Bunnahabhain 12 Years Review

“A Taste of Bitter Love"

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay

Brand: Bunnahabhain

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years

ABV: 46.3% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 592
Buying Advice: 😐  Neutral. The Price-Quality ratio is good. Personally I would have liked it better without some of the Dirty and Bitter notes.

Colour: Dark Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose: Relatively Light with some clear Ex-Sherry Cask presence. The hints of Wet Clay and Campfire Smoke are there but they are very mild and remain in the background. I detect some light Sulphur but it's not aggressive. On the Nose the Bunnahabhain 12 is mainly Sweet but not overly so. I also find some lightly Acid, Mineral and Metallic tones. My main impressions though are Toasted Grain, Dried Fruit (Plums, Figs, Sultanas), Caramel, Brown Sugar, Butterscotch, light Honey, light Oak, Orchard Fruit (Apples, Pears), Dark Berries, Coconut, Cocoa Powder, Salted Nuts, Straw mixed with Cow Manure, light Orange, Bourbon (Cinnamon), Clove, Salt, Mint and hints of Mango-Flavoured Tea and Leather. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. I wouldn't call this a very Well-Balanced Nose but it's quite interesting nevertheless.
      

Palate: Mainly Sweet and Medium-Spicy with Toasted Cereals, Dried Fruit (Figs, Plums, Sultanas), Salted Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Butterscotch, light Orange/Mandarin, Berries, Mango, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Pepper, Cardamom, Mint and light Licorice. I get a bit of Sulphur but it's not aggressive. Some Mineral notes as well. Very mild Campfire Smoke and Earth in the background. Hints of Leather and Tobacco.     

Finish: Middle-Long, Salty, Yeasty and Sweet. Dry towards the end with some Metallic notes  and a slightly unpleasant Bitterness. This is easily the worst part of this Bunnahabhain. I find lightly Toasted Cereals, Dirty Sherry, Dried Fruit (Figs, Plums, Sultanas), Nuts, Butterscotch, Bitter Espresso, Charred Oak, Cocoa Powder, Vanilla, Cinnamon, light Pepper, Cardamom and mere hints of Campfire Smoke and Leather.

I added a little Water and the Nose Becomes more Malty with a light Vegetable note that reminds me of Jura. More Vanilla on the Palate. You also get rid of most of the Bitterness in the Finish. You can certainly experiment with a little Water here.  

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 21

General Remarks:

The Bunnahabhain Distillery was founded in 1881 by William Robertson and the Greenless brothers William and James. It is located close to Port Askay on the island of Islay. Production started in 1883. In 2003, the distillery was bought by Burn Stewart Distillers. The core range includes the 12, 18 and 25 Years as well as two peated Malts, the 10 Year old Toiteach and the NAS Ceobanach.

The 12 Years old received a face lift in the summer of 2010. The ABV increased to 46.3% and the Spirit is no longer Chill-Filtered nor does it receive artificial colouring. Great initiative by Bunnahabhain! The 12 years matures in a mix of Ex-Bourbon casks (around 75%) and Ex-Sherry casks (around 25%). It is not over the top expensive at an average 50 US Dollars (January 2017). 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good except for the Bitterness in the Finish.

Conclusion: Although the distillery launched some peated Whiskies again in the last couple of years, Bunnahabhain is mostly known as the unpeated or very lightly peated Islay Malt. The 12 Years is no exception. Peat and Smoke are extremely mild and merely form a back-up for the other Flavours and Aromas. Unfortunately I have never tasted the "old" Bunnahabhain 12 that was Chill-Filtered, Coloured and bottled at 40%. Therefore I can't make a comparison. I must congratulate Bunnahabhain on the initiative to relaunch the new 12 Years with all the extras without increasing the final price of the product too much. I do feel however that it's probably increasingly difficult and/or expensive to buy quality Ex-Sherry casks. Otherwise it's difficult to explain the dirty notes like Sulphur and Manure as well as the slightly unpleasant Bitterness in the Finish. If not for these points I would have scored this Bunnahabhain a little higher. The Price Quality ratio of this Single Malt is good. But taste-wise I personally prefer the before mentioned peated Toiteach over this new 12 Years. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 30, 2017

A Beautiful Place, Even in the Rain

BenRiach 15 PX Finish Review

“Whisky Sour”

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: BenRiach Pedro Ximenez Finish

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years

ABV: 46% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 588
Buying Advice: 😐  Neutral. It's not a bad Sherried Speysider but there is fierce competition in this specific segment. Aberlour, Glenfarclas and the Highland Malt Glendronach come to mind.  

Colour: Dark Copper (Natural Colour)

Nose: Full and Sweet with a couple of Sour notes as well. The 1 Year PX Cask Finish clearly left its mark. Judging by the colour and the Aromas these casks must have been saturated with Sherry and/or Paxarette (Sherry Syrup). I do not identify any significant presence of Sulphur. I find Sweet Barley, Christmas Cake topped with Maraschino Cherries, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Caramel, Honey, Butterscotch, a mix of Dried Fruits and Nuts containing Raisins, Sultanas, Plums, Prunes, Figs, Dates, Apple and Walnuts, Marzipan, Bourbon, Red Grapes, Charred Oak, Dusty Shelf, Straw, light Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, a pinch of Salt and hints of Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Herbal Tea and Tinned Pineapple in Syrup. It's not bad but a little on the Heavy side. The distillery character is practically "Gone with the (Sherry) Wind". Okay After-Dinner Alternative for Brandy or Port Wine. Unfortunately the Alcohol is not fully integrated.
      

Palate: The delivery is a little Thin despite the good ABV. The Alcohol is noticeable. On the Palate, this BenRiach is Bitter-Sweet, Medium Dry and Spicy with some Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, a mix of Dried Fruit, Walnuts, Honey, Charred Oak, Dried Herbs, Orange Peel, Espresso, Strong Black Tea, Mulled Wine, Bourbon, Grapefruit Juice, Honey, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, Menthol, Licorice, Dried Herbs and Dark Chocolate.       

Finish: Middle-Long, Medium-Dry, Spicy and Bitter-Sweet. Some Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Walnuts, Dark Chocolate, Orange Peel, Maraschino Cherries, Mulled Wine, Bourbon, Pepper, Clove, Ginger, Menthol, Licorice, Dried Herbs, Grapefruit Juice, Charred Oak and hints of Espresso and Strong Black Tea.

PX Sherry Cask (Credit: Nosh Online)

I added a little Water and on the Nose Sour Cream and Floral Soap develop. Some Citrus as well. Quite different! On the Palate you get some extra Citrus, Vanilla and Red Berries. A bit too much Licorice and some Wallpaper Paste in the Finish. Still, you can certainly experiment with a little water here.   

Rating: 84

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

General Remarks:

The BenRiach distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co and is located in Longmorn, Elgin (Morayshire). It changed hands a couple of times in its history but in April 2016 it was bought by Brown Forman. BenRiach produced more or less 2,3 million litres in 2016. The core range includes the NAS Heart of Speyside, the 10, 16, 20, 25 and 35 years. On a regular basis, the distillery also experiments with peated whiskies and various types of Finishing.

The 15 Years PX Finish was launched by the end of 2006 as part of the Wood Finish Series. It matured for 14 years in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks and for 1 year in Refill Ex-PX Sherry butts, procured in Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain. The sample I'm tasting today was bottled around 2014. In the meantime this 15 Year PX has been replaced with the 17 Year PX. Therefore it won't be that easy to find the 15 PX. It's still out there on the Internet though with prices in the 60-70 US Dollar range. Depending on where you live additional taxes will increase the final consumer price (January 2017). 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The BenRiach 15 Years PX Finish is not a bad Single Malt. It might serve well as the occasional After-Dinner Whisky. Personally I find it a bit too heavy to consider drinking it on a more regular basis. I don't think it's a very well-balanced Whisky. It feels like the Sherry was forcefully imposed on the Ex-Bourbon matured Spirit. I'm also not that fond of the Sour notes as they are a bit strong. And, finally, it's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated. The Price/Quality ratio is not too bad but I've had better Sherried Speysiders during the years.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 12, 2017

Wemyss Malts Fruit and Nut Fudge 1989 Review

“Nuts!”

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands

Brand: Wemyss Malts Fruit and Nut Fudge 1989
Specially Selected By: Wemyss Vintage Malt Ltd. 
Procured from: Cigars and Spirits

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 19/20 Years

ABV: 46% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 587
Buying Advice: 😞  Negative. Very plain for a mature Single Malt.

Colour: Golden Sunlight (Natural Colour)

Nose: My first impression is that there's not too much going on here. I would have expected much more depth and complexity given the age of this Malt.  The Alcohol is certainly noticeable and I also get something that reminds me of Varnish. This Malt certainly needs some time in the glass to open up. After some time I find Toasted Cereals, Butter Biscuits, light Floral tones, Dried Herbs, Oak, light Heather, light Lemon, light Caramel, light Resin, Refined Sugar and Bread Dough. No idea why this is called Fruit and Nut Fudge. With some imagination I think I get some slightly bitter Almonds and perhaps a tiny bit of Dried Apricot. But that's all. After half an hour or so I get some Vanilla and Cinnamon from the cask as well as some unripe Nectarine. I'm quite disappointed with this Malt. It actually smells more like an indifferent Blended Whisky than a mature Single Cask malt.

Palate: Better - and a little more interesting than expected after the boring Nose. It's slightly Creamy, Bitter-Sweet, Herbal, Spicy and Hot. Dry towards the end. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. I find Toasted Cereals, Toast, Charred Oak, Brown Sugar, light Vanilla, Toffee, light Citrus, Nectarine, Nut Shells, Dried Herbs, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Menthol and a hint of Dairy or perhaps White Chocolate.  

Finish: Middle-Long, slightly Creamy, Hot, Herbal and Spicy. Sweet at first but Dry and a little Bitter towards the end. I find Toasted Cereals, Toasted Oak, Toffee, light Vanilla, Nut Shells, Dried Herbs, Herbal Tea, Nectarine, Dusty Road, Varnish, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Menthol.

I added a little Water and the Alcohol and Varnish retreat on the Nose. Some faint Floral and Fruity notes appear. On the Palate and in the Finish the Malt becomes less Hot & Spicy but also quite Thin. A bit of extra Mint-Toffee perhaps. I suggest you carefully add a few drops at a time to find the ABV level that best suits you. 

Rating: 78.5

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 19.5

General Remarks:

The Wemyss Family has been involved in the Single Malt business ever since the turn of the 19th century when John Haig built his first distillery on Wemyss land.
Their range of Single Cask Whiskies was conceived with the aim of making them more accessible and understandable. That's why the Wemyss Malts are named after the Aromas and Flavours rather than simply mentioning the Distillery name. A Wemyss tasting panel, lead by Isabella Wemyss and Charlie MacLean have the pleasant task of identifying the casks that will be used for the Blended Malt - or Single Cask range.

The Wemyss Malts Fruit and Nuts Fudge 1989 matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and was bottled in 2009/2010. The spirit was distilled in 1989 at the Aberfeldy distillery, located in Aberfeldy (Pertshire) in the Southern Highlands. It won't be easy to find at this moment but I saw it on the Internet at around 75 US Dollars (January 2017). Aberfeldy is owned by John Dewar & Sons Ltd, part of the Bacardi Group. Most of the output is used in Dewar's White Label and the 12Y -, 18Y - and Signature Blends. The core Single Malt range consists since 2014 of the 12, 16 and 21 Years old as well as an 18 Years old exclusively for the Travel Retail Shops.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average.

Conclusion: I was very curious as I only tasted one other Aberfeldy before. (Aberfeldy 1994 Old Malt Cask). Unfortunately I was very disappointed with this Wemyss Expression. The Nose of this Aberfeldy is very plain and to be honest resembles more an average Blended Scotch. On the Palate and in the Finish it's better but never really convinces. Too much Spices, Herbs, Menthol and Alcohol and too little Fruit and Nut Fudge. I really can't understand why it's called this way! It will be very difficult to find this expression nowadays but I would advise against buying a full bottle anyway if you should find it. Better try out a sample first like I did. If they are still around that is. I procured mine via Cigars & Spirits.

Jan van den Ende                                                                   January 9, 2017

Aberfeldy Distillery

"Nuts" was the famous negative response of the American General Anthony McAuliffe in Bastoge (Belgium) in December 1944 when the Germans suggested him to surrender the surrounded city during the Battle of the Bulge.

Auchentoshan 1990 (Archives) Review

“Strange Bird”

Country: Scotland
Region: Lowlands

Brand: Auchentoshan 1990 (Whiskybase Archives Series)
Bottling Series: The Indian Ducks and Their Allies

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 23 Years

ABV: 47.7% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 586
Buying Advice: 😕  Negative. Too Weird, Too Bitter and Too Expensive.

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine (Natural Colour)

Nose: I wouldn't give this Malt 23 years. The slightly Dusty Wood is there but it certainly does not dominate the Nose of this Auchentoshan. As usual, the triple distillation gives the Spirit a Soft - and Light Aroma profile. It's Malty, Bitter-Sweet and Mineral with Sweet Malted Barley, Cake with a dollop of Cream, Wet Stone, Grass and Straw, light Heather-Honey, Dirt Road, Salted Nuts, light White Orchard Fruit, light Vanilla, light Citrus, light Pepper, light Cinnamon, light Licorice and a light off-note that reminds me of an Insect Repellent that my late mother used to apply to me when I was a kid. I can't remember the brand I'm afraid. It's a bit of a weird mix of Aromas. It's not bad but I can't say I really like it. The Alcohol is still quite present which comes as a surprise at this age.    

Palate: The Oak and Wood Spices are much clearer now. On the Palate, this Auchentoshan is Bitter-Sweet, Herbal and Mineral. There are almost no Fruity notes around. A bit of Citrus, Pear and Green Apple. I find Malted - and Toasted Cereals, light Vanilla, light Heather-Honey, Grass and Straw, Dirty Road, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Salty Licorice, Menthol, Aniseed, Grapefruit-Juice and Dried Coconut. It's not a boring Single Malt but it's kinda strange and too bitter for my taste. The lack of Fruit is remarkable.

Finish: Bitter-Sweet and Herbal with a Metallic off-note right at the end. It's not overly long and that's an advantage in this case. I find Toasted Cereals, Charred Oak, Dried Herbs, School Milk, light Citrus, light Vanilla, Salty Licorice, Pepper, Menthol, light Heather-Honey, Oak and a hint of Coffee. Where are the Fruity notes? A touch of Green Apple perhaps. The Bitterness remains in your throat for a quite a while. Not really pleasant.  

I only had a small sample of this Auchentoshan at my disposal so I only tasted this Malt neat.

Rating: 81

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20

General Remarks:

The Auchentoshan distillery was founded in 1823 and is located in Dalmuir, close to Glasgow. It exchanged hands a couple of times before being bought by Morrison (Bowmore) in 1984. Morrison of course was bought by Suntory from Japan in 1994. From then on the distillery has become very popular again. It's one of the few remaining Lowland distilleries and it's the only Scottish one that maintains triple distillation.

The Auchentoshan I'm tasting today was distilled on the 11th of November 1990. It matured for 23 Years in a Hogshead with Cask # 6850 and was bottled at Cask Strength in September 2014. It's a joint bottling by Whiskybase and the German Independent bottler Whiskyfassle. Each company brought 71 bottles to the market place. It will be very hard to find nowadays but I've seen a bottle on the Internet that was priced at around 150 US Dollars (January 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Strange

Conclusion: This Auchentoshan is anything but boring. I must admit it's the first time I have tasted a Whisky that leaves me confused. There's a lot to discover if you take your time but I don't always like what I find. Or don't find for that matter. Because this Single Malt almost completely lacks Fruity notes, especially on the Palate and in the Finish. And that Fruit is needed to give this Single Malt Balance. I also don't like the Metallic Off-Note and the Insect Repellent on the Nose is kinda unique as well. But the one thing that bothers me most of all is the Bitterness on the Palate and in the Finish. Too much for me! If you can find a sample you should give it a try for sure. But I wouldn't spend 150 US Dollars or so on a full bottle. Strange Bird that Indian Duck! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   January 6, 2017

Glen Elgin 1997 (Connoisseurs Choice) Review

“Merry Christmas”

Dear Whisky Friends and Readers of Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Another year has passed by too quickly and we're on the brink of Christmas Eve 2016. Looking around the globe I can't say that 2016 has been a fantastic year. Too much violence, hatred, unemployment and dissatisfaction in many places. I can only hope that the positive forces will start fighting back in 2017 and make it a better year for everybody. As far as Whisky is concerned we are still being confronted with very high prices and the ongoing release of Special - and Limited Editions as well as the apparently unstoppable tsunami of indifferent NAS Whiskies with beautiful names and marketing stories. I believe these trends will stay with us a little longer. The good news is that all over the world new distilleries are being inaugurated to provide quality alternatives. Good luck to them all! An other alternative for today's mainstream distillery standard bottlings are the Independent bottlers. Although I do believe they will find it harder and harder to purchase good quality casks from the distilleries as they need those casks themselves to comply with ever growing world wide demand. To honour the Independent bottlers I have chosen the 15 Year old 1997 Glen Elgin, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail as my Christmas Dram. I bought this bottle at the Whiskybase shop in Rotterdam, the Netherlands earlier this year following the advice of shopkeeper Menno.

Finally I would like to wish all my Whisky friends and their families a Merry Christmas. I also wish for a better 2017. The World and the Whisky deserve it!

Cheers!

Jan

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“The Christmas Review”

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glen Elgin 1997
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail, Elgin (Connoisseurs Choice Series)

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years

ABV: 46% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 583
Buying Advice: Positive. Good Sherried Speysider. Adequate Price- Quality Ratio. 

Colour: Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet and Fruity. The Ex-Sherry casks were pretty active as is evidenced by the Colour and the Aromas. I find Sweet Barley, Demerara Sugar, Buttered Cake, Bounty Candy Bars, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Roasted Nuts, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apricot, Tinned Pineapple, Sugared Dates, Mixed Ripe Citrus Fruit, Banana Liqueur, Papaya Cream, slightly Sour Apples, Hay and Cinnamon. Oak and Alcohol are present but they are reasonably well-integrated. I would not go as far as to call this Glen Elgin a heavy Sherry Bomb but the Fresh - and Dried Sweet (Tropical) Fruit Aromas do lead the way.  

Palate: Good but not spectacular delivery. This Malt deserves to be bottled at Cask Strength in my opinion. It's still mainly Sweet but the Oak and Spices are much stronger than the Nose would suggest. Some Dried Herbs appear as well. I also find Sweet Malted Barley, Cake with Cream and Mixed Fruit, Heather-Honey, Orange Marmalade, Dried Apricot, Roasted Nuts, Toffee, Cinnamon, light Ginger, Pepper and Vanilla. 

Finish: Middle-Long, Creamy and Sweet. A bit Dry and Woody in the end. I find Malted Barley, Heather-Honey, Caramel, Dried Apricot, Orange Marmalade, Cinnamon, Pepper, Ginger, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate and a hint of Aniseed.  

You can add a little Water to this Glen Elgin although it does not significantly change the profile. I did get some slightly Sour Apples on the Palate. As usual I prefer to sip it neat. 

Rating: 88

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Glen Elgin I'm tasting today was distilled in 1997. It matured for 15 Years in a mix of 1st Fill - and Re-Fill Ex-Sherry Casks. It was bottled by Independent Bottler Gordon & MacPhail in 2012. The price varies between 70 - and 90 US Dollars depending on where you live (December 2016). It might not be easy to find though as it is sold out in many places. 

The Glen Elgin distillery is located 4 miles south of Elgin in the village of Fogwatt close to the A 941. It was founded in 1898 by James Carle and William Simpson. It had its ups and downs but was finally bought by DCL in 1930. Today it's part of the Diageo Group and became one of their Classic Malts range in 2005. The 12 years is the Standard bottling but most of Glen Elgin's production is used in Blends like White Horse and Bell's.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Nice. If only this Glen Elgin would have been bottled at Cask Strength! 

Conclusion: I was pleasantly surprised by this Glen Elgin. In general it is a well-balanced sherried Speysider. Quite Sweet and Fruity on the Nose. Palate and Finish are still mainly sweet but Wood and Spices make themselves known as well. It's a pleasure to sip this Whisky and it will combine very nicely with the Spiced Christmas Cakes. I will also serve it after our Christmas-Dinner this year and I'm already looking forward to it. Thanks for the tip Menno!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 22, 2016

Someday at Christmas at Glen Elgin