Tag: Rating: Divine Page 6 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

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

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Islay Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/16/2015

In Single Malt whisky

John’s birthday falls on a Friday and to celebrate; I scheduled one of the peatiest whiskies in our collection as our Whisky of the Week. This week we try the Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Islay single malt Scotch whisky. It was released as one of the peatiest Ardbeg’s ever at over 100ppm.

It is from one of John’s favourite distilleries. Ardbeg lies lonely, in a small bay off the south coast of Islay. It was once a place of smugglers and illegal distillation. The illicit distillers took advantage of the isolated place and incomparable conditions for whisky production.

Related Article: Octomore Scottish Barley whisky

It was not until 1815 that a legal distillery was established by John McDougall. Ardbeg sits near the ‘Kildalton’ distilleries, Laphroaig and Lagavulin.

With all the hype around this Ardbeg Supernova 2009 whisky release, it sold out very quickly. I managed to buy this bottle on one of the Whisky Auctions and had it shipped to South Africa. Subsequently, Ardbeg brought out the Ardbeg Supernova 2010 release.

The LVMH group owns the Ardbeg distillery. I have tried various Ardbeg releases. You can read my review of the Ardbeg Uigeadail here.

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Islay Whisky Review

REGION: Islay

ABV: 58.9%

COLOUR: A light golden wheat colour. It is a very oily whisky.

NOSE: Classic Ardbeg with peat, iodine and TCP. The peat is not overwhelming, but rather smooth and well balanced with some floral notes. There are hints of vanilla sweetness.

PALATE: Thick and creamy with peat, saltines and notes of spices. There are notes of bitter orange with some honeyed sweetness that is smoothed out after adding some water. Even though the ABV of the Ardbeg Supernova 2009 is 58.9%, there is no alcohol bite. Just smooth sweet peat and sweetness, perfectly balanced to create a fantastic drinking experience.

FINISH: Builds slowly to end in peaty, spicy notes. There are medicinal notes with hints of smoke and bitter orange again.

RATING: DIVINE

What more can I say? When Ardbeg gets it right, it’s spectacular. The Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Islay single malt whisky is utterly brilliant. Probably one of my favourite Ardbeg releases to date. Rich, complex and expertly balanced. It is just perfect. No more words are needed. What is your favourite Ardbeg?

Also read: Rum vs Whiskey

Wemyss Brandy Casket Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 02/09/2015

In Single Malt whisky

On this blog, Wemyss Malts needs no introduction. Although they are not available in SA, I have managed to get my hands on a few of their releases. I have tried both the Wemyss Sweet Mint Infusion and the Wemyss Gooseberry Marmalade and just loved them.

This week I try the Wemyss Brandy Casket – the last of the three bottles I bought.Wemyss Malts is an independent bottler. They name their whiskies after one of the prominent flavours the cask reminds them of. The Wemyss Brandy Casket whisky is a 1989 Glen Garioch single malt Scotch whisky release.

Related Article: Longmorn 15 yo whisky

Only 322 bottles were released. Glen Garioch (pronounced ‘Glen Geery’) lies at Old Meldrum’s village in the Aberdeenshire portion of the Scottish Highlands. The distillery buildings sit huddled on a little outcrop flecked with heather gorse and grasses and surrounded by barley pastures.

The Japanese Suntory company owns Glen Garioch. Records show that Glen Garioch was established in 1797 and seen as one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries. I see that there is a wide range of Wemyss releases available via Master of Malt.

Wemyss Brandy Casket Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Rich copper. It is a very oily whisky with long slow fingers forming in the glass.

NOSE: is sweet with brandy and brandied raisins coming straight from the bottle. There are hints of cognac floating around with bits of sweet spice. Adding water releases more florals and some fruit appear on the Wemyss Brandy Casket nose.

PALATE: On the palate, without adding water, it is very complex and interestingly spicy. There are notes of cinnamon and nutmeg intertwined with the brandied sweetness. Adding water releases more of the sweeter spices and brings forward butterscotch and caramel.

After adding a bit of water to the Brandy Casket, the oak is also more pronounced. It has an oily mouthfeel and is a medium-bodied whisky. It is rich, smooth and complex and reminiscent of cognac. There are hints of sweet sandalwood and vanilla.

FINISH: The Wemyss Brandy Casket finish is long, lingering and warming. It ends in notes of spice and oak.

RATING: DIVINE

A fantastic whisky that leaves me with a smile on my face and reaching for a second (and third) glass. The Wemyss Brandy Casket single malt whisky reminds me a bit of cognac. If you love cognac, you will love this whisky.

I see that this limited edition is sold out at Master of Malt, so this bottle will be treated with very special care and only taken out for very special occasions.

Update: Wemyss Malts is slowly becoming more accessible in SA, and I have written about Wemyss The Hive whisky over here.

Also Read: GlenDronach 13 yo whisky

The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/13/2014

In Single Malt whisky

I heard that The Glenlivet Distillery was releasing a limited edition whisky with little details. It sounded quite mysterious and interesting. Lucky for me, WhiskyBrother, my favourite whisky shop, had a few bottles of this Glenlivet Alpha single malt Scotch whisky available, and Marc kept one for me.

Only 3,350 bottles were released worldwide. No tasting notes. No cask details. Just trust in The Glenlivet, that they know how to distil great whisky. During the run-up to the release, there were some online teasers and sensory challenges.

Master Distiller Alan Winchester interacted with the online community, fielding questions. He revealed that the limited release has been matured in ‘first-fill Scotch whisky cask. The full tasting notes were only released after the Glenlivet Alpha was launched at the end of June 2013.

The Glenlivet Alpha single malt sold out very quickly. It came presented in a black bottle with minimal labelling, and the only information revealed about its contents is its strength.

It has a 50% ABV. So, after all this secrecy, online challenges and marketing effort, the most important question remains. Is this quite expensive, limited edition Glenlivet Alpha worth it?

Related Article: Bain’s 15 yo whisky

The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Golden yellow

NOSE: Visions of citrus and fruits. There are notes of oranges, pineapple and fruit mince pies blended with chunks of caramel sweetness and little hints of vanilla and spice. I added a drop of three of water and this just created the most amazingly smooth feel to the whisky.

PALATE: The palate brings more citrus and fruit notes. There are hints of coconut and marshmallow. There are tropical notes blended with spice and toffee. It is an amazingly complex whisky that just keeps on giving you different tastes every time you try it. Taking a second sip bring notes of nuts and more sweetness.

FINISH: It has a long and lingering finish. There are notes of spice, more citrus and honey. It has an amazing finish. We just looked at each other and went WOW. This amazing Glenlivet Alpha has the WOW factor. It has wonderfully layered complexity with notes of honey, caramel, marshmallow, spice and fruits. The overall experience was just amazing.

RATING: DIVINE

Without revealing the distillery, we offered it to some of our whisky friends, and they came up with the same comments and conclusion.

It is an amazing whisky. To answer the question, was it worth it? A big definite YES. Drinking this whisky is an amazing experience. Well worth the expensive price point.

Was it Whisky of the Year?

The Glenlivet Alpha is one of 2 whiskies that I shortlisted for my Whisky of the Year 2013. A truly magnificent dram! I paired this whisky with a Woolworths Clemengold Mandarin discs covered in dark chocolate for New Year.

The joint citrus in this whisky chocolate pairing became overwhelming. I then tried it with toasted coconut and dark chocolate and this worked a lot better. Other Glenlivet releases I have tried include the Whiskybrother Glenlivet 15 yo and the Glenlivet 18 year old whisky.

Also read: Glenfiddich 19 yo Madeira Cask whisky

Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/02/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Up to about 18 months ago, Taiwanese whisky was not available in South Africa. On a business trip to London during 2013, John popped into the Whisky Exchange in London. This splendid emporium of whisky is a regular stop when we are in London. John took the opportunity to acquire a few whiskies, including the Kavalan Solist ex-bourbon cask single malt whisky.

Distilled by the King Car Group, the whisky was named after the Kavalan people. They are seen as the indigenous people of Taiwan. Legend has it that the Kavalan arrived by sea from the East.

When they saw the stunning beauty of the Island, they decided to settle in the bountiful land that later became Taiwan. Who would have thought that a country usually associated with electronics would be able to produce a drinkable whisky?

Solist is German, meaning a musician in a concert who performs a solo piece. The Solist range refers to the fact that this expression is from Kavalan’s single cask releases. The Kavalan range has a musical theme that flows through more releases, such as the ConcertMaster.

The whisky is matured in hand-selected American ex-bourbon casks. It has been awarded the Best Rest of the World Single Malt Whisky 2010 and International Spirits Challenge’s gold medal 2010.

The Kavalan Solist ex-bourbon single malt whisky is bottled at cask strength and is non-chill-filtered.

Related Article: Nikka Miyagikyo whisky

Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask Whisky Review

I have Kavalan Solist ex-bourbon cask bottle no 178 of 228 from cask no B080616020.

COUNTRY: Taiwan

ABV: 57.1%

COLOUR: Rich golden yellow.

NOSE: Deep rich sherry with some vanilla and spices. The Solist show hints of caramel sweetness and dried fruit. Adding a few drops of water allows the smoothness to come through.

PALATE: Bourbon sweetness with fresh cherries. There are nuances of dried fruit, toffee balanced perfectly with spices. The Kavalan shows bits of oak and vanilla in the background. A smooth, complex whisky that makes you want to have another glass.

FINISH: Long and lingering and hugely satisfying.

RATING: DIVINE

The first words I captured on my tasting notes for the Kavalan Solist ex-bourbon cask was “WOW”! Regardless of the high ABV, it is incredibly smooth and amazingly drinkable. You don’t need water; there is no alcohol heat.

The Solist ex-bourbon cask was my Whisky of the Year for 2013! Lately, there has been an influx of releases from this amazing distillery into SA, and I hope to add to my collection soon with a few more bottles. If you buy one bottle of whisky only this year, this is the one to get. It is so worth it.

I have also paired this special dram with some dark chocolate enrobed cherries, and it was a match made in heaven.

Also Read: Glen Moray Classic whisky