Union Virgin Oak Finish

”State of the Union” 

Whisky Review # 944

Country: Brazil
Region: State of Rio Grande do Sul

Brand: Union Virgin Oak Finish

Type: Single Malt Whisky - Distilled in the "old" Veranopolis Distillery
Age: NAS (Presumably 7 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks (5 Years) with Virgin Oak Finish (2 Years)
Chill Filtration: No

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Average Price: US$ 50 (April 2022)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍 About right. The lowest price I saw was US$ 46
Buying Advice: 😀 If you want to experiment good Brazilian Whisky, start here!

Colour:

Golden (Natural Color)

Nose:

I'm welcomed by the Sweet smell of Vanilla and Fresh Buttered Pastry along with a hint of Varnish from the New Oak. It's quite Young and a little Thin but certainly not unpleasant. One of the better (if not the best) Brazilian Malt I've nosed so far.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Good Quality Normandy Butter, Vanilla, Fresh Puff Pastry filled with Peaches or Apricots, Honey, Raisins, Charred Oak and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Caramel, Golden Syrup, Nougat, Straw, Fresh Bread, Toasted Pineapple, Milk Chocolate, Dusty Track, Varnish, Almonds, Biscuits, Pepper and Ginger.

Palate:

Young, a little Thin, slightly Hot and Bitter-Sweet. Clean without Off-Notes.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Honey, Butter Biscuits, Peanut-Milk Chocolate, Peach, Plum, Charred Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg.    

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Caramel, Toffee, Golden Syrup, Nougat, Straw, Raisins, Vanilla-Flavored Coffee, Mint and Ginger. A touch of Lemon and Dusty Track.  

Finish:

Middle-Long and mostly Sweet with an increasing Bitterness towards the end that does not seem totally out of place though. It's Young, a little Thin and slightly Hot. Quite Dry towards the end as well. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Charred Oak, Honey, Butter Biscuits, Straw, Nougat, Peanut-Milk Chocolate, Raisins, Cinnamon, Pepper, Vanilla-Flavored Coffee and hints of Mint and Lemon.  

Drinking Advice:

Due to the small size of the sample I only tasted this Union neat.

Rating: 82.5 

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The Union Distillery was founded in 1948 and started with the production of Wines and Spirits. In 1972 it was bought by the Borsato and Ziero families who changed the focus of the company to the production of Malt Whisky blessed by an abundance of crystal clear Water in the region. To obtain various Aromas and Flavors, a mix of differently Charred Casks were used (Levels 1,3 and 4). The Spirit for this Virgin Oak Finish was still produced in the old Veranopolis Distillery but in 2015 this was replaced by a new production facility in Bento Goncalves.   

I'm impressed by the quality of this Brazilian product. Style-wise it's somewhere between Bourbon and Scotch. It's still a bit Young but it's already good enough as a sipping Whisky. It would be great to try a fully matured Union in the future. Yes, it's a bit Young and Hot and Thin but Aroma- and Flavor-wise this distillery is going in the right direction and I wish them lots of success. 

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       April 26, 2022

Lamas Nimbus Caledonia Review

”It’s a Long Way to the Top(If You Want to Rock & Roll)” 

Whisky Review # 887

Country: Brazil
Region: State of Minas Gerais

Brand: Lamas Nimbus Caledonia - Prototype - Limited Edition

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (My Guess: 3-5 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with Fortified Brazilian Wine Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Average Future Price: US$ 25 (August 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐Okay
Buying Advice: 😕Not interesting enough as a sipping whisky. 

Colour:

Dark Amber with hues of Orange and Brown (Natural Color as stated by producers)

Nose:

Quite Sweet. It's Malty but other than that it smells quite different when compared to your average Scotch Whisky. There's a liqueur-like feeling to it. Some Fresh Oak might have been used for finishing this Lamas. You can sense the Eucalyptus Smoke but it's not very prominent. This is certainly a Young Whisky and it lacks complexity and depth. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not interfere with the Nosing process.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Toast and Margarine, Caramel, Yeast, Ale, Smoldering Embers, Dark Red Fruit like Cranberries and Raspberries, Ginger and Menthol.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Butterscotch, Brown Sugar, Pencil Shavings, Dusty Road, Dried Plums, Orange, Red Grapes, Lemon, Grapefruit, Floral Soap and Varnish.

Palate:

Young, Thin, Medium-Dry, Bitter-Sweet and on the Hot side. The Alcohol is much more noticeable by now and so is the slightly Medicinal Smoke. The lack of sufficient maturation leaves it unbalanced. Not something I would enjoy as a sipping Malt.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Caramel, Toast, Sugar, Smoldering Embers, Red Berries, Plums, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Sour Red Wine, Ginger and Menthol.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Dusty Track, Dusty Charred Oak, Dried Fruit, Nuts and Nutshells, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Leather and Varnish.

Finish:

Young, Thin, Short and quite Hot. This Single Malt could certainly use 5 more years or so in the cask. The slightly Medicinal Smoke is even more noticeable at this point. Lots of Menthol after a while. I find Malted Barley, Salted Caramel, Smoke, Iodine, Dusty Oak, Nuts and Nutshells, Red Berries, Plums, slightly Sour Red Wine, Cocoa Powder, Bitter Oranges, Grapefruit, Menthol, stale Espresso and Varnish.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and while it helps to control the Alcohol it doesn't do a whole lot more. A few drops are okay I suppose.

Rating: 73

Nose: 19 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Borderline okay

Conclusion:

The Lamas I'm tasting today is actually still a prototype. It will be launched very shortly though. It's a limited edition based on the existing Nimbus. Both editions are made with Malt that is dried with fresh reforestation Eucalyptus wood giving them a slightly smoky character.

It's not easy to make a good Single Malt at a sympathetic price-level. And Whisky production in Brazil is quite a young activity. So I won't be too harsh on this Lamas. It's sufficient to say that it lacks maturation and it's not interesting enough as a sipping Malt. The "Smoky" touch of this Caledonia is certainly worth perfecting in the future as it provides a differential. Like is the case all over the world, new Whisky makers are tempted to launch young whisky to provide much needed cash-flow. I can understand the economic issue but from a consumer point of view I would prefer they would use Gin, Vodka and Liqueurs for that purpose, granting the Single Malt sufficient time in the cask. I would really look forward to taste a fully matured Lamas in the future and I wish this Distillery all the best!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       August 16, 2020