Balvenie Vertical

Balvenie has always been one of our favourite whiskies from Speyside. The fact that they grow their own barley, do the maltings by hand, imparts a special 'crafted' taste to the whisky that sets it apart from other labels. We are not alone in our praise for Balvenie as they have won numerous awards in recent years. Today we will treat ourselves to the Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood, 15 Year Single Barrel and 21 Year Portwood in our collection.

The Review

Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood
This is a very drinkable malt with vanilla and sherry layers dominating the nose and taste. It has a clean finish and balance. I would drink this baby anytime, anyday.

Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel
Mmmm....I fell in love with the rich malty flavour the moment I sipped this. The oak and and hint of apricot kicks in nicely after. Truly delicious.

Balvenie 21 Year Portwood - Gold Medal 2005 International Spirits Challenge
The marriage of oak and port casks has been delicately balanced in this malt. Is it a whisky or a wine? Hmm... As an oldtimer would say 'stop thinking and just bloody drink the damn thing!'

Verdict
The quality of Balvenie shows in every bottling we tried. We attest it to the quality control and adherence to time honoured traditions at the distillery. Hopefully it stays like that for a long time to come.

Port Ellen 1978 - 4th Release

Port Ellen is a wonderful distillery that unfortunately has been shuttered since 1983. However, Port Ellen Maltings still supply the malts to Caol Ila and Lagavulin, which may partly explain why they are excellent whiskies. Diageo (who seems to be buying all the best distilleries out there) is the current owner of the distillery and is slowly releasing stocks remaining in the warehouse.

I managed to find this gem at the Charles de Gaulle airport during one of my travels. It called out to me when I saw it was the year I was born and there are only 5,500 bottles in existence.

The Review

Comments: As you can tell from the high score, we like this whisky very much. Bold and powerful, it that opens up even more when you add a few drops of water. The balance between the peat, malt and oak is immaculate, coupled with a sprinkling of fruity pear and citrus notes. Outstanding stuff.

Isle of Jura Superstition

The Story
It was just a random weekday night out at a popular after work bar here in Singapore. I surveyed the scene (the whisky of course) and they seemed to have a decent selection with the usual Macallan, Lagavulin, Glenmorangie etc. A nice Lagavulin and decent conversation with some friends would have been a decent way to cap off the evening as I was not feeling too adventurous. I took a look at the menu. I took a look at the prices. Bloody hell! They were charging S$37 (US$24) for a glass of Lagavulin 16 year! Simply outrageous! I was going to give up and go for a beer something caught my eye. The Isle of Jura Superstition bottle has a distinctive symbol (someone who’s read Da Vinci Code countless times please tell me what it means) and it was calling out to me from the corner of the bar. I then remembered that Isle of Jura was the solitary distillery on the island and it had decent reviews. Price: A more reasonable S$16 (US$11). Yes, it was a sign…

The Whisky
Taken from the website (www.isleofjura.com):
The people of Jura are superstitious. From the prophecy of the one-eyed Campbell to an aversion to cutting peat before May, age-old island beliefs resonate to this day. Drawing on our finest older malts and spring-peated younger whiskies, Jura Superstition is a tribute to the people, the traditions and the mystical heritage that make Jura island life unique.

The Review

Comments: Lip and GH (budding whisky lover and superstar private banker) immediately noticed the smokey and toffee flavours in the nose. The phenols, nutty oak and malt kick in after some swirling in the mouth. One word: Good.

Lip: Why don't I remember this? Too much mem loss.

Yoichi 12 Year

The Yoichi 12 year is the first single malt Japanese whiskey that we have tried. Before, we only tried the blended Suntory Hibiki series, which is excellent. Yoichi is the flagship distillery for Nikka. Let's see how it tastes:

The Review

Comments: Oak and vanilla dominate the nose and tongue. Pleasant. However, like a great wine, somehow it is a bit lacking at 12 years and I feel that it has potential if aged more. Will have to buy the older statements to confirm this judgment. Stay tuned.

Ardbeg 10 Year

Ardbeg is another Islay whisky that is popular with most whisky lovers. They boldly proclaim to be the ‘Greatest Distillery on Earth’ on their website (www.ardbeg.com) and is well regarded in the Whisky World. We are quite excited about this one so let’s get down to it.

The Sample

The Review

Comments: This whisky really hits you hard like a crashing wave and makes no apologies about it. The salty tang, iodine seaweed flavour and the powerful smokey, oily peat combination makes any newcomer to whisky do an about turn and politely decline this beast of a dram (yes, this has happened on more than one occasion when a whiff of the pungent aroma was enough to make them run back to Johnny Walker!). Did I forget to mention that it is non-chill filtered to give it an extra 'oomph'? One of our favourite whiskies where we admire it's audacious but yet balanced taste. Slainte!

Strathisla 12 Year

Here is an interesting bottle that we dug up from our collection: a Strathisla 12 year bottle. Strathisla is one of the oldest (some say the oldest distillery) in Scotland and is the showpiece distillery for Chivas. Naturally, this single malt is dominant in the blends for Chivas Regal and Royal Salute.

The Sample

The Review

Comments: A bold scotch with weighty malt, dried fruit and vanilla flavours. A good standby for any occasion.

Rosebank Signatory Vintage 1991

Lowland malts are characterized by their light, floral notes and are typically regarded as a ‘beginner’s whisky’. As a result of poor marketing efforts and a flight by whisky lovers to heavier styles, such as Highland or Islay, this leaves only a handful of distilleries left in the region as many have been closed down (or ‘mothballed’ in whisky industry-speak), due to lack of business. One of the unfortunate casualties is the great Rosebank distillery, which is regarded by many as the best of Lowland whiskies. Thankfully, most of these gems are can still be savoured by buying from independent bottlers, who specialize in buying casks from these ‘mothballed’ distilleries and bottling it under their own label. The three big independent bottlers in the market now are Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail and Wm. Cadenhead.

The Sample

Our collection consists of one solitary bottle of Lowland whisky – The Rosebank Signatory Vintage 1991 (aged 13 years), Cask Number 4740, 4741, Bottle 312 of 651.

The Review

Conclusion: Chardonnay is the first flavour that came to our minds when we tasted this. Nice citrus and floral notes dominate this well balanced, exceptional whisky.

Macallan Vertical (Finally)

We've been wanting to do our Macallan vertical for quite a while now but haven't been able to find the suitable occasion to do so. The opportunity presented itself when one of our good friends, GC, decided to pack up and leave for London to do an MBA. When asked to come over for the Macallan vertical, his reaction was a very subtle 'Why not?' Macallan is very well marketed as a premium whisky in Asia so let's see if it lives up to the hype. Tonight, we are attempting to be a bit ambitious and sampled 4 whiskies: Macallan's 1851 Inspiration, Fine Oak 18 Year, 25 Year and 30 Year.

The Review

Taste Profile

The Scoring

We were uninspired

Macallan's 1851 Inspiration: A very disappointing watered down Macallan. Absolutely not worth drinking at all. Stay away if you can!

Macallan's Fine Oak 18 Year: Sharp vanilla flavour and sherry on the nose. Apricot notes and hint of peat round up this fine whisky. A delightful whisky for any occasion. Worthy for rich yuppies and towkays (slang for boss in Chinese). Word of caution: Do not mix with Coke. I've seen it done before and it was painful to watch.

Macallan's Fine Oak 25 Year: Vanilla, pear, oak and a hint of peat. A wonderfully complex whisky that brought a tear to our eyes. Sensational in every aspect. A must for every collector!

Macallan's Fine Oak 30 Year: Strong flavours of bitter chocolate and leather. You can chew on the wood for ages. This whisky has a mature taste and a long, constant finish.

Verdict: The 1851 Inspiration was uninspiring to say the least. Nuff said. However, we feel that the Macallan Fine Oak series is an excellent range and an interesting change from the regular 'sherried' Macallans. I bet there are a few Macallan aficianados out there who would be willing to challenge me on this. Here is an article that I found that explains the Fine Oak Series more in detail. Enjoy!

The Macallan Fine Oak - How Fine Is It?

Glenmorangie Wood Finish Selection

Glenmorangie's title of 'Scotland's Favourite Malt' is probably due to the complexity and value for money 10 year bottling (our first whisky review here). Of course, marketing plays a part too and that accounts for part of the success story.

Besides the 10 year bottling, which is aged in bourbon casks, Glenmorangie is also famous for experimenting with wood finished whiskies. Finishing means that the whisky is transferred to another cask, usually previously used for storing wine, to give it an extra dimension. For this post, we sampled the Glenmorangie Sherry and Burgundy wood finishes. Read on!

The Review

Taste Profile

The Scoring

Conclusion: We were extremely disappointed with both whiskies. Bland and without any character. P & J (two guys who market Glenmorangie here in Singapore) - send us the Margaux Cask finish to redeem the brand!!!

For Relaxing Times, Make it Suntory Time

Japan is the baby and nascent darling in the world of whisky. Ever since Masataka Taketsuru visited Scotland in the 1920s and brought home the knowledge of distilling whisky, his work gave birth to what is widely regarded as the new whisky superpower alongside Scotland and Ireland. To read more about Japanese whiskies, go to the wikipedia link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_whisky

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce a very interesting and candid Japanese Whisky blog that we've been reading:

http://nonjatta.blogspot.com

Nonjatta is probably the most comprehensive Japanese Whisky resource on the Internet (in English which helps). I especially love the Mizuwari Deathmatch Championship that he has going on. To find out more, check out his site. :)

Billboard from the movie 'Lost in Translation'

For those of you who watched 'Lost in Translation', I'm sure you get quote reference in the title of this post. Tonight, we are going to sample the Suntory Hibiki 17 and 21 year bottlings. Here are the results.

The Review


Taste Profile



The Scoring

Suntory 17 Year Old HibikiStrong peach and oak notes especially on the nose. A soothing dram that is easy to drink but ends up just a little short on the finish.

Suntory 21 Year Old HibikiEven fruitier and more floral than it's 17 year old sibling, this bottling just delivers on all aspects. Very clean. Very good. Highly recommended.

This man knows his whisky

Caol Ila 18 Years

Islay malts seem to be the rage these days. Whisky aficionados are slowly moving from the traditional Highland Malts (Macallan & all the Glen_ labels) to the more pungent and richly flavoured Islay style. As you must know by now, Lagavulin is one of our favourite Islay whiskies (if not our favourite whisky), although we have yet to do an official scoring of the Ardbeg and Laphroaigs that we own. Stay tuned for those tastings... Tonight, we sampled the Caol Ila 18 years to discover if it is the 'hidden gem' in Islay as boldly stated on the label.

The Review

Taste Profile


The Scoring

Conclusion: This is quite a decent whisky with nice citrus notes combined with the peaty, salty flavours of the sea. It is one of the lighter Islays out in the market.

Middleton Very Rare 2004

What is the main difference between Irish and Scotch Whisky? Irish Whiskey is usually triple distilled (compared to double distilled for Scotch) which makes for a much smoother and sweeter drink. Debating which is the better dram has been the source of national pride for many years for these two countries. The Middleton Very Rare represents a blend of the finest Irish Whiskies handpicked by Middleton's Master Distiller Barry Crockett each year.

The Review


Taste Profile

The Scoring

Conclusion: It's nice to taste an Irish Whiskey once in awhile as the peat flavour in most Scotch Whiskies is completely absent due to the fact, well, they do not use peat in the process (duh). While we generally like Irish Whiskies because of the smooth flavour, this blend was a tad too saccharine sweet for our liking.