Review - English Whisky Co Chapter 6 (sample)

"English Dessert Dram"


Opened March 27th, 2012 from a 5cl (50ml) sample bottle.


Nose: Custard, vanilla essence, melting moments, ice cream, confectionery, icing sugar. So sweet. Incredible nose. No alcohol bite. Most amazing confectioner's nose. If there's any malt present on the nose it's the sweetened "Horlicks" variety. Soft, refined and fragrant. I'm blown away.
With water: Seems to dull the confectionery sweetness a little and introduces some faint earthy, malty aromas.


Taste: A little tingly at first in a very sweet arrival, just as the nose promised. Some soft citrus there, malt sweetness developing, oak spice comes through as does the obvious Bourbon influence - sweetened cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean.
With water: Brings out more woody spice notes and tones down the sweetness.


Finish: Ephemeral, soft, dissolves like melting moments. Dry sweetness and developing baked white fruits (apple pie crust?) in a short but warming finish.


Balance: Nothing out of place. Superb.


A dessert dram that would compliment vanilla ice cream, creme brulee, cheese cake etc. Elegant and refined for such a young spirit.


Score: N23 T23 F22 B24  (92)




Round Two (@ 1 month, 2012-04-28)


Nose: Icing sugar, barley sugar lollies, menthol, waxy green leaves


Taste: Chewy sweet barley sugar, woody spices, vanilla, 

Finish: Bitter oak tannins, malt, menthol, citrus oils

Balance: Very well integrated as previously established, hardly a thing out of place.

This whisky has definitely opened up after a month at half level in the sample bottle, taking on a whole new character with much more of the barley malt and spirit coming through. There is a noticeable "fuzziness" on the palette however, hinting at oxidation in early stages but without taking too much away from this good whisky. Citrus oils in the finish are a new development adding a new dimension to the sweet confectionery experience.

Verdict

This is a really good whisky. While the balance is fantastic, after the second tasting however I felt that there is something holding this whisky back from true greatness - it has definitely lost something from the first tasting - just 4 weeks since opening it is no longer the classy, sweet confectionery "bomb" it was upon opening.

At 4 weeks, is this now a more "true" picture of the whisky? Is the whisky too young (lacking integration) and therefore prone to losing its "charms" too quickly? I have no way of knowing for sure. I think several drams from a full sized bottle over a few months, with slower oxidation and bottle aging would be required to put this to the test. Based on my first experience upon opening however, I would not hesitate to buy a bottle "just to be sure" - and nor should you if you love a sweet whisky - an unforgettable lesson in American oak influence.

Score: N21 T20 F21 B22  (84)

Final (average) score: N22 T22 F21 B23 (88)

Review - Glen Scotia 1992 (G&M)

"Dusty Seaside Solvent Factory"


I have a considerable “backlog” of malts from the Single Malt Whisky Club (Australia) who essentially would send me (and bill me for!) a different bottle every month, usually something that you can’t just walk into a bottle shop and pick up. This is one of those, a Glen Scotia 1992 vintage by Gordon & MacPhail from 2009. Opened 2012-02-19, first tasted on day 2.


Nose: Acetone (paint thinner), sweet smoke, apricots, honey, brine and fragrant notes. The acetone appears quite harsh at first nosing, but soothes a little with time in the glass to release more subtle and pleasant aromas. Ignoring the acetone, somewhat reminiscent of Talisker 10 (minus some complexity). Not really as bad as it sounds though. I couldn't help but nose this for quite some time.
With water: Dulls the nose without adding to it.


Taste: A strong, bitter citrus delivery, accompanied by quite distinct "mustiness" in the middle. Like the whisky was aged in a dusty old barrel in a dark, dank warehouse. Oily, mouth-coating, white pepper and citrus-infused brine rounds it out. Strangely fascinating. But where is the malt? Oh well, no matter.. there's enough here to amply distract.
With water: Softens the delivery all round, but seems to emphasise bitterness at the finish


Finish: Initial bitter citrus burst followed by a build up of phenols and smoke. Maritime. Yep, this is a peated whisky. Phenols build and increase over a few seconds and peak with a satisfying crescendo, then falls slowly into a medium-long, dry finish. Subtly sweet malt note finally makes an appearance accompanied by a pinch of vinegar. Bitterness pervades throughout however and detracts slightly from this great finish.


Balance: Nose and taste both lacking in "roundness" - acetone dominates the nose; mustiness and bitterness the palette. Too heavily weighted to bitterness in taste and finish, the lack of malt sweetness to balance leaves one with a sense of one-dimensionality about this whisky.


Score: N19 T19 F22 B16  (76)






Round Two (@ 2 weeks, 2012-03-06)


Nose: ashes, gentle peat smoke, fruit, vanilla, barley sugar, just a whiff of glue stick. There is a real sweet, fruity edge to the nose that really satisfies.


Taste: oily citrus, dusty spices, pepper, solvent, peat and sweet malt, mouth-coating


Finish: citrus gives way to a peaty "punch" with a lingering, warm, dry earthy spice finish


Balance: Amazingly opened up now, the acetone / turps has downgraded to "glue stick" and the sweet development really rounds this dram out. I really like this. A lot. It's not perfect, but the "rough" edges have smoothed since opening which makes it more pleasant but without compromising on character.


Score: N21 T21 F22 B20  (84)






Round Three (@4 weeks, 2012-03-19)


Nose: gentle smoke, white grape, soft citrus fruits, malt, vanilla, hint of paint thinner, peanut brittle. Had to really work at it, nose seemed to have dulled a little in all departments.


Taste: juicy fruits, brine, intense citrus zest, solvent, pepper, wood shavings, peaty malt developing


Finish: initial zesty burst fades to pleasing bitterness, developing peat, chili, warming smoke, a hint of vinegar and ends with some short-lived spices and dry dust.


Balance: The nose is subtler now - the “in your face” paint thinner is mostly gone with only a hint remaining; the sweet fruits and nutty development brings another twist to this already bizarre dram. The palette takes on a more accessible profile exhibiting better balance at the expense of some character but still delivers. If the finish were a little longer this would be a really great dram.


I don’t think this will really develop any further with time in the bottle.


Score: N20 T21 F21 B21  (83)




Verdict


A confusing but ultimately rewarding dram. This really needs some time to fully appreciate. If tasted blind, I would have said the whisky can't be older than 10 or 12 years given the strength in delivery. Acetone and dust are the memorable themes. I personally don't mind the acetone nose; it is strangely addictive and has grown on me but will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea. Not sure about the mustiness though, jury's still out on that one. The phenolic maritime finish, developing soft fruits and sheer “oddity” makes this one a worthwhile and proud addition to my cabinet however. It's such an unusual whisky - island distiller meets solvent factory in the heart of Campbeltown.


Final (average) score: N20 T20 F22 B19  (81)

Review - Dalmore 12 years

The infamous Dalmore - a compulsory stop along one's single malt journey. It's a bottle from the Single Malt Whisky Club in 2008 that like the Talisker, was sitting at the back of my cabinet for a few years waiting for my undivided attention prior tasting. Opened 2012-02-11.

That colour is amazing. Bottle clearly states that caramel is added ("Mit Farbstoff") which gives it that deep, polished mahogany colour.



Nose:
First whiff is predominantly that of yeasty, cereally, "mealy" character. There's a hint of cabbage water about this too. Not really pleasant and quite unexpected. Not a great first impression. Once past the initial disappointment though, I pick up some winey, waxy and feinty notes under the yeasty surface in equal measure - the best parts being hints of praline, cream and cocoa. Opens up further with time in the glass (over one hour, during which I've had several sips!) to reveal a previously understated caramel sweetness which is quite pleasant. The yeastiness has faded considerably and I'm feeling a lot better about this malt. With water: Much the same, although, do I detect a hint of dried apple now?



Taste: 
Really mellow, soft, non-descript start to this - had to make sure I actually took a sip there. I did indeed. Nothing is apparent at first impact. Not a single thing - it's all wrapped up in some kind of waxy packaging. Oh wait, some soft malty sweetness makes itself known. But where is the alcohol, anyway? Ahh here it comes, finally, arriving several seconds later. How bizarre. The first sip requires quite accentuated "swishing" around the mouth to reveal anything out of the soft haze. I get red wine, chewy bread, some tartness, a soft oak pepper spice finish as I swallow. Subsequent sips don't reveal anything new, but the alcohol comes quicker each time with fairly muted malt and sherry undercurrents throughout. With water: Seems to accentuate the spice on the palate and on the finish, might also be slightly sweeter as well.



Finish:
Menthol and oak spice linger for a very short while in an abbreviated finish. A mere hint of savoury saltiness left on my lips, now where did that come from? Odd. But quite more-ish.



Balance:
The nose itself offers quite some complexity, once the yeastiness is out of the way of course! There's about three layers to the nose which goes some way to explain the "haziness" on the palette, as if components are tightly integrated across the flavour spectrum and one must really concentrate to tease them out. I don't know whether this is a good thing in this particular malt, as for a 12 year old, I would expect vibrancy in the notes and some "character" whereas I'm only getting subdued, rather dull notes instead. Not sure what to make of all that.



Overall, this is not bad. It has its moments and the nose is really the winner here (after the aforementioned yeastiness has dissipated). A testament to how hard I've been working (haha!) it's now been 1 hour and 50 minutes since I poured my dram and my initial disappointment has abated; I'm actually looking forward to my next pour from this bottle to see if there's any discernible improvement.



Score: N20 T19 F20 B19  (78)




Round two (@ 1 week, 2012-02-18)


Nose:
Slight yeastiness gives way to mint chocolate, leafy herbs, karinto (Japanese fried brown sugar coated snack), dark rum. Wow, this has really opened up now.


Taste:
Delivery now has bite and character. The meek, waxy delivery parcel has been torn away. Sweet demerara sugared malt accompanied by a good helping of woody spices and developing chili now kick in. Mouth-filling, engaging and robust delivery.


Finish:
Sherry-influenced spices trail off leaving dry, sweet malt, menthol and dark rum flavours in a short-medium finish. Very nice.


Balance:
That nose has increased in complexity and with dramatically scaled back yeastiness is now very agreeable indeed. Palette balance markedly improved with good malty hit and liberal spices to balance out the sweetness. Dalmore, take a bow. For an entry-level malt, this is great stuff.


Score: N22 T21 F21 B22  (86)





Round three (@ 1 month, 2012-03-12)



Nose:
Cookie dough, butter cream, brandy, golden syrup, dark chocolate, sultanas, pudding, rose petals. Slight yeastiness remains on first contact but dissipates as creamy sweet notes develop. Gorgeous nose. A hint of honeydew melon arrives later. There’s so much going on here, I’m nosing this “blind” but I think this is definitely better than it was previously. Top shelf nose. With water: Grass, menthol, mint and other greenery.



Taste:
Softly sweet, mellow oak, mouth coating smoothness, nutty oils, dark rum, bitter chocolate, toasted malt, spices. With water: Drowns the oils and brings out more bitterness - better without.



Finish:
Bitter dark chocolate accompanied by dry sherry, nutmeg and clove spices in a short but very enjoyable finish.



Balance:
Nothing out of place. No off notes besides slight yeastiness remaining in the nose upon first contact. A cozy, elegant sweetness on nose and palette - not severe vanilla or toffee but Christmas cake or pudding out of the oven.



Score: N23 T22 F22 B23  (90)





Round four (@ 3 months, 2012-05-11)

Nose:
The signature yeasty / bready note is still evident, but toned down and now inter-mingling effortlessly with smooth and sweet sherry notes as to make for a pleasant nose. I'm getting hints of chocolate cake, raisins, dark brown sugar, fudge, choc biscuits, coffee beans, leather and some tropical fruit note that I can't quite work out. Glorious - I could nose this for hours. It just gets sweeter with time in the glass, too.

Taste:
Interestingly the oak hits the palette first, riding on a wave of "spirity" malt, it's quite chewy and rich with sherry and chocolate present, there's a good helping of spices and just some tartness and tannins rounding it out. Some rough edges to this now - is it oxidation? It doesn't carry the telltale "fuzziness" I get with oxidised whiskies, so it could just be natural evolution - it's certainly not bad at all, quite good actually!  On the evidence it's holding up quite nicely.

Finish:
Drying, tannic, bitter sweet (in a good way) as aforementioned flavours linger and pop out occasionally to say "g'day!". As per the palette, a little less elegant than memory serves but nonetheless provides a warming and lingering tasty finish.
Balance:The dry sherry cuts through the sweetness of the nose and makes for a great dry/sweet combination. Palette is rich and robust and although less memorable than the nose it still delivers - the initial oak spice doesn't run away on the palette and is rather complemented adequately by sweet, tannic chewy malt and a nice tart "edge".

Score: N23 T21 F21 B22  (87)



Verdict

I'll simply repeat what I wrote after the first week - Dalmore, take a bow. For an entry-level malt, this is great stuff!

Final (average) score: N23 T21 F21 B22  (87) *


* Excluding initial "outlying" score to give more representative view of this whisky.

Review - Suntory Hibiki 17 years

Review of a 18cl (180ml) bottle circa 2005 bottling, tasted 2012-01-01. My first Japanese whisky experience.


First reaction, from nosing of bottle immediately after cap removal is distinctly and umistakably, of plum wine. A wonderful thing to experience for the first time! I left the bottle alone for 15 minutes before pouring a dram for nosing and tasting and followed up the tasting the next day, these are combined notes with my final score.


Nose:
Plum wine prominent, a little "feinty" (for a 17 year old whisky?), caramelised sugar. Caramel intensifies over time and comes to dominate. Not much else in there, except maybe a floral hint.


Taste:
Pepper first, followed by red wine (is that some sherry)? Light mouthfeel. A little "bitey". Pepper mellows to something vaguely reminiscent of radish while sherry dissipates, some citrus comes on too. Soft grain sweetness develops. Interesting bitter turn upon swallowing.


Finish:
Starts bitter. Dry. Citrus makes an appearance briefly. Quite long and warming! Bitterness dissipates. Left with some soft cereal notes and what might be a hint of that plum.


Balance: 
Not as "harmonious" (as the translation of Hibiki implies), I find that although certain elements in this whisky work well, they do not combine in such a way as to elevate the overall experience, such as a very good whisky can do.


The caramel somewhat overshadows the exquisite plum in the nose, the sherry notes (and whatever else might have been there to taste) seem to have been "muted" by the grain and there is a discord between nose and taste. Bitterness, whilst tolerable, is not beneficial and tends to be overly prominent during tasting and finishing.


Overall: A good whisky, interesting, but all I'm really left with is "caramel and plum wine" and some mild annoyance at the bitterness. Not as smooth as I'd hoped for. Still a damned good blend, however!


Score: N20 T20 F21 B19  (80)




Second tasting (@ 2 days, 2012-01-03)


Had a follow-up dram again tonight. I usually do not add water to whiskies at 40-43% ABV, but I thought I'd give it a go and was pleasantly surprised!


With the addition of water, the nose becomes floral and fruity, with an added hint of peat smoke, improving its balance noticeably as the caramel recedes from the forefront. Sadly though, the plum recedes also and is barely noticeable - but given the new found balance in the nose, it's not a major loss.


The taste becomes more well rounded and balanced; now with butter and a touch of aniseed. Bitterness is reduced and finally develops into spice and wine notes. The finish is shortened, but leaves a very nice mouthfeel with a buttery finish.


Wow. This is honestly the first blended whisky I like better with water. I would rate this a little higher (anything up to 85/100) except I believe a whisky should be rated at its bottled strength (unless cask strength), so will let the original verdict stand.


In closing - hidden subtlety and complexity here, definitely try it with water!




Third tasting (@ 4 weeks, 2012-01-28)


Four weeks after initial tasting, with water, detected new candied lime and butter shortbread on the nose. Sweetness is softer, like demerara sugar. That deserves a couple of extra points for complexity and refinement. Lime continues on the palate intermingling beautifully with the other components. Great mouthfeel. This has definitely improved given a few weeks to breathe.


Score: N22 T22 F21 B21  (86)

Verdict

A very good, bordering on great blended whisky that needs some time and a little water to really open up and reveal its true character. A good demonstration of why I taste whisky two or three times in the first month of opening.

Final (average) score: N21 T21 F21 B20  (83)




Note: Original review posted at Connosr prior to blog creation: 
http://www.connosr.com/reviews/suntory-hibiki/suntory-hibiki-17-years-old/plum-wine-and-caramel/

Review - Glenlivet 12 years

Yes, another Glenlivet 12 review. Why, you might ask? Good question. The answer is in three parts as follows:


1) pure self-interest (more on this in a minute);
2) to see if I can't remind myself and others about the "reference" malt;
3) to compare seemingly unfavourable reviews of recent bottlings against an older bottling


I hadn't tried this in a couple of years and I thought I'd give myself a refresher. It's Australian summer at the moment and although it's been quite mild by normal standards, things will heat up again as we pass through the storm season (but without the devastating flooding of early 2011, hopefully). This happens to be a good summery malt, by all reports - a clean, fruity, malty, oaky, very approachable medium-bodied Speyside malt without so much as a whiff of peat or other "unpleasantness" for the un-initiated. It is "THE" reference malt according to many.


To expand on my selfish reason for posting this review, it's purely because it means I can revisit it any time for my own use. Usually, in my head, I attempt to calibrate all single malt tastings against my recollection of this, the Glenlivet 12 year old. In my head, this is supposed to score about 75/100 (plus or minus a few) *, so we'll see if that pans out.


This review is for a bottle date-stamped March 2006 - yes, an older bottling which is designed to be consistent with my recollection of it. Has it changed? We'll see, here goes:


Nose:
Sweet honey, toffee apple, fresh and stewed apples and pears, light and fragrant, pleasant in its simplicity. With water: floral notes emerge, malt and a softer honey than before become prominent.


Taste:
Sweetness hits first, exactly as the nose promised. Really surprising how sweet this is actually, I don't quite remember it that way. Malt and oak spice in the middle, marrying very well with the sweetness as to balance it out. Oak spice at the end intensifies and then mellows as held in the mouth, a great mouthfeel by the way, quite well rounded. With water: Mellows all round, didn't detect any new flavours, just subtle variation, silky smooth. Some can taste the apple in this, I can't, even with water. It's in the nose for sure, but maybe my tastebuds are defective!


Finish:
Oak spice crescendos and then falls away, leaving a not unpleasant spice residue in a short-medium length finish. The underlying malt lingers a while before fading.


Balance:
There really isn't much to fault here in terms of overall balance, although the only thing I might say is that the sweetness could be toned down just a smidge in the nose and on the palate.  I did somehow expect some caramel to intrude in the nose or the taste, but I didn't experience that - the sweetness I got was more honeyed sweetness. Pretty good.


So there it is. My refresher in the "reference" malt that will probably see me through my entire year of tasting other malts. It was pretty close (if not a little better) than what I expected from my recollection of it in years passed. Next time I'll try a recent bottling and see if my thoughts change.


Is this a complex whisky? No. Is it a great whisky? No. Is it enjoyable? YES! A refreshing, approachable dram for any time of day. A simple but elegant whisky that really does, at least for me, epitomise what Scotch malt whisky is all about and why I love the "water of life" so much.


Score: N20 T19 F18 B21  (78)


* There are various 100 point systems in use for whisky tasting. Some, like me, see 75/100 as the cutoff between an average and good whisky, with "very good" starting around 80, great 85, excellent 90 and superstar 95+


Note: Original review posted at Connosr prior to blog creation: 
http://www.connosr.com/reviews/glenlivet/glenlivet-12-year-old/the-reference-malt/

Review - Talisker 10 years

This review is for a bottle from circa 2005, opened January 10th 2012. First Talisker experience (which shows how long of a whisky journey I have ahead of me). Don't ask why I've had this on a shelf for over 6 years without ever having tasted it - I guess I just never found the right opportunity!


Anyway I will provide notes for "fresh" tasting and then several weeks on to see if the character of the whisky changes, for better or worse (as others in the community have noticed differences over time with this whisky).


Round One (2 days after opening, 2012-01-12):


First impressions - the whisky is "sweaty". It leaves little droplets on the side of the glass; as if a film of water lies on top of the whisky. The glass was completely dry before adding whisky. I have not seen this before. Ambient temp today was 36C (or 97F) which might have something to do with it, not entirely sure though.


Nose:
Weaker than expected - expected a stronger more intense delivery of peat and other notes but there's not much there, it's actually fairly subtle and restrained. Soft peat smoke, a little citrus, brine, soft malt, just a hint of honey, eucalyptus oil and a touch of "earthy" spices. Nose develops some caramel notes after tasting. With water: Smoke subsides as wet pebbles, leaves and peat moss arrive. Malt cereal emerges. Sweetens over time.


Taste:
Peat, salt, pepper, citrus all coming to the party with a zesty punch, intense (but rather short-lived) inter-mingling of all the elements, delivered to near perfection. What the nose lacked in "oomph" is more than redeemed on the palate. Pleasant medium-bodied mouthfeel without any surprises. With water: Mellower all round, bitter citrus and oaky notes at the back. The initial zesty "kick" is gone. I like it better without water.


Finish:
Peaty, dry, good length. Lip-smacking savoury, meaty, salty notes remain, like after a bowl of popcorn. Fantastic. Would go swimmingly with grilled salmon or pepper calamari. Why did that pop into my head? Curious. With water: Add slighly medicinal, enhanced peaty notes.


Balance:


A quite superbly balanced dram. We have salty, sweet, citrusy and peaty notes combining brilliantly to provide a memorable experience. Best without water, I think.


Score: N21 T22 F23 B24  (90)




Round Two (2 months after opening, 2012-03-10):


Nose:
Peat smoke, brine, cough drops, barley sugar, hint of fruit


Taste:
Intense peppery delivery, citrus, sweet malt, brine developing, peat, chili finish


Finish:
Pepper, peat smoke, citrus. Savoury finish.


Balance:
No change from the first tasting, all the different notes are still holding together fantastically without unravelling


Score: N22 T21 F20 B22  (85)




Verdict


So there you have it. I think I liked it better at initial opening if you go by the score. At two months later though there’s still not a lot of difference, even as the score goes down 5 points - it did seem a little “flatter” than the first tasting but it could be my mind playing tricks on me as I more or less knew what to expect; though I did the 2 month tasting completely blind without any references to the first tasting.


I’d be hard pressed to not have a bottle of this with me at all times, such is the quality (and price point) of this whisky. Would definitely suit a colder clime however, while a great drop, it’s a little too warming for summer.


Final (average) score: N21 T22 F22 B23  (88)