Showing posts with label 22 Years. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 22 Years. Show all posts

Allt-A-Bhainne 2000 (Signatory Vintage)


“The Dark Side of the Malt”


Whisky Review # 1023

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Region: Speyside
Brand: Allt-A-Bhainne - Distilled: 26-07-2000
Bottled By: Signatory Vintage SWC Ltd, Pitlochry on 28-11-2022
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Cask # 9 - Bottle # 183 of 689
Age: 22 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 52.3% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Hogshead with 27 months Finish in Fresh Sherry Butt
Chill Filtration: No
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Average Price: US$ 220 (June 2024)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay considering the long maturation
Buying Advice: 👍 if you are a true fan of heavy Sherried malts

Color:

Darkest Amber/Brown (Natural Colour) - One of the darkest Malts I've reviewed

Nose:

Be sure to give this Allt-A-Bhainne sufficient time in the glass before Nosing as it opens up slowly. This Allt-A-Bhainne looks and smells Dark and Mature, almost like a Liqueur. It's a classic Sweet Sherry Nose with lots of Dried and Fresh Fruit, Nuts and Caramel. Pretty straight-forward.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Caramel, Demerara Sugar, Honey, Dried Fruit like Sultanas, Dates, Figs, Plums and Apricots, Dark Red Berries & Cherries, Wax, Orange-flavored Dark Chocolate, Oak, Mixed Nuts, Dusty Earth, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mint and Menthol.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Butterscotch, Buttered Toast, Marzipan, Nougat, Brandy, Strawberries and Cream, Dried Herbs, Leather, Tobacco, Cloves and Ginger.


Palate:

The delivery is less compact than you would expect and the Alcohol is noticeable. The Bitter-Sweet Palate basically follows the Nose with all the characteristic Sherry flavors. A few nice Salty and Sour notes. It's well-made but it lacks excitement.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Demerara Sugar, Salted Caramel, Dried Fruit like Plums, Sultanas, Figs & Dates, Dark Red Berries & Cherries, Wax, Orange-flavored Dark Chocolate, Mixed Nuts, Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Leather, Menthol and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Molasses, Toffee, Buttery Puff-Pastry filled with Apricots, Marzipan, Dusty Earth, Dried Herbs, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger and Tobacco.
        


Finish:

Quite Long with lingering Oak and Spices. A mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes. It's rather Dry as well. I find Sweet Barley, Brown Sugar, Syrup, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Plums, Sultanas and Dates, Dark Red Berries and Cherries, Wax, Orange-flavored Dark Chocolate, Mixed Nuts, Strong Espresso, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Cardamom, Salt, Tobacco, Licorice and Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and that helps to calm down the Alcohol. It also makes this Single Malt less intense and easier to drink. Better try it out both ways.

Rating: 7.5 (*******1/2)

Nose: 7.5 - Taste: 7.5 - Finish: 8 

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is 8 or higher you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good but unsurprising.
 
Conclusion:

Allt-a-Bhainne was founded in 1975 by Chivas Brothers, basically as a supplier of Malt for their Blends, principally 100 Pipers. It was mothballed between October 2002 and May 2005. A distillery range of Single Malts does not exist so we have to look at Independent Bottlers. It's a very large distillery with two pairs of stills that produce over 4 million litres per year.

This Allt-A-Bhainne is well-made and quite suitable as an after-dinner Malt. It's a typical sherried Speysider/Highlander in the style of Glenfarclas/GlenDronach but darker. But I also found it a bit too straight-forward and "simple" to really impress. Maybe also a bit Over-Sherried if that's a word. Only for true fans of this type of Whisky.

Cheers 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                         June 6, 2024

Aultmore 1991 Anam Na H-Alba Review



“Perhaps a tad too Ault”

Country: Scotland
Region: Highland - Speyside
Brand: Aultmore 1991 (Anam Na H-Alba)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 22 Years
ABV: 53 %
Date: 23/03/2014
Sample provided by Thomas from Germany. Many Thanks!

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: Quite Complex. Fruity, Grassy, Oily, Oaky and Herbal at first with Apple,  Caramelised Bananas, Citrus, Straw and Heather. After a while I get Buttered Toast, Malt, Espresso, Pine Needles and a wonderful note that reminds me of a quality Butterscotch Chocolate. The ABV is strong but the Alcohol is reasonably well integrated. The Fruity tones vary and once in a while I think I'm smelling ripe Pears or Peaches in Heavy Syrup. A bit of Perfume, Toffee and Vanilla as well. 

Taste: Bittersweet. Lightly Charred Oak and Spices step forward. Some Fruit is still there but more subdued. I find Orange, Lemon, Apple, Pepper, Licorice, Dried Herbs, Nuts, Bourbon, Barley, Straw, Vanilla and Caramel. The Oak influence is quite strong.

Finish: Mainly (Bitter) Sweet, Middle-Long and Spicy with Puff Pastry filled with Apples, Butter and Cinnamon and topped with a light Vanilla sauce. I also find Malt, Caramel, Nuts, Pepper and traces of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger and Bourbon.

I added a little Water and although the general profile does not change a lot, it does allow you to control the Alcohol to the point where you feel comfortable. 

Rating: 86.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

The Aultmore 22 is the bottle to the right of the picture!

General Remarks: This Aultmore 22 Years Single Cask Ex-Bourbon Hogshead #5915 was distilled on the 27th of September 1990 and bottled on the 30th of January 2013 by Independent Whisky bottler Anam Na H-Alba from the town of Oberhausen in Germany. Only 66 bottles went to the market and I was lucky enough to get a sample. This Aultmore is non Chill-Filtered, is naturally coloured and was bottled at Cask Strength. The Bottles were sold at around US$ 95 a piece.

The Aultmore Distillery was founded in 1896 by Alexander Edward. He had to sell it in 1923 to John Dewar & Sons. Dewar now belongs to the Bacardi Group who bough it from Diageo in 1998. Most of Aultmore's Spirit goes into the Dewar's White Label, the #1 selling Scotch in the USA. Beats Me! A 12 Year Distillery Bottling exists since 2004.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Without any doubt a Quality Cask. I really liked the Nose of this Aultmore. It's complex and invites you to keep looking for new Aromas. Good stuff. On the Palate and in the Finish the 22 years of Oak contact begin to tell and Wood and Spices become a bit too powerful for my liking. I think that 15 or 16 Years would have been ideal for this Spirit. I do like the Buttered Pastry and Apple combination in the Finish. The Aultmore 1991 is a nice Single Malt for a Laid-Back evening in a comfortable Chair. And at a price that seems absolutely correct. 

Jan van den Ende                                                             March 2014

Mortlach 1990 Review



Country: Scotland 
Region: Highland (Speyside)
Brand: Mortlach 1990 (Scott's Selection) 
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 22 Years
ABV: 52.2 %
Date: 04/12/2013

Colour: Straw

Nose: Quite a Strong, Spicy and a tad Aggressive Nose. The Alcohol is still not fully integrated. Be sure to give it sufficient time in the glass. It reminds me a bit of an older Rye Whiskey. I get Dried Fruits, Nuts, Malt, Rye, Cinnamon, Citrus Peel, Syrup, Vanilla, Honey, Oak, Apricot, Peach, Orange and hints of Sherry, BBQ - and Soy Sauce. 

Palate: Sweet, Warming and Spicy at the same time with Dried Fruits, Nuts (Almonds and Walnuts), Pine Needles, Peach, Citrus, Malt, Oak, Syrup, Floral Tones, Pepper, Cinnamon and Cloves.

Finish: Middle-Long, Hot and Spicy with (Chili) Pepper, Cloves, Syrup, Honey, Citrus, Espresso, Cocoa Powder, Buttered Toast and a hint of Strawberries. 

I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes Milder. Orange, Apricot, Heather, Floral Tones, Honey and Malt reveal the true Speyside character of this Mortlach. The Palate gains Fruity and Flowery tones but loses the Spicy bite. This is certainly a Single Malt you should try both neat and with some Water.  

Rating: 87.5 

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


General Remarks: The Mortlach Distillery was founded around 1824 by James Findlater and is located in Dufftown, Banffshire. Mortlach distills mainly for Blends. The current owners (Diageo) are in the process of increasing capacity and re-launching the Mortlach as a Single Malt.

The Scott's Selection is a collection of Single Malts handpicked by Robert Scott, the former Master Blender at Speyside Distillers in Glasgow. All Single Malts in this collection are bottled at Cask Strength, are naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered. The Mortlach we are tasting today was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2012. It matured in a Refill Hogshead and costs around 175 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: With added Water, this Mortlach is a true Speysider with Malt, Fruit and Floral Tones. But neat this is a Strong, Hot and Spicy Single Malt that reminded me a lot of older Bourbons and Rye Whiskeys of superior quality. Personally I prefer it neat but I can see why people would add some Water to this Mortlach. Either way, there is enough to discover and there is no way of denying the quality of this Single Malt. If anything, the Nose is a bit agressive. It can't be cheap of course but it is reasonably priced for what it offers. Try it out if you can find it!

Jan van den Ende                                                     December 2013