Whisky of the Week

Great whisky gifts under R1000

On 12/05/2018

The second in my series on my Top whisky gift guide and I titled it ‘ Great Whisky gifts under R1000 to make you smile’. I am moving to a more accessible group, looking at whisky between R500 and R1000. In this category, you are spoilt for choice.

There are some fantastic releases in this price class that will not break the bank but will make for a very appreciated gift for the whisky lover in your life. Many of these releases come with gift packs during this time of the year, so it is a great time to shop.

Again, I am trying to find releases that I have tasted this last period and that have not previously made of my top 5 lists. There are many more. Just search the Excellent category on the blog, and you will find many many delicious drams. But these stood out for me in 2018. All in alphabetical order.

Also Read: Espresso Martini Cocktail

Whisky gifts under R1000

Ardbeg An Oa Whisky

It was with great fanfare that Ardbeg launched an extension to their core range – the Ardbeg An Oa single malt Scotch whisky. The first permanent expression to join the Ardbeg core range since Corryvreckan in 2009. I was rather sceptical. I am not always so crazy about the Ardbeg Day releases. But wow, this release was impressive.

The whisky is named after the Mull of Oa in the south-west of Islay. Maturation of Ardbeg An Oa took place in a combination of casks including PX, spicy charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon.

It has notes of peat, creamy honey, salted liquorice with hints of cough syrup. Bits of ash, sweet vanilla and cinnamon sugar, hints of chocolate and toasted oak. The Ardbeg An Oa has a big mouthfeel, and it’s smooth and velvety on the palate. Water softens the medicinal notes and adds more sweetness.

The Ardbeg An Oa Islay whisky is not the salty, TCP and strong tar pole notes of an Ardbeg Uigeadail, but a softer, more classic version of it. It retails for around R 800 at major retailers and is so worth it!

Blanton’s Gold Edition Bourbon Whiskey

This bourbon was my first Divine rated whiskey for 2018. The bottle is short and round with a unique stopper – easily recognizable. The Blanton’s Gold bourbon whiskey is bottled at a whopping 51.5% ABV, and it is part of the Sazerac Company and distilled in Frankfort, Kentucky at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

What makes the Blanton’s bottle unique is the very collectable eight different stopper designs. The stoppers feature a figurine of a racehorse and jockey in eight different scenes of a horse race. From standing at the gate to crossing the finish line with a win.

The Blanton’s Gold is rich and creamy bursting with a complex mix of tastes. There are notes of toasted oak, fudge, cinnamon, chocolate-covered oranges, Sichuan pepper, hints of cherries, honey and vanilla.

Big and beautiful. It needs just a few drops to tone down the bit of alcohol burn and release more complexity. Blanton’s Gold Edition bourbon is bold and demands your attention. All of it!

Three Ships Oloroso Cask 8 yo Whisky

I had to add this release to my ‘Whisky gifts under R1000’ list. The only whisky I have not tasted before. But Andy Watts is an absolute master at distilling and blending, and I love everything that comes from the James Sedgwick Distillery.

I am keeping this release for a special occasion and will publish my formal tasting notes probably early 2019. But you can rest assured, the Three Ships Oloroso Cask 8 yo is beautiful. And a gift worth giving.

A specially selected single malt was matured for 5 years in American Oak and then transferred to Oloroso Sherry casks for a further 3 years. It has notes of dried fruit, crunchy nuts, rich chocolate with red berries and cinnamon. I see that there are still a few bottles available at Norman Goodfellows and they retail for R 749.

Powers John’s Lane 12 yo Whiskey

In 1791 James Power, an innkeeper from Dublin, established a small distillery at his public house. The little distillery grew, and grew and ownership remained in the family until 1966.

Powers distillery was one of the first distilleries to install a Coffey still to allow for the production of grain whiskey. Through the ups and downs, the Powers brand continued.

Power John Lane Release returns to the origin of the Powers Irish whiskey and celebrates the style that made Powers so famous. The Powers John’s Lane Release is a combination of 12 year old single pot still whiskey aged in two different types of casks.

The majority is matured in bourbon casks and the remaining spirit in Oloroso sherry casks. First released in 2011, it was an instant hit. It won the ‘Irish Whiskey of the Year’ in the 2012 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

The Powers John’s Lane Release has notes of malt, rich autumn fruit dusted with cocoa, dark chocolate with hints of caramel and bits of toasted oak, nutmeg and sherry. Smooth and warming. Water softens the spices and brings more honey notes.

I can understand why Jim Murray gave this a 96.5 in the 2015 Whisky Bible. For a change, I agree with him. It is delicious. The Powers John’s Lane Release retails for around R900.

Wemyss The Hive Whisky

Last but not least, in my ‘Whisky gifts under R1000’ list, I have had a long love affair with Wemyss releases. Since the first time I tasted Wemyss in Dullstroom, I have been in love. Wemyss was not available in SA until about 2 years ago. But all this changed with Wemyss bringing a few of their standard releases into SA.

However, the core of the Wemyss blended malts is the three releases aptly named The Hive, The Spice King and The Peat Chimney. All bottled at 46% ABV.

The Hive was launched in 2011, and the release that is available in SA has no-age-statement (NAS). Wemyss The Hive focuses on sweet honey qualities with a few Speysider style notes at the core of this blend. It is a blend of at least 10 single malts.

Wemyss The Hive has lashings of floral honey sweetness, freshly baked apple pie malt and oak with bits of vanilla, ginger. Adding water makes it easier to drink and releases more of the honeycomb sweetness. Rich and delicious.

Not the most complex dram, but easy drinking and fun. Perfect for summer! Let it stand for a few minutes and add enough water. The Hive also pair wonderfully with fresh French pastry. It retails for around R 650 in SA.

There you have it. A fun selection of five great whiskies that will put a smile on your or your whisky lover partner’s face. Next week I will explore whisky under R1500 with which to spoil someone. Until then, Sláinte!

Also Read: Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Loch Lomond Signature Blended Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/19/2018

In Blended whisky

Today I try another mini from the stash I found in my cupboard. This time I try the Loch Lomond Signature blended Scotch whisky. Loch Lomond is located on the boundary between the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. The first mention of the original Loch Lomond distillery dates back to 1814.

It was situated at the north end of Loch Lomond near Tarbet. Somewhere in the years following, the distillery closed down and disappeared. The current Loch Lomond distillery was resurrected by the former owners of the Littlemill Distillery when they commissioned it in 1964. In 2014, the Loch Lomond distillery was acquired by a private equity company and is currently part of the Loch Lomond Distillery Company.

Loch Lomond has an unusual set up of stills. This allows them to release a variety of bottlings of both malt and grain whisky. A few of the other releases in the portfolio include Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Crotengea, Glen Douglass, and Craiglodge, to name a few.

Also Read: Glen Scotia 15 yo whisky

The Loch Lomond Signature is made up of malt and grain whisky, which are blended and then added into the distillery’s 100 cask Solera system. The Loch Lomond Solera ageing process is made up of Oloroso sherry casks and re-charred American oak casks.

It falls squarely in the affordable category and retail at around R380 in South Africa. Not a bad price for a dram. But the more important question remains, what does it taste like?

Loch Lomond Signature Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light gold

NOSE: Sun-dried grapes, hints of plump red cherries, bits of chocolate, oak and ginger.

PALATE: Dried fruit and sherry notes mixed with summer spices, vanilla and creamy oak. Water softens the Signature taste and takes away a bit of the sharp edges.

FINISH: Oak with lemon and pepper

RATING: VERY GOOD

An interesting blend from Loch Lomond distilleries. Worth a try. This is a distillery I will keep on exploring. The brand and taste variety they offer is impressive and quite a few of the releases are available in South Africa.

Another release from this distillery I have tried is the Loch Lomond 12 yo, Loch Lomond Single Grain whisky as well as the Loch Lomond Original whisky.

Also Read: Galloway Single Grain whisky

Balblair 2003 Vintage Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/12/2018

In Single Malt whisky

Another of the miniature bottles I found while cleaning up my whisky storage area; the Balblair 2003 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. This little bottle was leftover from a Balblair Twitter tasting a couple of years ago.

The Balblair distillery was founded in 1790 by John Ross. The distillery was in the Ross family for three generations, and the business was passed down from grandfather to father and son.

The opening of the railway near the distillery, it made shipping their whisky to England and the world more accessible for the Ross family. In 1895 the distillery moved even closer to the railway line and had a refurbishment where all the equipment was replaced by the latest technology.

However, the original water source, the Ault Dearg burn, that was used during the early years was deemed so significant that Balblair distillery still makes use of it. The distillery changed hands a few times and in 1996 Balblair Distillery was purchased by Inver House Distillers Limited.

Other distilleries owned by Inver House include the Speyburn, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney and the Balmenach Distillery, as well as the Hankey Bannister and Catto’s blended whisky brands, are part of their portfolio.

The Balblair 2003 single malt was distilled in 2003 and bottled in 2015. The release was matured in second fill bourbon casks. The price for the Balblair 2003 whisky is around R 650 in South Africa.

Also Read: Toor Whisky

Balblair 2003 Vintage Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Quite light golden amber

NOSE: Notes of freshly cut oak, vanilla, spring flowers, fruit sweetness and a bold maltiness with hints of honey and spices.

PALATE: Peppery spice and orange blossoms, fresh mint, oak with faint hints of caramel. The 2003 single malt is creamy and smooth. With water, there is more honey sweetness. Faint hints of chocolate cherries in the background.

FINISH: Spicy with a bit of pepper and oranges

RATING: EXCELLENT

A delicious dram. Not heavy or intense, but with enough character to make you sit up and take notice. This dram is the perfect pre-dinner drink. It has a bit of alcohol heat that water tones down, but be careful when adding water. You need to add only a few drops of water to soften the dram.

Balblair whisky is bottled in vintage-looking bottles that stand out in my collection. The bottles don’t have age statements but indicate the year that the spirits were distilled on the label.

Not too many of the older bottlings are still available in SA, but I notice that WhiskyBrother Shop still has a Balblair 1989 as well as some Balblair 2003 available.

The current bottling out at the Distillery is the Balblair 2005. During 2019 the distillery started releasing age statement whiskies starting with a Balblair 12 yo and going up to a 25 yo whisky. The range also includes a Balblair 17 yo whisky that is only available in travel retail.

Also Read: Dalmore Cigar Malt whisky

Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/05/2018

In Blended whisky

In my collection, there are a few open bottles that I have not written about yet. One of them is nearly empty – the Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old blended Scotch whisky. This release has been discontinued and replaced with something else, so I better capture the tasting notes quickly, while I still have something left to drink.

The Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old whisky was created in 1920 by Sir Alexander Walker to commemorate the Johnnie Walker Company’s 100 years in business dating back to 1820. Although it was discontinued during the war due to a shortage of blending stocks, the label was reintroduced in 1992.

They based the blend on the original blending notes left by Sir Alexander seventy-five years earlier. It’s a blend of 15 different whiskies including some Talisker (the general character); Clynish (for the brine and seaside ambience); Royal Lochnagar (for the luxurious palate) and Cardhu (for the finish).

All the whiskies are a minimum of 18 years old. Looking at my bottle and the packaging, it is probably the second generation release that was available from 2009 until 2013.

Also Read: Benriach The Smoky Twelve Whisky

This Gold Label Centenary Blend then was replaced by two releases: The Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 year old whisky and the Gold Label Reserve Scotch (NAS). The only place where I still see the Centenary Blend is on the big whisky auctions. At a somewhat crazy price.

Jim Murray awarded this Gold Label blend 96 points in his Whisky Bible, which is not too bad.

Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Bright gold

NOSE: Malt and barley with hints of smoke, oaky spices and sun-dried grass, rich and complex with a fruity sweetness. Every time you smell it, it brings different notes. Apples and cinnamon hints balanced with fresh flowers. Inviting and delicious.

PALATE: Honey and apricot jam, hints of malt and cream, cream, toasted oak spices with smoky hints. Rich and complex but very drinkable. Elegant with bits of cinnamon and dried fruit, with a splendid balance between sweet and spice. Adding water makes this even more drinkable. The Johnnie Walker Gold Label is one of my favourites from the brand.

FINISH: Long and lingering with notes of honey and green grass

RATING: EXCELLENT

What a delicious dram. I just love the rich, fruity notes balanced with the smoky hints. I will be rather sad when this bottle finishes. From what I have read, the Gold Label NAS release is not close to as delicious as this.

The Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old blended Scotch whisky is a dram that is worth saving for a special occasion and then celebrating in golden style.

I have done a side by side comparison between this Gold Label and the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label, and following the link will allow you to see the results.

Also Read: Glenmorangie 18 yo whisky

Glen Scotia 15 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/29/2018

In Single Malt whisky

My second blog post on the Glen Scotia miniatures. I found this at the back of my cupboard while cleaning my whisky room. Last time I looked at the Victoriana whisky and today I look at the Glen Scotia 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The golden days of Campbeltown were before Prohibition. Today there are only 3 distilleries left from the original more than 20. Glen Scotia along with Springbank and Glengyle still keep this unique Scottish region tastes alive. The characteristics of Campbeltown whiskies are a complex mix of flavours.

The characteristics of Campbeltown include a dryness with spicy fruit sweetness, smoke and a hint of saltiness. Imagine a cross between the Lowlands and the Western Highlands with a pinch of Island salt thrown in.

Stewart, Galbraith and Co. founded Glen Scotia in 1832 and it was family-owned until 1919. A turbulent period followed and much-needed stability arrived when the Loch Lomond Group bought the distillery.

The Glen Scotia range includes some core Single Malt expressions:

Double Cask
Victoriana
18 Year Old
25 Year Old

The Glen Scotia 15 year old whisky was released in 2015 and has been aged in specially selected American oak casks. It retails for around R800. Not a bad price for a 15 year old whisky. But the question is always; what does it taste like?

Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo whisky

Glen Scotia 15 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Campbelltown

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden Honey

NOSE: Barley, toasted oak, apricot sweetness with a lemony zest. Hints of spices and freshly baked goods.

PALATE: Small jam tarts, candied ginger and vanilla with fresh apricots. The Glen Scotia has a fruity sweetness that is balanced by a spicy bite with little bits of orange peel.

Slight hints of freshly baked apple pie and a salty note somewhere. Adding water makes the Glen Scotia 15 year old very drinkable without diluting the sweetness and spice balance.

FINISH: Medium length ending on fruity sweetness and orange peel with hints of pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Glen Scotia 15 year old single malt whisky is nicely balanced and makes for smooth drinking. And best of all, it is not a bad price for a 15-year-old whisky. Excellent addition to any collection and probably one of the more drinkable Campbeltown releases available in South Africa.

Have you tried this release yet?

Also Read: Longmorn 15 yo Scottish whisky