Yamazaki 12 Year

We're trying to beef up our Japanese whisky collection (and posts) to reflect the growing popularity of drams from the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, Japanese whiskies are pretty hard to find outside of the country which is why they are not very well reviewed generally. Anyhow, let's continue with the basic Suntory Yamazaki 12 year which is fairly easy to find in most bars and shops worldwide.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Maybe we're biased towards Japanese whiskies but this was a very good and easy to drink. It mimics a typical Scotch but with the touch of Japanese refinement. Keep one for your everyday collection!

Ballantine's Finest

A blend! It has been awhile since we sampled one (I think our Suntory Hibiki series was the last one) and we've sampled quite a few fancy blends before (Royal Salute series, Middleton, JW Blue Label). I also remember that the Ballentine's 17 year was also one of our first few reviews and we ranked it quite favourably. Now, let's see how it's 'younger brother' stacks up.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Scorched plastic was what we used to describe this. The nose was decent enough but the taste and finish was pretty and disappointing.

Glenmorangie The Nectar D'Or

The Nectar D'Or is the updated version of the popular Sauternes finish by Glenmorangie. As you recall from our previous post on Glenmorangie's attempts at Wood Finish, we were not impressed. However, given that we are impartial to Sauternes (who isn't), we were quite excited to try this one out.

THE REVIEW

Comments: The fruity aroma hits the nose immediately and begs you to savour the dram. Apricots and citrus dominate the taste followed by strong hints of oak. A very delicious and easy after dinner drink indeed. We now know why this is selling very well for Glenmorangie.

Glendullan 12 Year

Glendullan is a low profile distillery that is situated in Dufftown, probably the most famous whisky town in Speyside and self proclaimed 'Malt Whisky Capital of the World'. Another little known fact is that it is one of Diageo's biggest distilleries but is mainly used in blends such as Johnnie Walker. However, Diageo has started marketing Glendullan recently by introducing the it in the Singleton series which has won rave reviews from whisky experts. Let's find out how this 'original' bottle tastes.

THE REVIEW

Comments: This is a fruity, almost herbal and fairly well balanced malt. The taste is 'yummy' and easy to drink but the finish, like most standard 12 year offerings, could have been more substantial. Worth buying but doubt you'll find it as it may be replaced by the Singleton series already.

Gordon and MacPhail Interleven 1990

This is one of the few Lowland whiskies that we have in our collection and shamefully so. I'm not sure why they are not more popular as they offer a light, refreshing twist to the heavier Highland and Islay drams that we are used to.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A floral bouquet of lilies takes you in when you take a whiff of this dram. An absolutely lovely whisky to sip in the afternoon over a book or with friends.

Mortlach 16 Year

The Mortlach 16 was a random bottle that Lip had bought to add to the collection. Mortlach is a key component of Johnnie Walker (along with Talisker) so it was interesting to see whether it was a keeper or should we 'Keep Walking'.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Lightly peated with slight tangy sweetness on the tongue. Comments heard during the tasting were 'tastes like Chinese medicine' and 'herbal jelly'. This dram could possibly cure any ailment that you have! Overall very decent and fairly priced.

Redbreast 12 years

It's been awhile since we sampled an Irish whiskey simply because we didn't have any others in our stash apart from the Bushmill's and Middleton that have already been reviewed. As luck would have it, one of our friends TB brought over a bottle of Redbreast after realizing the deficit in our collection. Redbreast is one of the pure pot still whiskies from Ireland available in the market. This traditional method of distilling the whisky, which combines both malted and unmalted barley, gives the whiskey a unique and strong flavour.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Fresh and floral with a slight nutty edge. Very complex for a 12 year whisky and has interesting sherry/wine-like flavours. Have one in your collection at all times to show what the Irish are capable of producing.

Talisker Vertical

Talisker is the only distillery from the Isle of Skye in Scotland and currently owned by Diageo. It is used extensively in Johnnie Walker blends and most notably in the Green Label series. As one of our favourite distilleries, a vertical of the 10 year, 18 year and 1991 Distiller's edition in our collection was long overdue.

THE REVIEW

Talisker 10 Year
Comments: This is the perfect dram to have with a barbeque (mmm...chicken wings and steak) on a sunny day. Has very strong peat and wine flavors and excellent finish. If I had to sum this drink in one word it would be 'Macho'.

Talisker 18 Year
Comments: A more fruity, honeyed drink compared to the 10 year. The vanilla oak stands out and it is very smooth and easy to drink. Whether you would pick the 18 year or the 10 year would probably depend on your taste and mood at the time.

Talisker Distiller's Edition
This is a pleasant, friendly and palatable drink. It does not taste like a Talisker and somehow the flavours are not as exciting. Two words to describe this drink: 'Crowd pleaser'.

Glenfiddich Cask Strength 15 Year

Our great review of the Solera Reserve prompted us to try out more of the Glenfiddich range. Looking through the selection, we picked this bottle as 'cask strength' invoked feelings of power and greatness (typical men).

THE REVIEW

Comments: Unfortunately, we were half the men we thought we were and this dram completely overpowered us with leathery and tobacco-ey overtones. We added a few drops of water to save ourselves and it tasted slightly better with traces of fruit and sherry making an appearance. Not for the weak.

Longmorn 16 Year

Longmorn is an old Speyside distillery known for churning out great whiskies. The 15 year expression is known as the 'Hidden Jewel of Speyside' and according to most reviews, excellent and affordable. The distillery is currently owned by Chivas, and they have decided to let the cat out of the bag by launching a 16 year edition in a fancy packaging as one of their upmarket brands. Let's see how it tastes...

THE REVIEW

Comments: A nice, refreshing fruity and honeyed dram suitable for a relaxing, sunny afternoon by the pool. Highly recommended!

Blanton Gold Edition

American bourbon (hello Jack and Jim) used to be my staple alcohol back in college, for the simple reason that it goes really well with Coke. Fast forward 8 years later where I no longer mix my whisky with Coke anymore. Our first official tasting of a bourbon is the Blanton's Gold Edition, which is well regarded by most bourbon connoisseurs.

The Review

Comments: This is actually quite a decent whisky with strong vanilla and sweet honey tones. However, perhaps we are biased and not used to the taste of bourbon (made from corn instead of barley) so we gave it a lower score. We will have to revisit this one day after we try more bourbons in the collection.

Singleton 18 Year

Glen Ord is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and is known to produce fine, award winning whiskies. It's current owner, Diageo, launched The Singleton of Glen Ord as it's new range of whiskies catered to 'a new generation of malt whisky drinkers'. Hmm...we must be their target audience. Let us try the 18 year old expression.

The Review

Comments: The nose and taste was pleasant with the usual characteristics of a Speyside whisky, slightly sherried and peaty. However, the finishing was very much lacking and overall we were not impressed. Nice packaging and bottle though...it looks good as a gift.