinlay’s bottle is still in the wooden case and exhibited in a special place in my whisky room. Seeing the bottle reminds us of the great evening when John was rewarded for his hard work on his PhD.

A more accessible Shackleton blended malt Scotch whisky was released during 2017, and I captured my detailed tasting notes for this release if you follow the blog post.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Premier whisky

Chivas Royal Salute 21 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/22/2014

In Blended whisky

What a beautiful container. The blue porcelain flagon stands out on my whisky shelf. The Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 year old blended Scotch whisky is produced by Chivas Brothers.

Chivas Brothers trace its roots to the opening of a grocery store in Aberdeen in 1801. The grocery store took the name Chivas Brothers from the 17th century House of Schivas, a large house in the town of the Schivas in Aberdeenshire.

The store sold luxury food items such as coffee, exotic spices, French brandies, and Caribbean rums to wealthy customers. As the business grew, Chivas Brothers gained a reputation for supplying smooth malt whiskies of the highest quality.

In 1842, Chivas Brothers were requested to supply provisions to the royal family at Balmoral Castle upon Queen Victoria’s first visit to Scotland. The Royal Salute brand’s home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1786 on the banks of the River Isla.

Also Read: The Old Pulteney 21 yo whisky

It is the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. Chivas Brothers purchased Strathisla in 1950 to safeguard this natural sweet malt for Chivas Regal whisky.

Strathisla single malt is one of the malt whiskies used as part of the Chivas Regal blend. Launched in 1953, this Chivas Royal Salute 21 year old blended whisky served as a tribute to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Named after the traditional 21-gun salute, this blended whisky has been aged for at least 21 years.

The Chivas Royal Solute 21 year old whisky is bottled in porcelain flagons, manufactured by Wade Porcelain. The flask incorporates the image of Robert the Bruce and bearing a Gaelic motto.

Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 year old Whisky Review

Inspired by the jewels in the Coronation crown, it is packaged in three collectable colours: sapphire, ruby and emerald. I have the sapphire Royal Salute.

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: This is quite a dark whisky. The colour is close to amber, and it is reasonably oily.

NOSE: The Chivas Royal Salute 21 yo whisky has a very delicate nose. There are notes of vanilla and caramel with lots of fresh-cut flowers. The fresh-cut flowers become more pronounced after adding a few drops of water. There are very subtle hints of smoke in the background.

PALATE: It is very smooth. Tasting it brings notes of vanilla and sweetness to the palate. There is an abundance of fresh fruit and little hints of smoke. It is not the most complex whisky and quite thin on the mouth. But the flavours of oak and barley combine with fresh fruit and becomes amazingly balanced. There are faint hints of spice and ginger.

FINISH: The whisky finish ends in notes of spice and toffee. The Royal Salute has a medium-long finish.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The sapphire flask is a beautiful addition to any bottle collection. I had another glass and for me, wanting a second glass, is always the double-check to see if my rating is correct. If we share a second glass it is a whisky worth spending some quality time around. It is delectable.

Other releases from the Chivas Royal Salute stable that I have tried include the Chivas Regal 12 year old whisky and the Chivas Regal Extra whisky.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky

Wild Reeds Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/15/2014

In Blended whisky

My most read blog post of this past year was the arrival of the Wild Reeds Bourbon Cask whiskey. I found this interesting looking bottle at my local Pick n Pay liquor store. It’s produced by Schoonspruit Distillers in the North-West Province of South Africa. I have never heard of this distiller or whiskey, so I immediately purchased a bottle.

Schoonspruit Distillery is an independent business owned by the Henning family. Ernst Henning established the Schoonspruit whiskey distillery in South Africa in 1992. They are better known for the Totpak concept. The Henning family founded Totpak more than 20 years ago. Totpak popularised the then unfamiliar concept of a liquor sachet in South Africa.

The whiskey is distilled with water from the Schoonspruit river (meaning clean river). The origin of the Schoonspruit river is about 6km from Ventersdorp on the Koster road.

The bottle is interesting in that it is the shape of the African continent. Bottled at 43% ABV, it is pot stilled, charcoal filtered and aged in ex-bourbon casks.

This Schoonspruit Distillery Wild Reeds whiskey was aged for between three and five years. The label says it was pot stilled from South African grain and charcoal filtered to a bourbon taste. With no history of whisky making from this region in South Africa, this is a journey into the unknown!

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Wild Reeds Blue Bourbon Cask Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: South Africa

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: It is a fairly dark whiskey. It is a deep red copper. It is not an oily whiskey at all and comes across as somewhat thin in the glass.

NOSE: There is a sweet sherry nose that hits you at once. The sherry notes dominates the nose with some oak and methylated spirits. This Wild Reeds bourbon cask whiskey needs to breathe for quite a while for the smell of methylated spirits to evaporate. After the addition of some water, the whiskey changes significantly.

PALATE: The first thought on tasting the Wild Reeds whiskey is that this is a bourbon. There are notes of marshmallow, dried sultanas and the familiar bourbon sweetness. It is not a very complex whiskey.

FINISH: Lingers around for a bit and then ends quite sharply with some sweet notes at the end. We had to put aside our prejudice on this bourbon cask.

RATING: GOOD

I was not expecting too much from this bottle. But it was not as bad as I had feared. It is not by any means a great whiskey, but it is sort of drinkable. Just let it stand for a good 10 minutes to breathe and for most of the raw spirit alcohol to evaporate.

It might show a bit of potential if it was aged a couple of years longer. Have you tried it yet? What did you think? They also released a Schoonspruit 2010 whisky which I also tasted. This is a slightly better tasting release than the Schoonspruit release that received an ordinary rating on my rating scale. But it still does not get close to a Bains or a Three Ships whisky.

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The Macallan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/09/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Today I taste one of John’s favourites, the Macallan 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. The Macallan has managed to position their whisky in the premium whisky category. It has not been without controversy, especially around their antique collection.

The Macallan holds the Guinness world record for the most expensive whisky ever sold at auction. However, if there is one thing that I have learnt during our tasting sessions over the years, expensive whisky does not necessarily equate to great whisky.

Some of the best whiskies in my collection are in the more affordable range. Examples such as Ballantine’s Finest, The Black Grouse and South Africa’s very own Bain’s whisky comfortably stand alongside more expensive releases.

I have enjoyed some of the more affordable whiskies of late, and it is time for a change. Let’s take something a bit more expensive out of the box. The Macallan 12 year old Sherry Cask is not the most expensive whisky, but it carries a significant premium over many other 12 yo whiskies.

This particular expression has since been discontinued, so I am keen to try it. The Macallan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie, Moray. The River Spey, one of Scotland’s most famous rivers, borders the estate to the south and southeast.

Even though Macallan is located right in the middle of the Speyside region, it’s not labelled as such. Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations, the “Speyside” designation can only be used by distilleries in certain wards in the traditional Speyside region. The Macallan falls into the Scottish Highlands.

The Macallan Distillers Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Edrington Group that purchased the brand from Highland Distillers in 1999.

Related Article: Glenfarclas 12 yo whisky

Macallan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: It has spent lots of time exclusively maturing in Jerez Sherry Oak casks, which probably explains the very dark colour. The colour is almost red gold, and it is easily one of the darker whiskies in my collection.

NOSE: The immediate Sherry sweetness that you would expect from a whisky aged in a Sherry cask. There are fresh fruits and some flowers on the nose. The sweetness has little hints of vanilla in the background. It is not a very complex nose. Adding a drop or two of water opens this Macallan 12 year old and brings more fresh fruit and flowers.

PALATE: It is quite a smooth whisky, and the first tasting brings spices. This is followed by raisins, oak and red fruit sweetness. It leaves a spicy taste on the palette. There are notes of marmalade and dried fruits. Again, this Macallan 12 year old is not very complex, but it is an easy-drinking whisky.

FINISH: The whisky is quite warming with a medium finish. The Macallan finishes in notes of condensed milk and spice, particularly ginger and hints of black pepper.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a nice whisky to add to a collection, but other 12 year old whiskies may prove better value for money. In some ways, it is a perplexing whisky. I suspect that in time it grows on you. The Whisky Bible scores this Macallan 12 year old whisky at 93 and calls it almost flawless.

I did not rate it as highly, but it’s by no means a bad whisky. I just find it a bit bland. Other Macallan releases I have tasted include the Macallan Fine Oak 15 year old and I liked it a lot more.

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