Glenn Batch 1 SE Review

“Glenn Gothenburg”

Country: Scotland

Brand: Glenn Batch # 1 SE
Blended and Bottled By: Svenska Eldvatten, Sweden 

Type: Blended Scotch Malt Whisky 

Age: NAS 

ABV: 50%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Quite Young. I would say that the majority of the Malts used in this Blend matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks. But there's evidence of the odd Ex-Sherry Cask as well. And I would not be surprised if some Ex-Wine casks were also used. It's certainly not a Peat Bomb despite the presence of Laphroaig and Bowmore. The Peat, Smoke and Brine are there but their presence is quite subdued. It's much more a Highland Blend with some Islay mixed in to give it a light smoky touch. I find Young Alcohol, Green Apple, Red Fruit Muffins, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Lemon Peel, light Heather Honey, Refill Oak, Sweet Barley, light Pepper and traces of White Chocolate. It's not bad but the Spirit is still a bit Raw and Edgy. The ABV is a tad too high in my opinion. The way it is, the Alcohol plays a very dominant role.

Palate: Raw and quite Sweet at first. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Nuts, Dried Fruits, light Heather Honey, very light Peat and Smoke, Fruity New Make Spirit (Pears and Green Apples), Citrus Peel and Red Berries. Later on Spices such as Pepper, Nutmeg and Cinnamon appear along with some Salted Licorice. 

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet and Spicy at First. Dry and Herbal towards the end. 
I find Sweet Barley, Nougat, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruits, Red Fruit, Nuts, Oak, New Make Spirit, very light Peat and Smoke, Dried Herbs, Pepper and light Licorice.

This Blended Malt does not accept Water very well despite the high ABV. This might indicate that the high ABV helps to cover up some of the deficiencies of the Raw Young Spirit. 

Rating: 80 

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

Picture Credit: Eldvatten SE

General Remarks: 

Svenska Eldvatten ("Swedish Firewater") is an independent bottler of Whisky, Rum and other Spirits and is owned and run by Tommy Andersen and Peter Sjogren. They buy casks of Whisky, mainly in Scotland, bottle them either as Single Malts or Blended Malts and sell them in Sweden.

Glenn Batch # 1 only comprises of 300 bottles of 500 ml, bottled in 2013. You might still find some in the secondary market, priced today at around 100 US Dollars. Batch # 1 is a Blend of 5 Single Malts and is said to contain Laphroaig, Bowmore and Glengoyne Malt.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good  

Conclusion: The idea behind this Blend is not at all bad. I like Peated Highland/ Speyside Whisky and some peated BenRiachs and Benromachs are among my all time favourites. But a really good result depends not only on the quality of the Spirit used. It also requires sufficient maturation time and first class Wood management. However, the Glenn Batch 1 is basically a young Blend although some older Spirit may have been used as well. And it mostly matured in regular Refill Ex- Bourbon casks. Therefore we can't expect something really out of the ordinary. The Glenn Batch 1 is a decent Blend and that's all there is to is. But, given its Youth, the price is quite Peppery.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 19, 2015

Big Peat Review

“Divided We Stand, United We Fall”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Big Peat Small Batch (Batch # 31)

Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Very Pale White Wine 

Nose: Young and most certainly Islay. With Caol Ila and Ardbeg in the lead. In fact I find only mild traces of Bowmore and less so of Port Ellen. I do find the usual Islay Aromas like Wet Peat, Mud, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Tar, Soot, Iodine, Smoked Fish, Leather, Rubber and Varnish. But they are not as fiery as the name and the package of Big Peat are suggesting. This is much closer to Caol Ila than Laphroaig. There is some slightly Artificial Fruity Sweetness as well with Pineapple, Citrus and slightly Sour Cherries. And, finally, some Nuts, Barley, light Vanilla, Pepper, Mint, Aniseed and Ginger. After fifteen minutes or so I get a little of the Herbal Tea Notes I often find in the Bowmore malts. The Alcohol is there of course but it does not significantly disturb the Nosing.     

Palate: Adequate delivery thanks to the ABV of 46%. The Youth of the Spirit becomes more evident. On the Palate this Big Peat is slightly Edgy with some Artificial Sweetness and a rather present Plastic note. A bit disappointing after the Nose really. I find Medicinal Peat Smoke, Tar, Soot, Rubber, Ashes, Petrol, Tobacco, Fish on the BBQ, Lemon, Barley, light Vanilla, Toffee, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Licorice and a hint of Dark Chocolate. 

Finish: Middle-Long with Earthy Peat, Wet Grass, Brine, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Plastic, Fish or Shellfish on the BBQ, Lemon, Sugared Orange Peel, Toffee, Licorice and Pepper.   

With added Water the Big Peat becomes slightly more elegant but it also loses  

some of its personality. Try it out and see what you like best! 

Rating: 84

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

General Remarks: Big Peat was launched in 2009 by Douglas Laing as the first in their Remarkable Regional Malts series. It contains Single Malts from Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg and Port Ellen. The Big Peat has a solid ABV, is naturally coloured and Non Chill-Filtered. Judging by the Aromas, Flavour and Colour I assume that the Spirit used for Big Peat matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks. In my opinion the Bottle and Packaging are slightly flamboyant to put it mildly. Big Peat is widely available and costs around 50 US Dollars. You can also find a Big Peat with an ABV of 50% as well as a special annual Christmas Edition, bottled at around 53%. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Big Peat is not a bad Blended Malt but it's not better than the Standard expressions of the Distilleries that supply the majority of the Malt for this Blend. The Nose is the best part of the Big Peat but on the Palate and in the Finish I find this Blended Malt wanting. I clearly prefer the likes of Ardbeg 10 or Caol Ila 12 over this Big Peat. And thus I put a question mark to the necessity of this Blend, the more so when I consider its price. Remember the song "Even Better Than The Real Thing" by U2? Well, the opposite is the case here.  

Jan van den Ende                                                                  October 5, 2015

Angels Nectar Review

“I’m No Angel”

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Angels Nectar (1st Edition - Small Batch)

Bottler: Highfern Ltd, Grantown-on-Spey

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine

Nose: Young, Edgy and Sweet with Barley Sugar, Buttered Biscuits, Dried Fruit, Nut Shells, Refill Oak, Apple-Flavoured Gin, light Honey, Floral Soap, Roasted Coffee and Lemon Peel. Quite Malty Nose. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. 
  

Palate: Slightly Oily, Thin and Sugary Sweet with Malt, Refill Oak, Lemon Peel, Fruit Candies, Dried Herbs, light Licorice, light Pepper and Buttered Toast. Perhaps a tad of Smoke from a very distant fire.

Finish: Short, Edgy, Herbal, Metallic and Bitter Sweet with Malt, light Vanilla, Lemon Peel, Dried Herbs, light Licorice, Pepper, Candies with artificial Citrus Fruit Flavours, Refill Oak and Sand. Quite Dry in the end with some Tobacco.  

Angels Nectar does not accept added Water very well. It simply becomes too Thin. Better sip it neat or over a little Ice.

Rating: 78

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

Picture Credit: Highfern

General Remarks: Angels Nectar was launched in late 2014 by Robert Ransom (Ex Glenfarclas), founder of Indie Bottler Highfern Ltd. The name of this Malt refers of course to the Angel's Share, the part of the maturing whisky that is lost through evaporation at a rate of around 2% per year. Angels Nectar is a blend of Speyside and Highland Malts. It is naturally coloured and costs between 40 and 50 US Dollars (June 2015). That's a reasonable Price/Quality ratio. Very nice bottle and presentation.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay. 

Conclusion: The idea behind the Angels Nectar is certainly original and the Presentation and Marketing are nice and professional. But that can't take way the fact that this is a Blend of young Malts that matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks. And although this Blend does not contain any Grain Alcohol, it's still quite Edgy and Immature. It's drinkable of course but you won't find a whole lot of interesting Aromas and Flavours. As such it's only slightly less boring than a standard Blended Scotch Whisky. I can't speak for all the Angels of course but if I was one I would prefer sniffing mature Single Malts!

Jan van den Ende                                                                     June 30, 2015

Flaming Heart 4th Edition Review

“A Potential Cracker”

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Flaming Heart (4th Edition)

Bottler: Compass Box Whisky Co.

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 48.9 %

Colour: Straw/Yellow Gold

Nose: Wet Earth, Slightly Medicinal Peat, Tar, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Shell Fish, Wet Newspaper, Malt, Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Diesel Oil, Lemon, Walnut Shells, Vanilla, Perfumed Soap, light Honey, Caramel, ripe Banana, Pineapple, Sweet Cherries, Straw, Charred Oak, Menthol, Pepper, Salt and Nutmeg. It's a well-balanced Sweet & Peat combo but it lacks intensity. It's rather Light and there's a Young feel to the Spirit. The Alcohol is reasonably well integrated.  

Palate: More Citrus than on the Nose, especially Lemon and Grapefruit. I also find Sweet Peat, Cold Smoke, Brine, Ashes, Charred Oak, Salted Butter, Shell Fish, Apple, Vanilla, Green Olives, Espresso Coffee, Medicinal notes, Sugared Cereals, Nut Shells, Straw, Pepper and Nutmeg. The Alcohol is noticeable here as it is in the Finish.  

Finish: Quite Long and Salty with Lemon, Cherry, Licorice, Sugared Tea, Wet Clay, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Shell Fish, Charred Oak, Menthol, Pepper and Green Olives.  

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the impression of a Young Spirit with a high ABV increases. I find some Meaty notes as well as a bit of Tropical Fruit. I don't think added Water improves the Palate and I get too much Sugared Tea in the Finish. But the Flaming Heart gives you some space to experiment with a couple of drops at the time.

Rating: 85

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

General Remarks: This is the 4th Edition of the Flaming Heart Expression by Compass Box. It was released and bottled in August 2012. Only 9147 bottles were made available. Like all whiskies released by Compass Box it's Naturally Coloured and Non Chill-Filtered. The Single Malts used to compose this Blend mainly matured in refill Ex-Bourbon Casks and New Heavily Toasted French Oak Casks. For the first time Compass also included some Ex-Sherry Casks in the composition. The 4th Edition consists of roughly 2/3 Clynelish, 1/3 Laphroaig as well as a bit of Malt from Speyside and the Islands. It is sold at around 110 US Dollars on average. (April 2015). 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is my first Flaming Heart so I can't compare this 4th Edition to its predecessors. Let me start by saying that this is a solid Blended Malt that offers a nice combination of Sweet Highland and Peated Islay. It's quite well balanced. The ABV is a tad too high in my opinion and it seems to cover up the relative youth of the Malts used in this Blend. The Heavily Charred New French Oak tends to do the same. In the end I miss the Intensity and Depth that would come with a longer more natural cask maturation. Just imagine this blend if it would be bottled at around 15 Years. I think it would be a complete cracker! As it is, it' still good but considering its relative youth it's quite expensive at over a 100 US Dollars per bottle. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                    April 16, 2015