Glenglassaugh Evolution Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland - Speyside

Brand: Glenglassaugh Evolution (Limited Release)

Type: Single Malt

Age: NAS (Probably 3 years Old) 

ABV: 57.2 %

Date: 07/11/2013

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine

Nose: Very Young, Fresh, Crisp and Floral with Grass, Hay, Malt, Buttered Toast, Honey, Toffee, Lemon, Oak and hints of Cherries and Gooseberries. The Alcohol is there of course but not at all in an irritating way.

Taste: Young but Creamy and Spicy with Vanilla, Banana, Honey, Butterscotch, Oak, Nuts, White Pepper, Alcohol and a touch of Lemon.

Finish: Dry and Creamy at the same time with Lemon Zest, Oak, light Licorice, Coconut Biscuits, Vanilla and light Spices (White Pepper).

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose you get lots of extra Honey and Butterscotch. But Palate and Finish become a bit too Peppery for my taste. Still,  you should certainly try out a few drops!

Rating: 84.5 

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

General Remarks: The Glenglassaugh Distillery is located in Portsoy, Banffshire and was founded in 1875 by James Moir and his two nephews William and Alexander Morrison. In 1892 the distillery was sold to Highland Distillers and it remained in their possession until 2008. It was closed three times in its history, most recently between 1986 and 2008. In 2008 it was revived by the Dutch Scaent Group. Finally, in 2013, Glenglassaugh was bought by The BenRiach Distillery Company that also operates BenRiach and GlenDronach. 

The Evolution is the follow up to the Revival. It matures in ex-Tennessee Whiskey Casks (George Dickel), is bottled at Cask Strength, is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered. Both the Evolution (November 2012) and the Revival were released before the take-over by BenRiach. The Evolution costs around 90 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Very nice for such a young and immature Single Malt. It is a bit expensive for a 3 year old though. The high ABV did not bother me at all. Just imagine this Evolution after 12 years in the Cask when the Alcohol should be fully integrated and a better balance should exist between Wood, Spirit, Fruit and Spices. But I can't deny that I already thoroughly enjoyed sipping this Glenglassaugh.What a pity I only had a very small sample. I will certainly give more attention to this distillery in the near future. Well done! I hope and trust that the new owners will continue to produce quality spirits like this!  

Jan van den Ende                                                          November 2013

BenRiach Horizons Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Speyside

Brand: BenRiach Horizons (Second Edition)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age:  12 Years

ABV:  50 % 

Colour: Deep Golden

Nose: A Bit Musty. Certainly not as clean and crisp as a good Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey. It smells a bit like walking in a foggy forest during Autumn. I'm getting poetic here and I'm only Nosing so far! I get Cereals, Toast and Margarine, Nuts, Grass, Leaves, Dried Apricot, Apple-Pastry, Sherry, Toffee, Honey, Orange Peel, Oak, light Vanilla and hints of Bourbon. The Alcohol is not yet fully integrated.

Palate: Musty, Bitter-Sweet and Spicy with Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Honey, Citrus Peel, Nuts, Oak, Dried Fruits, Pepper, Cinnamon and light Licorice.

Finish: Sweet at First with Vanilla and Honey but Dry and Spicy towards the end with Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger and Nuts.

The BenRiach Horizons does not accept Water very well. 

Rating: 82.5

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

General Remarks: The BenRiach distillery is located in the heart of the Speyside between Elgin and Rothes. It was founded around 1898 by John Duff, the owner of the nearby Longmorn distillery. Today it's one of the few distilleries with its own Malting Floors. Since 2004, it is independently owned by BenRiach Distillery Company. Most of their production goes into the Chivas Regal Blends. The BenRiach Horizons was released in 2010 and is Triple-Distilled like most of the Irish Whiskey and a few Scottish Single Malts like Hazelburn and Auchentoshan. It matures in Ex-Bourbon Casks before being finished in Ex-Oloroso Buts. It costs around 70 US Dollars. The Horizons is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay but unimpressive and negligible.

Conclusion: Usually I am a fan of this Distillery but I'm not very impressed with this Triple-Distilled Expression. I do not find sufficient balance. Too Musty, Too Grainy, Too Nutty and Too Spicy for my taste. For a good BenRiach you have to look beyond the Horizons I'm afraid!

Jan van den Ende                                                               November 5, 2013

Royal Brackla 1976 Review

Country: Scotland 

Regio: Northern Highlands/Speyside

Brand: Royal Brackla 1976 (Silver Seal)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 36 Years

ABV: 51.9 %

Date: 01/11/2013

Colour: Light Amber/Copper

Nose: Very Elegant Sherry. I'm sure this Royal Brackla matured in a good quality Ex-Oloroso Cask. The Sherry is accompanied by a light and pleasant Smoke/Peat/Earth combo, Malt, Nuts and Dried Fruits, Dark Chocolate, light Oak and Vanilla, light Spices, Floral tones (Heather), Citrus Peel, ripe Melon and hints of Cheese, Raw Meat and Leather. Very nicely balanced and surprisingly lively for its age. No Sulphur here! The Alcohol is completely integrated. The Nose is not really complex but elegant and discrete with a wonderful combination of Sherry and Peat.

Palate: Was I expecting too much? It's still a very nice Single Malt but the real magic of the Nose has gone. On the Palate I find light Smoke and Peat, light Sherry, Vanilla, Honey, light Licorice, Menthol, Citrus, Pepper, hints of Melon and Pineapple and a sprinkle of Salt. 

Finish: Middle Long and Dry with Smoke/Peat, slightly Bitter Orange Marmalade, Pepper, Honey, Menthol, Dried Fruits and Nuts. After a while light Ashes and Raw Meat appear.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets more Fruit, Malt and Peat. On the Palate Licorice and Pepper move to the front. You can certainly experiment with some added Water but my advise is to sip this Royal Brackla neat.

Rating: 88

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: This Single Barrel Royal Brackla is the oldest and most expensive Single Malt I've tasted so far. It was distilled in 1976 and bottled in 2012 at Cask Strength by Silver Seal Whisky Company/Whisky Antique SRL , an Independent Bottler based in Formigine (MO), Italy and founded in 1979. Natural Colour and Non Chill-Filtered. It won't be very easy to find and costs around 500 US Dollars.

The Royal Brackla Distillery was built in 1812 by Wiliam Fraser. In 1833 Brackla became the first Distillery that was granted a Royal Warrant by order of King William IV. The other still existing Distillery is of course Royal Lochnagar. Royal Brackla changed hands various times and was closed during World War II and between 1964/1966 and 1985/1991. Nowadays it is owned by John Dewar & Sons Ltd, part of the Bacardi Group.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: What a pity I only had a 2 cl sample of this Royal Brackla. Because that's probably too little to fully and fairly judge this well-crafted Single Malt. For Nosing it's okay of course and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. It's not a complex Nose and the individual components are quickly determined. But what a pleasure to enjoy the balance of these Aromas without the interference of Alcohol or Sulphur. Sherry and Peat form a discrete but exciting marriage. On the Palate and in the Finish it's still a very nice Single Malt but here I miss both the excitement and the balance that I enjoyed so much on the Nose. There's no way I would normally spend 500 US Dollars or more on one bottle of Whisky. But if Palate and Finish would have been as great as the Nose, I might have started to save really hard!    

Jan van den Ende                                                           November 2013