The Corriemhor Cigar Reserve Review

“Magical Mystery Mhor”

Country: Scotland

Region: Most likely Highlands/Speyside

Brand: The Corriemhor Cigar Reserve
Distillery: Unknown
Released by: Peats Beast Ltd, Hereford, UK (Fox Fitzgerald Whisky Trading) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Said to be Around 8 Years)

ABV: 46 %
Chill Filtration: No 
Whisky Review # 563

Colour: Very Deep Amber 

Nose: Quite Sweet but a little on the Thin side despite the adequate ABV. The Refill Sherry casks make themselves known immediately. I find Toasted Cereals, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas, Figs and Apricots, Christmas Cake, Orange Peel, Winter Spices, Nuts, Vanilla, light Oak, Earth and hints of Dark Red Fruit, Tobacco, Dark Chocolate with a very high percentage of Cacao and Espresso. Despite the above mentioned Aroma impressions, there's still a bit of an immature feel to this Malt. It could have done with some extra years in the casks. The Alcohol is present but not in a very annoying way. A little Sulphur is noticeable as well. 

Palate: Sweet but with a slight Bitterness that sort of reminds me of English Marmalade. I also find Toasted Barley, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Caramel, Dark Red Fruit, Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts, light Honey, Sherry, Citrus Peel, Christmas Cake, Pepper, Ginger, Tobacco, Chocolate, Grass and a hint of Armagnac.      

Finish: Quite Long, Sweet and Sour and with a very light Bitterness towards the end. I find Malt, Vanilla, Caramel, Dark Red Fruit, Orange Flavoured Chocolate, Sherry, Butterscotch, Dried Fruit, Almonds, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom and Oak.   

I added a little Water and some additional Floral notes appear on the Nose. The Palate and Finish become too Thin for my taste. Better sip it Neat or on the Rocks. 

Rating: 83   

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

General Remarks: The Corriemhor Cigar Reserve was created by the well-known blender Richard Paterson. As such it was part of the Whyte & Mackay portfolio for quite some time. Originally, it was a vatted Malt. In 2012 however the brand name was bought by Peats Beast Ltd in the United Kingdom. This company re-released the Cigar Reserve, this time however as a Single Malt, bottled at 46%. The Malt matures in an even mixture of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks. It is usually priced in the 45-60 US Dollar range (September 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Quite Pleasant    

Conclusion: There's nothing really wrong with this Mystery Malt except perhaps for the Nose that is a bit too Thin in my opinion. But other than that it's quite drinkable and likeable. And it should match a strong cigar as well. Judging by the colour, the Ex-Sherry casks have been very active or some Caramel has been added. I would assume the latter but I'm not sure about it. Corriemhor Cigar Reserve has some characteristics of an After Dinner Whisky but it's still a little too Young and Thin to fully convince me in this respect. It's a nice every day dram though although it might be just a little too expensive for that. And now for the 1 million Dollar question! Who distilled this Single Malt? I am pretty sure it's a Speyside Malt and the nice bottle reminds me of Aberlour. I don't think it's an Aberlour but maybe the bottle was inspired by the region. If somebody knows a bit more, please leave a Comment!       

Jan van den Ende                                                                  October 5, 2016

The River Spey

BenRiach Birnie Moss Review

“Peated New Make Spirit”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highlands - Speyside

Brand: BenRiach Birnie Moss

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Probably 4-5 Years)

ABV: 48% 
Chill-Filtration: No

Whisky Review # 545

Colour: White Wine (Chardonnay) - Artificially Coloured

Nose: Young and Fruity with a New Make Spirit feel to it. The Earthy Peat and Cold Smoke are there of course but in a mild way. Nevertheless, they are the main Aromas on the Nose. I also find light Tar and Ashes, Dusty Road, light Plastic, light Meat and Fish on the BBQ, Toasted Cereals, Yeast, Grass, Straw, light Floral notes, light Vanilla, Lemon, Peanut Butter, Tobacco, Green Apples, light Pepper and some Herbs. Speyside Peat isn't the same as Islay Peat of course but I do find some Medicinal notes that remind me of the latter. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. Most of the above mentioned Aromas are merely hints by the way. It's all a bit plain and not very exciting. 

Palate: Young and Hot. The ABV is too strong for the Young Spirit in my opinion. I can't help but thinking that the Peat and high Alcohol mainly serve to hide the young Spirit. I find Sweet Peat, Dirty Earth, Cold Smoke, Tar and Ashes, light Vanilla, Toasted Cereals, Salted Meat, slightly Sour Green Apples, Lemon, light Pepper, light Licorice, Charred Oak, light Leather and Black Espresso. I would guess that the Birnie Moss matured for 4 to 5 years in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks.          

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Edgy and Hot. Quite Dry towards the end. The Alcohol stings a little. I find Dirty Earth, Cold Smoke, Tar, Ashes, Charred Oak, Toasted Cereals, light Vanilla, Pepper, Licorice, Grapefruit Juice, Green Apples, Salted Meat and distant hints of Leather and Black Espresso.  

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Peat and Smoke retreat a little and make place for more Vanilla and Floral notes. A bit of Honey pops up as well. Palate and Finish become too Thin for my taste. However, you can cautiously add a few drops to see where it leads you.  

Rating: 81.5 

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - 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 was independently owned by the BenRiach Distillery Company that also owns Glenglassaugh and GlenDronach. In April this year however, the Walker family and their partners sold the BenRiach Distillery Company to the US drinks giant Brown-Forman, the owner of Bourbon brands like Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve. A lot of BenRiach's production goes into the Chivas Regal Blends but more than enough is left for the many Single Malt Expressions. The Birnie Moss was released in 2009 and is named after a rugged moorland close to the distillery. It is peated at 35ppm and costs between 40 and 45 US Dollars (June 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay.  

Conclusion: I am disappointed with this BenRiach. It's too Young and quite Raw so in that respect the name is well-chosen at least. It comes close to being a peated New Make Spirit. The high ABV and the Peat dominate all the rest and perhaps that's the idea behind the Birnie Moss. It's not very expensive of course and the Price/Quality Ratio is not too bad if you like rough young Spirit. For me however this formula does not work very well!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       June 8, 2016

Clynelish 1997 (Casqueteers) Review

“Same Spirit, Different Casks”

Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Clynelish 1997 (Cask # 6942 Casqueteers)

Type: Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

Age: 18 Years

ABV: 56.1%
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 539
Sample provided by Adri from the Netherlands. Many Thanks!

Colour: Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet and Mature with some pleasant Sour Aromas in the background. The Oak is certainly there but not in a terribly dominant way. I would say this Clynelish was bottled at about the right moment. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Straw, Vanilla, Caramel, Nectarine, Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Pineapple, light Cinnamon, Mint and traces of Milk Chocolate, Tobacco and Green Apples. The Alcohol is present so be sure to avoid sticking your Nose in the middle of the glass. I usually find the best Aromas, especially the Fruity ones, along the edge of my Copita.     

Palate: Much More Oak and Wood Spice than the Nose suggests. Here the long years in the Cask become quite clear. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Pastry, Vanilla, Charred Oak, Nectarine, Orange, Grapefruit, Banana, Mineral tones, Pepper. Menthol, Nutmeg, Gewurztraminer and some traces of Chocolate and Tobacco. I like the combination of the Sweet and Sour flavours.         

Finish: Middle-Long, Mineral, Fruity, Bitter Sweet and Sour with Malted Barley, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Toffee, Nectarine, Melon, Green Apples, Pear, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Oak and hints of Tobacco, Chocolate, Banana Ice Cream, Menthol, Minerals and Espresso.   

 

Picture: Whiskybase

I added a little Water and the Nose becomes very Fruity indeed. A bit of extra Cinnamon as well. I almost always prefer to drink my Single Malts neat but in this case you can certainly play with a little water.

Rating: 86 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: This Clynelish was distilled on the 14th of July 1997. For 18 long years it matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 6942 before being bottled at Cask Strength on the 16th of July 2015. The final price for the participating Casqueteers is roughly 90 US Dollars (May 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: There are a lot of people who love Clynelish but generally speaking I'm not one of them. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by this Single Cask. In fact it's my highest score for a Clynelish thus far. It all starts with the Nose that shows a very nice balance between Sweet and Sour Aromas. And there's a lot of Fruit out there as well. On the Palate, the Fruit is still there and I like the balance between Sweet, Sour and Mineral Flavours. But here and in the Finish the Oak and Wood tend to take the upper hand. This Clynelish was bottled in time although I personally think that it could have been bottled a year or so earlier. Still, I believe that the investors in this cask will be quite pleased with the end result and the reasonable price given today's market circumstances. 

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Casqueteers 

In 2011 three Whisky fans from the Netherlands jointly decided to buy a cask of Bunnahabhain 1986. The experiment was a success and the idea was taken a step further. Other selected casks would be bought and each cask would be offered up for sale in a limited number of parts per cask. The idea was to have a relatively small number of owners per cask that would facilitate joint tasting sessions. In the meantime 200 owners from Europe and Asia possess 45 casks from distilleries like Clynelish, Tomatin, Littlemill, Wolfburn, Strathearn, Isle of Harris, Tormore, Mortlach and Miltonduff. If you are interested to participate in this project, please visit their website: www.casQueteers.com

Clynelish

The Clynelish Distillery was opened in 1819 and rebuilt in 1896. In 1968 a new Clynelish Distillery was erected nearby and the old Distillery was renamed Brora (The Bridges River). Brora was closed in May 1983 and part of the buildings are used by Clynelish, now owned by Diageo. A lot of the production is destined to be part of the JW Blends.

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Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Clynelish 1997 (Cask # 6935 Casqueteers)

Type: Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

Age: 18 Years

ABV: 52.1%
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 540
Sample provided by Adri from the Netherlands. Many Thanks!

Colour: Amber (Natural Colour). Cask # 6935 definitively gave more colour to the Clynelish spirit.

Nose: Quite different from Cask 6942. It's a Rich and Mature Nose but I don't get as many Fresh Fruit notes. I rather find Red Berries, Dried Fruit and Nuts that I would normally link to a Sherry or Red Wine Finish. Interesting! I also find Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Toffee, Marzipan, Honey or Beeswax, lightly Charred Oak, Straw, Mandarin, Apple, Banana Liqueur and light Varnish. On the Nose, the Alcohol is nicely integrated.      

Palate: The Wood and Wood Spices are taking the lead here. It's all a bit Edgy and Fiery for my taste. I find Toasted Barley, Charred Oak, Toffee, Mandarin, Lemon, Apples, Ginger Ale, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Dried Herbs and some Mineral notes.       

Finish: Quite Long and Dry. A slightly Hot and Rough Alcohol bite towards the end. I find Toasted Barley, Charred Oak, Nuts, Mandarin, Orange, Apples, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cardamom and Dried Herbs. 

Picture: Whiskybase

This Clynelish does not improve with added Water. Better sip it neat. 

Rating: 82.5

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

General Remarks: This Clynelish was distilled on the 14th of July 1997. For 18 long years it matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 6935 before being bottled at Cask Strength on the 16th of July 2015. The final price for the participating Casqueteers is roughly 90 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: It is generally accepted that more or less 70% of the Flavours and Aromas of a Whisky are generated by the contact between the Spirit and the wood. That makes the Cask all important. When Nosing and Tasting these two Casqueteers samples it becomes clear what the different Casks have done to the same Clynelish spirit that was distilled on the same day back in 1997. Cask # 6942 was slightly less active and in that way more Fresh Fruit Aromas were preserved. Cask 6935 was a more intense cask and the Wood not only left more colour but also more Wood and Wood Spice and, surprisingly, some Aromas and Flavours that would suggest some Wine influence. In the end I find that both Whiskies have matured well and could have been bottled slightly earlier. For the rest it's, as always, a matter of taste. My personal favourite is cask 6942!    

Jan van den Ende                                                                      May 19, 2016

Braeval 1994 C&S Braes of Glenlivet Review

“Too Much Wood Will Kill You In The End”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands - Speyside

Brand: Braeval 1994  (C & S Braes of Glenlivet - Dram Collection - 197 Bottles)

Bottled by: The Scottish Liqueur Center Ltd, Perth
Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 19 Years

ABV: 54.4% 

Colour: Pale Straw/Light Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet, Malty, Fruity and with a nice underlying Oak Aroma. The Alcohol is quite strong so you will have to wind your way around it. I find Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Grass, Straw, Oak, Vanilla, Caramel, Dried Fruits (Apricots and Raisins), Honey Nuts, Pineapple, Banana, Tutti-Frutti, Orange, Lemon, Peach, Apple and Pear. All the time I find different Fruit Aromas. It's really like a Fruit Cocktail. The Oak Aroma reminds me of Cognac from time to time. Finally I get some Herbs and light Spices like Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.   

Palate: Sweet at first but quite Woody, slightly Sour and Bitter afterwards with Charred Oak, Toasted Barley, Straw, Toffee, Vanilla, Lemon, Apple, Mandarin, White Grapes, Honey, Dried Fruit, Sour Berries, Pepper, Nutmeg and Licorice. 

Finish: Middle-Long. Bitter Sweet at first but Dry and a little Hot towards the end with Toasted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Orange, Mandarin, White Grapes, Dried Fruit, Chocolate, Pepper, Nutmeg, light Menthol and Licorice. A little Off Note that reminds me of plastic (PVC) pipes of all things.  

I merely had a small sample at my disposal so I only tasted this Braeval neat.  

Rating: 83 

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: This Braeval was distilled on the 8th of December 1994 and was bottled at Cask Strength on the 8th of September 2014. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Barrel with Cask # 159158. This Single Cask expression is Non-Chill-Filtered. It's still available, a/o at Whiskybase in Rotterdam, at around 90 US Dollars.

The Braeval distillery is located in the Braes of Glenlivet and was founded by The Chivas and Glenlivet Group in 1973. Originally the Distillery was named Braes of Glenlivet but it changed to Braeval in 1994. Pernod Ricard bought Chivas Brothers in 2001 and mothballed Braeval from 2002 to July 2008 when it started producing again. Most of the production is destined for the Chivas Regal Blends. There are no Official Distillery Bottlings under the name of Braeval so we depend on Independent Bottlers like C & S.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good, especially on the Nose. A bit too Woody on the Palate and in the Finish for my taste.

Conclusion: This is only my second Braeval and once I again I find it a pity that practically all its Spirit disappears in the Chivas Blends. This distillery certainly could produce a successful standard Single Malt. I think that a 12 - and a 15 Y would make a perfect core range. Even at 19 years it's still very good on the Nose but on the Palate and in the Finish the Wood and Wood Spice become too dominant as far as I'm concerned. If you don't mind the Wood and have 90 US Dollars to spare I can assure you that you will enjoy pleasant moments when nosing this Braeval. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                           May 13, 2016