Tag: Picard Vins and Spiritueux

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.

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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.

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My never-ending quest to find affordable, drinkable whisky. Finding well priced blended whiskies is relatively easy. There are plenty of them around, and some of them are quite good. However, single malt whisky is a different story. There are not too many new single malts available at a reasonable price in South Africa.

With the worldwide increase in single malt prices and our unstable currency, it might become even more difficult in future. My ongoing search led me to the Muirhead Silver Seal Maturity Highland single malt Scotch whisky. I found it at a Pick n Pay. I have never heard of Muirhead, but it was in the affordable category, so I grabbed it.

Muirhead is owned by Picard Vins & Spiritueux S.A. An affiliate company that also owns Tullibardine and Highland Queen. According to some research, the brand is today distributed in over 30 markets around the world, both under the Muirhead’s Blue Seal range of blended whiskies, and the Silver Seal range of single malt whiskies.

The Muirhead Clans’ slogan is part of the labelling. It reads: “Auxilio Dei” which means “By the Help of God”. The name Muirhead means, “Head of the Moor” or “Highest Point of the Moor” in Gaelic.

Muirhead’s Silver Seal Maturity single malt whisky is aged in oak barrels for 5 years and from the Scottish Highlands. It does not state a distillery name.

Also Read: Glenmorangie 18 yo whisky

Muirhead Silver Seal Maturity Whisky Review

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ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Sunset yellow with bits of yellow floating around.

NOSE: The first notes that come through is barley, spices and oak. Hints of  condensed milk and marshmallow provide a sweet side. There is a bit of raw alcohol on the nose. The nose is not quite as rich or complex as I would have hoped for, and it seems a bit young.

PALATE: It has quite a nice mouthful feeling. Without water, there is a bit of an alcohol bite and some raw edges. The initial palate is a bold winter spice, but not in a negative way. After a while, some of the sweetness and richness comes through slowly.

There are notes of oak, lemon drops and barley. The addition of water makes the Muirhead Silver Seal softer and takes away some of the harsher alcohol notes. The water also releases more of the sweetness and vanilla and make the dram more drinkable.

FINISH: The finish is long and lingering and builds slowly to a nice warm feeling in your stomach. It ends in oak, lemon drops and barley.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Muirhead has an interesting flavour profile. For me, it’s a whisky that I could picture in the middle of winter, in front of a fire after dinner, when you are having a philosophical conversation with someone.

Indeed a good buy at the affordable price point. It is inexpensive but does not taste cheap. It is very similar to the Highland Queen. I would nearly venture to say that it is a spicier version of the Highland Queen. Have you tried this Muirhead whisky release yet?

I was surprised to spot some of the Muirhead Silver Seal Maturity whisky in the US. It is the Muirhead Silver Seal 20 year old whisky that is not available in SA, but it was interesting to see it there.

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I had to pick up a gift in Pretoria the other day, and as I was a bit early, I stopped at the closest shopping centre for a cup of coffee. While strolling around looking for the best coffee place, I walked into a Checkers Liquor store, and much to my surprise, saw a bottle of single malt that I have not noticed before.

It was a Highland Queen Majesty single malt Scotch whisky, and it retailed for around R200. In South Africa, most single malts retail for slightly more. So finding an affordable single malt was very interesting. After a few Twitter conversations about this brand, I went back and grabbed a bottle.

The Highland Queen Scotch Whisky Company produces and distributes whisky and operates as a subsidiary of Picard Vins & Spiritueux S.A. Picard also owns Tullibardine. I tasted both the Tullibardine 1993 Vintage and the Tullibardine Sauternes Cask whisky a while ago and loved it.

In 1893, Roderick Macdonald decided to set up his own business. He had previously worked as an apprentice in the Scotch whisky trade, and his dream was to become a whisky blender. The company was known as Macdonald & Muir Ltd.

Macdonald named his whisky the Highland Queen. This name originates from the connection to the port of Leith and the original production site of Macdonald & Muir. I see that Master of Malt has quite a variety of releases from this company.

It was close to the spot where Mary Stuart made a triumphal return from France. She was later to be crowned Queen of Scots, creating one of Scotland’s most famous legends. Macdonald & Muir acquired the Glenmorangie Distillery in 1918 to supply the whisky for the base of his famous Highland Queen blend. Picard’s bought the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie Plc in 2008.

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Highland Queen Majesty Whisky Review

The Highland Queen Majesty single malt Scotch whisky does not have an age statement. There is also no distillery mentioned. The Highland Queen Majesty was aged in oak casks.

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden wheat.

NOSE: Fresh tropical fruit notes intertwined with oak and hints of spice. There are traces of vanilla and cereal.

PALATE: Notes of tropical fruit, oak and muscovado sweetness. There are faint hints of coffee, vanilla custard and toffee. The Highland Queen Majesty is not a complex dram.  Adding water releases more oak and softens the sweetness. There are plenty of spicy notes, including pepper and nutmeg.

FINISH: Medium length and end in spicy notes.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is an affordable, easy-drinking whisky. Nothing that is going to blow you away, but decent enough. The Highland Queen should work great in cocktails. Also, the spiciness of the whisky allows it to pair quite nicely with a piece of mature cheddar cheese. It is robust enough to stand up to the richness of the cheese.

Have you tried this Highland Queen release? I found the Highland Queen whisky release in the USA, as well.

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A new distillery for me, I am trying the Tullibardine 1993 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. The history of Tullibardine as a site for brewing and distilling is one of the longest in Scotland. The site on which Tullibardine stand was once home to a brewery.

It is claimed that King James IV purchased beer at this brewery to celebrate his coronation at Scone Palace in 1488.In 1503 the brewery received the first Royal Charter issued by James IV. It was awarded to recognize the excellent beer produced.

Tullibardine then disappears off the pages of history.  In 1947 architect William Delmé-Evans rediscovered the disused brewery.

He began converting the remaining buildings into a distillery. The first spirit was distilled in 1949 at the newly named Tullibardine Distillery. Named for Tullibardine Moor, the distillery draws its water from the Danny Burn.

It lies to the southwest of Blackford, in the Scottish Highlands. The area is renowned for the purity of its water. The water that reaches the distillery has taken 15 years to reach the Danny Burn through the underlying rocks.

The distillery was mothballed in 1995 by the then-owner Whyte & Mackay.  Production resumed in 2003 when it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd.  In November 2011, the distillery was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux.

With such a complicated history, punctuated by stops and starts, I looked forward to assessing this expression. The Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Edition single malt whisky is a collectors limited edition expression. It is one of several limited-edition expressions released around the same time.

Related Article:  Highland Queen whisky

Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Whisky Review

Distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2006.

COLOUR: Pale golden colour

ABV: 43%

NOSE: The first nosing impression is sweetness with a sherry undertone.  Honeycomb, spice and floral come to mind.  There is a bit of wood in the background. Fresh fruit dominates the nose after adding a drop of water.

PALATE: On the palate, the whisky is very spicy. Ginger, cinnamon and black pepper flood the mouth. There is also some oak between the spice with hints of caramel and cereals. The Tullibardine is a medium-bodied whisky and  relatively smooth but has a few edges. It is not a  complex whisky, and the spice seems to overwhelm it.

FINISH: The finish is long and lingering with a slow build to a medium body finish. It is not a spectacular end, but some condensed milk and oak come through. This whisky left us a little pondering quite a bit. It reaches for greatness but seems to fall short in a few places.

RATING: VERY GOOD.

The Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Edition single malt Scotch comes across as a little one-dimensional, possibly too spicy.  All in all, it is not a bad bottle to have in my collection. My desktop research found that Tullibardine released many limited edition expressions around this time.

With the boldness of the spices coming through, this whisky will probably pair well with food. A creamy mussel soup or a roasted rack of lamb should balance the spiciness out. I have tried the Tullibardine Sauternes Cask as well and enjoyed it more.  See my thought on this post.

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