Tag: Rating: Divine Page 5 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

Paul John Classic Select Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/22/2018

In Single Malt whisky

I start 2018 on an Indian note – with the Paul John Classic Select Cask Indian single malt whisky. I love exploring world whisky. Especially whisky that comes from non-traditional countries such as South Africa, France, India or Taiwan.

Drinking a whisky from a new country allows me to dream about travelling there. When I got invited to taste a few Paul John releases during a tasting at Churchills bar, I was understandably excited.

A night out, tasting whisky from a country I love to travel in – what can be better. I have been to India quite a few times. The colours and tastes of India are unique. It is a fascinating country to travel in, steeped in history and filled with amazing stories.

Tasting this whisky in Churchills far allowed me to escape back to India. I know Amrut from Bangalore well and have tasted many of their expressions, but where is Paul John distillery from?

More about Paul John Distillery

Paul John is a brand of Indian single malt whisky and single cask whisky, manufactured by John Distilleries in Goa. Mr Paul P. John founded the John distilleries back in 1992 when they began producing several spirits, including Indian molasses-based ‘whisky’.

One of their best-known products is Original Choice whisky, brandy, rum and gin. The head office is in Bangalore, but the John distillery is situated in Goa.

Goa, with its blend of Indian and Portuguese culture, has a rich colonial heritage, white sand beaches, warm weather, pleasantly charming people and wonderful food tradition.

In 2008, John Distilleries attempted a single malt whisky, and the rest is history. Paul John Single Malt was launched in 2012 in the UK, and there was an overwhelmingly positive response to the golden liquid from this Indian distillery.

Paul John whisky is made with six-row barley, harvested in the summer months to obtain that perfect maturity. Then it is double distilled in traditionally designed copper pot stills. The master distiller is Michael D’Souza.

Due to Goa’s location in a tropical zone, the angel’s share is much higher than cold Scotland. Annually evaporation in India is around 10% – 12 %. The warmer temperature also means that the whisky is ageing faster, compared to colder countries.

The Paul John Classic Select Cask Indian whisky is an unpeated single malt that has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled without chill-filtration at cask strength.

The rest of the Paul John range include the Paul John Nirvana, Paul John Brilliance, Paul John Edited, Paul John Peated, and the Paul John Bold whisky.

Paul John Classic Select Cask Whisky Review

COUNTRY: India

ABV: 55.2%

COLOUR: Golden amber with light orange hints

NOSE: First up is whiffs of alcohol. You need to let the liquid breath for a bit. After a few minutes, there is a smell of creamy sweetness. The Paul John Classic nose has notes of freshly baked apple pie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, barley, faint hints of vanilla and candied fruits. Complex and rich. There is a wholesome yumminess on the nose that invites you to taste.

PALATE: The yumminess from the nose translates onto the palate. It is a beautiful, full-bodied dram. Even at the 55.2% ABV, you don’t taste any alcohol, and I could easily finish the glass without water. The palate itself has the perfect balance between spice and sweetness.

Hints of toffee, oak, baked apples, barley with bits of vanilla floating about. Warming cinnamon and soft pepper are well balanced with honey sweetness. After adding a bit of water, the spices softened, and more honey came through.

FINISH: Warming, long, lingering, complex, rich, with hints of oak, fruit and cinnamon.

RATING: DIVINE

What a HUGE note to start the year on. Amrut set the bar very high in 2009 when they launched Fusion, and the world started noticing Indian whisky. But the Paul John effortlessly vaulted over that high bar with this Classic Select Cask release. Masterfully done!

The Paul John Classic Cask Select single malt whisky as well as the other expressions in the Paul John range is now available in SA.

This is a great dram to pair with food. I paired Paul John Classic Select Cask whisky with some Swiss Appenzeller cheese for World Whisky Day.

This whisky made it into my Whisky of the Year 2018. See what happened when we blind-tasted all the Divine rated drams for 2018. I had the fantastic opportunity to taste the Paul John Mars Orbiter Peated release and wrote about it.

Also Read: Amrut Intermediate Sherry whisky

Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 12/04/2017

In Single Malt whisky

The Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition 1990 single malt Scotch whisky – another release from the Diageo stable that I have had for AGES, but never adequately written about.

Representing the Highlands in the Diageo Classic Malts Collection Dalwhinnie, together with Oban, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin and Talisker complete the collection of the six original malts launched and marketed jointly by United distillers in 1988.

Where the Great North Road and the Highland Railway meet, the Dalwhinnie distillery was first called Strathspey. The name changed to Dalwhinnie after it was sold to a Mar A Blyth. Dalwhinnie translates to “The Meeting Place”. It is one of the highest distilleries in Scotland sitting at around 350 m above sea level.

The town with the same name has recorded some of the coldest winter temperatures and has an average annual temperature of 6.6 C. Rather cold compared to Centurion’s average winter temperature of around 17 C.

Dalwhinnie has the benefit of the clear spring water from Lochan-Doire-Uaine and an abundant supply peat from the surrounding bogs. The distillery releases a Dalwhinnie 15 year old, The Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition and a Dalwhinnie Winters Gold Scotch whisky.

Some friends joined us for this tasting, and it was exciting to share this Distillers Edition 1990 single malt with Roelia and Jan from Social Savage.

Also Read: Ballechin 10 yo Whisky

Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition Whisky

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Dark amber gold

NOSE: Dried fruit, sherry and cherries with hints of winter spice. Warming and inviting, there are faint hints of Christmas pudding and vanilla.

PALATE: Rich, creamy and complex. Notes of sherry, fruitcake and fruit mingle with nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon with hints of allspice. Hints of honey sweetness balanced with little bits of black pepper.

Adding water brings more of the winter spice to the front. The Distillers Edition whisky is a fantastic, smooth, sophisticated release. As John would say ” This properly puts a smile on my face.”

FINISH: Long and lingering alternating between the sweet vanilla and the spicy pepper with hints of sweetness. Warming.

RATING: DIVINE

A perfectly balanced whisky. The sweetness is wonderfully matched with the spiciness. The layers of tastes just keep on building. In the end, all of us agreed. This Distiller’s Edition was an amazing dram. Sadly you can’t find this release anymore. Master of Malt lists it as “discontinued”. If you see a bottle on auction, it is worth grabbing.

I loved the Dalwhinnie 15 yo Scotch whisky, but this is on a different level. In the past, I have tried the Dalwhinnie 1990 Distillers Edition with some Lindt hand-made dark chocolate and vanilla pieces. It made for a superb whisky chocolate pairing combination. I love the various Diageo Distillers Editions; we recently opened a bottle of Glenkinchie 1986 Distillers Edition, and it was amazing!

I started the year with a Divine when I tasted the Three Ships Pinotage Cask, and just before I end the year, this Divine whisky pops up. Now to see which of these two will be our “Whisky of the Year” for 2017. But that will come later. Now to sit back and enjoy more of this delicious release.

Also Read: Dimple Pinch 15 yo Whisky

Three Ships Pinotage Cask Finish Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/16/2017

In Blended whisky

The year 2016 started with a BANG. I started my tasting year with a distinctive South African whisky. It was the Three Ships PX Cask, the first in their Three Ships whisky Masters Collection. This year, I am fortunate to start on an even bigger BANG. First up is another Three Ships Masters Collection release, the Three Ships Pinotage Cask Finish whisky.

A 15 year old blend from the beautiful Wellington in the Western Cape. What makes it so very special is the ageing in the Pinotage Casks.

The 15 yo Pinotage Cask Finish is the oldest whisky crafted by Master Distiller Andy Watts. He sought to capture the unique heritage of South Africa in this vibrant, sophisticated and unique whisky.

Andy has been experimenting with ageing whiskies is a variety of casks. During October 2016, at a glittering event, the next unique ‘experiments’ was released. A whisky finished in casks previously used for the maturation of Pinotage – the uniquely South African wine cultivar.

What is Pinotage?

Pinotage is a grape variety that originated in South Africa in 1925 when Abraham Perold combined the best qualities of the robust Hermitage grape with Pinot Noir. This grape makes great wine but it can be challenging to grow. The result was a grape with high sugar levels and more intense ruby colour than the parents.

Recognition for this new grape variety came at the end of the 50s at as a Pinotage was the champion wine at the Cape Wine Show. But by the 70s, it seemed that the Pinotage lost favour and many producers uprooted large areas of well-established Pinotage vines.

A few producers, however, saw the potential of this grape and continued to look for ways to improve the quality of the grape. Their hard work and dedication paid off at the end of the 80s when a Kanonkop Pinotage won a major prize. Pinotage was back on the wine stage. And with all the exciting bottlings that have been coming out, a variety destined to stay on the stage for a long time.

Pinotage is known for red berry, plum, tropical fruit, banana, smoke, earthy and chocolate flavours. Pinotage wine pairs well with roast turkey, salami, dried meat, Spanish or Italian food, aged gouda and cheddar.

Also Read: Private Barrel Co James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo whisky

Three Ships Pinotage Cask Finish Whisky Review

The grain and malt portions were first matured separately in American casks before being finished for different periods in eight casks previously used for Pinotage. For this tasting, I was joined on Twitter by talented photographer Nymless.

REGION: World Whisky, South Africa

ABV: 46.2%

COLOUR: Golden blush pink

NOSE: Berries, sweet caramel, fresh fruits, vanilla, oak, butterscotch, strawberry jam and grapes. The nose is rich and complex.

PALATE: Without water, the palate has pepper, toffee, creme brûlee and hints of toasted oak. Water releases complexity and richness. The fruity nose becomes defined fruits.

Apples, bananas and berries mixed with a cereal maltiness. Honey sweetness balanced with cinnamon and vanilla. Little hints of pepper for bite. Floral sweetness. The Three Ships Pinotage Cask has a HUGE personality.

FINISH: Long and lingering with sweet, fruity notes, cinnamon. Leaves you wanting more!

RATING: DIVINE

It was unanimous. All 3 people across the country gave it the same score.

What a great whiskey @ThreeShipsSA a rich, complex beauty worthy of the masters collection #PinotageCaskFinish

— Just Wayne (@waynewolmarans) January 13, 2017

Wonderfully delicious! A true piece of South African history. I love the Three Ships brand, team and whisky.

Because I know the people that make this whisky, I run the risk of making an emotional rating. I want to keep my ratings as objective and as sensible as possible. Without me knowing it, a few weeks before this tasting, I made the same call on a blind tasting of the Pinotage Cask.

We were playing Monopoly with our 5-year-old daughter. It was a rainy afternoon, and I asked John to pour me something aged in sherry. He came back with a glass and handed it to me. I tasted and realised it was not a sherry cask.

But I was unsure what whisky he poured me. John knew that we were tasting the Pinotage Cask a week later, so I was not expecting him to open that. He asked what I thought of the whisky and it inadvertently became a blind tasting. I immediately rated it, Divine. So no, the Divine rating is not exaggerated or an emotional rating. It is an exceptional whisky. A HUGE whisky to start 2017 with,

Three Ships Pinotage Cask Finish Whisky and Food

If you like drinking pinotage, this is a whisky that you will enjoy. It has the same fruity, earthy notes of a great pinotage, but with the rich malty cereal whisky notes.

I preferred the Pinotage Cask Finish with a few drops of water to release more of the fruity tones. It will pair well with foods such as cured meats, a great cheddar and a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese.

During 2021 the James Sedgwick distillery released a grain whisky finished in a red wine cask, the Bain’s Shiraz Cask Finish whisky.

Also Read: Three Ships 6 yo That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Ballantine’s 17 yo Scapa Signature Distillery Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/13/2016

In Blended whisky

Today I look at the Ballantine’s 17 yo Scapa Signature Distillery blended Scotch whisky. I have often written about my love for Ballantine’s whisky.

Ballantine’s Finest was the first blended dram to earn a Divine rating. The highest rating on my rating scale. I try to extend my Ballantine’s whisky collection whenever I can. I also love the standard 17 year old whisky from Ballantine’s.

Then I saw that Chivas Brothers launched four Ballantine’s expressions under the new line, Signature Distillery Editions. Scapa (targeted at the Korean market), Glenburgie (release for travel retail), Miltonduff and Glentauchers.

According to Sandy Hyslop, Ballantine’s master blender:
“Ballantine’s 17 Year Old is a blend of more than 40 different malt and grain whiskies from all over Scotland, but Scapa, Glenburgie, Miltonduff and Glentauchers stand out as having played a monumental role in the blending process of our master blenders over the years.”

The Signature Distillery Editions are intended to highlight each of the blend’s major contributing distilleries’ character and influence.

The Ballantine’s 17 yo Scapa Signature Distillery Edition whisky has been created to enhance the influence of Scapa and to highlight this Orcadian part. Situated on the island of Orkney in the Northern Highlands, Scapa is not far from Highland Park.

John managed to find a bottle on his travels and brought it home. However, this blend has stood on my shelf for nearly a year, and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to taste it. Today turned out to be that opportunity.

Also Read: Glengoyne 17 yo whisky

Ballantine’s 17 yo Scapa Edition Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light golden.

NOSE: There is so much going on in the nose. It is a riot of ripe fruit, marshmallows, toffee, cherries and raisin pudding. In the background, there are faint hints of salt, seaweed and smoke. There is a wonderfully rich, complex, layered nose to this whisky.

PALATE: On the palate, there is sweetness, followed by loads of spice and oak. There is fruit sweetness balanced with toffee, smoke and warming spices. Even without water, this whisky is delicious and smooth. A huge mouthful. The addition of water further transforms this dram. It becomes rich and creamy and absolutely brilliant.

FINISH: Long and lingering, and build slowly. It ends in the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.

RATING: DIVINE

I fell in love with the flavour profile of the Ballantine’s brand. It has the perfect balance of rich, robust spicy sweetness; the flavour profile is for me, what whisky should taste like. There has been only one Ballantine’s that I have not rated Divine and that was the Ballantine’s 12 year old whisky.

The biggest problem with this Ballantine’s Scapa Edition? It is not available in South Africa, and it is sadly a limited release. All I want to do is sit back and pour another one. But I will be strong and save it for a special occasion.

I have also tried the Ballantine’s 30 year old whisky as well as Balantine’s Limited Edition, and you can see what I thought about it.

Also read: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label vs Gold Label whisky

Bunnahabhain 18 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/04/2016

In Single Malt whisky

Today I chat about something soft from Islay, the Bunnahabhain 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky. The sea is my happy place. I sleep like a rock when I hear the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. I love to walk for miles and miles on the beach, looking for shells and dreaming away.

We all have such a place.A place where the cares of the day, the stress of work, the burdens that we carry, disappear. A place that makes us happy. For some people, it is the mountains. John and our friend Walter find peace when they go climbing.

For some people, it is a river, or a farm or a particular city. For me, it is a small town just outside of Durban on the Kwa-Zulu Natal South Coast.

I have gone there since I was ten years old. Tomorrow we drive down to the coast for a couple of days rest with some family. And what better whisky to take with, then one of my favourite whiskies of all time, the Bunnahabhain 18 year old whisky.

Also Read: Ballechin 10 yo Whisky

For more than 130 years, Bunnahabhain has been creating memories and have a special place in Scotland’s whisky history. Derived from the Gaelic for ‘mouth of the river’, Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881. In 2003, Edrington sold Bunnahabhain to Burn Stewart Distilleries for £10 million. Currently, Distell owns Burn Stewart.

Bunnahabhain is the Northern-most Islay distillery. It sits in a large bay to the North East of the Isle, drawing its water from the Margadale Spring.

The malt supplied to Bunnahabhain is required to be at levels of 3 p.p.m. The Bunnahabhain 18 year old is a single malt matured in a combination of used sherry and bourbon casks before it is bottled without the use of chill filtration.

Bunnahabhain 18 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Islay

ABV: 46.3%

COLOUR: Dark golden amber colour with hints of red.

NOSE: The first thing that strikes me about the nose is that it’s rich and complex. The 18 yo whisky has notes of malva pudding, fruitcake sweetness, candied fruits and caramel sweetness floating about. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Faint wisps of cloves. The addition of water changes the nose quite a bit. It seems to take away some of the complexity but oddly enough brings through more of the oak and spice.

PALATE: When you try this Bunnahabhain 18 year old for the first time, all you can say is “good grief, this is wonderful”. It’s a creamy, chewy whisky, complex with a layer of nutty sweetness floating around. Behind all the nutty sweetness is a salty feel. It’s that same salty air you taste when walking on a windy day on a rocky shore by a rough sea.

After the sweetness, there are some dried citrus peel and marmalade. The addition of water adds even more smoothness and gives it a luscious feel. You can even imagine the faintest hint of smoke and peat after adding a bit of water.

FINISH: Long and lingering and warms the heart. It ends in notes spicy oak and a bit of leather.

RATING: DIVINE

I finished the first glass of the Bunnahabhain 18 year old single malt without water. It was so good. To see the impact of water, I had to have a second glass. This Bunnahabhain is seriously impressive stuff. I love it. An all time favourite!

Also Read: Macallan 15 vs Glenfiddich 15 yo whisky