Category: Single Malt whisky Page 6 of 43

Single Malt whisky

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for Single Malt Whisky. A collection of all the interesting releases I have tried. Not only Scotch but from around the world.

Glen Moray Elgin Classic Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/29/2022

In Single Malt whisky

My bottle of Glen Moray Elgin Classic single malt Scotch whisky was a gift from my brother-in-law. I have seen this whisky around, but have never tried it. After receiving it, I left it on the shelf.

It stood there at the back on the shelf until I needed a whisky for a cheese tasting and the Glen Moray popped up when I was doing research.I tried it with a creamy Lancashire cheese and loved not only the pairing but also the whisky.

The Glen Moray Distillery is a Speyside distillery situated on the banks of the River Lossie in Elgin. Glen Moray started life as West Brewery and converted into a distillery in 1897.

Also read: Glenfiddich 12 year old Whisky

It closed in 1910 and was bought by the owners of the Glenmorangie Distillery around 1920. The Glenmorangie Company sold Glen Moray to La Martiniquaise in 2008. La Martiniquaise uses part of the whisky from Glen Moray in the Label 5 blended whisky.

The Glen Moray Elgin Classic whisky is aged for an estimated 8 years and aged in oak casks.

Glen Moray Elgin Classic Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: It has the colour of light straw.

NOSE: Delicate with hints of malty sweetness, vanilla and oak floating about. Fresh cut flowers, grass and green apples seem to pop about. Whispers of condensed milk and cinnamon biscuits come in the second wave.

PALATE: Matches the nose as it is soft and delicate initially. The second sipping brings notes of spice balanced with fruity sweetness. There are notes of oak and mild hints of citrus also. The Glen Moray Elgin Classic whisky has the perfect balance between sweet and spicy.

It is a very easy drinking dram. The sense of lightness remains the whole way through, which is quite impressive. As my bottle is 40%, ABV, it does not need too much water. A few drops release more of the malty goodness.

FINISH: Medium length and delicate.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is smooth, drinkable and probably the perfect summer sipping dram. It seems like my brother-in-law has good taste in whisky. This single malt will probably not last long, and I can find some stock in South Africa and Liquor City. And at R310 a bottle, it is a bargain!

Liquor City imported some Cask finish releases from Glen Moray, and I have taste the Port Cask Finish. It is delicious!

Also Read: Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX whisky

Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/01/2022

In Single Malt whisky

A couple of months ago, I was invited to try some Belgian whisky that will hopefully become available in South Africa over the next year or 2. I have tasted the Belgian Owl Identité whisky before. This 3 yo whisky has won various international prizes and is just lovely. Today I look at the Belgian Owl Evolution single malt whisky.

Whisky (or whiskey) is produced all over the world, and in my collection, I have whisky from about 21 countries. Alcohol bans and shipping shortages have slowed my world whisky collecting, so I will be thrilled when these Belgian drams eventually arrive in the country.

The Belgian Owl distillery was founded in 1997 in the town of Grâce Hollogne, near the city of Liège. Etienne Bouillon, founder and Master Distiller, brought two authentic Scottish stills to Belgium to keep close to the ancient whisky-making tradition. These stills were from the former legendary Caperdonich distillery in Speyside.

The whisky in the package included some new make spirit, the Belgian Owl Evolution, Passion and Belgian Owl Intense whisky.

The Belgian Owl Evolution single malt whisky is unpeated malt, aged in ex-bourbon barrels for at least 4 years. The Belgian Owl whisky is colouring free and non-chill-filtered.

Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Belgium

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Bright copper

NOSE: Subtle fruit sweetness, dark chocolate, apples and grapes with cinnamon and oak. Bits of green herbs, vanilla, with dried pear.

PALATE: Fruity sweetness, summer spice with brown sugar, Dutch breakfast cake, wood and pepper bites. The Belgium Owl Evolutions has a medium body that doesn’t need a lot of water to open up. Hints of vanilla and green notes in the background.

FINISH: Medium length with pear sweetness, oak and black pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

You can easily pick out the distinctive Belgian Owl fruity notes balanced with lovely spices and hints of vanilla. Of all 5 Belgian Owl drams we tasted, John enjoyed the Evolution the most. My favourite was the Passion, and I will capture its tasting notes soon. A lovely single malt. Worth adding to your whisky collection.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the SA Belgian Owl team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: Penderyn Whisky

The GlenDronach 12 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/25/2022

In Single Malt whisky

One of my favourite, affordable sherry bombs and I have never written about it; the GlenDronach 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. Today I rectify this oversight. It is one of those classic drams that can so easily be overlooked.

The GlenDronach is a Highlands distillery. Whisky from this distillery has been used in various blends including Teacher’s and Ballantine’s whisky.

The Glendronach Core range consists of an Allardice 18 year old and the Parliament 21 year old whisky release. There is even a Glendronach Peated whisky release. GlenDronach distillery also has various limited edition releases as well as single cask releases.

However, today I it is the turn of the GlenDronach 12 year old whisky. Re-launched in 2009, it is entirely aged in PX and Oloroso casks. The 12 year old is not chill-filtered with no added colouring. There is also a 15 year old release as part of the core collection.

Since I last wrote about GlenDronach, various things happened. I wrote about the GlenDronach 16 year old and covered the history of this distillery. I have also tasted the GlenDronach 13 year old single cask release bottled especially for Whisky Brother. When I wrote both these to posts, the distillery was still part of the BenRiach Group.

During April 2016 GlenDronach Distillery was purchased by the Brown-Forman Corporation. The deal included the BenRiach and Glenglassaugh distilleries as well.

Also Read: The Glenrothes Robur Reserve whisky

The GlenDronach 12 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich golden amber

NOSE: Rich notes of sherry, toasted nuts, ripe red berries and fruit including raisins and ripe plums, toffee with creamy vanilla.

PALATE: Ripe cherries and berries, raisins balanced with butterscotch, wood spices and ginger with hints of malt. It is rich and full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. It is perfectly smooth and easy drinking with just a little bit of a peppery bite. Add water carefully; it only needs a few drops to release additional smoothness.

FINISH: Woody notes with a dry full cream sherry finish and hints of nuts.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a fantastic, underrated whisky. It retails for under R700 in South Africa and is readily available. So easy drinking and delicious. The GlenDronach 12 year old whisky is a fruity sweet dram with just the slightest hints of spice and pepper. The sweetness is not overwhelming; it is creamy, soft and inviting.

This 12 year old Scotch is the perfect dram for autumn; sitting on the patio, on a late autumn afternoon, just before sunset. When the colour of the trees around me has turned all the shades of red, orange and golden yellow, this golden amber GlenDronach is the perfect end to a busy day. In South Africa, the Glendronach 12 year old retails for around R 900.

Also Read: Kornog Whisky

Benriach The Twelve Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/04/2022

In Single Malt whisky

A beautiful box arrived a week or three ago. It was an invitation to join Rowan Gibb, the Super Premium Whisky Ambassador, to taste some Benriach whisky now available in SA. The tasting pack included the Benriach The Twelve Speyside single Malt Scotch whisky as well as the Benriach Smoky Twelve whisky.

The Benriach distillery has many links with South Africa. John Duff, the original owner, travelled through South Africa with his family during the 1800 and visited Johannesburg during the gold rush. He wanted to start a distillery here, but that did not work out as planned.

He went back to Scotland and, in 1898, built two distilleries next to each other in the Elgin region of Speyside. The other distillery was the Longmorn distillery. The Benriach distillery shut down during the Pattison crash, and only the malting floor remained active.

In 1965 the distillery was reopened by Glenlivet Distillers and, over the years, changed hands various times. In 2004 the Benriach distillery was bought by a consortium formed by two South Africans and Scottish whisky expert Billy Walker.

Also Read: Teerenpeli Whisky

The consortium expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of the Glendronach distillery in 2008 and the Glenglassaugh distillery in 2013. In 2016 the consortium sold all three of these distilleries to Brown-Forman.

Brown Forman appointed Dr Rachel Barry as the Master Distiller, and she has been refreshing the core range’s branding and structure. The look of the bottles and branding is reminiscent of the more classic branding from the early years.

Today let’s look at the Benriach The Twelve single malt whisky. In a week or two, I will also publish my tasting notes for the Benriach The Smoky Twelve whisky.

The Benriach The Twelve whisky was launched in 2020 as part of BenRiach’s new core range of single malts. It combines whisky matured in sherry casks, bourbon barrels and port casks for at least 12 years. Dr Barry then married the whisky from each cask together to create a sherry-rich single malt.

Benriach The Twelve Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden bronze

NOSE: Rich and sweet with notes of red fruits, sherry and cherries. Something fresh in the background reminds me of fresh summer meadow flowers and green apples. There are hints of cocoa and honey in the background.

PALATE: Sweet with toffee apples, summer fruit salad and fresh cream, chocolate-coated cherries and pepper. Bits of wood and tropical fruit floating around. Warming chilli spiciness balances out the sweetness. Water softens the fruity notes and takes away a bit of the complexity.

FINISH: Long and lingering with fruity sweetness and soft pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

A rich sherry forward dram perfect for summer. Perfect as a pre-dinner sipping drink. The Benriach The Twelve is bold and memorable.

The Benriach The Twelve Scotch whisky is an excellent addition to any whisky drinker’s cupboard. The new branding is clean and classic and does credit to the spirit in the bottle.

It is available in South Africa and rentals for around R500. That is an excellent price for a 12 yo single malt from this innovative distillery.

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

Also Read: Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask Whisky

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/20/2022

In Single Malt whisky

I was in the mood to try a whisky finished in red wine casks again, so my choice this week is the Tullibardine 228 Burgundy finish single malt Scotch whisky. It has been so long since I tried a red wine cask (Three Ships Shiraz Cask) and even longer since I had a Tullibardine.

Tullibardine distillery is a Highland distillery located in Blackford, Perth and Kinross. Some level of brewing and distilling has taken place on the site since the 1800s, but the distillery in its current format opened in 1949.

The distillery changed hands a few times, and then in 1995, the distillery was mothballed by then-owner Whyte & Mackay. In 2003, it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd, who resumed production and then, in 2011, it was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux. The French wine and spirit group also owns the Highland Queen and Muirhead brands.

Also Read: Michel Couvreur Peaty Whisky

The Tullibardine range whisky was released in 2013. The Tullibardine 228 whisky was finished for 12 months in a 228 litre Burgundy barrique from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

Red Burgundy wine is recognised for its raspberry, blackberry and cherry notes. Burgundy is not a finish seen often with whiskies. The only other whisky I could see with this finish is the Edradour Burgundy Finish.

The Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish single malt is a NAS release. Other releases from the Tullibardine distillery include a the Tullibardine 225 Sauterness Finish, the Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish and Tullibardine 15 yo whisky.

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Ruby gold

NOSE: Malt and red fruits mixed with toasted oak and honey. A few raw alcohol notes. Not the most complex nose. Faint hints of cherries and vanilla.

PALATE: Red fruits of the forest, creamy malt, hints of toasted nuts with vanilla sugar. After the glass stood a bit, berry notes and apple came through, and some alcohol heat dissipated. Bits of oak with black pepper. Medium body and with a slight drying mouthfeel. Water brings more honey sweetness to the front and tempers the heat. A bit young with a few raw notes.

FINISH: Medium length with notes of red fruit, oak and sugar sweetness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

You can pick up the distinct red berry notes from the burgundy casks in this Tullibardine. A pleasant enough red wine finish, and I will not struggle to finish this bottle. However, I think if this spent a year or two more in the barrels, the rough edges would soften, making it spectacular.

I suspect that this is a dram that will work magically with some cheese, a theory I need to investigate. The Tullibardine 228 whisky is unavailable in SA at present. When it was available, it retailed for around R 550.