Langs Supreme Review

“Great Value for Money”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands

Brand: Langs Supreme
Blended, Bottled and Matured by: Lang Brothers (Ian MacLeod)
Distilled at: Glengoyne

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Full Gold

Nose: Light but Pleasant with Sweet Barley, Apple Pie with Raisins, Peach Cake, light Sherry, Nuts, Citrus Peel, Grass and other light Floral tones, Cinnamon, Oak, Caramel, light Vanilla and hints of Sulphur an Salted Butter. The (Grain) Alcohol is nicely integrated and the Grass and Apple Pie notes are pretty similar to those I found in the Glengoyne 10 Years. 

Taste: Light but Creamy with Sweet Barley, Fruit Cake, Citrus Peel, Oak, Grass, light Chocolate, light Vanilla, Cinnamon, light Ginger and light Pepper.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Sweet and Creamy with Sweet Barley, Fruitcake, Citrus Peel, Dried Fruit, Cinnamon, Toffee, Mint, light Licorice, light Pepper and Ginger.

Langs Supreme accepts a little Water but it does become a bit too light for my taste. 

Rating: 81.5

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

General Remarks: This Blend was first produced in 1861 by Alexander and Gavin Lang. Today it contains 25 Malt - and Grain Whiskies with Glengoyne at its heart. The Malt content is high for a Blend at around 40%. Mainly Highland and Speyside Malts are included. The whiskies used are usually at least 5 years old and are married for around 9 months before being bottled. In 1984 Langs was granted a Royal Warrant by the Queen mother. Today Ian MacLeod brings two expressions to the market, the 5 Years Supreme and the 12 years. The miniature I'm tasting today however does not carry an age statement so I must assume it was bottled a couple of years ago. Langs Supreme 5 Y is available at around 30 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good and above expectations!

Conclusion: When compared to your average Blended Scotch, Langs Supreme shows the positive effects of the higher Malt content. As a result there's a better balance between the Sharp Grain Alcohol and the Softer Malt Spirit. The Grass and Apple Pie notes reveal the presence of young Glengoyne in the Blend. I'm not quite sure if the NAS expression I'm tasting today is similar - or equal to the Langs Supreme 5 Year old that is available in the market today. If that's so, the Langs Supreme has a great Value for Money ratio. To be sure, I will try to get samples of both the 5 and 12 Years. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised by Langs Supreme Blended Scotch!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    March 16, 2015

Poit Dhubh 21 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Poit Dhubh

Bottler: Praban Na Linne Ltd. 

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age:  21 Years

ABV:  43 %

Date: 02/06/2014

Colour: Mahogany

Nose: Robust and Quite Mature. The Oak is reminiscent of Cognac or Rum casks. I find Oloroso Sherry, light vegetable Peat, Malt, Vanilla, Toast, Brown Sugar, Orange Marmalade, Sugared Almonds, Dried Apricot, Figs, light Honey and other Floral tones, Old Leather Chairs that have just been polished, light Spices and a pinch of Salt. Most probably a mix of Speyside Malts with some Talisker and/or Highland Malt adding strength. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. Powerful, Heavy, slightly Intoxicating Nose.

Palate: Bitter-Sweet with Caramel, Orange, Perfumed Honey, Oloroso, light Peat, Oak, Vanilla, Pepper, Cinnamon, Dried Fruits, Nuts, Licorice, Cognac and a sprinkle of Salt.

Finish: Middle Long with Oak, Chili Pepper, light Peat, Vanilla, light Cinnamon, Malt, Citrus and Licorice.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Honey, Citrus and Floral tones are enhanced. Palate and Finish accept a few drops but be careful as it waters down easily. I advise you to try it both neat and with some drops of Water.

Rating: 85.5

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

General Remarks: Poit Dhubh (Gaelic for Black Pot or Illicit Still) is Blended Malt Whisky, partly matured in Ex-Sherry Casks. Poit Dhubh 21 years was released in 1991. The Brand Poit Dhubh as such was introduced in 1982 and is Non Chill-Filtered since 1992. The 21 year expression costs around 100 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 12 year old versions of the Poit Dhubh.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A quality Blend as of course it should be given its peppery price. The Nose is Heavy and Perfumed, full of Oak, Vanilla and Citrus. Nice Oloroso touch. Nicely integrated Alcohol. A bit too much Oak, Perfume and Licorice on the Palate for my taste but if you like that flavour profile you should give this Blend a chance. A bit of Water helps to open it up but waters it down at the same time. An ABV of 46% would have been more adequate in this respect. Still, it's a powerful step forwards when compared to the 12 years!

Jan van den Ende                                                               June, 2014

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Hello everybody,

Something I almost forgot!! During my trip to Scotland, Best Shot Whisky Reviews reached 1 million page views. I followed the last views on my brother in law's I- Pad to be sure I could identify Page View nr. 1.000.000. It happened on the 19th of May around 5 o' clock in the afternoon UK time. Unfortunately I don't know the name of the person but I do know he or she visits the site from time to time and hails from Evanston, Illinois in the USA. On that particular 19th of May he or she was searching on Google for a Review on the Glenfarclas 25 Years and was referred to Best Shot Whisky Reviews. If you think you're the one, please make yourself known to me. You can either leave a comment or send me an e-mail on janende@uol.com.br. Look forward to hear from you. 

Best Shot Whisky Reviews enjoys some 1.500 page views per day on average and that's amazing. A big thanks to all of you for that!

Cheers!

Jan

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