Mary Stuart Blended Scotch Whisky Review

*This is a picture of a bottle of Craigmhor Blended Whisky. The only available picture of the Craigmhor Mary Stuart Blend is the Group Picture you will find below. The Mary Stuart is the second bottle from the left.

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Mary Stuart 

Blended (Probably) by Craigmhor Whisky Ltd, Glasgow

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 43 %

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Clear Bourbon notes with Vanilla, Glue and American White Oak. But also Buttered Toast, Grain, Honey, Floral Tones, Malt, Citrus Peel, Chopped Walnuts, Straw, Pear, Banana and Melon. Not bad at all for a Blended Whisky. A bit in the style of The Glenlivet 12 French Oak.

Palate: Light and Pretty Standard with Oak, Vanilla, White Pepper, Aniseed, Honey, Licorice and some Fruity and Floral Notes. Hint of Plastic. I expected a lot more after the pleasant Nose.

Finish: Not too long and slightly boring with Malt, Buttered Toast, Oak, Aniseed, Honey, Licorice, some Sweet Fruit and White Pepper.

With a bit of water the Nose gets dominated by Buttered Toast, Oak and Vanilla. Palate and Finish are watered down while Licorice and Plastic are picking up. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 79 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20

General Remarks: The whisky I'm tasting today is part of a box containing six Blended Scotch Whisky samples produced somewhere between 1955 and 1965. They are all named after English and Scottish royalties. This box-set is sold by the Dutch based Rare Whisky Site www.rarewhiskysite.com. Other than that I could not find one bit of information on the Mary Stuart Blended Whisky. I have no idea if full bottles are still available and, if so, at what price!

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: It is said that Blended Whisky used to be a lot better in the old days. This Mary Stuart certainly has a pleasant Nose when compared to the portrait below and many of today's Standard Blends. But on the Palate this is just as forgettable. I have tried Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart and honestly speaking We Are Not Amused! However, we still have King Edward I, King Edgar, Queen of Scotland and Queen Anne. So maybe we will find the hidden royal blended treasure of the Sixties yet. Stay tuned!

Jan van den Ende                                                                     March 7, 2013

Lagavulin 16 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Lagavulin

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV:  43 %
Buying Advice: 😋  Totally positive. One of my favourite 2-Go-2 Malts.

Colour: Golden Amber (E-150 is added)

Nose: First impressions are lovely mellow Peat and a Meaty tone that reminds me of drizzling Bacon Fat when you are Char-grilling Pork. The Sea is not far away as well with Salt and Brine coming through along with some Oak. There are some Medicinal Notes as well and even a hint of Rubber but all in a good way. Sweet Barley, Cigar Ash, Soot, Tea, Brown Sugar, Honey, Herbs, Leather, Tobacco, Buttered Toast with Orange Marmalade and Vanilla complete the picture. It is not as wild and exciting as young Islay whiskies like Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10, but it's smooth and inviting. You can certainly tell the extra years. Very nice!

Palate: The delivery is by far not as powerful as I had expected. I hesitate to say it but I found it a bit on the thin side. I believe this dram should have been bottled at 46%. The Lagavulin 16 is actually on the Bitter-Sweet side and a little bit Dusty. I get Peat, Leather, Smoked Fish, Oak, Tobacco, Tea, Malt, Hazelnuts, Caramel/Toffee, Vanilla, Iodine, Cigar Ashes, Smoke, White Pepper, Licorice, Cloves, light Menthol and hints of Dark Chocolate and Espresso. 

Finish: Middle-Long and slightly Bitter with Sweet Barley, Toast, Smoke, Dusty Peat, Tar, Pepper, Cloves, Leather, Tobacco, Caramel, Ashes, Iodine, Menthol and hints of Dark Chocolate and Strong Espresso.

The Lagavulin 16 Years does not improve with added Water although it accepts a few drops.

Rating: 88

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: Lagavulin (Gaelic for "The Hollow Where The Mill Is") is one of the oldest distillery sites in Scotland. Around 1816 a local farmer and distiller by the name of John Johnston founded the first legal distillery. Lagavulin is located on the rocky Southern Shore of the Isle of Islay, close to the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle and Port Ellen. Lagavulin receives the slowest distillation of all Islay malts and matures in old Oak Casks. It costs around 75 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Lagavulin 16 Years is a very pleasant Single Malt. On the Nose it is really mellow and laid back. The peat smoke is there but it's not dominant. It's more like a cloud that gently embraces the other flavour components. Very well done. The Palate is smooth and well-balanced,but also ever so slightly thin and dusty. It should have been bottled at 46% in my opinion. The Finish is rather short for an Islay Single Malt. But all in all it's a good Whisky of course and a smooth way of entering the Peaty World of Islay. It's certainly one of my 2-Go-2 Islay Malts and I would love to have a bottle around all the time.

PS: I first reviewed this Whisky in March 2013. Last year I bought another full bottle at the Duty Free Shop at Frankfurt Airport and decided to review it again today. I have adjusted the text as I'm better positioned now to describe the Aromas and Flavours. I slightly changed the rating components but the overall score remained the same.

Jan van den Ende                                        March 5, 2013 and March 20, 2017

Tony Joe White Album Review (1971)

Songs: They Caught The Devil And Put Him In Jail In Eudora Arkansas, The Change, My Kind of Woman, The Daddy, Black Panther Swamps, Five Summers For Jimmy, A Night In The Life Of A Swamp Fox, Traveling Bone, I Just Walked Away, Copper Kettle (The Pale Moonlight), Voodoo Village. 

All songs written by Tony Joe White.

Type of Music: Swamp-Rock/Soul Ballads

Comments:

This is Tony Joe´s third album and his first for Warner Brothers. His first two albums for Monument Records were rough and (swamp)rocking but Warner Brothers coupled him to British producer Peter Asher who had just produced James Taylor.

As a result, this album is of the Singer/Songwriter type, combining Tony Joe´s Swamp Rock with soulful Ballads. The album has a pleasant flow and there are no really weak songs to break the rhythm. Tony Joe White would go on and use this concept for many years to come.

Personally I prefer the Swamp-Rockers here, especially, They caught the Devil…., Black Panther Swamps and A Night in the Life of a Swamp Fox.

They are just great fun and it´s difficult to sit still while listening.

But some of the ballads are good as well, especially The Change, a theme that returned in many songs in the late sixties/early seventies. Bob Dylan started it all with The Times They Are A-Changing. And the Father and Son problems are adequately addressed in The Daddy. All fathers and sons with problems should listen to this song at least once a month! And I Just Walked Away sounds thoroughly sad.

In short, this is a nicely balanced album with good songs and a great voice! The Kind of Album I can safely recommend to everybody.  

Rating: ********( 8 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Buffalo Trace Review

Country: USA

Brand: Buffalo Trace

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (Probably between 8-12 years)

ABV: 45%

Colour: Deep Orange Amber

Nose: An interesting combination of Sweet Corn/Popcorn, Butter, Rum, Toffee/Caramel, Maple Syrup, Vanilla, Honey, Dried Apricots, Nuts, Aniseed, Cinnamon and White Pepper. There's some Alcohol here to deal with as well. The Sweetness and Spices, though quite common in nature, are well-balanced.

Palate: Sweet, Fruity and Spicy at the same time with Sweet Corn, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Orange, Caramel, Oak, Rye, Nutmeg and Mint.

Finish: Middle-Long, Dry and Spicy with Pepper, Licorice, Mint, Coconut Shells and Vanilla. Both the Corn and Rye are noticeable.

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose the Alcohol retreats of course. But at the same time Spices and Grain start to dominate in this field while the Fruit quietly gives way. Palate and Finish are washed down completely. Only Licorice is left. Don't add water to this Bourbon.  

Rating: 84  

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21 

General Remarks: The name of this Bourbon is a tribute to the Buffalo and the pioneers that followed them westwards. One of these westward trails or traces was called the Great Buffalo Trace and crossed the Kentucky River just north of present day Frankfort. A distillery was constructed in 1858 but in 1872 E.H. Taylor Jr. built a new one on the site. It was rebuilt again in 1882 after a fire that was caused by lightning. The distillery is currently part of Sazerac Company Inc. and is one of the oldest remaining American distilling sites. Buffalo Trace Bourbon was introduced in 2001, two years after the name of the Frankfort distillery was changed from Ancient Age to Buffalo Trace. The distillery produces  a variety of other Bourbons and Rye-Whiskies a.o. Eagle Rare, Weller, Blanton, Elmer T.Lee, van Winkle and George T. Stagg. The secret Mash Bill of the Buffalo Trace includes Corn, Wheat and some malted Barley. It's low on Rye. The Buffalo Trace is a mix of selected barrels from the middle-floors of the warehouses C, I and K. It's relatively cheap at around 25 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks : Good

Conclusion: A good, well-balanced but slightly spicy day-to-day Bourbon. Much better than most Scotch whisky offered at this price level. It's nice to sip or enjoy on the rocks. If you prefer a sweeter flavour profile, Buffalo Trace might not be your Bourbon of (first) choice.

Jan van den Ende                                                             February 26, 2013