Hyde 10 Years Sherry Cask Finish Review

“No Need To Hyde This Whiskey”

Country: Ireland

Brand: Hyde Batch # 1 Presidential Cask (Sherry Cask Finish) 
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 46%
Sample provided by: Hibernia Distillers, Ireland. Many Thanks!

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Please give this Hyde 10 Years sufficient air contact before Nosing to enable it to release its Aromas. It doesn't smell as clean as your average Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey but also not quite as complex and balanced as your average 10-12 Year old Standard Scottish Highland Single Malt. The First Fill American Oak is quite noticeable and remind me a bit of some German, Dutch and Swiss Whiskies I have nosed over the years. The Sherry Cask influence is there but it certainly does not dominate the Spirit. On the Nose, the Hyde 10 Years is mostly Sweet and Fruity but I detect some Sour accents as well. I find assorted Fruit Candies (Peach, Nectarine, Orange, Grapes, Banana, Orchard Fruit), Heather-Honey, Floral Perfume, Grass, Yeast, Buttered Croissant, Vanilla, Wood Shavings, Varnish, light Barley, Ginger Ale and hints of Dairy, Dusty Road and Fresh Mint.

Palate: Sweet at first but a little Edgy and Bitter later on. Again, the First Fill American Oak shows its presence. The Alcohol is a bit on the Strong side as well. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Butter Biscuits, Nectarine, Apricot, Orange, Banana, Grapes, Floral (Honey) notes, Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg.  

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet and a little Hot at first. In the end a light Dry Bitterness pops up. I find Toasted New Oak, Toasted Grain, Ginger-Bread, Toffee, Vanilla, Orange, Nectarine, light Menthol, Licorice, Pepper, Salt and a hint of Dark Chocolate.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Fruity notes are reinforced. I find some additional Sweet Red Apple. The Barley is more noticeable as well. Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water however.

Rating: 81.5  

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Hibernia Distillers Ltd was founded in March 2014 by the current managers Conor and Alan Hyde. The Head Office is located in Cork. In early 2015 they released the Hyde 10 Years Presidential Cask, paying homage to Ireland's first president Douglas Hyde (1938-1945).This Irish Single Malt was double-distilled in Copper Pot Stills, using 100% Malted Irish Barley. It matured for around 10 Years in Flame-Charred First Fill Ex-Bourbon casks before being finished for around 6 months in First Fill Ex-Oloroso casks from Southern Spain. It's a limited edition with 5000 bottles only. In the meantime Batch # 2 has been released as well. It's also a 10 Year old Single Malt Whiskey, this time with an Ex-Dark Caribbean Rum cask Finish. Both expressions are not Chill-Filtered. 

As Hibernia Distillers was only founded in early 2014, they will only be able to present their own Whiskey in 3-5 years. The Spirit used for the Hyde Batch # 1 and 2 was purchased from the Cooley Distillery. The Sherry Finishing was done by Hibernia. The Hyde 10 Years Sherry Finish is not cheap at an average 60 US Dollars (January 2016).    

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: The Hyde 10 Years is an interesting Whisky without any doubt. It's certainly not as Irish as many of the Irish Whiskies I have tasted so far and it's also different from Scottish and West European Whiskies. It is a combination of all of those really. It's not a very complicated Single Malt though and Sweet Fruit Candies, Virgin Oak and Floral - and Pastry notes are the main drivers. As such I find the price a bit stiff. Still, it's a good enough first effort from a brand new company. "No Need to Hyde this Whiskey". I wish Hibernia Distillers all the best for the future and look forward to their first "own" expressions in the years to come. It's good to see Ireland exploring new Whiskey roads! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 21, 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

Auchentoshan Springwood Review

“Deadwood”

Country: Scotland

Region: Lowlands 

Brand: Auchentoshan Springwood

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Pale Straw (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Light, Young, Waxy and Grassy. I find Cereals, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Straw, Heather-Honey, Charred Young Oak, Peanuts, Apple Vinegar, Nail Polish Remover, Orange Peel, Fresh Herbs, Cinnamon and hints of Dairy and Cooked Vegetables. The Alcohol is quite present and reminds me of perfumed Vodka from time to time. I would guess that this Whisky matured for 5 years or a bit more. The casks haven't been very active as well. The end result is a Young and not very Interesting Spirit.

Taste: Thin, Yeasty and Bitter-Sweet. This comes very close to being Peppered Vodka. I find Vanilla, light Milk Chocolate, Buttery Cereals, Charred Young Oak, Straw, Orange Peel, very light Heather-Honey, Apple Vinegar, Nuts, Pepper, Salt, light Aniseed and Herbal Tea. 

Finish: Very Short as far as Flavours are concerned. The sharp Alcohol however remains in your throat for a bit longer. It's not easy to detect anything slightly interesting in this department. Slightly Bitter Orange - and Lemon Juice spring to mind. I also find some Buttery Cereals, Vanilla, Nuts, Charred Young Oak and a sprinkle of Pepper. Quite Dry in the end.

The Auchentoshan Springwood does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 72   

Nose: 19 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18

General Remarks: As you will probably know, Auchentoshan (Gaelic for Corner of the Field) is triple-distilled like Irish Whiskey. The idea is to produce a smooth dram. The Springwood is part of a special range released in 2012, initially for Travel Retail only. The four main expressions of this range all relate to the big importance of Wood in the production process of Whisky. The other three are named Heartwood, Silveroak and Solera. The Springwood is the youngest of the pack and matures in American Oak Ex-Bourbon Casks. It costs around 35 US Dollars (January 2016).  

Drinking Experience Neat: Below average. Too Young, too Thin.

Conclusion: I'm not a huge fan of Auchentoshan and Triple-Distilled Whisk(e)y in general. Therefore my expectations were not very high. But this Springwood was even worse than I expected. By law it's a whisky of course but in reality it comes dangerously close to being a flavoured white Spirit like Vodka or Gin. It's quite cheap of course and given today's Whisky Market you can't expect a top class Single Malt at that price. I sometimes feel the industry uses Travel Retail as a Test Market for low priced, indifferent young Whiskies accompanied by an interesting story and attractive packaging. Exploring the borders of what is still marketable as it were. True or not, in my opinion the Auchentoshan Springwood leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, I can't recommend it.

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 14, 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

Finlaggan The Original Peaty Review

“In the Court of the Lord of the Isles”

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay

Brand: Finlaggan The Original Peaty

Bottled By/For: The Vintage Malt Whisky Company Limited, Glasgow

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%
Sample provided by Jan from the Netherlands. Many thanks!

Colour: Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: The Sweet Peat is all over the place. This is a perfect example of a young and rough Islay Malt. I find Cold Smoke, Ashes, Wet Mud, Medicine, Band-Aid, Plastic, Rubber, Burning Newspaper, Wet Tarmac, Salt Water, Sweet Cereals, Burnt Toast, Alcohol, Smoked Fish & Pork, Banana, Pineapple, Apple Vinegar, BBQ Sauce, light Honey, Lemon, Caramel, light Menthol, light Aniseed and light Licorice. On the Nose, the Original Peaty is quite similar to the Finlaggan Secret of Islay that I reviewed earlier.

Palate: On the Palate, the Original Peaty is Bitter-Sweet but a bit Thin and Watery with Sweet Barley, Sugar, Cold Smoke, Wet Grass, Ashes, Plastic, Rubber, Salt Water, Charred Oak, Lemon, Banana, light Vanilla, Apple Vinegar, Bacon, Pepper, Nutmeg and Metallic- and Mineral notes.

Finish: Middle-Long and Sugary Sweet with a light Bitterness towards the end. I find Wet Mud, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Tar, Medicine, Plastic, Sweet Barley, light Vanilla, Burnt Toast, light Menthol, Salt, Licorice, Lemon-Pepper and hints of Charred Oak and Milk Chocolate.

This Finlaggan does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 81 

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

General Remarks: The Original Peaty Single Malt is distilled by one of the Distilleries on Islay. Which one is a real secret, only known to a few. This Whisky is named after the ruins of the Finlaggan Castle. It was constructed in the 13th Century and served as the home of The Lord of the Isles and the Clan MacDonald. It is located on a little Island called Eileen Mor in Loch Finlaggan. Finlaggan means Fort of the Island. It was demolished in the 15th or 16th Century. There are other expressions in the Finlaggan series being the Secret of Islay, the 10 Years Lightly Peated and the Cask Strength at 58%. The Original Peaty sells at an average 30 US Dollars, but it can go as low as 20 US Dollars depending on where you live. This Malt was Chill-Filtered before bottling.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: A typical Young and Edgy Islay Malt. At this age (5-7 Years) most peated Islay Malts tend to present similar Aromas and Flavours. That's why it's very difficult to guess where this Finlaggan was distilled. Most likely it's either at Lagavulin, Caol Ila or Laphroaig but I guess it will remain a secret for a long time. In general I found this Original Peaty very similar to the Finlaggan Secret of Islay and the Ileach Peated. All are dominated by Coastal Peaty Aromas and Flavours. Both Finlaggans present an artificial Sweetness and a clear Plastic note that slightly turn me off. If you are not into Peat you should leave this type of Whisky alone. But for Peat Lovers, these Malts are interesting and quite cheap alternatives for the regular standard Islay Single Malts. The price difference is such that you might want to forgive the Finlaggans for their flaws. So while the two Finlaggans and the Ileach certainly would not qualify as Lords of the Isles, they probably would be allowed as advisers to the court!

Jan van den Ende                                                             December 28, 2015

The ruins of Finlaggan Castle

I would like to wish all readers of Best Shot Whisky Reviews and their Families a Happy and Healthy 2016. May the Dram be with us!