I opened this bottle a few months ago but have been too busy to accurately capture the deliciousness of the Loch Lomond Buitenverwachting single malt 6 year old whisky. Let me say this upfront: It was the best whisky I have tasted in many, many months.
Tag: Rating: Divine Page 1 of 7
Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whiskies that I rated as Divine. Divine means that after tasting the whisky, I try not to finish the bottle in one sitting. Just perfection. Rating: Divine
It was with great fanfare that Ardbeg launched an extension to their core range – Ardbeg An Oa Islay single malt Scotch whisky. The first permanent expression to join the Ardbeg core range since Corryvreckan in 2009.
The rest of the core range include Ardbeg 10 yo and Ardbeg Uigeadail whisky. Ardbeg and Glenmorangie is part of the LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) company, and they are a great marketing company.
I was somewhat sceptical about this new release. I have been less impressed lately by the Ardbeg Day releases. Was this another premium-priced release that does not live up to the hype? In the run-up to the release of the An Oa, a rather corny video was released called ” Whisky Whispers”, about a new release coming.
Also Read: Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1994 whisky
The distillery named this release after the Mull of Oa in the south-west of Islay. The Mull offers the Kildaton some protection from the worst the Atlantic storms, and it forms the most southerly point of Islay. Maturation of Ardbeg An Oa whisky takes place in a combination of casks including PX, spicy charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon.
Then this is all married together in Dr. Bill Lumsden’s new French oak ‘gathering vat’. Ardbeg An Oa is non-chill filtered. However, the important question is, what does it taste like?
Ardbeg An Oa Islay Whisky Review
REGION: Islay
ABV: 46.6%
COLOUR: Light Gold
NOSE: Peat, creamy honey, salted liquorice with hints of cough syrup. In the middle sweet vanilla floats about mingling with bits of toasted nuts and pine needles. It’s a fascinating and glorious mix of aromas. It’s complicated, subtle and different all at once. Faint smoke lurks around.
PALATE: Ash, peat, soft honey, sweet vanilla and cinnamon sugar, hints of chocolate and toasted oak. Faint traces of lemon pepper. The An Oa has a big mouthfeel, and it’s smooth and velvety on the palate. Water softens the few rough edges and adds more sweetness. But I finished my first glass without water; it was so good. I had to pour a second glass just to test.
FINISH: Smoothly with a long and lingering finish that hug and comfort you like a favourite jersey. Filled with sweetness and bits of nut.
RATING: DIVINE
The Ardbeg An Oa whisky is not the salty, TCP and strong tar pole notes of an Ardbeg Uigeadail, but a softer, more classic version of it. To me, the Uigeadail is the sea hardened old fisherman with salt in his bones. The An Oa is his daughter that just turned 21.
Sea weathered from living next to the sea, but more feminine and softer and filled with hopes and dreams of things that do not include the ocean and fish. But she will always come back to the fisherman’s cottage, as deep down the sea is still calling.
It is seldom that we finish a bottle. Even bottles that are easily replaceable like the Ardbeg 10 yo take a while for us to finish. This bottle of Ardbeg An Oa whisky is DONE – within four months of buying the bottle. If that does not translate into DIVINE, I don’t know what does!
I asked the question on Instagram Stories – Is this worth the hype, and it seems like most people agree. The Ardbeg An Oa single malt whisky is undoubtedly worth it!
This whisky made it into my Whisky of the Year . See what happened when we blind tested all the Divine rated drams for 2018. I have also done a side by side comparison between the An Oa and the Ardbeg Uigeadail. See which one was my favourite.
During 2020 Ardbeg released a new addition to the core range, the Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 year old whisky.
Also Read : Highland Park 1997 Vintage whisky
Earlier this year, I received a Ballantine’sFinest Whisky as a gift from good friends. Neither John nor I had ever tried a Ballantine’s, so we did not know what to expect. We were blown away by what we found. Not only was it a fantastic whisky, but it also earned my first Divine rating for that year.
No blend has ever received a ‘Divine’ rating in our books. I grabbed my Whisky Bible and scanned it to see what Jim Murray’s views were. And lo and behold, he liked it as well. I was not far wrong in my views. But I noticed that he liked the Ballantine’s 17 year old blended Scotch whisky even more.
My friend Marc from WhiskyBrother tweeted that he had a few Ballantine’s 17 year old Scotch whiskies in stock. And so I added a second Ballantine’s to my collection. Ballantine’s Scotch whisky dates back to 1827. George Ballantine began supplying a selected range of blended Scotch whiskies to distinguished customers from his grocery store in Edinburgh.
Sales were good, and Ballantine employed his son, George Jr, to help with the expansion. They soon began exporting products to Europe, and the business went from strength to strength.
Based on 2012 sales, Ballantine’s is one of the top 10 whisky brands in the world. Today Ballantine’s whisky is owned by Pernod Ricard and produced in Dumbarton, Scotland.
The Ballantine’s 17 year old whisky was first blended in the 1930s and created in the true Ballantine family style. “Ballantine’s 17 year old displays all the flavours of Scotland, with a careful combination of malt and grain whiskies from all over Scotland.”
The Ballantine’s 17 year old won the Whisky Bible 2011 World Whisky of the Year. A controversial choice by Jim Murray, so I was quite interested in trying it.
Also Read: Highland Queen Majesty whisky
Ballantine’s 17 year old Whisky Review
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Golden amber. When you at first open the bottle, sherry and toffee notes float up. The Ballantine’s 17 year old makes long thick oily fingers in the glass.
NOSE: After the initial sherry sweetness, the nose brings notes of tropical fruit, pineapple and banana. There are hints of oak and cereal at the back. The nose is complex, luxurious and creamy.
PALATE: The Ballantine’s is incredibly smooth. The palate brings notes of creamy oak and spice. There are hints of vanilla sweetness balanced with little bits of smoke. It is a complex whisky that reminds us of liquid gold. Drinking this 17 year old is an amazing experience.
FINISH: Long and lingering with fruit and hints of sweetness, oak and spice at the end. This blended whisky is impressive.
RATING: DIVINE
The Ballantines 17 year old blended whisky is amazingly smooth, complex and well balanced. I can understand why Jim Murray rated this blend so highly. One of the best Scotch whiskies I have ever tasted. Perfectly balanced and complex with many intricate layers.
I will certainly extend my collection of Ballantine’s whiskies based on this delicious dram.
Note: I have been extending my Ballantine’s Scotch whisky collection with a variety of releases. Some of my favourite Ballantine’s releases include:
The first time I tasted the Bain’s 15 year old whisky was about five years ago at The Only Whisky Show when Andy Watts had some in a beautiful decanter hidden underneath the table at his Three Ships stand.
It was love at first taste. I knew that this was what, for me, perfect whisky tasted like. Unfortunately, it took a year or so before it was released as a distillery bottling.
The Bain’s 15 year old whisky is the first in the Founder’s Collection series and pays tribute to Andrew Geddes Bain, who built the Bain’s Kloof Pass. More editions in the Founders collection include the Bain’s 18 year old PX Cask, Oloroso Cask, and Fino casks. The Bain’s range has also expanded with a 10 yo Shiraz cask and even a 21 year old Double Cask.
Also Read: Scottish Leader Original Whisky
Initially, only 2 000 bottles of the Bain’s 15 yo whisky was released in June 2018 for the Mandela Centenary celebrations and the special guests attending the Barack Obama speech and gala dinner.
Fortunately, the distillery released more bottles in travel retail and the James Sedgwick distillery shop. It retails for about R1000. I have also seen this bottle in duty free in Mauritius.
Bain’s is a 100% South African yellow corn single grain whisky. The Bain’s 15 yo started life similar to the standard Bain’s whisky with an initial maturation of 3 years in first fill bourbon casks before being re-casked for a further 2-3 years in a second set of first fill bourbon casks. Then for an additional 10 years of maturing in both 3rd and 4th fill bourbon cask before bottling.
Bain’s 15 year old Whisky Review
COUNTRY: South Africa
ABV: 52.5%
COLOUR: Golden amber
NOSE: Rich vanilla and tropical fruit. Banana and sweet pineapple with hints of toasted nuts, muscovado sugar and wood. A floral hints in the background with soft black pepper. Rich, inviting, and just perfect.
PALATE: Heaven in a glass. Tropical fruit salad sprinkled with vanilla sugar and freshly baked French palmiers. Creamy and sweet with hints of cinnamon, pepper and caramelised banana. Bits of toasted wood, dried fruit and marmalade in the background.
It needs no water and is perfectly drinkable, just like it is. More creamy vanilla and pepper come to the front if you want to add a few drops of water. Medium body and perfect for summer.
FINISH: Long and lingering with tropical sweetness, cinnamon and white pepper.
RATING: DIVINE
If I can take only one whisky with me to a desert island, it will be the Bains 15 year old whisky. It perfectly balances sweetness and spices but is light and ideal for island sunshine. The Bain’s have the perfect level of spicy vanilla sweetness balanced with wood and tropical fruit to keep me happy for a long, long time. A true masterpiece!
I have also tasted the Bain’s 15 year old Sonically Matured whisky and have captured my tasting notes for this release as well.
Time for an 18 yo Highland release, so today I am looking at the GlenDronach 18 year old Allardice single malt Scotch whisky. The GlenDronach opened its doors way back in 1826. A syndicate headed by James Allardes started the distillery, and it iss located at the Dronach Burn in the Deveron area.
Ownership changed frequently and nearly all the big whisky brands owned this distillery at one stage or another. Chivas Brother, Charles Grant and William Teacher and Sons left a mark.
BenRiach’s owners purchased the GlenDronach distillery in 2008. The new owners added a visitors centre and re-launched the old core range of 12 year old, 15 year old, 18 year old and GlenDronach 21 year old whisky releases. They also introduced a Peated expression to showcase their innovative streak.
In 2016 GlenDronach (and BenRiach Distillery Company) was purchased by Brown-Forman. The GlenDronach 18 year old release is named after the distillery’s founder, James Allardice. The current Master Blender is Dr Rachel Barrie.
This single malt release was matured exclusively in ex-oloroso sherry casks and was initially released in 2009. It is not chill-filtered and of natural colour.
GlenDronach 18 year old Allardice Whisky Review
REGION: Highland
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Burnished mahogany
NOSE: A big and rich sherry bomb. So delicious with notes of Christmas cake and fresh red berries drizzled with sugar. Chocolate covered cherries and fudge with bits of cinnamon and vanilla. Something tropical in the background mixed with raisins and lemon peel.
PALATE: Brandy soaked Christmas cake sweetness, chocolate-coated nuts, stewed fruits and allspice mixed with rich sherry. Overripe figs with bits of dried orange peel, vanilla, fresh cream and pepper.
Perfectly balanced. Chewy and delicious. I finished my first glass without water. It was just perfect! Adding water releases a bit more complexity in the dram.
FINISH: Red berries and cinnamon sugar. Complex and long.
RATING: DIVINE
Just sublime! I have no other words. The GlenDronach 18 year old single malt leaves me speechless with wonder. This Scotch whisky is everything I could dream of in a whisky. Rich, delicious and perfectly balanced. Sherry sweetness, spices and fruity notes all work together to make something bold and smooth.
For me, with my sweet palate, it ticks all the boxes. I looked up at John to see his thoughts, and I could see he feels the same. Even though he prefers a peated whisky, this sherry bomb just bowled him over.
I loved the GlenDronach 12 year old release. I think the GlenDonrach 21 year old whisky should also make an appearance on my tasting lists quite soon. In South Africa the GlenDronach 18 year old Allardice single malt retails for around R1 600 and in the UK for around £180 on Amazon.
I have done a side by side comparison between the GlenDronach 21 yoParliament release and the 18 year old whisky to see how they rate next to each other.
Also Read: Amrut Two Continents Whisky