Tag: Rating: Excellent Page 27 of 41

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whiskies that I rated as Excellent. Excellent means that after tasting the whisky, I want to pour a second and third glass. It is whisky that I want to keep on drinking and when the bottle is finished, I will buy another one. Rating: Excellent

Many years ago, I worked for the South African Breweries. Based in Johannesburg at the Sandton head office, I had regular visits to the various distilleries. Each distillery has an individual culture, but the one constant was the smell. The delicious, malty, hoppy aroma of beer being brewed.

It is a lovely smell; a warm, comforting cup of Horlicks smell. One of my favourite breweries to visit was Prospecton, on the Durban South coast. When you arrived, the malty aroma mixed with warm sea air. It was just incredible.

It has been many years since I was in Prospecton, but last year, nostalgia overcame me when Glenfiddich launched the Glenfiddich IPA Cask. I was fortunate to be one of the first people in SA who tasted the new Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask single malt Scotch whisky.

When I nosed it, I was reminded of walking around Prospecton brewery, the sea air, and the malted barley. It was just perfect. I had to add this Experimental release to my whisky collection.

During 2016 Glenfiddich released the first two expressions in their Experimental series. Glenfiddich IPA Cask and Project XX. During 2017 a third expression was released, the Glenfiddich Winter Storm. A 21 yo whisky finished in rare Canadian ice wine barrels.

I have tasted many Glenfiddich releases; it is a distillery that I love. But today is about the IPA Casks bottling. A single malt whisky finished for three months in casks seasoned with India Pale Ale. India Pale Ale is an ale that had been brewed from pale malt.

Also Read: The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask Whisky Review

The Glenfiddich IPA Cask whisky is a NAS released. It is not the first whisky finished in a beer cask. During 2017 I tasted the Jamesons Caskmates also finished in Stout beer casks. But will this release stand out?

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich gold

NOSE: First on the nose is the hops, the smell that takes me back to my days visiting breweries. Toasted oak, fruity sweetness, freshly cut pine needles and faint floral hints with bits of spices.

PALATE: The palette is exciting. It has a unique freshness and crispness to it. Medium-bodied with creamy sweet summer fruit, hints of lemon pepper balanced with dried oak and toffee sweetness. It’s not the most complex whisky, but it works well. I almost get a whiff of malted porridge as well. This dram is so easy to drink without water. The addition of water adds smoothness but masks some of the subtle notes. I would not rush to add water to this.

FINISH: The finish builds beautifully and richly, ending on crisp notes of oak and pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The IPA Cask Experiment is an easy-drinking whisky. It is refreshing, fun and unpretentious. A very successful experiment. It pairs wonderfully with steak and probably most foods that you would pair with a beer. It is a bottle I can quickly finish and I don’t think it will see the end of this year.

Have you tried the Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA Cask whisky, and what was your thoughts?

I asked Instagram to vote between the Glenfiddich Project XX vs Glenfiddich IPA Cask. This was the results…

Also Read: Glenmorangie Lasanta whisky

Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 12/11/2017

In Blended whisky

The bottle is nearly done, and I quickly need to capture the tasting notes for this Forty Creek Barrel Select Canadian whisky. I bought it in Canada during my July trip, and there is barely enough left for a tasting.

I was amazed while strolling through liquor stores in Vancouver that they had bottle sized up to 1.5 L readily available. Not something you find easily in SA. Also smaller sizes, such as the one I managed to bring home at 375 ml.<

Before I left for my trip, I asked the Twitterverse for some recommendations on Canadian whiskey to try. Forty Creek whisky was one of them. I love looking for unique bottles of whisky when we travel.

An unknown brand in SA, Forty Creek is part of the Campari Stable together with Glen Grant and Wild Turkey. In 1992, John Hall, a winemaker, decided to follow his dreams of becoming a world-class whisky-maker and laid down the first stocks of Forty Creek in Grimsby, Ontario.

They started with Forty Creek barrel select and Forty Creek Three Grain and in 2007 released the first of the limited Edition Forty Creek Special Reserves. The Forty Creek Barrel Select is the entry level whisky in the stable and was not too expensive (for this South African converting from ZAR).

Forty Creek Barrel Select is a blended Canadian whisky; made with rye, barley and corn. Each grain is fermented, distilled, and aged separately. The various grain whiskies are aged independently in seasoned ex-Bourbon barrels and new American white oak barrels. Vintage sherry casks are used to finish off the whisky after it is blended.

Also Read: Crown Royal Deluxe whisky

Forty Creek Barrel Select WhiskyReview

COUNTRY: Canada

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Rich Gold

NOSE: Rich sherry, honey, slightly sweet and fruity balanced with oaky spices, cinnamon, bits of wood and hints of florals.

PALATE: Ripe summer fruits, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, honey, a malty richness with hints of bitter orange and ginger. Light and medium-bodied. I added only a drop of water to release more spicy notes. Easy drinking

FINISH: Medium length, warm and rewarding with lemon pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT<

What a great dram. It was my favourite (affordable) whisky in Vancouver, and I wish we could get it here in SA. I enjoyed it more than the JP Wiser Deluxe.

The Forty Creek Barrel Select was smoother and richer compared the Deluxe. Have you tried anything else from the Forty Creek stable?

Also Read: Dewars White Label Whisky

Clan Denny Islay Edition Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/20/2017

In Blended Malt Whisky

In my ongoing search for affordable and delicious bends, I have tasted some rather “interesting” drams, I have tried some excellent blends. And I had tried a few where I look at the bottle and wonder if the person who bottled this, tasted it before it was bottled. This year have been slower than usual in my search for affordable blends.

I have found some stunning blends in the mid-range pricing level. Blends like the Rock Oyster whisky and the Timorous Beastie that retail for around R 750 – R1000 range. But very few in the affordable range around R500.

Looking at Douglas Laing who is responsible for Rock Oyster, Big Peat and Timorous Beastie, I noticed their Clan Denny range. I have also seen it regularly popping up on the Whisky Brother shop top seller report as well as in Norman Goodfellows. There is a Clan Denny Speyside and an Islay Edition. They retail for around R400, and I got myself a bottle of the Clan Denny Islay blended malt Scotch whisky.

Douglas Laing is an independent bottler and blender. Established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, they specialize in creating the finest blended Scotches and vatted malts as well as releasing special bottling of Single Cask Single malts and Single Grain Scotch Whiskies.

Clan Denny Islay is a vatted malt blend of 7 Islay malts. According to the bottlers, the distilleries include Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila plus a further two that can’t be named. But it should not be too difficult to figure out who the two might be. Clan Denny whisky is matured in ex-bourbon casks and non-chill-filtered.

Clan Denny Islay Whisky Review

REGION: Islay

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Pale gold with hints of green

NOSE: Peat, iodine, ash, salt and medicinal notes. Hints of vanilla and green grass drifting past with oaky spiciness. Faint hints of apricot sweetness.

PALATE: Initially, it’s quite spicy with sharp traces of iodine, salt and peat. It then changes beautifully with some hints of smoke, black pepper, vanilla and honey sweetness. Faint hints of dark chocolate and oak.

The flavour development is quite remarkable. It’s a got character and grace in spades. The addition of water adds smoothness and creates a creamy consistency. It’s a great blend!

FINISH: The finish builds beautifully and richly. It’s a fantastic finish and leaves a long lingering warmth in your stomach. Some citrus peel and marzipan and lemon pepper at the end but it lingers and lingers.

RATING: EXCELLENT

A remarkable achievement for the price point. Rich and creamy and simply delicious. It has a great balance between peat and sweet. At this price point; it is just perfect. This bottle of whisky, you can easily give as a gift. There is a Clan Denny Speyside release too. I will add it to my collection soon.

Also Read: Belgian Owl Passion Whisky

Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley 6.1 Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/09/2017

In Single Malt whisky

What do you buy for the special person in your life who loves peaty whisky? The peatiest whisky in the world, of course. The fact that it completes the series from the Bruichladdich distillery of which we already have 2 is just the cherry on the cake.

I bought John a bottle of Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley 6.1 single malt Scotch whisky for a special occasion. I can’t even remember what the special occasion was. It might have been a wedding anniversary. John loves peat! I have a sweeter palate and prefer my peat with some sweeter notes.

The Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley whisky was for him, not me. The distillery that bears the title “Worlds most peated whisky”, the Bruichladdich Octomore single malt has a cult following around the world. Some of the recent releases are seated up to 208ppm.

I wrote extensively about the other two brands in the range: the unpeated Bruichladdich and the heavily peated Port Charlotte already. The Octomore name pays homage to a farm located on the hillside above the Port Charlotte village on Islay, not far from the Bruichladdich distillery. The farm operated its own licensed distillery between 1816 and 1852.

The Bruichladdich distillery is currently owned French multinational drinks group Rémy Cointreau.

Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley 6.1 Whisky Review

The Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley Edition 06.1 is a 5 years old and made from barley harvested from mainland Scotland. This Scottish Barley 06.1 single malt Edition is peated to (only) 167 ppm.

REGION: Islay

ABV: 57%

COLOUR: Golden autumn yellow

NOSE: This dram has that classic Islay nose. Smoke, ash, and peat assault the senses. You can sense the heavy peat from a mile away. It’s big and bold. It’s rich and complex. There are notes of seaweed and salt, iodine and medicinal notes balanced with honey, cinnamon and vanilla.

PALATE: The smoke, ash and peat continue on the palate. There is a honey sweetness that lingers with hints of pepper, cinnamon and sea air. John described it as”… The boldness on the nose climbs into your mouth with a vengeance.

After drinking this dram, I feel like heading out to sea to catch herring – or to invade France. It’s that kind of a dram. It’s big in the mouth, soil and tar on the tongue…” Water soothes the ash and peat a little and brings the sweetness forward.

FINISH: It has a dry finish with peat, pepper and honey. John was lyrical about this dram and he described the finish as “…the finish hangs around like aunt Sally after Christmas dinner. Like her, it refuses to leave. Unlike her, it’s welcome to stay. The ending is charcoal and tar poles. I’ve never tasted tar poles – and thanks to this dram I now have no need. It’s just brilliant.”

RATING: EXCELLENT

It was an excellent present for John and the perfect gift for a peat lover. The surprise, however, was how much I loved it. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. Good thing that I write about this bottle now, because it will not last very long.

Despite being big, bold and earthy, the Bruichladdich Octomore Scottish Barley remains balanced and graceful. Simply delicious!

This brand also made it onto my favourite peated whisky list. You can read this article all the other peated drams that also made it onto the list.

Also Read: Ardbeg Supernova whisky

Glenfiddich 15 year old Solera Reserve Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/28/2017

In Single Malt whisky

Glenfiddich is one of my favourite distilleries, and today I write about the Glenfiddich 15 year old Solera Reserve single malt Scotch whisky. I love the sweet fruity releases that consistently come from this Speyside gem.

My bottle of Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 yo whisky did not last long, and I had to replace it less than a year from opening it. It was just that good! The Glenfiddich 12 yo whisky is the perfect dram for whisky newbies and the Rich Oak whisky release pairs well with cheese.

I have written nearly ten blog posts that feature Glenfiddich in some way or another. More than the blog posts I have done about Balvenie. It is a distillery I love. I received this Glenfiddich 15 year old whisky as a gift and did not wait too long before opening up this bottle.

Glenfiddich matures the 15 year old Solera Reserve whisky 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. This is roughly based on the Spanish sherry solera vat method.

Being part of the William Grant stable, naturally the great Malt Master, David Stewart was behind this. It is not the most affordable bottle in the collection and comes in at around R 900. However, it is worth it!

Also Read: The Macallan 12 yo whisky

Glenfiddich 15 year old Solera Reserve Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden red

NOSE: Complex and creamy with notes of sweet sultanas, honey, stewed apple crumble with cream and caramel. Bit of oak and vanilla combining with hints of sherry and fudge.

PALATE: The complexity from the Glenfiddich 15 year old nose carries over to the palate and do not leave you disappointed. There are notes of honey, oak, cinnamon and nutmeg spice, brandy-soaked fruit cake, hints of nuts perfectly balanced with more fruit and vanilla. Water smooths out this already delicious dram.

FINISH: Long and lingering with hints of malt, honey and cinnamon.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is an all-round, amazingly delicious release. It is only 3 years older than the 12 year old and about double the price, but it is so worth it. Rich, delicious, sophisticated and easy drinking. I got so many responses on Friday after posting my review; this is probably the Glenfiddich that most people love.

I have also done a side by side comparison between the Glenfiddich and the Macallan 15 yo whisky. See how they differ.

Also Read: Glenlivet 12 yo whisky