Category: Whisky of the Week Page 8 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.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/17/2023

In Bourbon whiskey

My second bourbon for this year – the 1792 Small Batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. These last couple of years, I have been lamenting the fact that the variety of bourbons available in South Africa is declining.

The bourbon selection was limited to Buffalo Trace, a few bottles of Bulleit bourbon, and some Wild Turkey and cheaper Jim Beam releases.

However, towards the middle of 2017, I started noticing a growth in variety in this category. New releases such as the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and the Jim Beam Double Oak bourbon started appearing. It was great to see.

These releases were quickly followed by more brands such as Blanton’s (what a perfect bourbon) and Sazerac Rye, and now you can even get Balcones in SA. On one of my shopping trips, I saw this beautiful-looking bottle of 1792 bourbon. I quickly added it to my collection. It looked fascinating, so I researched the distillery a bit more.

Also Read: Slate Blended Bourbon

The date 1792 refers to the year that Kentucky, until then a large county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, separated and became the 15th United State. A relatively unknown bourbon even in the USA, the 1792 Small Batch bourbon is distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by the Barton distillery.

The Sazerac Company of New Orleans owns the distillery and the brand. In 2013, Jim Murray gave the 1792 bourbon a remarkable 94.5% rating in his annual Whisky Bible. Now, let’s dive deeper into what makes the 1792 bourbon unique.

The 1792 Small Batch bourbon whiskey is a higher-rye bourbon, with about 20% of the mash bill comprising this grain. It’s an 8 yo bourbon, bottled at a robust 93.7 proof.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: USA

ABV: 46.9%

COLOUR: Dark polished amber

NOSE: On the nose you get notes of vanilla, brandied cherries, custard sweetness, and dry orange rind, with hints of fresh red apples and ripe plums. You’ll also detect a touch of oak and spiciness.

PALATE: Prepare for a spicy experience featuring pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and plenty of dry toasted oak. Faint hints of creme caramel, vanilla, and dry orange peel. The sweetness promised by the nose does not fully materialize on the palate, as it leans toward being very spicy with a few rough edges.

Medium body and not the most complex bourbon. Water brings out a bit more sweetness and tones down the alcohol bite but does nothing for the dry spiciness.

FINISH: The finish showcases dry orange peel, oak, and hints of vanilla.

RATING: GOOD

The 1792 Bourbon Small Batch whiskey is undoubtedly one of the spicier bourbons I’ve tasted in recent years. Its intense spice profile dominates the palate, overshadowing the fantastic fresh fruit and creme caramel notes from the nose.

It’s a glass that might challenge your taste buds, but it’s an adventure worth taking for those who appreciate a more spicy profile.

In a time when bourbon enthusiasts are seeking new and exciting expressions, the 1792 whiskey offers a distinctive profile that stands out in the ever-expanding world of bourbon.

The 1792 Small Batch bourbon is available online through Amazon and retail for around £43.

Also Read: Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon

The Chita Single Grain Japanese Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/10/2023

In Grain Whisky

I am expanding my grain tasting notes a bit today with The Chita single grain Japanese whisky. A grain whisky from Japan which had fans of Japanese whisky very excited. There has been lots of hype around Japanese whisky these last couple of years.

The prices of Japanese whisky has skyrocketed, and brands like Hakushu, Yamazaki and Hibiki are sold at premium prices.

There has also been a new focus on grain whiskies with grain releases coming from Japan, Scotland and of course South Africa’s own Bain’s whisky.

I received this bottle of The Chita single grain Japanese whisky as a gift from a friend of John’s. He could not believe that that I did not have a bottle in my collection and immediately went out and bought me one.

The Chita grain whisky is the primary grain component of many of the Suntory blended whiskies. Founded in 1972, Chita distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery located in the Chita district of the Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Also Read: Milk & Honey Classic Whisky

The Chita distillery produces three types of grain whisky using corn through a continuous multiple column distillation process. The first two are blended whisky components that are used in blends.

Both in Suntory’s domestic market Kakubin and Suntory Old as well as high-end Hibiki respectively. The third type is the distillery’s flagship single grain release called “The Chita”.

Launched in 2015, the Chita is matured in three different kinds of casks: American ex-bourbon barrels, Spanish oak barrels and European oak wine barrels. It has no age statement.

The Chita Single Grain Japanese Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light autumn golden

NOSE: Honey sweetness, cereal, pineapple, mango and melon. Hints of soft spices and vanilla. Delicate and sweet with hints of tropical fruit.

PALATE: Vanilla sponge cake sweetness and oak with honey and tropical fruit. Hints of floral notes with toasted grains. Honey drizzled mango and pineapple. Medium body but not very complicated. Faint traces of cinnamon and cardamom. A few rough edges. Water smoothes out the sharp bits and brings even more fruity sweetness forward. Easy drinking.

FINISH: Medium length, with notes of lemon drops, vanilla and wood.

RATING: GOOD

Not the most complex whisky. Also, one of the sweetest drams I have had in a while. A bit too sweet perhaps. Take into account that I have a sweet tooth and love sweet things; it was a bit much even for me. I found it bland and uninspiring.

I might be biased, but this is not in the same class as my beloved Bain’s grain whisky. The Bain’s whisky is bolder and make you sit up and take notice. It has sweetness and tropical notes, but they are better balanced.

Compared to this Japanese release, the Bain’s is way more memorable. The Chita retail price in South Africa is around R1 300, which is rather steep. In the UK, I have seen this on Amazon for £60. The Bain’s whisky sells for only R300 (before Covid).

Suntory launched The Chita, especially for use in the Japanese highball cocktail market. It will undoubtedly make a good base for a cocktail.

What did you think of this Japanese grain release? Overhyped or best thing ever?

Also Read: Boplaas Single Grain Whisky

Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/27/2023

In Irish Whiskey

In December ’22 I opened the first of my Dunville samples. The Dunville’s PX Cask 12 yo whiskey is a moreish sherry cask finish release that is smooth and enjoyable. The second sample I am trying is the Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated Irishwhiskey.

Dunville’s started as a tea and spirits merchant company based in Belfast. However, it soon dropped the tea and became largely successful as an Irish whiskey blender. In 1869 it built its own distillery, the Royal Irish Distilleries.

When the last heir and chairman died in 1931, the company began to flounder, and in 1936 the brand was discontinued when Dunville & Co. was liquidated.

Also Read: Powers John’s Lane 12 yo Whiskey

In 2013, the Echlinville distillery acquired the Dunville’s name and in 2016, relaunch the famous Three Crowns expressions. Echlinville Distillery was the first Northern Irish distillery to be granted a distilling licence in almost 125 years.

Dunville’s Peated Three Crowns is a blended whiskey that was relaunched in 2016 after it was discontinued in the 1930s. The Three Crowns range include a Dunville’s 1808 and a Dunville’s Sherry finish whiskey.

There are not many peated Irish whiskey expressions available. The Three Crowns Peated whiskey is made up of a single grain whiskey, a 10 yo single malt, and a 15 yo Oloroso finished single malt. All these have been married together in a peated cask.

Dunville’s Peated Three Crowns Irish Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 43,5%

COLOUR:Pale gold

NOSE: The Three Crowns Peated has a lovely nose with notes of wood, stewed fruit sweetness, vanilla, and hints of honey. Light smoke mixed with a rich, buttery sweetness. Delicious.

PALATE: Earthy peat with oak, light smoke, and spices. The stewed fruity sweetness from the nose is more muted with a delicate baked apple sweetness and hints of vanilla. A bit of alcohol heat. The peat is drying with green heathery notes and there are hints of cloves in the background.

Adding a few drops of water brings peppercorns forward and the sweetness disappear. Water also dulls the delicious nose.

FINISH: Long and lingering. The whiskey ends with notes of pepper, orange and faint hints of drying peat.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The peat on the nose was so delicate that I could easily have missed it. It is only when you taste the whiskey that the peaty notes come through. The nose is lovely. Rich, sweet, and inviting. The sweet notes from the nose don’t quite carry over to the palate.

The Dunnville’s Three Crowns Peated Irish whiskey is better without water. Water increases the peppery intensity and washes out the sweetness.

It is available in South Africa and retail for around R1 000. I have also seen it at Master of Malt for around £40.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the Truman & Orange team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair, and independent thoughts about the whiskey.

Also Read: Reisetbauer 12 yo Whisky

Milk & Honey Elements Peated Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/13/2023

In Single Malt whisky

The last of my Milk & Honey samples, and today I am looking at the Milk & Honey Elements Peated single malt whisky. The sample is leftover from my 2020 Milk & Honey tasting hosted by WhiskyBrother, where we got to taste the Milk & Honey Classic and samples from the Elements range including the Elements Sherry Cask.

There was even a Pomegranate wine cask finish sample. Not strictly a whisky, though, as it was only aged for about 18 months. Milk & Honey distillery whisky is available in SA.

Also Read: Firstwatch Whisky

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 middle eastern climate is hot and humid, and this speeds up maturation.

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

Milk & Honey whisky is certified kosher. Tomer Goren is now the current head distiller. The Milk & Honey Elements Peated whisky was matured in ex-peated whisky casks from Islay, as well as ex-bourbon casks.

Milk & Honey Elements Peated Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Israel

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Honey

NOSE: Soft peat and light smoke drifts from the glass. A honey sweetness with green notes and pine trees underneath. Bits of vanilla spice and lemons. I let the glass stand for a few minutes for some sharp alcohol notes to evaporate.

PALATE: Citrus and pepper mingling with drying peat. Earthy notes and spice. Mild oak and fruity sweetness. Faint hints of ginger. It is quite spicy and the peat is very light. When you add water, it washes out the peaty notes. The Milk & Honey Elements Peated whisky is better without water. Not a lot of sweet notes.

FINISH: Medium length with spicy pepper and drying oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

Of all the Milk & Honey whisky samples that I tried, this Peated expression was my least favourite. The peat is very light and after adding some water, it disappears. It is also spicier when compared to the Sherry and the Classic Edition.

I have a sweet tooth, so prefer a whisky where sweeter notes dominate over the spice. Elements Peated Expression retails for around R980 in South Africa.

Looking at the variety that WhiskyBrother&Co stocks, I see that they stock the Milk & Honey Apex Pomegranate Finish whisky (aged for about 3 years) and the Apex Dead Sea whisky. This innovative release was aged in the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea where temperatures climb as high as 50ºC.

The casks were placed on a hotel rooftop in the Dead Sea zone (±423 meters below sea level) where they matured for a year before being returned to Milk & Honey’s warehouse in Tel Aviv.

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.

Also Read: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 yo Whiskey

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/10/2023

In Rye Whiskey

I have not had a rye whisky to review for such a long time. It is high time for something a bit more spicy and different, so today I look at the Sazerac Straight Rye whiskey. This whiskey is named after the Sazerac coffee house in New Orleans, which is deemed the birthplace of the famous Sazerac cocktail.

Rye whisky is slowly becoming more accessible in South Africa, and it is an excellent addition to the tasting range. During last months’ The Only Whisky Show, there were quite a few exciting rye releases available to taste including the Sagamore Spirit rye cask strength and the Double Oak.

Sazerac Rye is produced at the Buffalo Trace distillery. Other brands in the Buffalo Trace portfolio include WL Weller Bourbon, Eagle Rare Bourbon, Blanton’s Bourbon and Fireball Cinnamon.

The Sazerac Straight Rye is aged for around 6 years and the whiskey has a mash bill of over 51% rye. I love the old school bottle shape that stands out compared to the other standard bottles on my whiskey shelf.

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Review

ABV: 45%

COLOUR: Dark gold with hints of red.

NOSE: Sweetness blended with a variety of spices. Bits of pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Woody notes with red berries, vanilla and caramel. Big and bold but not overwhelming. It promises a rich warming experience.

PALATE: Woody notes with spices mixed with fruit flavours and rich toffee notes. Cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper heat from the rye with a vanilla and caramel creaminess. The fruit from the nose translates to the palate with notes of red berries. Medium body and not the most complex dram. Water tones down the spicy heat and makes it very drinkable.

FINISH: Medium length ending in pepper spice and caramel.

RATING: EXCELLENT

John loves rye whiskey, and this is no exception. He loves the spicier palate. I prefer something a bit sweeter, but when you tone down the spicy notes with a bit of water, the Sazerac Rye becomes very drinkable. Even for my sweet palate. It is warming and inviting, and I did not mind a second glass.

The Sazerace Straight Rye whiskey is not that expensive. I see you can pick it up from Amazon for around £35. An affordable and versatile bottle to add to your drinks cabinet.

I have done a side by side comparison between the Rittenhouse Rye whiskey and the Sazerac Straight Rye, and if you follow the link you can see how they differ. I have also tasted a Scottish Rye whisky, the Arbiki Highland Rye release. A different spice profile, but still enjoyable.

What is a Sazerac cocktail?

Of course, I also had to try a Sazerac Cocktail. There are many variations of the Sazerac cocktail, but this one on the Liquor.com is probably the most widely quoted recipe that I have seen. It includes rinsing your glass with a bit of absinthe before muddling the sugar water and the bitters together. This version uses both cognac and rye whiskey.

This is a cocktail that I can drink regularly and will be making a more regular appearance on my cocktail trolley.