Antiquary 21 Years Review

“A Semi-Precious Stone”

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Antiquary (Gold Box)

Type: Blended Whisky
Blended By: J & W Hardie Ltd, Glasgow (Tomatin)
Age: 21 Years

ABV: 43% 
Chill Filtration: Yes 
Whisky Review # 615
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Good Blend. Negative Price/Quality Ratio.

Colour: Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: There is a nice balance between the Bourbon - and Sherry casks but the Grain Alcohol is still quite noticeable. It's rather Light and Clean for a 21 Year old Blend. Sweet, Medium-Dry and Malty with very distant hints of Grassy Peat and light Smoke. I also pick up Sweet Cereals, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Caramel, Toffee, Heather-Honey, Straw, Dried Herbs, Dusty Road, Banana Flavoured Candy, Citrus, Black Currant Jam, Cooked Apples, Cinnamon, light Menthol, Aniseed, Refill Oak casks and traces of Pepper and Nuts. Most of the Aromas are merely impressions and it takes quite some time to identify them. You would expect some clearer notes after 21 Years which leads me to the conclusion that (most of) the casks weren't very active. After more than an hour I also got an additional Tropical Fruit note but I can't pin it down. Honey Melon perhaps. 

Palate: Slightly Bland and Thin Delivery. An ABV of 46% would have been more adequate. On the Palate, the Antiquary is mainly Sweet with clear notes of Malt, Cereals, Fruit and Spices. the Impressions of Flavours include Sweet Cereals, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Caramel, Straw, Heather-Honey, Cooked Apples, Citrus, Dried Figs, Melon, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Aniseed and a mere hint of Peat.

Finish: Long, Fruity and Pleasantly Sweet. Quite Mineral towards the end. I find Red Apples, Banana, Melon, Pear, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Fudge, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Oak, Walnuts, Grain Alcohol , Aniseed, Menthol and a very faint hint of Peat. My favourite part of this Blend.    

I added a little Water and the Nose becomes extra Fruity - and Floral. Palate and Finish don't take the water quite as well.

Rating: 84       

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

General Remarks:

The Antiquary Blend was produced for the first time in 1888 in Edinburgh by John & William Hardie. The name derives from a novel by Sir Walter Scott. The diamond-shaped bottle and presentation are quite nice. J & W Hardie Ltd in Glasgow was bought in 1995 by the Tomatin Distillery Company Ltd. The Blend contains around 55% Malt Whisky, a high percentage. All in all some 30 Grain - and Malt whiskies are used for the Antiquary. The heart of the Blend is Speyside, represented by a/o Glenrothes, Mortlach, Benrinnes, Linkwood and Cragganmore. Highland malts include Tomatin, Royal Lochnagar and Clynelish while the Lowlands are represented by Glenkinchie. A touch of Bowmore takes care of the subtle peated part of the Blend. The Grain Whiskies are from Camaronbridge and Port Dundas. Maturation takes place in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry casks. The average price of the Blend lies around 90 US Dollars (May 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: The Antiquary 21 years is certainly a very big step forward when compared to the Antiquary 12 Years I reviewed earlier. The 21 Years is a good Blend as it should be given the spicy price-tag. But it's not an exceptional blend and there are two main reasons for that. First of all I suspect that the Malts used did not mature in very active casks. And secondly, as a result, the Grain Alcohol remains quite prominent despite the high Malt content. On the outside the Antiquary 21 years indeed shines like a Diamond with its nice packaging and bottle. The Whisky itself is more like a semi-precious stone. Good but not Great! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                      May 30, 2017

Tomatin

Antiquary 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Antiquary

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Light, Dry and Crisp Nose with Malt, Light Peat, Flowery Perfume, Lemon, Oak, Spices and a hint of Honey.

Taste: Light and not at all complex. Slightly Dry at first but Sweeter later on. Grains, Malt, Butter, Citrus Peels, Oak and a distinctive hint of Rhubarb.

Finish: Short with light Peat, Oak, Caramel, Toffee and Pepper.

I added a couple of drops of Water but the result is a watered version of the original. This Blend is too light to accept additional Water.

Rating: 78.5

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5

Cragganmore Distillery

General Remarks: John and William Hardie of Edinburgh first blended the Antiquary in 1888. The name derives from a novel by Sir Walter Scott. Hardie was bought in 1995 by the Tomatin Distillery Co.Ltd. The Blend is very popular in Spain, Portugal and the UK. Packaging and the Diamond-Shaped Bottle are very nice. The Blend contains 55% Malt whisky and that's a high percentage. All in all 30 whiskies are used for the Antiquary. The heart of the Blend is Speyside, represented by a.o. Glenrothes, Mortlach, Linkwood, Benrinnes and Cragganmore. Other Malts are Tomatin, Clynelish, Royal Lochnagar (Highland), Glenkinchie (Lowland) and Bowmore (Islay). The Grain whiskies are from Port Dundas and Camaronbridge . All whiskies are matured for at least 12 years in American White Oak. It's not cheap at around 45 US Dollars per bottle.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A very light Blend. Uncomplicated and drinkable but not at all challenging. The Nose is clean with basically Lemon and a touch of Peat. The only interesting detail on the Palate is the unusual Rhubarb taste. Never experienced that before. The rest is quite forgettable I'm afraid. 

Jan van den Ende                                                        December 12, 2012