Tag: Rating: Excellent Page 35 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

Balvenie Portwood Edition Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/20/2015

In Single Malt whisky

One of the first bottles that started my whisky collection all those years ago was the Balvenie Portwood 1993 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. It started not only my collection but also my love affair with the Balvenie distillery.

In the past, I often blogged about one of my favourite distilleries and have 12 different Balvenie releases.I have captured my tasting notes on the Balvenie Single Barrel whisky here.

The Balvenie Portwood is one of our favourite releases of this distillery. The Balvenie distillery is located in Speyside, Scotland and has been around since 1892.

Related Article: The Balvenie Peated Cask whisky

The distillery was founded by William Grant, who learnt his trade at Mortlach distillery. The Balvenie lies just below the Glenfiddich distillery, sharing its water source, the Robbie Dhu springs. Despite sharing the water, the Balvenie character is very different from Glenfiddich‘s more nutty, fruitier taste.

The 1993 Balvenie Portwood single malt expression has sadly been retired, and Balvenie only releases the Balvenie Portwood 21 yo as part of their core range. To create this single malt, the whisky was matured in traditional oak casks and then transferred for a last period of maturation to port pipes.

Balvenie Portwood 1993 Edition Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: A light amber. It is a medium oily spirit in the glass.

NOSE: Soft juicy raisins, honey, vanilla and spice. In the background, there is oak and butterscotch. Wafts of nuts float around, intermingling with the sweetness.

PALATE: Superb. The Balvenie Portwood has a changing dynamic palate. It is initially sweet and spicy but builds with oak, warming the soul. This is the perfect whisky to enjoy in winter. It is smooth with a pepper and cinnamon bite. All of this without water.

The addition of water took away some of the sweetness and enhanced the wood. Bits of creamy honey and winter fruit floated in the background. The Portwood is a medium-bodied whisky. It is nice and complex.

FINISH: The finish warms the soul for a long time. The finish ends in notes of leather and nuts.

RATING: EXCELLENT

If you can get your hands on a bottle, grab it! You will not be disappointed. I also tried this Balvenie Portwood whisky with a white rock cheese pairing, and it made a great pairing. The Portwood brings out the fruitiness of the cheese. The White Rock cheese enriches the port in the whisky and almost makes the whisky sweeter. One of my favourite distilleries.

Also read: The Balvenie Roasted Malt whisky

Santis Malt Whisky Alpstein Edition no 7

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/02/2015

In Single Malt whisky

This whisky I want to look at this week is the Santis Malt whisky Alpstein Edition no 7. When I think back to my travels around Switzerland, I think of mountains and lakes next to quaint towns and lots of delicious chocolate. Certainly not whisky.

When I got the chance to add a Swiss whisky to my collection, I jumped at the opportunity. In 1999 some changes in the Swiss laws around distilling legalized the distilling of grain alcohols and allowed for the production of whisky.

The Locher brewery has been owned and run by the Locher family for five generations. Situated in Appenzell, close to Liechtenstein and Germany, they have produced beer and spirits for more than 100 years.

Related Article: Teerenpeli whisky

Locher Brewery began to produce Santis Malt after the Swiss ban on manufacturing spirits from grain was lifted. It is made with spring water from the Alpstein mountains.

The grain used is also from the Swiss mountains. According to the Locher Brewery, the altitude and extreme weather make the grain grow more robust and vigorously.

There are various Santis Malt whisky Editions. Each edition is named after a different rock formation. There is a Dreifaltigkeit, Himmelbert, Alpstein Edition among others. The Santis Malt Alpstein Edition no 7 is first matured in some old Oak beer casks and was finished for two years in Sherry casks. The Swiss Whisky Guide voted Locher Brewery “Whisky Distillery 2011”.

Santis Malt Whisky Alpstein Edition No. 7 Review

The Alpstein no. 7 has been aged for 6 years. I have bottle no 553 of 1400.

COUNTRY: Switzerland

ABV: 48%.

COLOUR: Dark red, nearly burnt copper in colour. It is not a very oily whisky.

NOSE: Straight from the bottle promises sherry, more sherry and some more sherry. There are notes of malt, fresh fruits and vanilla. In the background linger hints of Christmas pudding, butterscotch and toasted caramel. The Santis Malt nose is rich and rewarding and encourages you to dive right in. Adding a bit of water releases more fruit and sweetness on the nose.

PALATE: Without water, the palate is interesting. It has a good balance between sweetness and spice, with some vanilla pod mixed in between. There is some very unusual crème brûlée notes that soften when you add water.

After the water, more spice comes through, and some oak and malt appear. It is a yummy whisky you just can’t put down. You want a second glass. Surprising, it is not as sweet as the nose suggests.

FINISH: The finish is the only shortcoming of this Swiss whisky. It is relatively short and ends in notes of wild spice and caramel.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Another (minor) problem with this Santis Malt bottle is that it is only a 50cl size. Consequently, this will be treasured and very carefully consumed until I can get our hands on another expression from this Swiss Distillery.

I paired this Swiss whisky with some Swiss Appenzeller cheese, and it made for a perfect combination. Following the link will take you to the article to show you the results.

Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo Whisky

Glenfarclas 17 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 02/02/2015

In Single Malt whisky

My first introduction to Glenfarclas was in 2013 in Dullstroom at Wild about Whisky. Since then, my collection has extended slightly and includes various 12 year old releases and a 21 year old and a 25 year old whisky. But today, I am very excited to try the Glenfarclas 17 year old single malt whisky.

From the research that I have done, this release is the favourite Glenfarclas of many whisky bloggers. The Glenfarclas Distillery is located in the heart of Speyside.

The distillery sits in the moors of Banffshire, just a mile from the River Spey. The Grant Family purchased the distillery in 1865, and it has remained under the control of the Grant Family for six generations.

Glenfarclas is one of only a few distilleries remaining in Scotland, which is independently family owned and managed. Glenfarclas, translated from the Gaelic as “Glen of the green grassland”, nestles at the foot of the Ben Rinnes mountain. The distillery is renowned for being a full-bodied whisky with lots of sherry cask influence.

I have written about the new Glenfarclas 12 year old release. The Glenfarclas 17 year old release is an unseated whisky aged in ex-Sherry casks. It was bottled in limited quantities, mainly for the North American, Japanese and travel retail markets.

Related Article: Kininvie 17 yo whisky

Glenfarclas 17 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43 %

COLOUR: A golden copper colour. It is a very oily whisky with languid fingers in the glass.

NOSE: Sweet sherry, rich brandy-soaked fruit cake and Christmas pudding. There are notes of butterscotch, vanilla and glazed cherries. Hints of oak and cereals drift past. Water seems to dampen the nose a bit but releases a few floral notes.

PALATE: Without water, the Glenfarclas 17 year old has a creamy smooth palate with mild spice and notes of oak and cereals. Adding water makes the spice and oak more pronounced and allow more floral notes to come through. Rich and smooth.

FINISH: This is where the Glenfarclas 17 year old falls down a bit. The finish is medium length and end in notes of tobacco and bitter orange intertwined with some sweet sherry notes.

RATING: EXCELLENT

I expected this oily whisky to have a longer finish. My biggest issue with this great whisky is that the finish is too short. I wanted it to go on a lot longer. Nevertheless, I had a second glass. I can’t wait to taste more from this family distillery.

Also Read: Glengoyne 17 yo whisky

Mackmyra Svensk Rök Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/26/2015

In Single Malt whisky

Since they launched their first limited edition around 2002, Mackmyra has consistently been producing fantastic whisky. I have tried the Mackmyra First Edition and loved it. So imagine my excitement when I got my hands on a Mackmyra Svensk Rök single malt whisky at Wild About Whisky.

Introduced in 2013, Mackmyra whisky Svensk Rök (Swedish Smoke) is a single malt and the first commercially available peated expression in the standard Mackmyra range.

Mackmyra ages their whisky mainly in new Swedish oak. The Swedish oak grows slowly in the harsh climate and gives the whisky a harsher flavour than American oak.

Related Article: Teerenpeli Whisky

In Sweden, juniper has been used for generations to season and flavour food. The smoky notes from the Svensk Rök are from using moss and juniper wood in the process.

Together, these flavours unite in a uniquely Swedish flavour. Swedish Smoke is the only smoky single malt whisky made with Swedish ingredients only.

Mackmyra Svensk Rök Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Sweden

ABV: 46.1%

COLOUR: A golden wheat colour. It is lighter than most of the whiskies that I have. It is not a very oily whisky.

NOSE: When first opening the bottle, it is lovely. Smoke, oak, cereals, florals and hints of sweetness. There are bits of citrus and juniper drifting round. The nose is delicate and complex. After adding some water, peat appears on the nose, and the more earthy notes come to the fore.

PALATE: Without water, the palate has mild spice notes with vanilla and butterscotch. The Mackmyra Svensk Rök whisky has a light mouthfeel and is a medium-bodied whisky. Adding water smooths out the whisky and releases notes of smoke, fruit and florals. The water enhances the oak and the peat in the Mackmyra Svensk Rök.

FINISH: It has quite a short finish leaving me wishing for more. It ends in notes of oak and citrus.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Mackmyra Svensk Rök single malt whisky is refreshingly different and something that Mackmyra should be proud of. An enjoyable, drinkable dram. It is well constructed and very Swedish. It made me think of pine forests, snow and Scandinavian structure when I drink this.

I bought this bottle from Wild About Whisky in Dullstroom. Hopefully, there are still a few in stock, as these are a must in any whisky collection.

Related Article: Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Whisky

Glenlivet 15 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/08/2015

In Single Malt whisky

At the beginning of this year, I got the chance to taste something extraordinary. WhiskyBrother, the iconic speciality whisky store in Hyde Park, sent me a sample of their new, personally selected WhiskyBrother Glenlivet 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

I could not wait to try this little gem. I decided to have a special early tasting just for this. Marc Pendlebury, the founder of the WhiskyBrother store, chose this Glenlivet 15 yo whisky on behalf of the store. It is a Glenlivet 1998 single malt whisky release, and it was bottled exclusively for WhiskyBrother.

Earlier in 2014, Marc travelled to Scotland. He spent some time with the independent bottler, Signatory. The benefit of an independent bottler is the huge selection and variety of whisky that they can offer.

It is often a misconception that independent bottlers produce whisky. Independent bottlers buy casks from distilleries and bottle it under their own label. They are also not restricted to a core range, style or age.

Out of the several whiskies that Marc tasted at Signatory, he brought three samples back to South Africa for final selection. The winning cask was chosen solely on the whisky Marc thought was best. He didn’t concern himself with which distillery it came from or how old it was

Related Article: Whisky Ratings

Glenlivet 15 year old Whisky Review

The selected 15 yo Glenlivet cask was distilled on the 28^th of August 1998 and bottled on the 24^th of March 2014. The Whiskybrother Signatory Glenlivet 15 year old whisky is individually numbered and presented in a beautiful bottle. It was matured in a 500-litre butt, which previously contained Oloroso sherry. The Glenlivet is not chill-filtered and naturally coloured.

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 54.8%

COLOUR: What an amazingly dark whisky. It has a dark copper, nearly amber colour. It is a very oily whisky making long slow fingers on the side of the glass.

NOSE: You can not miss the sherry notes on the nose. There are notes of raisins and sherry soaked plums and cherries. Closing your eyes, you get Christmas pudding sweetness and hints of vanilla mixed with the oak. When you add a few drops of water, you get more hints of toffee and caramel.

PALATE: It is surprisingly spicy on the palate. The nose suggested fruit sweetness, but the palate delivered spice and oak. There are hints of ginger, cinnamon and cloves before the sherry sweetness comes through.

FINISH: This smooth whisky has a medium length finish that ends in leather and citrus marmalade notes.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Glenlivet 15 year old is exclusively available at WhiskyBrother, and there is a limited number. If you live in Johannesburg, make a plan to head over to WhiskyBrother. Marc, please keep us a bottle of this special WhiskyBrother Glenlivet before they all disappear.

WhiskyBrother regularly releases their own special bottlings. Lately, some of these special releases have even won prizes, so it is worth keeping an eye on the shop to see what else they have.

Also read: Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX whisky