Urquhart Castle 12 Years Review

“The Castle is a Ruin but the Whisky isn’t”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Urquhart Castle

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden Sunlight 

Nose: Sherry, Sulphur, light Varnish, Refill Oak, Warm Custard, Buttered Toast, Milk Chocolate, Honey, Plums, Peach, Dried Fruits, Orange Peel, Nuts, Barley, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Toffee and Spiced Wine. The Nose reminds me of a 10 Year Macallan that matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Sherry - and Refill Ex-Bourbon casks. I sense some Virgin Oak as well. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Taste: Sherry, Sulphur, light Varnish, Sweet Barley, Dried Fruits, Marzipan, Nuts, Citrus Peel, Red Grapes, Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Caramel, light Licorice, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Menthol and slightly Bitter Refill Oak. 

Finish: On the Short Side with Sweet Barley, light Sherry, light Sulphur, Dried Fruits, Nuts, Marzipan, Red Grapes, light Honey, Orange Peel, Pepper, Licorice, Ginger Ale, Menthol, light Varnish and traces of Cinnamon. 

I added a little Water and as the Alcohol retreats, the Fruit, Honey, Vanilla, Caramel and Milk Chocolate gain some ground. Palate and Finish do not show remarkable differences. You can definitively add some (Loch Ness) Water to this Urquhart Castle.  

Rating: 81.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks:

The Urquhart Castle is located on the shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands, a little over a mile East of the village of Drumnadrochit. The ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, built on the site of a medieval fortification. It was practically abandoned in the 17th century and placed in state care in the 20th century. It is now open to the public and it's one of the most visited castles in Scotland. 

The Urquhart Castle Speyside Single Malt is part of a Gift Set of 5 launched to promote some of the Historic Sites of Scotland. The other 4 are: Edinburgh Castle (Highland Malt), Stirling Castle (Speyside), Iona Abbey (Islay) and Skara Bray (Islands). As can be seen in above picture, the Urquhart in the new set is a 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt. The Miniature I'm tasting today is likely to be an earlier version. I bought this miniature during my trip to Scotland last year and I'm not sure where I bought although it could have been the Dallas Dhu Gift Shop. I have no other information on this "Mystery" Malt. So this is almost a Blind Tasting. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: The Urquhart Castle is not an easy Malt to score. On the one hand people that like Sherried Speysiders might fancy this Malt. I like them as well but only if the Wood Management is perfect. I am very sensitive to Sulphur and there's too much of that here. I also get some Varnish that I usually find in West European whiskies that use Virgin Oak to mature their Whiskies. I could live without that as well. But other than that this is certainly not a bad Speyside Malt. I have absolutely no idea what distillery could have produced this Spirit. But with a knife on my throat I would guess Macallan or Dallas Dhu. If anyone can give additional information on the Urquhart Castle 12 Years, please leave a comment or send me a message. Appreciated!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 30, 2015

Caol Ila Moch Review

“Only Mild Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Caol Ila Moch

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Colour: Light Gold 

Nose: Light but Pleasant. The Smoke and Coastal Peat are there but they do not dominate but support the other Aromas such as Sweet Barley, Toast, Burnt Straw, light Tar, Soot, light Rubber, light Iodine, Sea Water, Vanilla, Herbs, Toffee, Lemon-Grass, Ginger Bread, Honey and traces of Pineapple Jam, Cured Meat and Wet Stone. The Alcohol is not yet fully integrated. 

Palate: Light and mostly Sweet with well-integrated Peat and Wood Smoke. I also find Tar, Soot, Rubber, Burnt Toast, Malt, Wet Grass, Sea Water, Lemon, Green Apples, Pineapple, Honey, Vanilla, Herbs, Pepper, Menthol, Licorice and Aniseed.

Finish: Light but with good Length. Sweet at first but Dry and slightly Soapy towards the end. I find subdued Peat, light Smoke, Soot, Ashes, Malt, Vanilla, Lemon, slightly Bitter Grapefruit, light Oak, Pepper, light Menthol, light Aniseed, light Licorice and traces of Fish or Shell Fish.       

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose I unexpectedly found Pencil Shavings. On the Palate you will get some extra Fruit but the Finish becomes too Thin. Still, you can carefully add a couple of drops at a time and see what happens.

Rating: 82

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Caol Ila Moch (Dawn) was launched in 2011. Initially it was only available in a number of West-European countries to the Friends of the Classic Malts. It's the first Caol Ila that was selected on the basis of Taste alone, without considering Age, Cask, Wood and ABV. The Malts used in the Moch are most probably between 5 and 10 years old and matured in Ex-Bourbon casks. The Moch is usually sold at prices in the range of 55 to 70 US Dollars (09/2015).

Caol Ila (Gaelic for Sound of Islay or Islay Strait) is located on the Strait that separates Islay and Jura. The Distillery was founded in 1846 by one Hector Henderson. After changing hands many times, the Distillery now belongs to the Diageo Group. Caol Ila supplies lots of Malt Whisky to known Blends like Johnnie Walker and Black Bottle but also produces many great Single Malts.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: The standard 12 Years Caol Ila is a solid way to start tasting Islay Malts as it represents all that Islay has to offer but in a soft and subdued way. In fact a bit too subdued for my personal taste. And, in my opinion, the Moch smells and tastes even Lighter and Younger than the 12 Years. Since the price difference is not very significant, my advise would be to stick with the 12 Years. Still, both of them are good places to start your Islay adventure. Hard core Peat Heads and Smoke Adepts however will probably look elsewhere on this beautiful Island for their Malt pleasure as the Moch is on the very Light Side of the Islay spectrum.

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 28, 2015

Glenfiddich Caoran Review

“Smoking Is Not Allowed”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland/Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich Caoran

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Yellow Gold (Contains E-150) - Chill Filtered.

Nose: The Alcohol is quite present so be sure to give the Caoran enough time in the glass to develop its Aromas. On the Nose, there are certainly similarities between this Caoran and the standard 12 Years. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Heather Honey, Grass, Oak, Orange Peel, Strawberry Jam, Nuts, Pear, Apple, Cinnamon and Ginger. Additionally, the Caoran offers very mild hints of Earthy Peat, Smoke and Salt. 

Palate: Thin and Watery Delivery as was to be expected at 40% ABV. On the Palate, the Caoran is Bitter-Sweet with Dirty Earth, Barley, Heather Honey, Refill Oak, light Vanilla, Orange Peel, Lemon Juice, Pear, PVC Pipe, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cardamom and Licorice. The Palate does not deliver what the Nose promises. No balance at all actually.  

Finish: Short, Dry and slightly Bitter towards the end with Malt, light Vanilla, Caramel, Burnt Straw, Dried Fruits, PVC Pipe, Dirty Earth, Licorice, Oak, light Pepper, light Cardamom and light Nutmeg.

The New Packaging

The Caoran does not improve with added Water. It's already too Thin as it is.

Rating: 79 

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20

The Original Packaging (A Collector's Item)

General Remarks: The Glenfiddich (Gaelic for Valley of the Deer) Distillery was founded in 1886 by William Grant. It's still owned by the Grant Family today. The Caoran (Peat Embers) revives the Whisky made by Grant in the later stage of World War II when more Peat was used to dry the Barley on account of the shortage of Coal. The Caoran was launched around 2002. I'm tasting a sample today and it does not specify when this batch was bottled. Probably somewhere between 2005 and 2009. During the years two different packaging styles were used. The original "Silver" packaging has become a Collector's Item, even more so since it became known that the Caoran was to be discontinued. Bottles are still available in various places at an average 135 US Dollars (September 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Other Speyside and Highland distilleries have experimented with Peated Barley lately so it's understandable that Glenfiddich tried it out as well. Some of these experiments work and some don't. The latter is the case with the Caoran. The (partly) Peated Barley does not add value to the Glenfiddich Spirit. The Peat and Smoke are hardly noticeable but somehow manage to take out some of the Crisp and Clean characteristics of the Glenfiddich Spirit. No balance whatsoever to be found as well. The Nose is still okay but on the Palate and in the Short Finish this Glenfiddich simply disappoints. The Caoran has been discontinued in the meantime and quite rightly so. No way you should spend over a 100 US Dollars for a Malt like this. Unless you collect rarities!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 24, 2015

"A Sunny Day in Speyside"

Imperial 1995 (Signatory) Review

“The Emperor is Dead, Long Live the Emperor”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Imperial 1995 (Signatory Vintage - Cask Strength Selection)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 57.8 % 

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong so make sure you give this Imperial sufficient time in the glass. The Imperial is Malty and Fruity with Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Vanilla, Bee Wax, Toffee, Nuts, Oak, Mango, Pineapple, Nectarine, Red Apple, Melon, Mint and Floral notes. Traces of Bourbon, Ashes and Lemon.

Palate: Strong Delivery thanks to the high ABV. Quite Spicy as well. Less Sweet than the Nose would suggest. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Bee Wax, Oak, Nuts, Vanilla, Orange, Nectarine, Licorice, Pepper and Ginger. Traces of Bourbon and Tobacco.

Finish: Too short. It's quite clearly the weakest part of this Imperial. It's Sweet, Spicy and quite Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Orange, Nectarine, Lemon, Vanilla, Oak, Nuts, light Bourbon, Licorice, Aniseed and Pepper.   

I only had a small sample to begin with and unfortunately I managed to spill most of it over the floor.  So there wasn't enough left to try it with Water as well. Sorry about that!  

Rating: 86

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Imperial Distillery was founded in 1897 as a sort of back up to nearby Dailuaine. It already stopped production after 1 year and remained closed until 1919. It was bought by DCL but closed once more in 1925 only to start up again in 1955. In 1965, the production capacity was doubled using Stills that are among the largest in the Speyside area. This made the Distillery quite vulnerable in times of over-supply or lacking demand and in 1985 it closed yet again. Production started again in 1991 but in 1998 the final curtain fell. In 2005, the distillery was bought by Chivas (Pernod Ricard) only to be demolished in 2013. The distillery was located in Carron, four miles South-West of Aberlour.    

The Imperial 1995 I'm tasting today was distilled on the 9th of October 1995 and matured in 2 Hogsheads with Cask # 50322 and 50323. It was bottled without Chill Filtration and at Cask Strength on the 29th of March 2012 by Indie bottler Signatory. This Imperial is naturally coloured. It won't be easy to find and I expect the price to be around 85 US Dollars (September 2015). Samples can still be bought at Master of Malt though.

Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. is an independent bottler, founded in 1988 by Andrew - and Brian Symington. In 2002 they bought the Edradour Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good.

Conclusion: I wasn't familiar with this Distillery until now and once more, like with the 1993 Tamnavulin I tasted last week, I'm pleasantly surprised. What a pity this Distillery stopped production. Again, the Barley surprises in a positive way and I believe that the Imperial would be a great ingredient for Blends while it holds its ground as a Single Malt as well. A pity that the Finish is too Short. It would also benefit from a slightly lower ABV. Still, I scored the Imperial higher than the Tamnavulin because the latter lacks sufficient balance. The Imperial is better in that respect. Interesting distillery. Will try to find samples of other expressions!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 21, 2015

Tamnavulin 1993 (Malts of Scotland) Review

“Malt and Barley Blues”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Tamnavulin 1993 (Malts of Scotland Warehouse-Range)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 19/20 Years

ABV: 54.6 %

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: The Alcohol is pretty strong at first so be sure to give this Tamnavulin enough time in the glass. The Aromas as such are not bad but it all seems to lack a bit of Balance. It's both Sweet and Sour with Barley, Heather Honey, Vanilla, Butter Kekse, Straw, Fennel, Floral Scented Soap and Candles, Sour Cherries, Cocoa, Herbs and hints of Dusty Shelves, Leather and Smoke. It's a bit of a mixed bag and the Alcohol keeps playing up regularly.

Palate: The arrival is a bit Sharp on account of the strong Alcohol. This Single Malt does not deliver on the Palate what the Nose is promising and lacks sufficient interesting Flavours. I find strong Barley, Straw, Oak, Wax, light Vanilla, Red Grapes, Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon and hints of Smoke and Dairy. 

Finish: Quite Long. The Oak and Spices take complete control by now. Besides the Wood I find solid Barley, Cocoa, light Vanilla, Lemon-Pepper, Cloves, Salt, Wax and the finest hints of Smoke and Cranberries. Quite Dry in the end.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Alcohol retreats, giving more space to the Barley, the Floral notes and the Fruit. On the Palate and in the Finish however the Oak and Spices become quite dominant. Still, there's some room to play with a little Water.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: The Tamnavulin I am reviewing today was distilled in May 1993 and bottled at Cask Strength in January 2013 by Malts of Scotland. It aged in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead # MoS 13003. This Single Malt is Uncoloured and not Chill-Filtered. It won't be easy to find and costs an average 135 US Dollars.  

(September 2015).

The Tamnavulin (Mill on the Hill) Distillery was founded in 1966 by Invergordon Distillers. This company was bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1993. The latter in turn was bought by United Spirits from India in 2007. In 2014, United Spirits had to sell the Tamnavulin distillery to Emperador Inc. from the Philippines for competitive reasons. Despite the fact that it's a young distillery, it had to stop production from 1995 to 2007. It's located 12 miles South-West of Dufftown in the village of Tomnavoulin. At least until recently, most Spirit of this Distillery was used in the Whyte & Mackay Blends.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: This is my first Tamnavulin and I find it an interesting tasting experience. It's not at all a well-balanced Single Malt. The Nose is both Sweet and Sour and has lots of waxy Floral notes. It's almost like walking in a perfume shop although you must get rid of the Alcohol first. But on the Palate and in the Finish Alcohol, Spices and Oak rule with some Red Fruit thrown in for good measure. Still, there is something that sort of holds it all together and that's the Barley. Good quality stuff and excellent material for Blends. I do think however that the Tamnavulin has Single Malt potential as well and I would love to try say a 15 Year old with a solid Ex-Sherry Cask finish. That could well be a cracker! Because this Tamnavulin 1993 depends too much on the Barley and misses the Fruit. So while I won't buy a full bottle of this, I did like the experience! 

Jan van den Ende                                                             September 17, 2015

Tamnavulin (Picture Credit:Whisky Mini Bottles EU)