Tag: Rating: Very Good Page 11 of 21

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whisky I rated Very Good. When the dram is enjoyable and memorable, and we don’t mind having another glass later in the week. This is bottles I might use for cocktails and the occasional afternoon sipper. Rating: Very Good

Loch Lomond Signature Blended Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/19/2018

In Blended whisky

Today I try another mini from the stash I found in my cupboard. This time I try the Loch Lomond Signature blended Scotch whisky. Loch Lomond is located on the boundary between the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. The first mention of the original Loch Lomond distillery dates back to 1814.

It was situated at the north end of Loch Lomond near Tarbet. Somewhere in the years following, the distillery closed down and disappeared. The current Loch Lomond distillery was resurrected by the former owners of the Littlemill Distillery when they commissioned it in 1964. In 2014, the Loch Lomond distillery was acquired by a private equity company and is currently part of the Loch Lomond Distillery Company.

Loch Lomond has an unusual set up of stills. This allows them to release a variety of bottlings of both malt and grain whisky. A few of the other releases in the portfolio include Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Crotengea, Glen Douglass, and Craiglodge, to name a few.

Also Read: Glen Scotia 15 yo whisky

The Loch Lomond Signature is made up of malt and grain whisky, which are blended and then added into the distillery’s 100 cask Solera system. The Loch Lomond Solera ageing process is made up of Oloroso sherry casks and re-charred American oak casks.

It falls squarely in the affordable category and retail at around R380 in South Africa. Not a bad price for a dram. But the more important question remains, what does it taste like?

Loch Lomond Signature Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light gold

NOSE: Sun-dried grapes, hints of plump red cherries, bits of chocolate, oak and ginger.

PALATE: Dried fruit and sherry notes mixed with summer spices, vanilla and creamy oak. Water softens the Signature taste and takes away a bit of the sharp edges.

FINISH: Oak with lemon and pepper

RATING: VERY GOOD

An interesting blend from Loch Lomond distilleries. Worth a try. This is a distillery I will keep on exploring. The brand and taste variety they offer is impressive and quite a few of the releases are available in South Africa.

Another release from this distillery I have tried is the Loch Lomond 12 yo, Loch Lomond Single Grain whisky as well as the Loch Lomond Original whisky.

Also Read: Galloway Single Grain whisky

Cragganmore 12 year old Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/22/2018

In Single Malt whisky

It feels like I am on an exploration of Diageo’s Classic Malts. This year, I have tasted the Talisker 10 year old, the Cardhu 12 year old and now the Cragganmore 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

Can you believe it, it is another new distillery that I have not tried before. Cragganmore represents Speyside in the Classic Malts series.The Cragganmore distillery is situated in the Ballindalloch village in Banffshire.

The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith who also managed The Macallan and The Glenlivet distilleries. The site was chosen both for its closeness to the waters of the mineral-rich Craggan Burn which tumbles down the Craggan More hill and because it was close to the Strathspey railway.

The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic ‘creagan mór’ or ‘big rock’. It is one of the smaller distillers, and the majority of the production is used for blending, especially as part of the White Horse and Johnnie Walker Black blended expressions.

The Cragganmore 12 year old is a sherried expression that is lightly peated. The Cragganmore range also has a Distillers Edition, and I have seen a 25 year old as well. There are various independent bottlings from Cragganmore available too.

Also Read: Dalwhinnie 15 yo Whisky

Cragganmore 12 year old Single Malt Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Rich Gold

NOSE: Fresh summer fruit salad drizzled with lavender honey, wildflowers with hints of cream and spices. The nose is quite sweet and delicate.

PALATE: Honey and fruit sweetness with hints of smoked nuts and malt. The Cragganmore 12 year old single malt has a medium body and a creamy mouthfeel. Adding water softens the sweetness and brings more spices to the front. Suddenly there are notes of spicy oak and dry orange peel with cloves and pepper.

FINISH: Medium length with orange peel and oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I enjoyed the Cragganmore 12 year old Scotch without water, but could not finish it the moment I added the water. It was as if the water changed the sweetness into orange peel notes. How strange. I enjoyed the balance between the sweetness and the smoke, but this changed the moment you add some water.

Not a bad whisky, perhaps I just had a rough day. I will try it again later this week. It is suggested that you pair the Cragganmore 12 year old with a grilled chicken salad to bring out the smoky notes. This pairing might be a great idea for dinner later in the week and a good opportunity to try it again.

Also Read: Oban 14 yo whisky

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 09/17/2018

In Single Malt whisky

A couple of months ago a beautiful press drop arrived. It was the Glenmorangie Spios whisky, the 10^th release from the Glenmorangie Private Collection series.

While doing research on the Private Collection and the Spios whisky, I realized that I have another bottle from the series, one of the first Private Collection releases to come out. It is the Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX single malt Scotch whisky.

Background and history of the Glenmorangie were covered in the Glenmorangie 18 yo whisky and the Glenmorangie Lasanta posts, and you can read all about it in these posts.

With its Private Collection series, in particular, Glenmorangie can explore the possibilities present in whisky production. The Glenmorangie Director of Distilling, Dr Bill Lumsden, travels across the world to find and experiment with different casks, grains, and flavours.

Also Read: Balvenie Portwood whisky

Released in 2009, Sonnalta translates to “Liberal” in Gaelic. This name honours the generous amount of time that the whisky spent in Pedro Ximénez (PX) casks. This gives the Sonnalta PX a significant sherry influence.

The Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX single malt spent 10 years maturing in American white oak casks and was then transferred into Spanish ex-Pedro Ximénez casks for its final two years of extra-maturation. Pedro Ximénez Sherry is traditionally known for its very sweet taste with notes of candied fig and dates.

The Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX whisky is a limited release and not available any more.

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX Whisky Review

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REGION: Highland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Dark gold with red hints

NOSE: You can’t mistake the sherry influence on the nose. The sweetness of sun-dried raisins, hints of oak, vanilla, fruits and spices. Rich and complex, it promises much.

PALATE: The sweetness continues on the palate, but it is nicely balanced with hints of pepper and vanilla spice, red berry fruit with green floral notes, nutty creaminess and toffee. Hints of malty goodness and dark chocolate. Adding water softens the spice and make the Sonnalta very drinkable. It has a medium body and mouthfeel.

FINISH: Long and lingering with sweet notes

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Sonnalta is a lovely dram. Delicious and easy drinking, but I was hoping for a bit more. After 2 years in PX casks, I was expecting more of the sherry richness to come through. A great release, but comparing it to a few other PX releases, such as the Three Ships PX Cask, it lacked the last bit of sherry boldness and depth.

I have paired the Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX with some Wensleydale cheese over here, and it was delicious! It made for a wonderful whisky cheese pairing.

Also Read: The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

Kavalan Concertmaster Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/27/2018

In Single Malt whisky

World whisky time again and today I look at the Kavalan Concertmaster Port cask finish single malt whisky. Kavalan whisky is no stranger to the blog. I love their releases, and the Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask whisky will probably make my ’Best 10 whiskies to drink before you die’ list.

Kavalan has adopted a musical theme for naming its whisky. The range includes the King Car Conductor, the Podium and the Solist whisky series.

The Kavalan Concertmaster single malt whisky comes from Taiwan where the subtropical climate speeds up the maturation a bit more, compared to Scotland or Ireland. The Kavalan whisky series has no age statements due to this.

The Concertmaster whisky is first aged in American oak and then finished in several different varieties of Port barrels, including Ruby port, Tawny port and Vintage port from Portugal.

But this begs the question: What is Port and what is the difference between the Ruby, Tawny and Vintage port?

Also Read: Maraska ABC Whisky

What is Port?

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine or aperitif. It also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties.

Ruby port is the least expensive and most extensively produced type of port. Ruby port is younger, has spent less time in the cask and has retained more of its natural colour, and sweet, fruity characteristics from the grapes.

Tawny ports are wines usually made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. Tawny port has aged longer in the cask, sometimes as long as 20 years. As it matures, more of its colour fades to a brownish, tawny colour. Also, the flavours are less sweet, and it has a deeper, more complex characteristics.

Vintage port is a port that is made of blended grapes, usually from various vineyards, which are all from the same vintage year. These ports typically spend about 6 months in oak and then go unfiltered into a bottle for further ageing for at least another 20 years or more!

Kavalan Concertmaster Whisky Review

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Rich gold with hints of red.

NOSE: It’s best feature. It is rich, sweet, complex with ripe cherries, liquorice, berry sweetness, dark chocolate and condensed milk. It promises much.

PALATE: Medium body with very little of the sweetness promised by the nose. Spicy oak, pepper, citrus, malt, with only faint hints of fruity sweetness. Water softens the spices.

FINISH: Pepper spice and dry oak

RATING: VERY GOOD

This Concertmaster Port cask finish single malt is my least favourite of all the Kavalan whiskies I have tried. I found the spiciness overwhelming. John, however, loved it. He loved the peppery bite and finished my glass too. Most weeks, our individual views on a whisky are relatively similar. This week it was not. Don’t get me wrong; this is not a bad whisky at all.

But for my palate that like sweet things, this was just to peppery. If you love peppery, spicy whisky, then this is perfect for you. If you prefer sweeter drams, instead try the Solist range that I found sweeter and softer. The Kavalan Concertmaster retails for around R1100 in SA and is readily available.

Also Read: Koval Single Barrel Bourbon

Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Spice Road Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/23/2018

In Blended whisky

During 2014 I tasted the Johnnie Walker Gold Route Explorer’s Club Collection whisky and loved it. John picked it up from Kenyatta airport after a fire damaged a part of the departure terminal. The Johnnie Walker Gold Route was inspired by journeys around the lush Amazon forests of Central America through the snow-capped Andean mountains.

We loved this expression and managed to grab the Johnnie Walker Explorers Club Collection the Spice Road blended Scotch whisky soon after. And do you know; I have tasted it but never wrote about it. So it is high time that I formally look at this Explorer’s Club release.

The Spice Road is the first of the three limited editions in Johnnie Walker’s Explorer’s Club Collection and aims at celebrating the trade routes of old. The other two are the Gold Route and the Royal Route.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, the Walker family and their agents travelled the world in search of adventure. They took their whisky to Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean. Johnnie Walker was enjoyed on the great railways, luxury ocean liners and early transatlantic flights.

Also Read: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel whiskey

Back in London, Alexander Walker established the Travelers’ Room where his agents would come to rest, talk strategy and exchange stories and samples from their travels. These colourful tales of exploration influenced the Johnnie Walker Master Blenders, who created these different styles of whisky to reflect the exotic stories.

The Spice Route whisky was inspired by the ancient spice trading routes into Asia. Reminiscent of the vibrant aromas and spices from the spice markets of the East, brimming with colour and new experiences. I see that the Johnnie Walker Explorers Club Collection the Spice Road is still available in retail for around R 1 600.

Johnnie Walker Explorers Club The Spice Road Review

The Johnnie Walker Spice Road whisky is matured in old oak casks. It has no age statement.

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Gold with hints of mahogany

NOSE: Spices. There is no mistaking the inspiration of the spice route in this release. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves jump out but slowly make way for more tropical fruit. Hints of tropical forests and malted porridge, drizzled with honey.

PALATE: The spicy notes of the nose translates onto the palate. Waves of cinnamon, allspice is followed by ripe oranges, grapes and bits of smoke. Hints of honey, oak and malt when you add a bit of water. Not the most complex of drams, and without water, the spices can be a bit overwhelming. The Johnnie Walker Spice Road has a medium body.

FINISH: White pepper and oranges with bits of smoke and drying oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

Not a bad release, however, I think I prefer the Johnnie Walker Gold Route whisky. The sweeter fruitiness of the Gold Route kept in my mind a lot longer.

The spiciness of this release can be somewhat overwhelming, and I prefer a slightly sweeter whisky. This spiciness of this Johnnie Walker Spice Road will probably work well with cheese, so I need to go and experiment a bit.

Also Read: Chivas Royal Salute 21 yo whisky