Glen Talloch 8 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Glen Talloch 

Type: Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (Vatted Malt)

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 40 %

Date: 05/01/2013

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Soft and Rather Restrained but not Unpleasant. Nothing is really standing out. I find Light Refill Oak, Barley, Burnt Toast, Nut Shells, Raisins, Lemon Peel,  Cocoa, light Honey, light Wood Spice and Fruity Tones (Apricot/Peach). A very faint hint of Smoke. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.  

Palate: Watery Delivery with Sugared Cereals, slightly Bitter Oak, light Vanilla, light Honey, light Licorice, Cocoa, Herbs and Pepper.

Finish: Short and Sugary Sweet with Barley, light Vanilla, light Honey, slightly Bitter Oak, light Licorice, Wood Spice and Pepper.

No need to add Water to the Glen Talloch 8 years.

Rating: 76

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 18.5 - Finish: 18- Overall: 19

General Remarks: The Glen Talloch 8 Years is a Blended Malt Whisky (Vatted Malt). It contains a/o Balblair, Knockdhu and Old Pulteney and probably also  Aberfeldy, Craigellachie and Speyburn. The Glen Talloch is quite popular in the Netherlands (Boomsma) where it's one of the best selling whiskies. There are two other expressions, the Rare & Old and the 12 Years Gold, both Blends of Malt - and Grain Whiskies. The Glen Talloch 8 years is not expensive at around 25 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: The Glen Talloch 8 Years starts off well enough with a light, soft and not unpleasant Nose. But on the Palate and in the Finish things go wrong in my judgement. The delivery is very Watery and Sugared Cereals, Pepper and some slightly Bitter Wood take over from there on. In a blind tasting I would certainly believe the Nose to be of a young and light Single Malt. On the Palate and Finish however this tastes like a slightly better than average Blended Scotch Whisky. Given its affordable cost, the Price/Quality ratio is reasonable, but still I would not buy a full bottle of this Blended Malt.

Jan van den Ende                                                          January 2014

Poit Dhubh 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Pot Dhubh

Bottler: Praban Na Linne Ltd. 

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age:  12 Years

ABV:  43 %

Date: 03/06/2013

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: Very clear impressions of Oloroso Sherry and Peat (Smoke) accompanied by Sweet Malt, Custard, Toast and Orange Marmalade, Grapefruit, Dried Fruits, Lemon, Oak, Honey, Old Leather, Brown Sugar, Figs and light Spices. I recognise the same Vegetative (Cabbage) aroma that I also find in the Island Distilleries of Jura and Arran so I'm inclined to think that either one or maybe both are part of this Blend. Initially I thought that this aroma automatically hinted at Sulphur but I am now pretty much convinced that it's the characteristic smell of the Island Peat. I have to confess it's not one of my favourite aromas although it tends to diminish after giving the whisky some extra time in the glass. In any case  it's  different from the more Maritime and Medicinal Peat you find in the Islay whiskies. I quite prefer the latter!

Palate: The delivery is Sweet and a bit thin with Toffee/Caramel, Honey, Oak, Licorice, Sherry, Peat, Orange, Malt, Pepper and a little Salt.

Finish: On the short side with Citrus, light Peat, Licorice, Biscuits and some hot Pepper that clearly hints at the participation of Talisker in the Blend.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes more friendly with Honey, Sherry, Malt, Floral Tones and Citrus in the lead. Palate and Finish become too Watery for my taste. Be careful with Water here!

Rating: 83

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

General Remarks: Poit Dhubh (Gaelic for Black Pot or Illicit Still) is Blended Malt Whisky, partly matured in Ex-Sherry Casks. It was released in 1984 and is Non Chill-Filtered since 1992. It costs around 45 US Dollars. It is bottled by Praban Na Linne Ltd, located on the Isle of Skye (Hebrides) and founded in 1976 by Sir Iain Noble. It's still a family-owned company. There are also 8 - and 21 year old expressions of the Poit Dhubh.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Much better than your average boring Blend. I suspect that Jura, Arran and Talisker are part of it. Some nice Aromas here and there, especially the Oloroso Sherry, the Citrus and the Talisker Pepper. And the price is certainly acceptable. But there are some flaws as well. I'm not too fond of the Island Peat and on the Palate I find the Poit Dhubh a bit too light. The Finish is on the short side as well. So all in all a good effort by Praban Na Linne but not sophisticated enough to consider it as my day-to-day blend.

Jan van den Ende                                                               June, 2013