Tag: Edrington Page 1 of 3

Edrington, formerly known as The Edrington Group, is a privately owned international spirits company based in Scotland. Brands in their portfolio include: The Macallan Whisky, Highland Park Whisky, The Glenrothes Whisky, The Famous Grouse blended Whisky and
Naked Grouse blended malt Whisky

Famous Grouse Smoky Black Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/31/2021

In Blended whisky

Today I look at a smoky budget blend; the Famous Grouse Smoky Black blended Scotch whisky. I have tasted my way through some of the top-selling budget blends this year. The Bell’s whisky was not too bad and brought back lots of childhood memories.

However, the Black and White whisky was too sweet. A characteristic of these budget blends is the very high grain percentage that leaves the dram (quite frequently) overly sweet and overwhelms many (if any) of the more peaty notes.

I was looking for a budget blend with a more peaty profile and then realized that I have not tasted or captures my tasting notes for the Famous Grouse Smoky Black whisky yet.

Famous Grouse launched The Smoky Black towards the end of 2015 to replace the Black Grouse whisky. According to some Internet research, the recipe of the Smoky Black is the same as Black Grouse whisky. It is described as a “smoky yet sweet whisky.”

The Famous Grouse blend is one of the top-selling brands globally, and as with many blends, it was conceived by a grocer and drinks merchant named Matthew Gloag. The Famous Grouse blend comprises whisky from various distilleries, including Macallan, Glenrothes and Highland Park.

Other releases in the Famous Grouse portfolio include the Naked Grouse and Famous Grouse Bourbon cask whisky. The Smoky Black is a NAS release and retails for around R 290. It is readily available in SA.

I loved the Black Grouse blended Scotch whisky and found it the perfect bottle to pair with Indian food and use in marinade for lamb. Will I love the Smoky Black Scotch just as much?

Also Read: Whisky and Pizza

The Famous Grouse Smoky Black Whisky Review

ABV:43%

COLOUR: A dark golden amber

NOSE: Hints of alcohol that first needs to evaporate. Sweetness with bits of smoke, cherries and lots of vanilla. Fresh pine needles and dry wood. Light peat and spices.

PALATE: Medium body with drying oak, peat and dried fruit. Pepper and cloves with smoke and grainy sweetness. Quite a bit of alcohol heat that needs a few drops of water to soften. It has the green Highland type of peat notes and not the fishy Islay kind of peat. Water tones down the heat but also washes out the peat. It becomes fairly sweet with water.

FINISH: Short with notes of bitter pectin, caramel and drying oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I love the new branding/packaging on this release. The bottle looks more premium when compared to the Black Grouse. However, looking at the liquid in the glass, it needs to breathe a bit for the alcohol to waft off.

Comparing it to my tasting notes for the Black Grouse, I am not convinced that the recipe stayed the same. Take into account, my last bottle of Black Grouse is long gone, and I am just comparing by memory, but I can’t remember the Black Grouse having so much alcohol heat with the grainy sweetness and very light peat.

My notes for the Black Grouse included peat and smoke followed by ginger and pepper notes, a woodiness in the palate with notes of oak and rich chocolate sweetness. I found none of that decadent chocolate sweetness with the Smoky Grouse, more of a caramel and cherry type sweetness.

The Smoky Grouse is not a bad whisky and will work nicely in a cocktail, but I am not sure that I will repurchase this bottle.

Also Read: William Lawson’s Whisky

Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 yo Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 12/17/2019

In Whisky Comparison

Today I look at a comparison of 15 year old whiskies; two classic brands. These two brands go head to head all over the world. The Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 yo single malt whisky.

Both these single malt whiskies have iconic status worldwide. They are two of the most recognizable names in whisky. But what happens when you put them in a side by side comparison.

One from Speyside and one from the Scottish Highlands. Both spent time ageing in bourbon whiskey and sherry casks. Let’s start in Speyside.

Glenfiddich 15 year old Whisky

The Glenfiddich is one of my favourite distilleries, and this release has a special place in my heart. I love the sweet fruity releases that consistently come from this Speyside distillery. Family-owned after all this time, everyone knows the classic triangular-shaped bottle of Glenfiddich.

The Glenfiddich 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky is matured in American bourbon, Portuguese sherry and virgin oak casks. The whisky is then mellowed in a handcrafted Oregon pine solera vat (that is always kept half full) before being married in Portuguese oak tuns.

The Macallan Fine Oak 15 year old Whisky

The Macallan Distillery started life as Elchies Distillery. The name changed, and it expanded as the demand for the product soared. Over time, the Macallan had become a premium brand and have some of the most expensive drams in the world. The Macallan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Edrington Group.

The Macallan Fine Oak 15 year old is a single malt Scotch aged in a combination of bourbon oak casks as well as sherry casks.

Also Read: Chivas 12 vs Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky

Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 Whisky

	Macallan 15 yo whisky	Glenfiddich 15 yo whisky
Region	Highland Whisky	Speyside Whisky
ABV	43%	43%
Colour	Golden straw	Golden red
Nose	Oak and orange blossom sweetness. It is rich and rewarding and invites you to dive in. There are faint hints of orange peel and honey.	Complex and rich with sweet sultanas, honey, stewed apple crumble with cream and caramel. Bit of oak and vanilla combining with hints of sherry and fudge.
Palate	Florals, barley, vanilla sweetness mixed with some pepper spice and nutmeg. Adding water smooths out the spiciness, but takes away some of the sweetness. Faint hints of orange blossom and fruit float about. I was expecting a lot more bourbon notes on the palate, but the bourbon notes are a very faint part of the vanilla sweetness.	There are notes of honey, oak, cinnamon and nutmeg spice, brandy-soaked fruitcake, hints of nuts perfectly balanced with more fruit and vanilla. Water just smooths out this already delicious dram.
Finish	Medium length and end in notes of oak, orange and spice.	Long and lingering with hints of malt, honey and cinnamon
My Rating	Excellent	Excellent
Comments	Great all round, well-balanced smooth whisky.	Rich, delicious, complex and easy drinking.
Price	$170	$80
Pairs well with	Wensleydale cheese or soft buttery blue cheese.	Duck, Grilled sirloin steak.

This side by side whisky comparison divided John and me. He loves the Macallan 15 year old, and I love the Glenfiddich 15 year old whisky.

The Macallan 15 year old bring notes of oak, florals, vanilla and orange blossom mixed with pepper and nutmeg. On the other side, the Glenfiddich 15 year old is brandy soaked fruit cake, nuts, oak and cinnamon. The Macallan is bolder and more spice forward than the Glenfiddich. The Glenfiddich has a more elegant complexity with a nicer finish.

I love the creamy and soft fruity sweetness of the Glenfiddich, and it will probably be one of my all-time favourite drams. John loves the bolder, spicier notes balanced with the sweetness of the Macallan.

Looking at online ratings, it seems like more people prefer the Macallan compared to the Glenfiddich. The Glenfiddich 15 year old will always have a special place in my heart regardless. But for now, we are just going to sit back and enjoy these two excellent whiskies.

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Also Read: Ardbeg Corryvreckan vs Uigeadail Whisky

The Macallan 15 Year Old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/16/2016

In Single Malt whisky

A lot has been written about the Macallan distillery and brand. Some people love it; some people hate it. Many stories about it exist; some true, some not quite. It often makes the ‘Most Expensive whisky’ lists.

If anything, it is a polarizing whisky and distillery. John loves it. I find it pretentious and old-fashioned. Regardless of my personal view, let’s try the Macallan 15 year old Fine Oak single malt Scotch whisky.

Macallan started life as Elchies Distillery. The name changed, and it expanded as the demand for the product soared. Over time, the Macallan had become very sought after. The Macallan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Edrington Group.

Related Article: The Glenlivet 18 yo whisky

Regardless of all the controversy surrounding the brand, Macallan is situated in a beautiful part of Scotland. Next to the River Spey on the Macallan Estate, it is not too far from Glenrothes.

The Macallan 15 year old whisky has been discontinued. Initially, the Macallan was matured only in oak sherry casks. The ‘Fine Oak’ series was launched in 2004. Whisky from this series was aged in bourbon oak casks as well as sherry ones. I have had it for quite a while; I just never to around to writing about it.

Macallan 15 year old Fine Oak Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: It is a beautiful golden colour. A rich straw.

NOSE: Oak and orange blossom sweetness. It is rich and rewarding and invites you to dive in. There are faint hints of orange peel and honey.

PALATE: Without water, the palate has notes of florals, barley, vanilla sweetness mixed with some pepper spice and nutmeg. Adding water smooths out the spiciness, but takes away some of the sweetness. Faint hints of orange blossom and fruit float about. I was expecting a lot more bourbon notes on the palate, but the bourbon notes are a very faint part of the vanilla sweetness.

FINISH: Medium length and end in notes of oak, orange and spice.

RATING: EXCELLENT

This 15 year old Highland whisky is not the most complex of drams. I was expecting a bit more of the bourbon complexity. But it is a great all-round, well-balanced, smooth whisky. One of the few Macallan whiskies that I actually like. Yes, this one is worth the hype!

I paired this Macallan release with some Wensleydale cheese with cranberries over HERE. I have also captured tasting notes for the Macallan 10 year old whisky as well as The Macallan 12 year old whisky. See what I think about these releases.

I have also done a side by side comparison between the Macallan and the Glenfiddich 15 year old whisky. Go and take a look at how they differ.

Also read: Johnnie Walker Premier whisky

Naked Grouse Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/02/2015

In Blended whisky

In addition to my regular single malt favourites, I add a blended whisky to my tasting schedule to spice things up now and again. Last year, this led me to the Black Grouse whisky, which I loved and I paired with some spicy Indian food. On reading up about the Grouse brand, I noted that they made a Naked Grouse blended Scotch whisky.

And with a name like that, I had to have it. So, on the way back from London, I grabbed this award-winning Grouse. I see that it is available in SA as well. The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son.

The Edrington Group owns the Famous Grouse brand as well as The Macallan, Cutty Sark and Highland Park. This Naked Grouse has a high proportion of spirit from Macallan & Highland Park. The Macallan bringing the sweet sherry influence, and Highland Park bringing a slightly malty, smoky sharpness.

This is the previous blended Scotch whisky release. The new release was relaunched as a blended malt. Other releases in the range include the Famous Grouse Smoky Black whisky.

The Naked Grouse whisky has been matured in sun-dried sherry oak casks. I have also managed to add two more bottles to my Famous collection: the Famous Grouse Port Wood Cask and the Black Grouse Alpha edition.

In keeping with the Naked theme, the labelling is limited with only a Grouse embossed in the glass. So let get Naked…

Related Article: Bell’s Special Reserve whisky

Naked Grouse Whisky Review

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: A very dark colour. It is a rather unusual dark mahogany red colour.

NOSE: Sherry sweet. It made me think of a glass of Old Brown Sherry in front of a log fire. That sticky sweet, warming smell after spending the afternoon hiking in the cold mountains. There are notes of toffee, caramel and vanilla.

Hints of cherry and ripe red fruits float around. The nose promises a rich, delicious experience.

PALATE: An interesting flavour development. The first sip is just spicy notes. Sweetness develops a bit more by the second sip. The second sip has remnants of bubblegum, plump cherries and bits of butterscotch.

But not the rich sweetness promised by the nose. There are notes of oak, cinnamon, cardamom and grape. Water softens the spices a bit but does not release any additional sweetness.

FINISH: Medium length and end in notes of dried fruit, toffee and faint hints of chocolate.

RATING: VERY GOOD

After all the positive reviews I read about this Naked Grouse whisky, as well as the rich sweet nose, I was expecting a more complex and richer dram. It did not quite live up to my expectations. What did you think of this Naked Grouse?

Also Read: Grant’s Sherry Cask whisky

Highland Park 1997 Vintage Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/29/2015

In Single Malt whisky

Today I try the Highland Park 1997 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. Highland Park distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery founded in Kirkwall, Orkney. Sweeping plains of barley fields and rocky outcrops dot the landscape around Highland Park.

It is the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland, about a kilometre further north-east than that Scapa distillery. Highland Park was founded in 1798 and officially licensed in 1826.

The name Highland Park does not refer to ‘The Highland’ area of Scotland. It refers to the point that the distillery was founded on an area called ‘High Park’ distinguished from a lower area nearby.

The distillery draws its water from the mineral-rich springs to the east of the distillery and the Crantit Spring. Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley, using locally cut peat from the Hobbister Moor.

The peat is then mixed with heather before used as fuel. Highland Park is also one of the ingredients of The Famous Grouse blend. The Highland Park distillery is part of the Edrington portfolio.

The Highland Park 1997 Vintage whisky expression was bottled exclusively for the duty-free market and is released in 1-litre bottles. Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2009, makes this a 12 year old but the bottling does not have a specific age statement.

Based on some research, this 1997 Highland Park single malt spent some time in both American oak and Sherry casks as well as some bourbon casks.

Related Article: Tomintoul 16 yo whisky

Highland Park 1997 Vintage Whisky Review

REGION: Islands

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Amber or dark gold. It is very dark in the bottle but redder in the glass. It is quite an oily whisky.

NOSE: Offers sweetness mixed with spices. There are hints of citrus, cloves and cinnamon. Some butter and toffee float around. This Highland Park 1997 whisky has a great nose, and it promises a creamy mouthful.

PALATE: A bit of let down after the promise of the nose. We looked at each other and wondered where the flavour disappeared to? It has a medium body with hints of oak, marmalade, and citrus peel. In the background, there are bits of smoke and peat mixed with custard.

FINISH: Short and ends quite abruptly in notes of wet leather and oranges.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a smooth whisky that promises much, but doesn’t quite deliver what I expected. I keep on hoping to find a Highland Park that I would love. So many people love this distillery. For some reason, every time I try it, I am disappointed.

I tried the Highland Park 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky but was not blown away. What Highland Park release do you recommend I try next?

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