Pink Floyd - Meddle - Review

Songs: One Of These Days, A Pillow Of Winds, Fearless, San Tropez, Seamus, Echoes.

Type of Music: Psychedelic Rock with touches of Folk, Jazz and Blues.    

Comments:

Let me start by saying that I love this Album. It relaxes me completely. It's lounge music produced in 1971 when nobody had ever heard of that musical concept. And then to think that the band had no real ideas when they went to the studio(s) from time to time between concerts for their Atom Heart Mother Tour. They just experienced with basic ideas and sound effects. Amazing! 

Without any doubt this is the Floyd´s most consistent Album thus far. Gone is the orchestra from Atom Heart Mother. This is the Pink Floyd that would go on and make Dark Side Of The Moon and other top-class Albums. Listen carefully and you will hear the musical ideas for Shine On You Crazy Diamond developing. Meddle is almost a combination of Atom Heart Mother and More. It has the same structure as Atom Heart Mother with a couple of songs on side 1 and an extensive suite on side 2 and it has the same great atmosphere as More. Actually, Meddle sounds like the soundtrack of a film that unfortunately was never made. 

But the difference lay in the quality of the songs. First of all they fit together very well. You will remember that More included two hard rock songs that were completely out of place on that album. That´s not the case here. It's a very fluent album. And secondly the band is maturing rapidly, both in writing songs and playing their instruments. Listen to the guitar solos in Echoes and you'll know what I mean! 

The album opens with the song everybody knows: One of these Days with its pounding rhythm of organ, (bass)guitars and drums. One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces sounds like a follow up to Eugene be careful with that axe.
It´s followed by the gentle love ballad A Pillow of Winds. This could easily have been written by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel. A simple but very nice melody and a beautiful (acoustic) guitar line. 
Then we have the intriguing Fearless that sounds like a lot of the songs the Floyd would do later in their career. It contains parts of You Never Walk Alone, sung by Liverpool Supporters. A lot of people believe this inclusion to be unnecessary but I think it strengthens the meaning of the song. And sound effects are an important part of the band's music.
San Tropez is a jazzy shuffle about a lazy day in that famous beach resort in Southern France. It is followed by a traditional blues pastiche called Seamus. Seamus is Steve Marriott´s (Small Faces) dog and he makes his debut here. These two songs form a nice contrast with the more serious sound of One Of These Days and Echoes. And while they are different, they don't break the flow of the album.

And, to finish off Meddle, we get Echoes, a suite that occupied the whole of Side 2 of the original vinyl record.  It has everything that makes Pink Floyd such a great band. The main theme is very strong. And it´s still rather pure and not too clearly influenced by commercial drivers. Just close your eyes for 23 minutes and imagine yourself somewhere on the bottom of the ocean studying whales. Or reading one of my album or whisky Reviews.. Or whatever you feel like doing at the bottom of the ocean. I know that a lot of Albums and Sound Tracks about the sea have similar passages and maybe some are even better or more precise. But I don't care! Just enjoy Meddle, another great Pink Floyd Album that will make you feel so much better after having listened to it after one of your stress filled days.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody. This is an Essential Pink Floyd Album.

BenRiach 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: BenRiach

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 43%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Light but pleasant Fruity Nose with Peach, Pineapple, Orange Zest and Fresh White Coconut Meat. Very clear Butter tone as well. A bit more in the background I find some young Oak, Vanilla, Malt, Cereal, Honey and an Earthy tone. It’s not outright Peat but more like Grass.

Taste: Slightly thin delivery.Sweeter than expected after the Fruity Nose. Honey, Custard, Marzipan, Caramel. Light Spices (Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg), Young Oak.

Finish: Sweet at first with Honey and Sugared Roasted (Pea) Nuts or even Peanut Butter. However, Spices (Nutmeg and Ginger), Lemon and Apple lead to a quite dry finish in the end.

I added a couple of drops of water and the Nose gains Floral and Malty Notes. On the Palate however the added water does no good and the Finish becomes too Sugary. I prefer this Single Malt without the extra water despite its 43%.

Rating: 84,5

Nose: 22 – Taste: 21,5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 21

General Remarks:  The BenRiach Distillery is located just outside the city of Elgin. It was founded in 1897 but was closed down for many years during its lifetime. Currently it’s one of the few independently owned distilleries in Scotland. Annual production capacity amounts to around 2.8 million litres. All whisky is aged in ex-Bourbon Casks.

Drinking Experience Neat:  Good

Conclusion: Very light and pleasant Speyide Nose with lots of Fruit and Grassy tones. On the Palate this Single Malt was a bit sweeter than I expected. The Finish starts (too) sweet but ends up clean and dry. A minor point of criticism would be the Oak. I would not easily give this whisky 12 years. Especially in the Finish but also on the Palate I find the Wood a bit young and harsh. Not an all time favourite of mine like the 16-Years but certainly a well crafted Single Malt that I can recommend to beginning Whisky drinkers and friends of a not too complicated but efficient Speyside Malt.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 June 10,2012

Chieftain's Auchroisk 11 Years Medoc Finish Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Chieftain’s Auchroisk Medoc Finish

Bottled by: Ian Macleod & Comp. Ltd., Edinburgh

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 11 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Colour: Golden

Nose: Sour like Vinegar, Wood, Grains, Caramel, Malt, Harsh Alcohol, Light Peat, Hints of Red Fruit and Port Wine.

Taste: Not extremely pleasant. It’s harsh and hot with Spices (think of Nutmeg) and a strange Medicinal/Metallic off-note. Bit of Toffee/Caramel and a hint of Berries.

Finish: Bitter-Sweet with Wood and Spices. Fortunately it’s not very long.

With a few drops of water you get a few extra faint floral - and fruity tones on the Nose. Heather comes through and hints of Buttered Toast with a touch of Honey. The Nose certainly benefits from a bit of water. The Palate however does not and reveals a sloppy wood quality. The Finish practically disappears with the exception of a rather unpleasant sweetness that stays for a couple of minutes.

Rating: 70

  

Nose: 19 - Taste: 17 - Finish: 16,5 – Overall: 17,5

There are five Chieftain expressions in this gift-set. Let’s hope the three remaining ones are better than what we had so far.

General Remarks: Ian MacLeod is a so-called Independent Bottler. These companies play an important part in today’ s whisky industry. They buy casks of (young) spirit from Distilleries, mature them, finish them and bottle them, all at their own discretion and then sell the final product under their own label. This is all very attractive for whisky drinkers who look beyond the standard Distillery offerings. They are often bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered. Many times, but not always, Independent Bottlers offer products that are greatly appreciated.

The Auchroisk Distillery was only founded in 1974. It’s a large distillery, located in Banffshire ,with an annual production capacity of around 3,5 million litres. It is owned by the Diageo Group and is the Home Distillery for the J&B Rare Blend. The 11 Year Medoc finish was distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2005.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Par.

Conclusion: Another Medoc Finish from Ian MacLeod and although it’s slightly better than the Dalmore 10, there is no cause for rejoicing. The Nose is not that bad and would have been even better if not for the Vinegar off-note. I feel that a high percentage of older Refill Casks have been used here. But Palate and Finish are quite disappointing and therefore I can’t recommend this Single Malt.

Jan van den Ende                                                                    June 6, 2012

Grand Macnish Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Grand Macnish

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Color: Bright Gold

Nose: Sweet Grain, Malt, Caramel, Light Peat, Oak, Straw, Leather, Floral Tones (Think of Lavender), Honey and Lemon. A light Vinegar off-note. There’s a hint of fruit but I can’t pin it down. Peach maybe or Pineapple. Some Sharp Alcohol makes it a bit difficult to get to the heart of this Blend. Give it time to open up a bit. It’s not bad but I can’t really get excited about this.

Taste: Sweet Grain, Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Malt and Light Spices. It’ s quite sweet and smooth. A tad salty. Not earth-shocking but not bad either.

Finish: Short and Dry Speyside-type Finish with some Toffee, Oak and Floral notes. The Salt is still there as well.

I added a few drops of water that does nothing extra for the Nose but does enhance the Honey on the Palate and in the Finish. Just try it out.

Rating:  82

Nose: 20 – Taste: 21,5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20,5

General Remarks: This Blend was created in 1863 by Robert McNish. It consists of around 40 Malt and Grain-Whiskies from a.o. Highland and Speyside. The Brand is currently owned by MacDuff International, Glasgow. It’s not widely available around the world although it’s been produced constantly since 1863. It was a favorite of the well-known writer Ernest Hemingway. The bottle is quite old-fashioned.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion: This is one of those few occasions where I rate the Nose lower than the Palate. The Nose is really uneventful. Nothing to write home about. But on the Palate the Grand Macnish is very smooth and the Honey tone is very nice. The Finish is on the Short side. If you can get this Blend it will cost you around 35 Dollars, which is a good price for this Blend, especially when you like the combination of Speyside and Highland whiskies.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  June 2, 2012

Talisker 10 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Talisker

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland (Island: Skye)

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol: 45,8%
Chill-Filtration: Yes

Fully Recommended!

Colour: Light (Amber) Gold (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Somehow I had expected an overwhelming nose but it’s quite restrained actually. We start with Moderate Peat, Light Smoke, Leather, Old Books, Iodine, Salt, Brine, Shell Fish sprinkled with Lemon, Diesel, Pepper, Menthol, Wood and Mineral tones. When you have just opened a new bottle, there’s quite a bit of rather sharp Alcohol there so give it time to open up properly. After a while some Brown Sugar, Dried Fruits (Think of Raisins and Apricots), Malt and lightly sugared Orange Zests.

Taste: There’s a lot going on here. The delivery is reasonably strong thanks to its 45,6%. I find Sweet Barley, Pepper, Leather, Light (Peat) Smoke, Tobacco, Ashes, Citrus, Green Apples, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Salted Almonds and Mustard. 

Finish: This is the strongest part of this Single Malt. It’s long, rough and rather dry. Sharp Jalapeno Peppers, Smoke, Leather, Dark Chocolate, Wet Earth, Oak, Cinnamon, Diesel, Menthol, hints of Smoked Salted Fish and Bacon. A finish you are not likely to forget very quickly.

I added a couple of drops of water that brought more Peat and Heather to the Nose. On the Palate, the Pepper retreats a bit and the fruity Citrus tones come to the foreground. The Finish however gets watered down and looses its magic. Still there’s plenty of room to play with a little water here.

Rating: 88
  

Nose: 21 – Taste: 22 – Finish: 23 – Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Talisker distillery is located in Carbost on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye. It produces 2,6 million litres per year. It’s part of the Diageo Group.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is an extremely well crafted Single Malt. After a restrained Nose, lots of different flavors fight for your attention on the Palate, followed by an exceptional Finish that you are not likely to forget for the rest of your life. But while the Palate gives away a world of flavors, I miss some balance there. In particular I would have liked to see some sherry or honey tones to balance the Peat and the Spices. The Cinnamon can’t do that all by itself. I give it a high score because I think it’s a very well made Single Malt and it certainly stands out in the sea of colourless whiskies. It's one of my to-go-to Peated Islay Malts alongside the Ardbeg 10, the Caol Ila 12 and the Laphroaig 10.

Jan van den Ende                                June 2, 2012 and November 22, 2017