Glen Grant 16 Year

Was in Kuala Lumpur and visited C's restaurant for the first time. He recommended the Glen Grant 16 Year, a distillery that I have never actually tried despite it being one of the largest whisky brands in the world.

Comment: A very easy whisky to quaff. I think the 4 of us finished a bottle within an hour. Light, fruity and fresh is the best way to describe it with an amazingly smooth finish.

Whisky and Steak - Part 1 (Balvenie 16 Yr Triple Cask & 15 Yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask)

Last minute steak dinner pulled together at Y's house with some good friends. Had some really good wine to pair with the food but of course had to end the night with some whisky. We had a very random selection of 2 Balvenies, a 24 year New Zealand (yes New Zealand) whisky and the award winning 21 year Old Pulteney.

Let's start with the Balvenies which are recent additions to the range. The first is a 16 year Triple cask available exclusively for travel retail and the second is the newly released 15 year Single Barrel Sherry Cask that is replacing the Oak cask series (reviewed here)

THE REVIEW

 

Balvenie 16 yr Triple Cask: A bit light on the palate and somewhat disappointing. The usual vanilla and honey notes are there but lacks the usual full bodied flavour of a Balvenie. Maybe the 40% abv has something to do with it? For the price point there are other better Balvenies to be had.

Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask: A worthy successor to the Oak cask Single Barrel and great if you like sherried whisky. Apricots, raisins dominate with a hint of nuttiness and the finish is long and smooth.

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.

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!

Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1989

After trying the superlative Lagavulin 16 years, we decided to sample the Lagavulin Distillers Edition to see if they could improve on an already excellent whisky. The Distillers Edition series was created by Diageo to give a new dimension to the classic malts that they own. Essentially, it is the same whisky but 'finished' in a cask which previously held wine. In the case for Lagavulin, it is double matured in a full bodied Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask. My guess is that they wanted to balance this powerful malt with the sweetness of sherry. Here are the results:

The Review


Taste Profile


The Scoring

Conclusion: The pungence of the sherry cask is very apparent when you smell or taste it. Yet the peaty, powerful character of Lagavulin still shines through as these two distinct flavours compete with each other for your attention. An interesting experiment and a great dram that is easy to drink. Nonetheless, we still prefer the original undiluted thank you very much!

Scotland vs Ireland (Whisky vs Whiskey) - Lagavulin 16 and Bushmills 16

Here’s an interesting tasting that pits, in our opinion, the best, affordable whiskies which Scotland and Ireland have to offer. Presenting the Lagavulin 16 years versus Bushmills 16 years. Whisky vs. Whiskey (For your info, only in Ireland and United States it is spelled with an additional ‘e’).

The Review

Taste Profile

The Scoring

Lagavulin 16 Years

Comments: Overpowering peat combined with layers of pine, walnuts, dark chocolate and hints of sulphur. Truly one of the great distilleries in the world. A must for any collection.

Bushmills 16 Years

Comments: Still one of my favourite whiskies with its strong nutty and vanilla flavours. It seems to be hard to find outside of Ireland unless you look in specialty shops. Grab it when you see it!

The Verdict

It was a close battle between 2 delicious whiskies but eventually Lagavulin edged out Bushmills as the better whisky. This was a tough decision as Bushmills was the whisk(e)y that introduced me to the water of life.