Glenmorangie The Duthac Review

“Saint Duthac Deserves Better”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands 

Brand: Glenmorangie The Duthac

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 43%

Colour: Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Light and Young. The trademark Oranges are there but really in the background. I don't think many people would recognise the Duthac as a Glenmorangie in a Blind Tasting event. There's not a lot going on really. I find 
light Malt, Toast, Pastry, Dried Fruit, Nuts, light Honey, Toffee, Treacle, light Cocoa Powder, Peanut Butter, Dried Herbs, Orchard Fruit, Refill Oak, Floral Soap, Pine Needles, Cinnamon and Ginger. 

The Aromas are not very pronounced and you need lots of patience. The Duthac needs an hour or so in the glass before you start Nosing. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.    

Taste: Thin and Young. The Alcohol stings a bit. It's all rather dull with Toffee, Treacle, Brown Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Milk Chocolate, light Vanilla, light Malt, Refill Oak, Nuts, Dried Herbs, Dried Fruit, Orange Peel, light Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg and hints of Honey, Pear Drops and Aniseed. 

Finish: Short. Sugary Sweet at first but Dry and slightly Bitter towards the end. I find Treacle, Wax, Toffee, light Vanilla, Chocolate with Nuts, light Citrus, Refill Oak, Dried Fruits, ripe Banana, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon and Ginger.  

Though I found many Flavour components on the Palate and in the Finish, they are not very strong and mostly mere hints.

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose you get a bit more Barley and Vanilla. Palate and Finish become too Watery. I also find a little more Licorice in the Finish. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 81  

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

General Remarks: The Duthac was launched early last year as the first of a new Glenmorangie Series, initially only available in the Travel Retail Shops. This is the story behind the Duthac as you can find it on the Web Site of the Distillery:

"At the centre of the Royal Burgh of Tain, Ross-Shire in the far North of Scotland where the Glenmorangie Distillery has stood proudly since 1843, lies the resting place of St. Duthac. During the Middle Ages, the legends of his workings drew travellers from far and wide on pilgrimages to the ancient burgh. A Whisky fit for a king, this expression honours the annual pilgrimage made by King James IV to the shrine of St. Duthac in Tain and is part of Glenmorangie Legends, a collection of Single Malt Whiskies exclusive to Travel Retail inspired by the legendary lands that have been home to the Glenmorangie Distillery since 1843".

The spirit for the Duthac initially matured in Re-Fill ex-Bourbon casks before being married with some Whisky that matured in Ex-Sherry PX casks and some Whisky that matured in Charred Virgin Oak casks. I can't tell you exactly the percentage of each type of Whisky used. The Duthac is not really cheap at an average 80 US Dollars (January 2016). And as it does not deliver, the Price Vs. Quality ratio is not all good. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Average  

Conclusion: I'm afraid that the Duthac is another of those lifeless NAS Travel Retail expressions that flood the market. Nice packaging and story but not delivering on Aromas and Flavours. The Sherry Casks and the Virgin Oak did not get enough time to hide the fact that we are talking about a young, unfinished Spirit. If you like a young Glenmorangie, just stay with the Standard 10 years. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 25, 2016

Arran 100° Proof Review

“To Be … Discontinued”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Islands - Arran

Brand: Arran 100° Proof

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Around 8 Years)

ABV: 57%

Colour: Straw/Pale Gold (Natural Colour) 

Nose: Give this Arran sufficient air contact as the Alcohol is very strong. The first impressions are Barley, Floral Soap, Straw, Grass and Refill Oak. On the Nose the 100° is both Sweet and slightly Sour. After a while I also find Toffee, Caramel, Salted Butter, Biscuits, light Vanilla, Citrus Peel, Sour Green Apples, Apricot Jam and hints of Milk Chocolate, Nuts, Espresso and some Strawberry Yogurt. It's clear that the 100° is still a young Whisky. 

Palate: Young, quite Oily and Hot. The Alcohol is very strong. I find Caramel, Toffee, Sweet Barley, light Heather-Honey, Strawberry Jam, Floral Soap, Refill Oak, Dairy, Ginger, Pepper, Cinnamon and Citrus Peel.    

Finish: Short, Hot and slightly Sour and Bitter towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, light Vanilla, light Cocoa, Lemon Peel, Orange Juice, Pepper, Nutmeg, Salt, Refill Oak and Espresso.

I added a little Water and that helps control the Alcohol of course. The Orchard Fruit and Floral notes become more evident. On the Palate, the 100° remains slightly Hot but the Malt, Heather-Honey and Strawberry notes shine brightly. In this case I would advise you to add a little Water.   

Rating: 81

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

General Remarks: Arran is a very young distillery and only started selling Single Malts in 1995. It is located on the Isle of Arran, off the Scottish West Coast. The 100° Proof was their first Cask Strength expression. It was launched early 2007 but has been discontinued in the meantime. It matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and was not Chill-Filtered before bottling. You can still find it in some places at the price of around 60 US Dollars (January 2017). 

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Okay. 

Conclusion: I can't get excited about this Arran. The combination of a Young and Light Spirit with a high ABV does not work very well here and leaves the 100° slightly off-balance. This is one of the few whiskies I have had so far that I liked a bit better with some added Water. On the positive side, the Barley makes a very strong impression and in due course I would love to taste a 15 Year Old Cask Strength produced at this distillery. For the time being you are better off with the Standard 10 Years expression.  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 18, 2016

Glenfarclas 21 Years Review

“Black Sheep of the Family”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland/Speyside

Brand: Glenfarclas

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 21 Years

ABV: 43 %

Colour: Deep Amber with notes of Brown and Orange

Nose: Be sure to give this Glenfarclas enough time in the glass before Nosing. It really needs air contact to reveal its Aromas. On the Nose it certainly can't be called a Sherry Bomb. The light Sherry Aromas lead me to believe that mostly Re-Fill casks were used to mature this Malt. The Nose is mostly Sweet with Barley, Buttered Toast, Wax, Dry Earth, Grass, Dried Fruit, Berries, Hazelnuts, 
Nougat, Vanilla, Caramel, Apple, Pear, Nectarine, Peach, Orange Marmalade, Ripe Banana, Grapes, light Oak, Floral Perfume, Heather-Honey, Cocoa Powder, Ginger, Cinnamon, Mint, Chocolate, Espresso and Lemon Pie. You need lots of time and patience to discover the Aromas as most of them are quite subtle. I expected more from a Single Malt that matured for 21 long years. The casks were not very active in my opinion. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. I do not detect significant notes of Sulphur.    

Palate: Oak, Alcohol and Spices are quite present and that's a bit of a surprise after the laid-back Nose. I also find Sweet Barley, Brown Sugar, Christmas Cake with Rum soaked Raisins and Sultanas, Caramel, Berries, Grapes, Bananas, Plums, Orange, Mandarin, Chocolate, Hazelnuts, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves and Heather-Honey. On the Palate and also in the Finish the cask influence is much clearer but it mostly adds Wood and Wood Spices. 

Despite the identified Flavour notes I am not impressed by the complexity and balance of this Glenfarclas.    

Finish: Bitter-Sweet, slightly Sour, Herbal, Spicy and quite Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Malt, Dusty Road, Dried Fruit, Assorted Nuts, Toffee, Oak, Orange, Mandarin, Banana, Espresso, (Lemon) Pepper, Mint, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Vanilla, Herbal Tea, Dark Chocolate and light Licorice.    

I added some Water and on the Nose the Floral notes become stronger. Malt and Orange are also reinforced. On the Palate, the Dark Red Fruit becomes more evident and in the Finish I detect some extra Nutmeg, Cardamom and Cloves. This Glenfarclas allows you to experiment with a little Water. 

Rating: 82.5

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

General Remarks: The Glenfarclas Distillery was founded in 1836 and has been in the hands of the Grant family for around 150 years now, a rare fact in the Whisky Industry. It is located in Ballindalloch (Banffshire). The 21 Years is part of the Core Range of this Distillery together with the 10, 12, 15, 25, 30 and 40 Years. It matures in mostly Re-Fill Ex-Sherry casks from Spain and costs around 100 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good but below expectations.

Conclusion: The 21 Years is one of the many expressions in the Glenfarclas core distillery range. They all mature in Ex-Sherry casks and many of them present similar Aromas and Flavours. The differences between them are mainly caused

by Age and Wood Management. It's very important therefore to include the Price/Quality ratio in your decision when choosing a Glenfarclas Single Malt. In this respect the 21 Years would not be the best choice in my opinion. The best option is the 15 years that presents the best P/Q ratio. Or you could go for the 25 if you have some spare cash and prefer a more mature Malt. The 21 Years is a bit of a Black Sheep in the Glenfarclas family!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 11, 2016

BenRiach 12 Years Sherry Wood Review

“Sherry Oh Baby”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highlands - Speyside

Brand: BenRiach Sherry Wood

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 46% 

Colour: Dark Sherry (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet and driven by the Ex-Sherry casks with lots of Dried Fruits, Nuts and Christmas Spices. I don't find a clear Sulphur note. It's quite probable that a significant amount of First Fill Casks have been used for this Malt. I find Sweet Barley, Yeast, Butterkekse, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, Marzipan, Stewed Apple, Orange, slightly Sour Cherries, Honey, Sugared Almonds, light Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Clove and Oak. Hints of Espresso and Leather. Some Floral notes after a while. It's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated. Still, not bad!

Palate: Mostly Bitter-Sweet and a little "Hot". I find Sweet Barley, Caramel, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, Marzipan, Orange, Lemon, slightly Sour Cherries, Dried Fruits, Walnuts, Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Clove, Licorice, Cardamom and traces of Salt, Leather and Espresso.
       

Finish: Middle-Long, slightly Sour but mostly Bitter-Sweet with Sweet Barley, Dark Red Fruit, Caramel, Toffee, Oak, Nuts, light Honey, light Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and traces of Cardamom, Dusty Road, Espresso and Licorice. The Alcohol is still a bit "Hot". Quite Dry in the end. 

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you get more Barley and Fruit. On the Palate you get rid of most of the Alcohol and that's a good thing. The 12 Years Sherry Wood becomes quite Fruity and Creamy. The Finish suffers a bit from the added Water and becomes Short and Spicy. I would recommend to add a few drops but be careful not to drown the Whisky.

Rating: 83 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - 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 Blend but more than enough is left for the many Single Malt Expressions. The 12 Years Sherry Wood matured in a mix of Ex-Oloroso and Ex-PX casks from Jerez in Spain. It is not Chill-Filtered and costs between 50 and 90 US Dollars depending on where you live (December 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: In some places you can buy this BenRiach for less than 50 US Dollars. At that price level it's a bargain if you fancy Sherried Speysiders. In other places however this Single Malt could cost you up to 90 US Dollars and I would sincerely hesitate to pay that kind of money for the 12 Years Sherry Wood. The Nose is certainly okay but on the Palate I find this Single Malt a bit boring with the Barley, the Marzipan, the Dried Fruits and the Christmas spices. But that's personal of course. More importantly however, it's too Hot. The Spirit clearly struggles with the ABV of 46%. There's also the Sour note that I'm not too fond of. To sum it up, the BenRiach 12 Years Sherry Wood is an interesting alternative if you are looking for a reasonably priced Sherried Speysider with an Age Statement. I must confess though that it's not quite my style!   

Jan van den Ende                                                             December 14, 2015