Tag: Rating: Very Good Page 17 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

Grant’s Sherry Cask Edition Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 09/28/2015

In Blended whisky

I have quite a few bottles from William Grant & Sons. My whisky collection started with a bottle or two from The Balvenie, and I added some Glenfiddich as I went along. Monkey Shoulder blended malt whisky is a favourite, and I was delighted to get my hands on a Kininvie 17 yo. All these brands are part of the William Grant stable.

Looking over our collection, I realized that there was still a piece missing. I did not have anything from Grant’s brand of blended whisky. I added a bottle of the Grant’s Sherry Cask Edition blended Scotch whisky to my collection.

William Grant lived in Dufftown, in the heart of Speyside. He went to father not only seven sons and two daughters but also some of the worlds best know Scottish whisky brands.

William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned company. W Grant & Sons Ltd own the following distilleries:

Glenfiddich Distillery
Balvenie Distillery
Girvan Grain Distillery
Kininvie Distillery (1990-2010)
Ailsa Bay Distillery

In 1957 Grant’s unveiled the now iconic, triangular bottle. It is still released in this triangular bottle. The Spanish Olorosso sherry casks are hand-picked before being filled with aged Grant’s blended whisky. It is then finished for 4 months to acquire a rich flavour.

Related Article: Ballantine’s 12 yo whisky

Grant’s Sherry Cask Edition Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Light golden with hints of green

NOSE: Sherry sweetness right out of the bottle with hints of raisins. Not a very complex nose. There are delicate hints of oak ad grape jam. Adding a bit of water takes some of the sweetness from the nose.

PALATE: Without water, the palate has some sweet notes, but after adding a bit of water, the sweetness gives way to more spicy notes. There are notes of condensed milk and stewed prunes. Grant’s Sherry cask is not a big mouthful but pleasant and more robust than the nose hinted. Water releases more spicy pepper notes but also more citrus notes.

FINISH: Long and lingering but end in notes of bitter orange and dried fruit.

RATING: VERY GOOD

As this is a blend of some of my favourite distilleries, I was expecting a big, bold, interesting whisky. Unfortunately, I was left a bit disappointed at the lack of complexity and depth in this dram.

The Grant’s is not a bad whisky by any means; and at a great price point. I will explore more from this blended whisky when I get the chance. It retails for around R250 in South Africa.

Just not as good as the single malts. What did you think of this release?

Also Read: The Famous Grouse whisky

DYC 8 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/31/2015

In Blended whisky

I keep my eyes open for whisky from non-traditional whisky-producing countries. As delicious as whiskies from Scotland and Ireland are, it is even more exciting to find whisky from a non-traditional country like Spain or India. Like this DYC 8 year old blended whisky.

I was not even aware that there is a whisky culture in Spain, but then I managed to get my hands on this bottle. The DYC 8 yo whisky is a blend and not a single malt whisky. DYC does produce a 10 yo single malt, but I have not managed to find it yet. DYC blended whisky is aged for 8 years in American oak.

Destilerías y Crianza del Whisky S.A. (or Whisky DYC) is a Spanish company formed by businessman Nicomedes García Gómez in 1958. Whisky DYC is a subsidiary of Beam Suntory.

Palazuelos de Eresma in Segovia was the site of the first distillery and began operation in February 1959. In March 1963, it started to produce Whisky DYC, the first Spanish whisky.

The DYC brand is well-liked whisky in Spain and less expensive than most imported whiskies. Popularly, DYC is mixed with non-alcoholic beverages like Coca-Cola or Fanta.

It is relatively unknown outside of Spain, but, Beam Global is exporting this Spanish whisky to India as part of its global expansion. I will certainly be looking out for it on my next visit to Bangalore.

Related Article: Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky

DYC 8 year old Whisky Review

The DYC 8 year old is a blend of malt and grain whiskies aged in American oak casks.

COUNTRY: Spain

ABV: 40%.

COLOUR: Light golden

NOSE: Delicate and sweet with notes of vanilla, grain, honey sweetness and fresh flowers. The DYC 8 year old has a complex nose that invites you to dive in and try it.

PALATE: Without water, the palate is spicy with lots of fruity notes. It is not as sweet or delicate as promised by the nose. After adding a bit of water, the fruity notes disappear, and more spicy pepper and lemon notes come out.

Strangely, this blend becomes rougher around the edges after adding water. The sweetness and complexity suggested by the nose are not to be found on the palate.

FINISH: Medium length and end in notes of oak, lemon peel and pepper.

RATING: VERY GOOD

For a whisky traditionally used as a mixer, I was not expecting very much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Now to get my hands on the DYC 10 year old single malt version. Perhaps I will be fortunate to find it in India on my next trip.

Also Read: Wemyss Velvet Fig whisky

Elijah Craig 12 year old Bourbon

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/17/2015

In Bourbon whiskey

Today I review an age statement bourbon, the Elijah Craig 12 year old Kentucky Straight bourbon whisky. In around 1789, Reverend Craig founded a distillery in Virginia. Not long after establishing the distillery, the Baptist minister and distiller suffered a fire, which damaged many of his barrels.

The story goes that the Reverend, being too stingy to replace them, filled the burnt barrels with whiskey regardless. Later he noticed that the whiskey from the burnt barrels tasted better than whisky from uncharred barrels. He has ever since, rightly or wrongly, been credited as the “Father of bourbon whiskey”.

Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc was founded in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1934, not long after Prohibition was abolished. Named for William HeavenHill, the company was established by a group of investors.

Related Article: Eagle Rare bourbon

Heaven Hill is the seventh-largest distributor of bourbon in the US, and their massive storage facilities hold 750,000 barrels of maturing whiskey. They not only deal in bourbon whiskey but also gin, vodka and Canadian whisky among others. The company remain independently owned.

In 1986, Heaven Hill launched a 12 year old small batch bourbon, named Elijah Craig in honour of the so-called ‘Father of bourbon’. Elijah Craig whiskey is produced in both 12 year old Small Batch and 18 year old Single Barrel bottlings.

Elijah Craig 12 year old Bourbon

COUNTRY: USA

ABV: 47%

COLOUR: Dark red polished copper

NOSE: Quite spicy with bold notes of toasted oak spice, pepper, toffee, Christmas pudding and cinnamon baked apples. After adding a bit of water, the nose has more floral notes, hints of jasmin flowers and fewer spices.

PALATE: On the palate, this Elijah Craig is a bit different from the other bourbons we have tried this year. It is spicier with touches of pepper and nutmeg. There are notes of citrus peel, candy apple and warm oak. It is a medium-bodied bourbon. Water softens the spicy notes and smooths the citrus. The Elijah Craig 12 year old becomes sweeter with a few drops of water added.

FINISH: Without water, the finish is smooth and lingering and end in spice and bits of lemon. With water, the finish is sweeter and bring hints of flowers mixed with the spice.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I was expecting quite a lot from this 12 year old bourbon. It certainly is different, with the spicy notes, to some of the other bourbons I tried this year.

Does it offer a challenge to the younger Knob Creek bourbon or Woodford Reserve at the top of my favourites list? Not quite. Not a bad bourbon whiskey for my collection, but it will not become one of my favourites. Have you tried this Elijah Craig bourbon?

I paired this bourbon with some KFC to see how it would work. See which bourbon paired best with the fried chicken. This is a great whiskey for pairing with aged cheddar cheese.

I have also done a side by side comparison between this 12 year old and the Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon. It is incredible how different they are, coming from the same company.

Also Read: Four Roses bourbon

The Singleton Tailfire Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/11/2015

In Single Malt whisky

A while ago, a friend mentioned that her favourite dram is a Singleton. For some unknown reason, neither John nor me have ever tried whisky from the Dufftown Distillery. So, when Singleton released their new The Singleton Tailfire single malt Scotch whisky expression, it was a great opportunity to try this brand.

The Dufftown distillery is located in the small Speyside town of the same name. The Dufftown distillery was not originally built as a malt whisky distillery. Wine merchant Peter Mackenzie and friends converted it from an old Mill to a Distillery in 1895 /6.

Related Article: Whisky and Gouda Cheese

Today it is owned by Diageo. The majority of the malt whisky produced at the Dufftown Distillery is used for blended whiskies – particularly Bell’s and Johnnie Walker. Singleton Tailfire is one of two NAS single malt Scotch whiskies released in 2015 as part of the Singleton of Dufftown range. The other being Singleton Sunray.

Singleton Tailfire is aged in a combination of European and American oak casks. The names draw inspiration from the brand’s logo of a leaping salmon – Sunray and Tailfire are artificial fly used in salmon fishing.

Other releases in the Singleton range include a Singleton 12 year old as well as a 15 year old single malt whisky.

The Singleton Tailfire Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: It is a dark bronze colour with hints of red glistening in the glass.

NOSE: Sweet and spicy with caramel, candied fruit, cherries and marzipan. There are notes of vanilla and fruity Christmas cake.

PALATE: Without water, the palate is spicy and has a bit of a pepper spice bite. There are hints of chocolate cherries as well. Water smooths out the Singleton Tailfire. It lessens the spicy bite and brings forth notes of vanilla oak and wood. The bold fruitiness promised by the nose has softened. Malt and fruits of the forest notes flirt around the background.

FINISH: Big and bold with lots of spice, wood, cherries and bitter lemon. This is a very drinkable dram.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Singleton Tailfire whisky does not cause a tailspin, however, it is a good whisky for someone trying out whisky for the first time. Another good point is that it is also affordable.

The Singleton website suggests you pair this Tailfire with a panacotta with red fruits, Brie and dark cocoa chocolate. With all the spicy notes in this whisky, I am guessing it will also pair well with cheese. Something I will test in future.

I have also tried the Singleton 15 year old whisky. See my thoughts on this interesting Dufftown release.

Also Read: Ardbeg Wee Beastie Whisky

Highland Park 1997 Vintage Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/29/2015

In Single Malt whisky

Today I try the Highland Park 1997 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. Highland Park distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery founded in Kirkwall, Orkney. Sweeping plains of barley fields and rocky outcrops dot the landscape around Highland Park.

It is the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland, about a kilometre further north-east than that Scapa distillery. Highland Park was founded in 1798 and officially licensed in 1826.

The name Highland Park does not refer to ‘The Highland’ area of Scotland. It refers to the point that the distillery was founded on an area called ‘High Park’ distinguished from a lower area nearby.

The distillery draws its water from the mineral-rich springs to the east of the distillery and the Crantit Spring. Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley, using locally cut peat from the Hobbister Moor.

The peat is then mixed with heather before used as fuel. Highland Park is also one of the ingredients of The Famous Grouse blend. The Highland Park distillery is part of the Edrington portfolio.

The Highland Park 1997 Vintage whisky expression was bottled exclusively for the duty-free market and is released in 1-litre bottles. Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2009, makes this a 12 year old but the bottling does not have a specific age statement.

Based on some research, this 1997 Highland Park single malt spent some time in both American oak and Sherry casks as well as some bourbon casks.

Related Article: Tomintoul 16 yo whisky

Highland Park 1997 Vintage Whisky Review

REGION: Islands

ABV: 40%

COLOUR: Amber or dark gold. It is very dark in the bottle but redder in the glass. It is quite an oily whisky.

NOSE: Offers sweetness mixed with spices. There are hints of citrus, cloves and cinnamon. Some butter and toffee float around. This Highland Park 1997 whisky has a great nose, and it promises a creamy mouthful.

PALATE: A bit of let down after the promise of the nose. We looked at each other and wondered where the flavour disappeared to? It has a medium body with hints of oak, marmalade, and citrus peel. In the background, there are bits of smoke and peat mixed with custard.

FINISH: Short and ends quite abruptly in notes of wet leather and oranges.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a smooth whisky that promises much, but doesn’t quite deliver what I expected. I keep on hoping to find a Highland Park that I would love. So many people love this distillery. For some reason, every time I try it, I am disappointed.

I tried the Highland Park 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky but was not blown away. What Highland Park release do you recommend I try next?

Also Read: Chivas Regal Extra whisky