Whisky of the Week

Compass Box The Peat Monster Whisky

On 12/08/2014

The Peat Monster whisky is part of the Signature Range from the Compass Box Whisky Co. Compass Box is a specialist, small batch Scotch whisky maker. American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company in 2000.

His vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the industry’s standards for quality and style.Compass Box does not distil any of the whiskies used in its blends.

The company’s whisky makers select distillates from several existing Scotch whisky distilleries, including malts from Ardmore, Caol Ila, Clynelish, Dailuaine, Glen Elgin, Laphroaig and Teaninich.

They also make use of grain whiskies from Cameronbridge and Cambus. The selected whiskies are then blended, and the resulting blend is matured further. According to Compass Box, blending these various whiskies and then ageing them in selected woods allows for a more complex, multi-layered whisky.

This Peat Monster malt Scotch contains whisky from a few distilleries. Some were from the village of Port Askaig in Islay, with a few south coast Islay whisky too, vatted with Ardmore. It was matured in a mix of first-fill and refill American oak casks.

None of the Compass Box bottlings is chill-filtered, nor is any colouring added and are all married exclusively in American oak.

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Compass Box The Peat Monster Whisky Review

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Compass Box The Peat Monster has a light golden colour, and it seems to be a thick oily whisky in the glass.

NOSE: The peat hits you on first nosing the whisky. It has the classic Islay notes of sea and salt. It seems softer than the other Islay whiskies such as the Ardbeg on the nose. But the notes iodine and medicinal TCP lingers in the background as expected. It has faint hints of fruit lingering in the nose that comes through.

PALATE: On the palate, without the addition of water, the peat comes through straight away. With the addition of water, there are medicinal notes intertwined with hints of sweetness and fruit. The Compass Box Peat Monster is a medium-bodied whisky.

FINISH: Medium and ends in notes of peat and bits of orange and kumquat.

RATING: VERY GOOD.

It is not a very complex whisky. Compared to some of the distilleries that go into this, the Compass Box Peat Monster is more toned down and refined. The name of the whisky creates a certain expectation and sadly this does not quite life up to it. It is drinkable peaty whisky, however, it is by no means a Monster.

This dram also made it onto my favourite peated whisky list. You can read this article all the other peated drams that also made it onto the list.

Also Read: DYC 8 yo Whisky

Amrut Kadhambam Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 12/01/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Today I try a whisky from India, the Amrut Kadhambam single malt whisky. We love travelling and have been fortunate to visit many countries around the world. Few countries can compete with the intense colour, spice and the hustle and bustle that is India.

It is one of my favourite countries to visit and I have spent some wonderful times in Mumbai, Bangalore and the beautiful region of Kerala. On one of our trips, we were fortunate enough to get hold of some Amrut. We bought all our Amrut whisky releases outside of India. Amrut whisky is still fairly unknown locally.

This is however, slowly starting to change. Hopefully, on our next visit, we will be able to buy some Amrut in Bangalore. Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky, manufactured by the Amrut Distilleries in Bangalore.

It was the first single malt whisky made in India. Amrut, according to the company, translates as “Elixir of Life”. We have tried both the Amrut Fusion and the Amrut Two Continents wrote extensively about the Amrut background. We rated both these Indian whiskies as DIVINE.

Kadhambam means ‘mixture’ or ‘combination’ in the Tamil language. Amrut Kadhambam is created from Amrut single malt whisky and a small amount of Amrut Peated single malt whisky matured in 3 different cask-types.

The Amrut Kadhambam was first matured in ex-Oloroso Sherry butts, then filled into ex-Brandy casks and matured for a further period.

It is then emptied into ex-rum casks, where maturation continues. Both the rum and brandy was produced at Amrut. The three different casks each offer different tasting profiles, which make for an interesting combination.

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Amrut Kadhambam Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: India

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Dark golden colour. It is an oily whisky with long slow fingers in the glass.

NOSE: brings sherry and dark Christmas pudding combined with spices and fresh fruit. There are hints of oak in the background. After the addition of water, the oak comes through more strongly, together with barley and cereals. There are faint hints of honey sweetness mixed with faint chocolate and vanilla notes.

PALATE: Oak and spices with hints of dried fruits and plums. The Kadhambam has an oily mouthfeel and is smooth and rich. There are bits of spice, fruits and more dark chocolate in the background. The Amrut Kadhambam has a complex nose and palate.

FINISH: The best part of this great Indian whisky. It goes on and on and ends in notes of oak and spice. There are little hints of leather and tobacco.

RATING: EXCELLENT

An incredible combination of 3 different casks. Hopefully, we will visit this distillery on our next visit to India and learn more about how they make whisky in India. What is your favourite Amrut release?

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The Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/24/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Today I look at something from Macallan, the Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak single malt Scotch whisky. The Macallan distillery is a single malt whisky distillery in Craigellachie, Moray.

The Macallan Distillers Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Edrington Group. Even though Macallan is located right in the middle of the Speyside region, it’s not labelled as such.

Craigellachie falls outside of the defined “Speyside ward” boundaries as defined by the Scotch Whisky Regulations. Our bottle of The Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak whisky denotes that it is a Highland single malt.

The name Macallan is most likely derived from two Gaelic words, ‘Magh’ meaning a fertile piece of ground and ‘ellan’, meaning ‘of St Fillan’. He was an Irish-born monk who travelled widely in Scotland, spreading Christianity during the eighth century.

The River Spey, one of Scotland’s most famous salmon rivers, borders the Macallan Estate to the south and south-east. The Macallan Estate lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Initially, The Macallan releases were matured in ex-sherry casks brought to the distillery from Jerez, Spain.

During 2004, The Macallan introduced a new product range, the Fine Oak series. These whiskies are aged in ex-bourbon oak casks as well as ex-sherry casks. This range has been around for a few years now and seems to have weathered the storm it caused when it was first released.

According to John Hansell, quoted in the Malt Advocate Magazine, “The Fine Oak range is more approachable, and has the potential to be embraced by a greater percentage of whisky drinkers cutting back on the sherry reveals more of the Macallan spirit, which is first-class.”

Related Article: Glenlivet 12 yo whisky

Macallan 10 year old Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: The Macallan 10 year old has a light golden colour and is an oily whisky. The official colour description is ‘pale straw’. The long fingers on the inside of the glass point to a lot of potential.

NOSE: The first impression upon nosing the whisky is honey sweetness, oak and spice. There are notes of florals and fruit and faint hints of cereal and barley in the background. The Macallan nose is complex and crisp.

PALATE: Quite spicy without adding water. There are hints of vanilla and caramel. Water smooths the spirit and releases soft notes of butter and florals. The 10 yo has an abundance of oak notes mixed with flowers and fruit. It is a delicate whisky, and the palate is not too complex. The nose hinted at a bit more complexity and body.

FINISH: A dry medium-length finish that ends in notes of oak and leather. There are hints of spice at the end.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The nose on the Macallan 10 year old whisky promised more than what the palate delivered. I was hoping for something bolder. Sadly, I think this Highland whisky is a bit nondescript. Still, an easy-drinking whisky and a great addition to our collection. Which Macallan is your favourite?

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Benromach 10 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/17/2014

In Single Malt whisky

A while ago, my brother brought me a bottle of Benromach 10 year old whisky from one of his trips abroad. Benromach is a Speyside distillery situated near Forres in Morayshire.

It was founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman in 1898. The Benromach name originates from the Gaelic words for ‘shaggy mountain’. Benromach is fed with spring water from the Chapelton Springs in the Romach Hills beside Forres.

Together with Aberlour, Dufftown and Balblair, Benromach was one of the many Speyside distilleries designed by the renowned architect Charles Doig.

The distillery was mothballed in 1983. Before the middle 1960s, Speyside distilleries malted their own barley. They would top up their fires with cuts of local peat when coal was running low. These segments were enough to convey a touch of smoke to some of the early Speyside whiskies.

But with the arrival of new processes in the 1960s, this subtle Speyside smokiness disappeared. That is until 1993, when Gordon and Macphail reopened the distillery.

They started to produce whiskies in the classic pre-1960’s lightly smoked Speyside character. Benromach is the smallest working distillery in Speyside. The distillery prides itself on using absolutely no computers or even pressure gauges. The team manage the entire process by how the developing spirit sounds, smells and feels.

They only make use of first-fill sherry and bourbon casks. The Benromach 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky was released in 2009. It was the first aged statement bottling since Gordon and Macphail took over the distillery.

Sales have grown noticeably since the reopening. The company now exports Benromach to 42 countries across the world.

Related Article: Laphroaig 10 yo whisky

Benromach 10 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: A rich deep golden colour. It is a thick oily whisky with long fingers on the side of the glass.

NOSE: First impressions on nosing it brings spice and a bit of oak. It is not a very complex nose. After the addition of some water, the oak, cereals and barley come through with hints of sweetness and marzipan. There are slight hints of smoke in the background intermingling with more spicy hints. Adding water to this Benromach 10 yo really opens up the nose.

PALATE: This is a medium body whisky and moderately delicate. The main notes on tasting are wood and spice. There are notes of barley, hints of green herbs with tiny sparks of sweetness. Faintly you can sense more traces of the smoke in the background.

FINISH: Long and ends in notes of spice and wood. It is not a very complex whisky and has a few rough edges.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a relatively spicy whisky that should pair well with dark chocolate. I will have to try it again, but for now, it will not be one of my favourites. What did you think of the Benromach 10 year old whisky?

In 2013 Gordon and Macphail announced an expansion to meet growing demand. It included the recruitment of a third distiller and the building of more warehouses. At the World Whisky Awards 2014, Benromach 10 years old won Gold in the “Best Speyside Single Malt – 12 Years and Under” category.

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The Top 5 Blends under R500

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/12/2014

In Lifestyle

top 5 blended whiskies
Last week I about the Top 5 single malt whiskies under R500 available in South Africa. This blog post came about after a friend asked for some help in choosing whisky as a gift. This week, I continue with my recommendation and wrote a Top 5 blends under R500 available in South Africa post for this week.

These whiskies are all readily available in South Africa and will not break the bank. Additionally, they are all whiskies that we have personally tasted and rated over the last two years. These are whiskies that I rate Excellent or Divine. I have tried to include a variety to cover a broad range of tastes.

The blended whisky category was both a lot easier but also a lot harder to narrow down compared to the single malt group. There are not too many single malt whiskies available under R500. Most of the single malt whiskies retail for more than R500.

In the blended whisky category, there are too many to choose from. So, to narrow this list down to only our Top 5 blends was a bit more difficult.

Here goes, the Top 5 blends under R500 available in South Africa that you can buy with confidence. Don’t stress about Christmas presents; this list has you covered. And it wouldn’t leave you with an empty wallet.

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The Top 5 Blends under R500

Ballantine’s Finest Whisky

Ballantine's Finest whisky top 5 blends
This Ballantine’s Finest whisky is blended from more than 50 single malts (particularly Miltonduff and Glenburgie), as well as 4 single grain whiskies. I received this as a gift from good friends. It was the first blended whisky that I gave a rating of Divine.

The Ballantine’s Finest Scotch whisky has flavours of Christmas cake, dried fruit and muscovado sugar. In the background, there are hints of peat and smoke. Since tasting this, I have extended our collection of Ballantine’s whiskies with everything I can get my hands on. They are all amazing!

Black Grouse Whisky

< Black Grouse blended whisky top 5 blends
This blended Scotch whisky is a peaty version of the regular Famous Grouse. Named after the Black Grouse, a declining bird species in Europe. Jim Murray awarded it 94 points in this Whisky Bible.

I truly enjoyed this whisky and rated it Excellent. Tasting notes include peat smoke, caramel and spice. Not only peaty and affordable, but it paired remarkably well with Indian food

Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 yo blended whisky header
One of the world’s most famous premium blends,Johnnie Walker Black Label blended Scotch whisky. This 12 yo is a mixture of around 40 different whiskies. The iconic square bottle makes it one of the world’s most recognizable Scottish whiskies.

It’s also one of whisky critic Jim Murray’s favourite blends. With tasting notes that include winter spice and treacle, notes of wood smoke and creamy toffee, no wonder this is one of my top picks.

Monkey Shoulder Whisky

Monkey Shoulder Blended malt top 5 blends
Rooted in malt whisky history and inspired by the malt men who still turn the malting barley by hand, Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky made from three of Speyside’s finest single malts. The distilleries include The Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

It has notes of barley, cereals and spices mixed with honey sweetness and vanilla. I gave this blended whisky a rating Excellent. It will also make a great addition to whisky cocktails.

Three Ships Bourbon Cask Whisky

Three Ships Bourbon Cask whisky top 5 blends
This favourite blend was the first 100% South African blended whisky. The Three Ships Bourbon cask finish whisky has been finished in 1st fill American bourbon casks. The bourbon casks impart an appealing sweetness and spiciness to this great whisky.

It has notes of caramel and marshmallow mixed in between the cereal and barley. I rated this proudly South African whisky as Excellent and it just had to be on my list.

These blended whiskies are available at most major retailers. With Christmas coming up, I notice that most major brands are releasing gift pack versions of their whiskies. So not only do you get a great bottle of whisky, but there are matching gifts and special packaging. Well worth it!

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