Showing posts with label Brazilian Whisky Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brazilian Whisky Reviews. Show all posts

Canadian Club 6 Years Whisky Review - Sullivans Cove American Oak Cask Review - Wasmund's Single Malt Review - Old Red Review


“All Around the World”

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the coming months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with specific countries like today or bottlers, regions or distilleries. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't touch too much details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In this special I will review four random Whiskies from Canada, Australia, the USA and Brazil. Enjoy!
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Whisky Review # 755

Country: Canada
Distillery: Hiram Walker & Sons
Brand: Canadian Club
Type: Barrel Blended Canadian Whisky
Age: 6 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: New White Oak Barrels
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 15-25 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😏 Not good enough as a Sipping Blend. For Mixing only! 

Colour:

Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Quite Thin and Weak. The Alcohol is very prominent. It's more like a Flavoured Vodka or White Rum actually. A light mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes. I do not detect any serious off-notes.

Main Aromas:

Cereals, Slightly Burnt Toast with Margarine spread, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Hay,  Vanilla, Almond, Apple, Mint and Citrus Peel.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Burnt Grass and Heather, Acetone, Gooseberries, Oak Char, Banana, Pineapple, Green Tobacco, Cabbage and Aniseed.



Palate:

Thin, Watery and slightly Harsh. The Alcohol is quite noticeable. A mix of Sugary Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes.

Main Flavours:

Cereals, Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla, Apple, Gooseberries, Oak Char, Vodka, Pepper and Green Tobacco.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Burnt Grass, Rye, Cherry Flavoured Cough Syrup, Nuts, Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Mint, Nutmeg, Ginger and Licorice/Aniseed.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Thin and Harsh. A combination of Sugary Sweet, Sour and Bitter notes. I find Cereals, Corn Syrup, Rye Spice, Caramel, Vanilla, Acetone, Pepper, Vodka, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Lemon-Peel, Apple and Oak Char.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and the Canadian Club becomes less harsh. It also gets dangerously Thin though. Just add a few drops to find your preferred balance. It really doesn't matter a whole lot as this Blend is basically suited for cocktails.

Rating: 72

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

Drinking Experience:

Below Average. Not interesting enough as a sipping Whisky.

Conclusion:

Canadian Club Whisky was created by Hiram Walker in the year 1858 and has been produced ever since then in the Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery located in Windsor (Ontario). Nowadays, the distillery is owned by Pernod Ricard from France. The Canadian Club Brand however is owned by Beam Suntory. Corn,  Malted Rye, Rye and Barley are part of the mash bill for Canadian Club. It ages for 6 Years in a mix of New - and Refill White Oak casks. In recent years the 6 years has been reformulated to a NAS Whisky called "1858" Extra Aged. This goes to say it aged longer than the Canadian legal requirement of 3 years. Most likely it aged for around 5 Years. Please find my Review of the NAS version here.

The 6 Years I am tasting today comes from a miniature plastic bottle of 50 ml. that I bought a few years ago. Around 15% of the contents has evaporated in the meantime. The miniature was destined for the US market as it was imported and bottled by Canadian Club Import Company, Deerfield Illinois.

The six years is slightly better than the more recent NAS expression I reviewed earlier. It's a little less Harsh and a bit more flavourful. Nevertheless, the Canadian Club 6 Years is not interesting and mature enough to seriously consider it as a sipping Whisky. It actually reminds me more of a Flavoured Vodka. It's quite cheap of course which probably makes it a fine base for cocktails. But those are not my speciality I'm afraid. Let's leave Canada now and go Down Under.


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Whisky Review # 756

Country: Australia
Region: Tasmania
Brand: Sullivans Cove American Oak Cask
Type: Single Malt Whisky (Small Batch - Single Cask)
Age: NAS (Said to be 10-11 Years)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 47.5%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon American Oak Cask
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 150-350 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😀 Well-Made Whisky - 😡 Ridiculous Price!

Colour:

Light Golden (Natural Colour).

Nose:

An overwhelming Aroma of Cereals, Fruit, Fresh Wood and Vanilla. Quite Rich. Mainly Sweet and Buttery but with a few slightly Sour notes as well. It's not very complex but quite pleasant nonetheless.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Salted Butter, Grass/Hay, Marzipan, Milk Chocolate, Bounty Candy Bar, Banana Ice Cream, Mango, Red Apples, Hazelnut, Cinnamon & Fresh Wood.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Brown Sugar, Dusty Track, Floral Soap, Grapefruit Juice, Orange- and Lemon Peel, White Grapes, Ginger and Pepper.


Palate:

Relatively Young, Creamy, Buttery and Sweet. Again, not very complex but well-made.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Salted Butter, Whipped Cream, Apricot Jam, Apple, Mandarin, Milk Chocolate, Orange, Hay, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Dusty Track, Hazelnuts, Lemon, Cherry-Flavoured Candies, Tinned Pineapple and Pepper.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Creamy and Sweet at First. An increasing Bitterness towards the Dry end. I find Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Hazelnuts, Milk Chocolate, Honey, Orange-Peel, Tinned Pineapple, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Apricot Jam, Fresh Oak, Apple, Straw, Cinnamon, Pepper, Aniseed and Tobacco.

Drinking Advice:

Due to the small size of the sample, I only enjoyed this Sullivans Cove neat.

Rating: 85

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

Drinking Experience:

Good.

Conclusion:

Sullivan's Cove Distillery is located in Cambridge, Tasmania and was founded in 1994. It really started to shine in 1999 when Patrick Maguire took over. Sullivan buys their Wash from the Cascade Brewery in Hobart. In 2016 Sullivan was bought by Adam Sable (Ex-Bladnoch). The distillery uses Water from the rain forest that surrounds the distillery.

I Bought my small sample at Master of Malt (Drinks by the Dram) a couple of years ago. Unfortunately there's little or no information on the label as to when this particular batch was produced and bottled. I'm also not sure whether it was a Limited Single Cask Edition or not. I don't think so but...

I'm pleasantly surprised with the quality of this Aussie. It reminds me of a West European mainland Whisky. Millstone from Holland came to my mind. Sullivans Cove has won quite a few awards during the last years. I normally do not pay much attention to these awards as they are Industry-driven but in this case the awards lead to an absurd price increase of the Sullivans Cove Whisky. And that's a pity because only very few people will be ready to pay 200 or 300 US Dollars for a Young Whisky like this. And while it's well-made it's not at all complex. A mix of Cereals, Butter, Vanilla and Fruit. A good Breakfast Whisky! I wish this Distillery all the best because the quality deserves it. I would urge them to revise their price policy though. This is way out of line!


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Whisky Review # 757

Country: USA
Distillery: Copper Fox, Sperryville, Virginia
Brand: Wasmund's
Type: Single Malt Whisky (Small Batch)
Age: NAS (Said to be 12-42 Months depending on the batch)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 48%
Maturation: Fresh American Oak (With Added Wood Chips)
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 35-45 (July 2018)
Buying Advice: 😔 Interesting Experiment. Expensive Bark-Juice!

Colour:

Dark Copper (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Very Sweet and Buttery. The Alcohol is quite present. A light Vomit-like off note. It's been a while since I noticed that in a Single malt.

Main Aromas:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Cereals, Grass/Straw, Farm Yard, Herbal Tea, Sour Cherries, Wet Earth, Dusty Track and Tree Bark.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Caramel, Yeast, Apple, Acetone, Sawdust, Pepper, Gasoline, Imitation Leather, Bonfire Smoke, Sweaty Feet and Milk Chocolate.


Palate:

Very Sweet and slightly Hot and Musty. The Wood influence is overwhelming. It's almost like Liquid Oak.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Herbal Tea, Ashes, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Sour Apple, Oak Char, Pepper, Menthol and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Bonfire Smoke, Caramel, Treacle, Wet Earth, Dusty Track, Gasoline, Sawdust, Paint Thinner, Nut Shells, Cinnamon, Pipe Tobacco and Aniseed.

Finish:

Long, Edgy and quite Hot. Sweet at First but Bitter towards the end. Lots of Oak Char and Ash. I also find Barley Sugar, Vanilla, Caramel, Pepper, Cherry Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Sour Apples, Treacle, Licorice, Herbal Tea, Mint, Paint Thinner and Nut Shells.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Wasmund's.

Rating: 73

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

Drinking Experience:

Below average! There are some interesting ideas here but the execution could be more refined.

Conclusion:

Copper Fox was founded in 2000 by Rick Wasmund. In 2005 a new distillery was built on a different location and production started in 2006. Copper Fox does its own floor Malting and the Barley is dried with selected Fruit-wood. After distillation the Spirit is filled in American Oak barrels together with toasted chips of Apple - and Cherry wood as well as some Oak chips. All this of course to speed up the maturation process. A second distillery was opened recently in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Unfortunately my sample does not state when the specific batch was distilled, nor how long (short) it matured. In any case we are talking about a very young Whisky that was forced to mature rapidly in a Sea of Wood. Now please don't get me wrong! I am totally open to new ideas in the production of Whisky and I fully applaud what the people at Copper Fox are trying out. I also think though that there is a huge difference between a careful mix of traditional maturation and Wood Chips and drowning the Spirit in tons of Wood Chips, Apple - Cherry or otherwise. Because I don't think the Whisky world is really ready for Bark Juice. I know I ain't! So my advise to Copper Fox would be to further exploit the use of Wood Chips bearing in mind that Wood should serve the Spirit, not the other way around. Good Luck Rick!



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Whisky Review # 758

Country: Brazil
Brand: Old Red
Type: Malt Whisky Drink
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 38%
Maturation: What?
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 6-8 (July 2018
Buying Advice: 😥 Borderline Drinkable. Very cheap Basis for Mixed drinks.

Colour:

Copper (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Sharp, very Thin and Watery. It's basically Coloured Alcohol. No real off-notes.

Main Aromas:

Alcohol (Vodka), Sugar, Nut Shells, Wood Pellets and Pepper.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Burnt Toast, Toasted Cereals, Treacle and Cooked Apples.


Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Sharp, Thin and Watery. No offending Off-Notes.

Main Flavours:

Alcohol (Vodka or cheap White Rum), Sugar, Nut Shells, Wood Chips, Licorice and Pepper.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Vanilla, Toffee, Burnt Toast and Green Apple.

Finish:

Short en Sharp. Sugary Sweet with a few Bitter notes towards the Dry end. I find Alcohol (Vodka or cheap White Rum), Burnt Toast, Nut Shells, Wood Chips, Toffee, light Vanilla, Green Apple, Pepper and Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

You can actually add a few drops of Water to get rid of most of the sharpness. It becomes really Thin though. This is not a sipping drink. For mixing only.

Rating: 64

Nose: 16 - Taste: 16 - Finish: 16 - Overall: 16

Drinking Experience:

Way Below Average.

Conclusion:

The Old Red is produced by Casa di Conti, a beverage company founded in 1947 by the Conti family in the city of Candido Mota in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo (Brazil). They produce Vermouth, Beer, Soft Drinks, Energy Drinks & Liqueurs.

Old Red is a Malt Whisky drink made of Sugar Cane Alcohol, Sugar, 3 Year Old Malt Whisky, Oak Extract and Water.

Most of you know by now that I mainly use samples and miniatures for my Tasting sessions. I collect the miniature bottles and guard them in a nice cabinet. To give them a little more "life", I refill them with cheap local Whisky. So that's why I bought a bottle of the Old Red as I have bought bottles of quite similar stuff in the past. These locally blended Whiskies or Whisky drinks are indeed very cheap and in today's Whisky world you can't expect miracles at this price level.

Old Red is basically a coloured and sugared Alcohol. It's hard to detect the Malt Whisky that should be in there somewhere. It's not good enough as a sipping drink but its low price should make it attractive for mixing purposes, But only is quantity is more important than quality. The good thing is that I'm still alive and that Old Red is not the worst stuff I've tasted so far! Cheers! Until next week!

Jan van den Ende                                                                     July 30, 2018

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Old Ville Review


“I’ll Stick To Caipirinha”
Country: Brazil
Region: Sao Paulo State
Brand: Old Ville
Type: Whisky Drink
Age: NAS
ABV: 36%
Chill-Filtration: Yes  
Buying Advice: If you are a regular drinker of "Brazilian" Whisky, you might give this a try. Global Whisky lovers should stay away from this. 
Whisky Review # 572

Colour: Deep Copper (Artificially Coloured)   

Nose: To be honest I thought it would be worse. It's quite Thin and the Sugar Cane Alcohol rules. There's not much else actually. I find a bit of Burnt Toast, Sugar, Nut Shells, Refill Oak and mere hints of Treacle, Wood Spice, Toasted Cereals and Cooked Apples. I'm really trying but I can't make much more of it. It's not really unpleasant mind you, there's just not much there. It's almost like there's a ghost in your glass. You think you smell something and then it's gone again. Still, for 8 US Dollars a bottle you can't put your hopes up too high can't you!

Taste: Not exactly pleasant but again I was expecting much worse. It's very Thin, Watery, Bitter-Sweet and a little Sharp with Alcohol, Sugar, Burnt Toast, light Toffee, Wood Pellets, Nut Shells, Licorice and Pepper.

Finish: Short, a little Sharp and Bitter Sweet with Sugar, Alcohol, light Toffee, Burnt Toast, Nut Shells, Wood Pellets, Licorice and Pepper. Quite Dry in the end. The slightly Hot and Sharp Alcohol stays with you for a while.

Added Water eases the Sharp Alcohol somewhat but otherwise the Old Ville becomes too Thin.

Rating: 65

Nose: 17 - Taste: 16 - Finish: 16 - Overall: 16


General Remarks: Old Ville is a Whisky Drink produced from a mixture of Water,
Industrial Alcohol distilled from Sugar Cane, Malt Whisky and Oak Extract. The latter is a natural product that provides Spirits and Wines with Oak Aromas and Flavours. Old Ville is produced at Industria de Bebidas Pirassununga Ltda in the city of Pirassununga in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. This company was founded in 1921 and also produces Cachaca, Vodka as well as Energy Drinks. 

Old Ville isn't a Blended Whisky by law. The packaging does not show where the Malt Whisky used in this mixture was produced. The ABV is below the required 40%. The mixture probably matured for 1-2 years. It's cheap at an average 8 US Dollars (November 2016). 

Drinking Experience both Neat and on the Rocks: Below average. Better than expected however given its very low price.

Conclusion: Most of you know by now that I mainly use samples and miniatures for my Tasting sessions. I collect the miniature bottles and guard them in a nice cabinet. To give them a little more "life", I refill them with cheap local Whisky. So that's why I bought a bottle of the Old Ville as I have bought bottles of quite similar stuff in the past. These locally blended Whiskies or Whisky drinks are indeed very cheap and in today's Whisky world you can't expect miracles at this level. So I was really worried what lay in store for me as I opened the bottle of Old Ville. But in all honesty it wasn't that bad. There are no delicious Aromas and Flavours to be found but it also doesn't smell and taste like Lamp Oil like some of those I have tasted before. The Old Ville is ruled by Alcohol, Burnt Toast, Sugar, Wood Pellets, Licorice and Wood Spice. It's Bitter-Sweet and a little Sharp, especially in the Finish. The Old Ville is not really a Whisky and not only according to the law. But I've nosed and tasted far worse Spirits at this price level!

Jan van den Ende                                                               November 7, 2016

Natu Nobilis Review


“Not Quite As Noble As The Name Suggests”

Country: Brazil
Brand: Natu Nobilis
Type: Blended Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol: 39%

Colour: Deep Copper (Caramel is added for colouring)

Nose: Nose: Alcohol, Refill-Oak, Nut Shells, Dried Fruit, Toast and Margarine, Treacle, Toffee and traces of Green Apple, Malt and Honey. I must say I've smelled far worse at this Price Level. It's all very Thin of course and it's really Borderline Whisky as the Industrial Alcohol is in full control.

Taste: Edgy, Hot, Thin and Watery. The Alcohol stings a bit. I find Refill-Oak, Sugar, Toffee, Nut Shells, light Licorice and Sharp Wood Spice.

Finish: Short, Sharp and Bitter-Sweet with Alcohol, Sugar, Refill-Oak, Toffee, Nut Shells, light Licorice and Pepper.

Rating: 63.5 

Nose: 17 – Taste: 16 – Finish: 15  – Overall: 15.5 

With added Water the Heat dies down but I wouldn't call it Whisky anymore.


General Remarks. This Blended Whisky is bottled in Brazil by Pernod Ricard Brasil. It contains imported Malt Whiskies from Scotland that are supplied by J.E. Seagram. I would presume that these Malt Whiskies are produced by one or more of the Pernod Ricard distilleries in the Highlands. Locally distilled alcohol and water are subsequently added by Pernod Ricard Brasil. Natu Nobilis was launched in 1969 and it's still one of the Market Leaders, especially in Southern and Central parts of Brazil.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average.

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Just barely acceptable but without giving any real pleasure.

Conclusion: If you're looking for relatively cheap Alcohol with a nice Caramel colour and packed in a nice bottle, Natu Nobilis might just be what you're looking for. If you want to appreciate a nice Blended whisky though, go look somewhere else.  Of the whiskies elaborated in Brazil, Natu Nobilis is the "best" so far. The Nose is acceptable in this Price Class. But Palate and Finish are Edgy, Sharp and Bitter and are completely dominated by the industrial Alcohol. If you must drink Natu Nobilis, better drown it in ice. These days, it's nearly impossible to find a cheap good whisky. The best alternative still is a standard American Bourbon or Whiskey!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       May 7, 2015