Johnnie Walker Black Label Centenary Limited Edition Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker Black Label Centenary Limited Edition

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 25/07/2012

Color: Dark Amber

Nose: It’s actually a rather light nose. Give it some time to open up cause there’s some Alcohol around. Peat Smoke, the Salty Sea (Could be Talisker). Some light Oak, Leather and Vanilla, Nuts, Brown Sugar, a bit of Sherry and Sweet Dried Fruit like Raisins or Sugared Orange Zest.

Taste: Smooth, Creamy, Warm, Light Smoke, Sugared Grain, Spicy, Oak, Vanilla.

Finish: Short, Sweet at first but quickly becoming Dry, with a touch of Oak and Salt.

I do not recommend adding still water. It drowns the whisky quite quickly.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21– Taste: 21.5 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 21

General Remarks:

This special edition of the famous Blend was released in 2009 to celebrate the fact that it was 100 years ago (1908) when Johnnie Walker Black Label was first presented to the market.

The special package consists of a sleek, black bottle displaying ten key milestones from Johnnie Walker’s history, such as the introduction of the famous square bottle (1860) and the company’s first Royal Warrant. 

The historic Black Label name on the label is embellished with real gold and textured ink, as is the golden figure of the striding man. A very nice Collector’s Item if you’re into this sort of things.

The Whisky itself is a Standard Johnnie Walker Black Label, equal to the one I tasted a bit more than a year ago. I gave it a (maybe too) high score of 90 at that time. Recently however I have the impression that Diageo has changed the Blend somewhat, principally the Islay component. For this reason I’ve scored it down to the current 86 points. I will taste it again in a couple of months.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: Still a very decent Blend, also in view of its competitive pricing. Excellent value for money.

Jan van den Ende                                                     July 2012

Old Pulteney Spectrum WK 217 Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Old Pulteney Spectrum WK217

Type: Single Malt

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 46%

Date: 23/07/2012

Colour: Copper/Dark Gold

Nose: It’s not an easy Nose. You will need to take your time to get some reward. To start with I recognise Pencil Shavings, Wood, Brine, Sultanas and a hint of Earth. There is some Alcohol to deal with. After a couple of minutes I get Malt, Dried Apricots and Vanilla. Nosing the empty glass the next morning you’ll get nice Malt- and Sweet Fruit tones.

Taste: Strong Sweet Delivery with Orange Liquor, Sherry, Malt, Spices and a Salty touch.

Finish: Quite warming with a bit of Spice, Orange and Oak. The Salty tone stays for a little while. Cooked Red Fruit after a couple of minutes.  

I added a bit of water that helps opening the Nose. You’ll get some extra Malt and Sweet Fruits. The Alcohol gets toned down. You can therefore freely experiment with a couple of drops when nosing. But Palate and Finish are better enjoyed without the additional drop.

Rating:  82 

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 21 – Finish 20 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: This edition is the last in a series of three, honouring fishing boats from the home of Old Pulteney, the port of Wick on the Northeastern Coast of Scotland. This specific boat was called Spectrum and was registered under number WK 217. You can only buy these three expressions in the Travel Retail shops. Of the Spectrum, only 9600 bottles have been released. The Spectrum has matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Spanish Oak Sherry Butts. The Old Pulteney Distillery is the most Northern Scottish Whisky Distillery on the mainland.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: This is certainly not a bad Single Malt, especially when you like sweet Sherry or Liquor on the Palate. I find two flaws however, preventing me from giving this dram an even higher score. Firstly, the Nose opens up with great difficulty to eventually release mostly woody, earthy notes. And secondly, the Orange Liquor is rather dominant on the Palate. On the positive side there’s this nice Salty element woven throughout this dram. So to conclude, this Old Pulteney expression is certainly a well crafted dram. But I would have liked to see a bit more suspense and diversification. I do look forward though to taste other whiskies from this Distillery!  

Jan van den Ende                                                                  July 2012

Santis Malt Edition Santis Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Malt (Appenzeller Single Malt)

Type: Old Oak Beer Casks Matured " Edition Santis" 

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 21/07/2012

Colour: Golden

Nose: My first impressions were Underberg, the famous German liquor made of Herbs, sweet Brioche Bread from France and Oak. Tones of Anise, Sweet Grain and Orange Liquor. A hint of Varnish and only light Alcohol. Can’t detect too much Beer influences here. The Nose is quite different when compared to Scottish Whisky or American Bourbon. I smelled the empty glass again the next morning and the Malt/Beer tones were stronger.

Taste: Underberg, Sweet Grain, Wood and mild Spices (White Pepper).

Finish: Sour-Sweet with some Cinnamon and Wood.

I added a bit of water and Toasted Grain starts to dominate the Nose. On the Palate everything just waters down but the Finish gets too Sugary with hints of Anise, Plastic and Licorice. I advise to enjoy this dram neat.

Rating: 76.5 

Nose: 20 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19.5

Part of the Brewery Complex.

General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 and was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains. This specific expression is matured in very old used Oak Beer Casks. There are 4 expressions all together,named after Alpstein Mountain formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Dreifaltigkeit and Marwees. 

One of the fine beers of the Locher Brewery.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: When you are used to drink Scottish whisky or American Bourbon you will need to get used to this Swiss whisky. On the Nose it has strong liquor tones while the Palate and Finish are slightly comparable to triple distilled Irish whiskey. I found the Nose very interesting while Palate and Finish can be further improved. This is a very young Distillery and I’m really looking forward to taste further expressions.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  July 2012

Greenore 8 Years Single Grain Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Greenore

Type: Irish Single Grain Whiskey

Age: 8 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 19/07/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Light, Medium Sweet Nose with Young Grain, Alcohol, Acetone, Sharp Green Oak, Vanilla, Artificial Banana Flavor and a touch of Honey. A Hint of Leather and Coco Nut Sun Tan-Oil in the back of the glass. For a moment I thought I was back on the beach in Spain in 1970. Great feeling! This whiskey reminds me a bit of Bourbon which is not surprising given the high corn content.

Taste: Slightly watery delivery with Sweet Caramel, Unripe Peach, Toffee and Wood. Traces of Oat Porridge with Butter and Honey.

Finish: Light and Short with some Caramel, (Slightly Bitter) Wood and Honey.

I added a bit of water and that diminished the acetone on the Nose. I get more Vanilla, Butter and Banana. The Nose certainly fares well with a bit of water. However, Palate and Finish water down completely although some spicy bite pops up right at the end. Preferably drink it neat!

Rating:  77 

Nose: 20 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: Most Grain Whiskies are used for Blends.  Greenore is the only Irish Single Grain Whiskey. It is distilled in Column Stills using Water from the Cooley mountains and it contains 93% French Corn, Yeast and 7% Malted Barley. It matures in First Fill used Bourbon Casks.

Drinking Experience Straight: Okay

Conclusion: This is certainly not a cheap whiskey at around US$ 50,- and you don’t come across it too often. It’s not unlike a Bourbon but the difference, next to the price of course, is that the 8 years really enhance the wood flavor to a point where it becomes a bit too dominant. It’s also not as smooth and sweet. The Greenore is certainly an interesting whiskey but not one I would drink on a regular basis.

Jan van den Ende                                                                       July 2012

The Cooley Distillery

Bryan Ferry - Mamouna (1994) - Review

Songs: Don´t Want to Know, N.Y.C., Your Painted Smile, Mamouna, The Only Face, The 39 Steps, Which Way to Turn, Wildcat Days, Gemini Moon, Chain Reaction.    

Type of Music: Sophisticated Lounge Music  

Comments:

If you like Bryan Ferry for his work with Roxy Music and adore songs like Virginia Plain or Love is the Drug, do not, repeat do not, buy this record. You will bore yourself to death. However if you love to lay on your couch dreaming away on the sound of Avalon  or Slave to Love you might want to try this one out. The only problem is that none of the songs on Mamouna, all written by Brian, come close to the quality of those two songs. Most of them just pass by like a light breeze on a hot summer night. It´s actually a Lounge Record. Well produced and recorded with  excellent musicians such as old buddies Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and Andy MacKay. Special Guest is Nile Rodgers playing rhythm guitar on a/o N.Y.C.

Best songs are the opener Don´t Want to Know , a slightly up-beat song in the style of Don´t Stop the Dance and the beautiful ballad Your Painted Smile.

With Mamouna Brian succeeded in creating a sophisticated night-club atmosphere. Unfortunately the songs do not quite match the quality of the atmosphere.

Who should buy this Record:   A Must only for Die Hard Bryan Ferry Fans. Pick it up if you can find it cheap.

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better