Tag: Rating: Very Good Page 5 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

Toor Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/15/2022

In Grain Whisky

I saw a colourful bottle of whisky on social media. The label was a vibrant turquoise blue with a captivating name; Toor whisky. In Afrikaans, my home language, the word means bewitch. I was fortunate to be sent a bottle by Redford Beverages, so today, let’s look at the story behind this bewitching brand.

Toor is a new entrant to the SA whisky market from the Doña distillery in Cape Town. Danielle Schoeman established Doña distillery in 2019 to bring new spirits to the local and international market. Doña means woman of rank.

The dynamic young female master distiller has won multiple awards for her Low/No-alcohol Drink, Best Ready to Drink, and numerous medals for her spirits at local and international competitions.

Her Mahala Botanical was awarded the prestigious Trophy for Best No/Low Alcohol Spirits at the Michelangelo International Awards.

Also Read: Sullivans Cove Bourbon Cask Whisky

Another venture under her care is the Toor Collective of whisky, with the first release of a 100% local grain whisky, matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks for 5 years before being finished in French oak casks.

Over time, the Toor Collective is about whisky exploring and experimenting, looking at the various barrel and non-traditional South African wood options, including pinotage, rum and other barrels. More releases will follow as more liquid matures over the coming years.

The distillery has started distilling and ageing its own grain whisky. However, for this first release, the team is sourcing, blending and ageing to deliver the taste profile they are aiming for.

Toor Whisky Review

COUNTRY: South Africa

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Dark gold

NOSE: Vanilla sweetness with hints of tropical fruit. Subtle woody notes. Very oily whisky with long fingers on the glass.

PALATE: Sweet honey drizzled baked stone fruit with hints of nuts and dry oak. The dry woody notes reminds me a bit of the woody notes in the Uncle Nearest bourbon. Hints of vanilla and light white pepper. A slight alcohol heat. Water smoothes the alcohol heat and makes this dram very drinkable. The Toor whisky is well balanced and exciting.

FINISH: Medium length with sweet honey and drying oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

A lovely grain whisky. My bottle of Toor whisky nearly done, and that says a lot! The sweet fruity notes make it perfect for spring and summer sipping. Grain whisky in South Africa is stepping up with delicious sweet drams.

Available at WhiskyBrother & Co as well as Takealot. Toor whisky retails for around R330. It is a great whisky to use in cocktails and my favourite cocktail to make is a Tropical Toor.

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the Redford Beverages team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: Belgian Owl Evolution Whisky

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 06/20/2022

In Single Malt whisky

I was in the mood to try a whisky finished in red wine casks again, so my choice this week is the Tullibardine 228 Burgundy finish single malt Scotch whisky. It has been so long since I tried a red wine cask (Three Ships Shiraz Cask) and even longer since I had a Tullibardine.

Tullibardine distillery is a Highland distillery located in Blackford, Perth and Kinross. Some level of brewing and distilling has taken place on the site since the 1800s, but the distillery in its current format opened in 1949.

The distillery changed hands a few times, and then in 1995, the distillery was mothballed by then-owner Whyte & Mackay. In 2003, it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd, who resumed production and then, in 2011, it was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux. The French wine and spirit group also owns the Highland Queen and Muirhead brands.

Also Read: Michel Couvreur Peaty Whisky

The Tullibardine range whisky was released in 2013. The Tullibardine 228 whisky was finished for 12 months in a 228 litre Burgundy barrique from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

Red Burgundy wine is recognised for its raspberry, blackberry and cherry notes. Burgundy is not a finish seen often with whiskies. The only other whisky I could see with this finish is the Edradour Burgundy Finish.

The Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish single malt is a NAS release. Other releases from the Tullibardine distillery include a the Tullibardine 225 Sauterness Finish, the Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish and Tullibardine 15 yo whisky.

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish Whisky Review

REGION: Highlands

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Ruby gold

NOSE: Malt and red fruits mixed with toasted oak and honey. A few raw alcohol notes. Not the most complex nose. Faint hints of cherries and vanilla.

PALATE: Red fruits of the forest, creamy malt, hints of toasted nuts with vanilla sugar. After the glass stood a bit, berry notes and apple came through, and some alcohol heat dissipated. Bits of oak with black pepper. Medium body and with a slight drying mouthfeel. Water brings more honey sweetness to the front and tempers the heat. A bit young with a few raw notes.

FINISH: Medium length with notes of red fruit, oak and sugar sweetness.

RATING: VERY GOOD

You can pick up the distinct red berry notes from the burgundy casks in this Tullibardine. A pleasant enough red wine finish, and I will not struggle to finish this bottle. However, I think if this spent a year or two more in the barrels, the rough edges would soften, making it spectacular.

I suspect that this is a dram that will work magically with some cheese, a theory I need to investigate. The Tullibardine 228 whisky is unavailable in SA at present. When it was available, it retailed for around R 550.

Glen Grant 10 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/16/2022

In Single Malt whisky

The last time I wrote about a Glen Grant whisky was in 2019 when I looked at the 12 year old Non Chill-Filtered. I need to rectify this oversight, as it is a whisky distillery that I like. So today, I look at the Glen Grant 10 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The first time I tasted this whisky was at a Whisky Show many years ago when my good friend Bernard Gutman poured me a tot. The Major’s Release is on my top 5 affordable drams list, and the 12 year old non-chill-filtered is perfection. The Glen Grant stand is always on my whisky show must-visit list.

Glen Grant was founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside, by brothers John and James Grant. After the founding brothers died, James ‘The Major” Grant inherited the distillery, and he had a keen interest in whisky-making.

Also Read: The Top 5 Blends under R500

The Major was known as a renowned innovator and traveller, and he enjoyed trying many new ideas. He was the first man in the Highlands to own a car. Glen Grant was the first distillery to have electric lights. Chivas Brothers Ltd owned the distillery in the past. But in 2005 it was bought by the Italian company Campari Group.

The core range includes a 12 year old and an 18 year old, and there are quite a few independent bottlings available such as the Checkers Private Barrel Co Glen Grant 17 year old release.

It is a well-known brand all around the globe and is readily available in SA. The Glen Grant 10 year old single malt whisky is aged in bourbon casks. Glen Grant launched the revised bottle design in mid-2016. In SA, it retails for around R510. On Amazon you can pick it up for round £32.

Glen Grant 10 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Speyside

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Golden Yellow

NOSE: Elegant with notes of ripe pear, honey and vanilla. Bits of spearmint and fresh coriander with malt.

PALATE: Medium body and soft with sun ripe pear and apple and malt. Notes of vanilla, honey and oak spices. Adding water brings a gentle smokiness and lemon pepper to the front. Not very complex.

FINISH: Medium length with toffee cinnamon and oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

A drinkable summer Scotch. The Glen Grant 10 year is not a bad dram, and I think it is an affordable introduction to Speyside single malt whisky for beginners. It is drinkable, but I miss the bolder, more complex fruity notes from the 12 year old. Even the Major’s Release has more depth and character.

It does, however, showcase the fruity characteristics of Speyside drams. It is readily available in South AFrica and in the affordable category. The Glen Grant 10 year old retail for around R 550 at WhiskyBrother& Co.

Also Read: Balvenie Doublewood 17 year old Whisky

Cutty Sark Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/29/2022

In Blended whisky

Many many years ago, a group of friends went for a holiday in Zimbabwe. We first stopped off in the rugged Eastern Highland for some trout fishing and then made our way up to Lake Kariba.

There we stayed in the Cutty Sark Hotel while exploring the beautiful dam and finding tiger fish. The name Cutty Sark always stayed with me and reminded me of fun times with good friends. When I saw a Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky, I just had to have it.

I found the distinctive green bottle with the bright yellow label at Normal Good Fellows, and it was very affordable. Cutty Sark is a range of blended Scotch whisky produced by the Edrington Group. The base of Cutty Sark came from The Glenrothes distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland.

Other Edrington brands include the Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse.

The whisky was created on the 23rd of March 1923 by Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd, when they met with Scottish artist James McBey for lunch. They wanted to create a lighter style of blended whisky for the US market.

McBey suggests the name, as the famous tea clipper had recently been retired to England for naval training. The Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky range also includes a Prohibition Edition that is bottled at 50% ABV. There was one little challenge before we could get to the tasting though; after opening the bottle, no liquid would come out.

The plastic thingie (flow regulator) inside the neck of the bottle only allowed 5 ml at a time. I had to break open the regulator to pour two glasses in a reasonable time.

Also Read: Naked Grouse whisky

Cutty Sark Whisky Review

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Bright gold

NOSE: Cream, malt, spices, bits of fresh fruit with hints of vanilla.

PALATE: There is a bit of alcohol heat but not too bad. Malt, fruits, florals with vanilla and cinnamon. Adding a few drops of water allows the butterscotch sweetness to come forward. Faint hints of peppery oak.

FINISH: Lemon peel and pepper

RATING: VERY GOOD

Smooth, easy-drinking and non-offensive. Just a nice dram to enjoy. I see on the Cutty Sark website that they have a few cocktails perfect for Cutty Sark and with a dram this affordable but still drinkable; it is a great whisky to use in cocktails. My favourite cocktail on their list was the Cutty Buck.

Also Read: Black & White Whisky

Johnnie Walker Swing Blended Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 04/18/2022

In Blended whisky

This week I try another blend, one in a unique bottle, the Johnnie Walker Swing blended Scotch whisky. Johnnie Walker is owned by Diageo and originated in Kilmarnock, Scotland. It is the most widely distributed Scottish blended whisky brand in the world.

Yearly sales exceed 100 million bottles. John “Johnnie” Walker started to sell whisky in his grocer’s shop. Originally it was known as Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky.

After Walker died in 1857, it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the whisky as a famous brand.

Sir Alexander Walker, the grandson of John Walker, created Swing during the golden age of travel in 1932. On transatlantic voyages, bartenders desperately stowed loose bottles on racks to prevent breakages. The unrelenting pitch and roll of stormy weather on the high seas causing havoc with their whisky stocks.

Johnnie Walker Swing’s unique glass decanter allowed it to swing back and forth on a convex base. Known and respected as a captain of industry for his role in the international success of the Johnnie Walker brands, Sir Alexander was a familiar sight on these voyages himself. Today the Swing bottle remains instantly recognizable amid a myriad of newer offerings.

The Johnnie Walker Swing is a blend of 35 whiskies with a high proportion of Speyside malts. These are complemented by malts from the northern Highlands and Islay. There are also whiskies matured in sherry casks.

Also Read: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label vs Gold Label whisky

Johnnie Walker Swing Blended Scotch Whisky

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: An amber golden colour and quite dark.

NOSE: The sherry cask sweetness comes through. There is also some mild smoke and spice. The nose has an old-world feel to it. Hints of dried fruits, tobacco and leather. Nosing this Johnnie Walker Swing, you can almost imagine the old leather couches in a gentleman’s club in London during the early 1900s.

PALATE: On the palate, the Johnnie Walker Swing is very smooth and quite oily. Spicy notes balance the sherry sweetness. There are notes of smoke and faint peat, probably from the Islay whiskies. There are some cereal flavours and oak. The spice is reminiscent of pepper with hints of ginger.

FINISH: Long and rich. It ends in rich notes of spice and oak with a hint of cloves. Swing is an easy-drinking whisky.

RATING: VERY GOOD

It is medium-bodied and not too complicated, and you should be careful when you add water. Water can quickly overwhelm this whisky. However, it is an excellent addition to any whisky collection. I paired this release with some Wensleydale cheese with cranberries over HERE. See how this pairing worked.

Also Read: Chivas Royal Salute 21 yo whisky