Tag: Rating: Very Good Page 20 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

Millstone 8 yo French Oak Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/14/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Finding international single malt whiskies is always great, but more so when the whisky is from a country with wich I have a special relationship with. One of these special finds is from the Netherlands. I am from a Dutch background, and when I saw this Millstone 8 yo French Oak single malt whisky, I had to get it.

Millstone whisky is handcrafted in a traditional distillery owned and operated by the Zuidam family. Zuidam Distillers was started back in 1975 by Fred van Zuidam.

He built a small whisky distillery of 300 square meters with one small copper still and one small production line. To keep in the best of Dutch tradition, windmills are used to mill the malted barley. It helps in preserving the world-famous heritage of windmills that dot the Dutch countryside.

This tradition does not only help in preserving the windmills but, due to the slow milling speed, keep the grain temperature stable and helps keep the wonderful aroma’s.

After a careful double distillation process, the whisky is aged in small barrels. Zuidam uses new barrels of American white oak as well as barrels that have previously held bourbon and Olorosso Sherry.

Zuidam Distillers still creates its products in the traditional artisan way. All ingredients are 100% natural. Ingredients are carefully selected and processed into products that they can be proud of.

The distillery has no less than 600 different product lines, including many liqueurs and gins. All recipes are designed by father Fred and son Patrick van Zuidam.

Related Article: Sullivan’s Cove Bourbon Cask whisky

Millstone 8 yo French Oak Whisky Review

I first tried the Millstone 8 yo during 2013. It is packaged in a black wooden box with the distillery name in gold. I have bottle no 202 from Cask number 355 bottled during June 2009.

COUNTRY: The Netherlands

ABV: 40%.

COLOUR: The Millstone 8 yo is a beautiful light golden colour.

NOSE: Woody spices with subtle hints of fresh flowers. The Millstone 8 yo has a very light and delicate nose. There are hints of cinnamon, cloves and pepper.

PALATE: After adding a drop or 2 of water, the palate brings subtle aromas of spice, oak, ginger and barley. There are notes of nutmeg and pepper and a biscuit sweetness in the background. Also, hints of raisins and fresh fruit.

FINISH: Medium length and not very complex. Hints of salt, spice and fresh fruit intermingle in the finish.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is a light fragrant whisky perfect for a late evening drink. Not too heavy and complex but with enough spice and oak. A wonderful whisky for an 8 yo.

I will be on the lookout for more of these Millstone whiskies for my collection. I have also tried the Millstone 8 yo French Oak with different cheeses. Both the Gouda with Cumin pairing and the Mature Gouda pairing worked wonderfully with this Dutch whisky.

Also Read: Chivas Regal Extra whisky

Private Barrel Co. Glen Grant 17 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/12/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Checkers recently bottled a Glen Grant 17 year old whisky under their Private Barrel Co. label. Glen Grant is a Speyside Single Malt distillery located in the small town of Rothes – not far from the Glenrothes distillery.

John and James Grant, two former illegal distillers, founded Glen Grant in 1840. All the essential ingredients of malt whisky were close at hand; the sea and port of Garmouth, the River Spey and barley-growing plains all within easy reach for a new distillery.

By 1872, the founders of Glen Grant Distillery had died. Young James ‘The Major’ Grant, born in 1847, had always taken a keen interest in the distillery. After inheriting the business from his uncle John Grant, he proved himself a worthy successor.

According to accounts, James Grant was a legendary innovator and traveller. New ideas fascinated James Grant, and he wasn’t afraid to explore them. He was the first man in the Highlands to own a car. Glen Grant was the first distillery to have electric light.

He also introduced the tall, slender stills and purifiers, which created the fresh malty flavour. James Grant passed away in 1931. He was survived by his three daughters and a distillery that had become one of the most famous in the world.

Douglas MacKessack, his grandson, became his successor. In 2006, Campari acquired Glen Grant. The Glen Grant distillery is one of the top-selling malt whiskies in parts of the world.

Checkers launched their Private Barrel Co. Label of single malt whiskies in 2013. There are three other bottlings in the Checkers Private Barrel Co collection, including a Mortlach and a Glenburgie.

Only 464 bottles of the Glen Grant 17 year old whisky has been released. It is the most mature of the current Private Barrel Co. range, and I managed to get bottle number 170 of 464.

Related Article: The Glenlivet Alpha Whisky

Glen Grant 17 year old Whisky Review

The Glen Grant 17 year old single malt Scotch whisky is finished in a Sherry Cask (cask no. 97265).

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: A copper tinted gold.

NOSE: When nosing, the sherry cask is immediately noticeable. The sherry comes through at once and is very pronounced. Then some fresh fruit emerges, especially when you add a bit of water. There are notes of greengage, mild spice and butterscotch. Not have a very complex nose.

PALATE: Fresh fruit and butterscotch. It is a very spicy whisky with lots of pepper, ginger and nutmeg. There is some sweetness of the sherry cask in the background, but the spice dominates the taste.

FINISH: This Glen Grant 17 year old finishes in spice and liquorice. The finish is rather short but nicely warming.

RATING: VERY GOOD

For a 17 year old whisky, this is not a very complex whisky. However, it is an easy-drinking dram. Surprisingly the sherry does not come through as much in the palate as it does in the nose.

An interesting bottle to have in my collection. I am looking forward to trying some of the other expressions in the Checkers Private Barrel Co collection. There are a few more to choose from. I have also tasted the Private Barrel Co. No.41 whisky and the Private Barrel Co No 68, both of which are amazing drams. Earlier this year, I tried this Glen Grant 17 yo with various cheeses to find a good whisky cheese pairing. The Glen Grant works very nicely with young, mild cheddar cheese.

The Private Barrel Co released a James Sedgwick Distillery 6 yo Fino Cask as well as a Private Barrel Co No 108 Irish Whiskey during 2018, and you can read all about it.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label vs Gold Label whisky

The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 yo Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/06/2014

In Single Malt whisky

Today I look at a Balvenie Limited Edition, the Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky. William Grant was born in December 1839 in Dufftown. He was apprenticed to a shoemaker, after which he worked as a clerk.

Grant became a bookkeeper at Mortlach distillery 1866; he moved up the ranks and learned the distilling trade. After about twenty years, he left his job at the Mortlach distillery.

He bought a field near Balvenie Castle. Grant drew up plans for his distillery, and the foundation stone was laid in the autumn of 1886. He remained active in the company until his death in 1923 at the age of 83.

Balvenie lies in the Convals in Dufftown. The single malt distillery lies just below the Glenfiddich distillery, sharing its water source, the Robbie Dhu springs. Despite sharing the water, Balvenie is hugely different in character from Glenfiddich. The Balvenie is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery that still grows and malts its own barley.

The floor maltings at Balvenie also supply neighbouring Glenfiddich. Balvenie has been continually under the ownership of William Grant & Sons, proprietors. William Grant & Sons also own Speyside distilleries Glenfiddich and Kininvie.

The Balvenie Single Barrel is a 15 year old single malt that is drawn from a single traditional oak whisky cask of a single distillation. Each Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old whisky is part of a limited edition of no more than 350 hand-numbered bottles – so each bottle is unique and unrepeatable.

Related Article: Loch Lomond 12 yo whisky

The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old Whisky Review

I have bottle 159 from cask number 13529 bottled on 30 April 2008. The in-cask date was 6 October 1989.

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 47.5%

COLOUR: Very light golden. It has a nice oily texture in the glass, leaving beautiful fingers.

NOSE: On nosing the Balvenie Single Barrel, there are notes of fresh fruit, oak, honey and mild spice. The Balvenie Single Barrel has a freshness to the nose with some grassy notes. It is a medium-bodied whisky.

PALATE: On the palate, it brings lots of fresh fruit, honey, vanilla with hints of oak and ginger spice. It has a slightly floral character with lots of oak peeking through. This 15 yo is not a very complex whisky, but it’s very drinkable.

FINISH: I found the finish relatively short. I love expressions from Balvenie, and maybe I am used to longer, more sophisticated finish. It ends with some pepper and honey sweetness notes. There are elements of fresh fruit, as well.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I have several expressions, and maybe I expected a bit more from this Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old Scotch whisky. That is the problem when you have a distillery regularly spoiling us with stunning releases!

While this expression may not have been as smooth and rounded as some of its peers, it nevertheless is very drinkable. This whisky is an interesting expression and worth tasting if you get the chance.

I have also tried the Balvenie Roasted Malt as well as the Balvenie Doublewood whisky.

Balvenie & food pairing

Looking around for interesting food pairings, the conclusions seem to be that this Balvenie will pair best with meat. I found suggestions of pairing Balvenie Single Barrel with serrano ham as well as smoked short rib.

Perhaps I should try this Single Barrel with apricots stuffed with goat’s cheese and wrapped in bacon from one of my favourite food blogs, Drizzle and Dip. I think the richness of the goat’s cheese with the apricots and bacon would work well with the sweetness and spice in the whisky.

Also Read: How to pair whisky and cheese

Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/30/2014

In Single Malt whisky

A new distillery for me, I am trying the Tullibardine 1993 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky. The history of Tullibardine as a site for brewing and distilling is one of the longest in Scotland. The site on which Tullibardine stand was once home to a brewery.

It is claimed that King James IV purchased beer at this brewery to celebrate his coronation at Scone Palace in 1488.In 1503 the brewery received the first Royal Charter issued by James IV. It was awarded to recognize the excellent beer produced.

Tullibardine then disappears off the pages of history. In 1947 architect William Delmé-Evans rediscovered the disused brewery.

He began converting the remaining buildings into a distillery. The first spirit was distilled in 1949 at the newly named Tullibardine Distillery. Named for Tullibardine Moor, the distillery draws its water from the Danny Burn.

It lies to the southwest of Blackford, in the Scottish Highlands. The area is renowned for the purity of its water. The water that reaches the distillery has taken 15 years to reach the Danny Burn through the underlying rocks.

The distillery was mothballed in 1995 by the then-owner Whyte & Mackay. Production resumed in 2003 when it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd. In November 2011, the distillery was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux.

With such a complicated history, punctuated by stops and starts, I looked forward to assessing this expression. The Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Edition single malt whisky is a collectors limited edition expression. It is one of several limited-edition expressions released around the same time.

Related Article: Highland Queen whisky

Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Whisky Review

Distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2006.

COLOUR: Pale golden colour

ABV: 43%

NOSE: The first nosing impression is sweetness with a sherry undertone. Honeycomb, spice and floral come to mind. There is a bit of wood in the background. Fresh fruit dominates the nose after adding a drop of water.

PALATE: On the palate, the whisky is very spicy. Ginger, cinnamon and black pepper flood the mouth. There is also some oak between the spice with hints of caramel and cereals. The Tullibardine is a medium-bodied whisky and relatively smooth but has a few edges. It is not a complex whisky, and the spice seems to overwhelm it.

FINISH: The finish is long and lingering with a slow build to a medium body finish. It is not a spectacular end, but some condensed milk and oak come through. This whisky left us a little pondering quite a bit. It reaches for greatness but seems to fall short in a few places.

RATING: VERY GOOD.

The Tullibardine 1993 Vintage Edition single malt Scotch comes across as a little one-dimensional, possibly too spicy. All in all, it is not a bad bottle to have in my collection. My desktop research found that Tullibardine released many limited edition expressions around this time.

With the boldness of the spices coming through, this whisky will probably pair well with food. A creamy mussel soup or a roasted rack of lamb should balance the spiciness out. I have tried the Tullibardine Sauternes Cask as well and enjoyed it more. See my thought on this post.

Related Article:Whisky and Gouda with Cumin Pairing

Tomatin 12 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 02/02/2014

In Single Malt whisky

The Tomatin 12 year old Scotch whisky is a single malt whisky produced by the Tomatin distillery in Scotland. With the recent purchase of Jim Beam by Japan’s Suntory, Tomatin was the first Scottish single malt maker to be purchased by a Japanese company.

The Tomatin distillery is located in the Monadhliath Mountains just south of Inverness.It is situated in the Highland Region of Scotland. Established in 1897, Tomatin is one of the highest distilleries in Scotland at 315 metres above sea level. Tomatin’s whisky mostly goes into blended whisky.

Also Read: Glenlivet 12 yo whisky

I picked up this 12 year old single malt whisky from the WhiskyBrother Shop in Hyde Park. The Tomatin 12 year old is finished in Spanish Sherry casks and bottled at 43% ABV. The colour is defined as a dark gold. I felt it had more of an amber colour to it. The whisky was quite oily.

Tomatin 12 year old Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

REGION: Highland

COLOUR: Reddish gold

NOSE: The first impressions of nosing brings dried fruit, sherry, wood and smoke. I picked up quite a bit of alcohol in the nose. Whenever I taste whisky, I always nose it before and after adding water. It is the first whisky I have nosed where the addition of water made such a big difference.

Suddenly florals and spice came to the fore. The nose grew in complexity. Sherry notes were more pronounced, and the smoke disappeared!

PALATE: Medium-bodied. The initial alcohol bite continued into the palette. The first impression was not particularly smooth. Crystallized ginger, some sherry and dried fruit continued from the nose. There were hints of barley that came through as well.

I initially felt the Tomatin was a little rough around the edges. The effect of water on the palette was as dramatic as with the nosing. The whisky transformed! It became smooth, and a delicacy came to the front.

FINISH: A bit short. The finish ended in pepper, ginger and some spice.

RATING:: VERY GOOD.

It is undoubtedly an easy-drinking whisky. Adding the water changed my impression. It is not a whisky that is complex, or big, or pretentious. The lack of a finish meant it did not score higher.

It is a wonderfully smooth dram after the water and quite drinkable. Remember to add some extra water! I was surprised at the extent to which the water unlocked more flavours.

Tomatin 12 year old & Food pairing

My Friday routine always includes trying out a bit of chocolate with my chosen whisky. I have not found a whisky that did not work with chocolate until the Tomatin, that is. I had a bar of dark chocolate with cherry with my second glass, and it did not pair well at all.

Tomatin 12 year old whisky is a fine whisky I will gladly be going back to. I paired this whisky with a Mature Gouda cheese during 2015, and the results were amazing!

Also Read: The Macallan 12 yo whisky