Whisky of the Week

Wemyss Malts The Hive Whisky

On 04/23/2018

I have had a long love affair with Wemyss Malt releases. Since the first time I tasted Wemyss Malts in Dullstroom, I have been in love. The collection of Wemyss whisky in Wild About Whisky is extensive. They have an incredible range of Wemyss single cask releases available, and when we visited, I tasted my way through quite a few of them.

Unfortunately, up to about a year ago, there were no Wemyss Malts releases available in South Africa. The few limited releases I managed to get, we brought back from our travels to the UK. This changed with Wemyss bringing a few of their standard releases into SA. I got my hands on the Wemyss Malts The Hive blended malt whisky release and could not wait to write about it.

Wemyss is known for their Single Cask releases that are named for their taste notes. I have a bottle of Wemyss Brandy Casket, Wemyss Gooseberry Marmalade and Wemyss Sweet Mint Infusion whisky and as you nose and taste them, you can immediately pick up the notes.

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

Launched in 2011, Wemyss Malts The Hive has no-age-statement (NAS). In 2016 Wemyss released a Batch Strength limited editions, of which 6,000 bottles were produced at 54.5% ABV. Sadly this is not (yet) available in South Africa.

Wemyss Malt 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 ten single malts. The Wemyss blended malts are non-chill filtered.

Also Read: Muirhead Silver Seal Maturity whisky

Wemyss Malts The Hive Whisky Review

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Rich gold

NOSE: Honey sweetness, malt and oak with bits of vanilla, ginger and faint hints of citrus.

PALATE: Wemyss Malts The Hive has heaps of honey, freshly baked apple pie, vanilla sugar, oak with hints of pepper and ginger. A bit of an alcohol burn and adding water makes it easier to drink and releases more of the honeycomb sweetness. Rich and delicious.

FINISH: Medium length that ends in honey notes.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a great blended malt, not the most complex, but easy drinking and fun. Perfect for summer! It just needs to breathe a bit. Let it stand for a few minutes and add enough water. Other Wemyss releases that I have tasted and written about include the Wemyss Malts Dark Chocolate Orange as well as the Wemyss Velvet Fig blended Whisky.

Also Read: Tomatin 12 yo Whisky

Armorik Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/09/2018

In Single Malt whisky

It is the 3rd time this year that I try a world whisky, and this week it is from France. It is the Armorik Millesime 2002 single malt whisky. The Warenghem distillery is located in Lannion, in Brittany. They have been distilling quality liqueurs and spirits since 1900 when Leon Warenghem founded the distillery and created the Elixir d’Armorique.

Since then, the distillery has created a small range of unusual fruit and plant-based liqueurs, honey liqueurs, apple brandy, beers and whiskies. I looked on the map and noticed that it was about an hours drive away from another French whisky distillery Glann Ar Mor.

Glen Ar Mor distillery produces Kornog. But where Glann Ar Mor is situated on the peninsula facing the rough sea, Warenghem is more inland. The sea is about 9 km away.

In 1987 the Warenghem distillery started creating blended whisky, and in 1998 their first single malt was released – Armorik. It was the first single malt in France. Armorik uses 100 % French malted barley.

The weather in the region is similar to the Scottish Highlands but slightly warmer. The angel’s share is around 3.5%. The water is from Rest Avel which translates to ‘the wind’s dwelling”.

Armorik uses a majority of refill bourbon casks made of American white oak and some refill sherry butts made of Spanish oak. They also make use of Brittany oak casks made from trees of the Cranou and Brocéliande forests. These casks bring their natural sweetness and delicate woody notes.

The core range includes Armorik Classic, Armorik double maturation and Armorik Sherry finish, all of which are available in South Africa.

Also Read: Compass Box Peat Monster whisky

Armorik Single Malt Whisky Review

John picked this bottle of Armorik Millesime 2002 up on one of his travels. It was distilled in March 2002 and bottled in May 2013. It was matured in cask No. 3300, with an outturn of 728 bottles. The Armorik Millesime 2002 is bottled at cask strength and was matured in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks. I have bottle 90 /728

COUNTRY: France

ABV: 56.3%

COLOUR: Copper

NOSE: Fruity sweetness, toasted malt, hints of vanilla, sherry, toffee, honey. Even at the high ABV, there is no alcohol burn on the nose.

PALATE: Without water, there is heat, burnt toast, ash, fruity notes and malt. Adding water softens the heat and a cascade of flavours come through. The burnt toast and ash changes to darkly toasted bread with heaps of fresh butter, the fruit become sweeter and hints of honey and sherry come through. Vanilla sweetness and smoky, nutty hints.

FINISH: After adding water, malty goodness and honey.

RATING: EXCELLENT

When I had a first sip of the Armorik Millesime 2002 without water, I thought, ” oh hell no”. Then I added a (fair) bit of water and all the discordant notes softened into a beautifully balanced, coherent unit.

A great balance between the sherry notes and the bourbon vanilla with lashings of malty goodness. I certainly need to try more from this unique French distillery.

Also Read: Hammerhead 1989 Vintage whisky

The Singleton 15 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/26/2018

In Single Malt whisky

On February the 8^th, the world celebrated International Scotch Day. Initiated by Diageo, International Scotch Day was started to celebrate everything that gives the world’s favourite dram its unique character, flavour and personality. Over 70 countries worldwide had celebrations with large-scale events held in India, Mexico and South Africa.

I was privileged to share this day with model Shanina Shaik, one the Global Ambassadors for International Scotch Day. Diageo celebrated the day in style.

Held in the very hip Bolton Road Collection bar, Diageo treated guests to a variety of whisky-based cocktails and several glasses of Scotch. One of the releases I was fortunate to taste was the Singleton 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

I have tasted the Singleton 12 year old whisky and the Singleton Tailfire before. The Singleton 12 year old was my first introduction to this whisky from this Dufftown distillery in Banffshire in Speyside, so it was exciting to taste a bit more from this distillery.

According to some research, the Dufftown is one of the larger producers in Diageo’s whisky portfolio. However, Diageo markets only 3-4% of the malt as single malt. The majority of the alcohol produced is used in blends such as Bells Blended whisky and Johnnie Walker.

The Singleton 15 yo whisky was initially released for the travel retail market but is now available in general retail. It is aged in a mix of European and American oak casks.

Also Read: Dewar’s 15 yo whisky

The Singleton 15 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich Gold

NOSE: Sweet fruitiness, oak, hints of honey, sweet anise seed spices mixed with ripe fruit, cereals and sugar cookies. Not the most complex nose, but bold and delicious.

PALATE: Sweet honey, pears, lightly toasted oak, white pepper, malt, vanilla and fresh plums. Nicely balanced between the sweetness and the spices. Needs a bit of water to release more complexity. Easy drinking.

FINISH: Sweet with hints of malt and pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is an easy-drinking 15 year old whisky. Indeed not the most complex whisky I have tasted this year, but it is fun, creamy and delicious with a great balance between sweet and peppery spices. According to the Malt.com, this Singleton 15 year old Scotch is perfect when paired with milk chocolate. Now that is a pairing I can get behind.

The Singleton of Dufftown range includes the Singleton Sunray’s as well as a Singleton 18 year old whisky. A traditional hip flask inspired the unique Singleton bottle shape. It retails for around R900 which is comparable to the Glenfiddich 15 year old.

Have you tried this Dufftown release yet?

Also Read: Balblair 15 yo whisky

Talisker 10 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/19/2018

In Single Malt whisky

Talisker – A name I come across plenty. Friends have been sharing pictures of bottles from this distillery for ages. A book I on whisky food pairings listed this as one of the best drams to pair with food and I realised that did not have it in my collection.

We were out shopping one Saturday morning when I saw the bottle of Talisker 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky and bought it on the spot.

A few weeks later, I got around to opening the bottle. Now looking back, I can’t imagine why I waited so long. I bought this less than six months ago, and already I need to buy a second bottle.

Talisker is the oldest working distillery on the Isle of Skye. The distillery was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, on the shores of Loch Harport. The distillery was updated over the years and changed hand a few times. In 1960 disaster struck. A still-house fire tragically destroyed the distillery.

Fortunately, the distillery was completely rebuilt. Exact copies of the old stills and five replicas of the original stills were constructed to maintain the preservation of the original Talisker flavour.

The malted barley used in production comes from Muir of Ord. Talisker whisky is typically peated to a phenol level of approximately 18–22 parts per million (ppm). Combine this with the harsh terrain and mineral-rich water from Cnoc nan Speireag; this creates a specific taste profile that is typical Talisker.

Diageo added Talisker to its Classic Malts portfolio together with Glenkinchie and Laphroaig, to name a few. The Talisker 10 yo single malt whisky is the lead whisky of Johnnie Walker Red Label. Other releases in the Talisker range include the Talisker Skye and Talisker Storm single malt whisky.

Also Read: Highland Park 1997 Vintage whisky

Talisker 10 year old Whisky Review

The Talisker single malt whisky is mostly aged in American oak casks.

ABV: 45.8%

COLOUR: Warm bright gold

NOSE: Peat, smoke, waves of salty sea air with hints of dried fish and seaweed. There are hints of fresh fruity sweetness and orange blossoms. Inviting and refreshing.

PALATE: Peat, smoke with hints of ash and salt. It is all wonderfully balanced out with a fruity sweetness with hints of pepper and malt. Just wonderfully delicious. There are faint hints of chocolate in the background. Adding water releases a bit more of the fruity sweetness.

FINISH: Rich and rewarding ending on notes of faint peat, bits of pepper and soft sweetness.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Talisker 10 year old an exceptional single malt Scotch whisky. It is certainly not the most complex whisky, but it is creamy and wonderfully balanced. This combination ensures that it is easy drinking and delicious. If I can take only one bottle with me to a desert island, it would probably be this one.

Best of all, it is not that expensive either. It retails for around R680 in South Africa and ₹ 5,610 in India. If you have not yet tried this release, what are you waiting for?

I saw a book that paired the Taliskers 10 year old whisky with so many dishes. The book was called ‘Whisky & Food’ by Jan Groth and Arne Adler and they were correct. The Talisker 10 year old whisky is perfect to pair with food, including seafood such as freshly shucked oysters. It also works very nicely with Comté cheese.

As part of my comparative series, I did an evaluation between the Talisker 10 and the Ardbeg 10 year old whisky. Follow the link to see how they stack up against each other.

Also Read: Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 year old whisky

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 02/12/2018

In Single Malt whisky

Many years ago, I worked for the South African Breweries. Based in Johannesburg at the Sandton head office, I had regular visits to the various distilleries. Each distillery has an individual culture, but the one constant was the smell. The delicious, malty, hoppy aroma of beer being brewed.

It is a lovely smell; a warm, comforting cup of Horlicks smell. One of my favourite breweries to visit was Prospecton, on the Durban South coast. When you arrived, the malty aroma mixed with warm sea air. It was just incredible.

It has been many years since I was in Prospecton, but last year, nostalgia overcame me when Glenfiddich launched the Glenfiddich IPA Cask. I was fortunate to be one of the first people in SA who tasted the new Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask single malt Scotch whisky.

When I nosed it, I was reminded of walking around Prospecton brewery, the sea air, and the malted barley. It was just perfect. I had to add this Experimental release to my whisky collection.

During 2016 Glenfiddich released the first two expressions in their Experimental series. Glenfiddich IPA Cask and Project XX. During 2017 a third expression was released, the Glenfiddich Winter Storm. A 21 yo whisky finished in rare Canadian ice wine barrels.

I have tasted many Glenfiddich releases; it is a distillery that I love. But today is about the IPA Casks bottling. A single malt whisky finished for three months in casks seasoned with India Pale Ale. India Pale Ale is an ale that had been brewed from pale malt.

Also Read: The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Whisky Review

The Glenfiddich IPA Cask whisky is a NAS released. It is not the first whisky finished in a beer cask. During 2017 I tasted the Jamesons Caskmates also finished in Stout beer casks. But will this release stand out?

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich gold

NOSE: First on the nose is the hops, the smell that takes me back to my days visiting breweries. Toasted oak, fruity sweetness, freshly cut pine needles and faint floral hints with bits of spices.

PALATE: The palette is exciting. It has a unique freshness and crispness to it. Medium-bodied with creamy sweet summer fruit, hints of lemon pepper balanced with dried oak and toffee sweetness. It’s not the most complex whisky, but it works well. I almost get a whiff of malted porridge as well. This dram is so easy to drink without water. The addition of water adds smoothness but masks some of the subtle notes. I would not rush to add water to this.

FINISH: The finish builds beautifully and richly, ending on crisp notes of oak and pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The IPA Cask Experiment is an easy-drinking whisky. It is refreshing, fun and unpretentious. A very successful experiment. It pairs wonderfully with steak and probably most foods that you would pair with a beer. It is a bottle I can quickly finish and I don’t think it will see the end of this year.

Have you tried the Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask whisky, and what was your thoughts?

I asked Instagram to vote between the Glenfiddich Project XX vs Glenfiddich IPA Cask. This was the results…

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