Sixty Years!

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Whisky Paradise!

After having been away for two weeks on a business trip to the South of Brazil, I'm glad to be back in Sao Paulo. The trip was excellent, the weather was fine and over the weekend I had the chance to visit the spectacular waterfalls of Foz do Iguacu. Never saw them with such a large volume of water, nearly 30% above average. It looks something like this:

While in the South I also had the opportunity to pop over to the Argentinean side and visit the Duty Free Shop to get me some whisky. Not too much variety unfortunately except for the usual blends. I did manage a Jura 16 Years, Glenmoray 8 and 12 Y and the Whyte & Mackay 19 Years Blend. So you can expect these to be reviewed in the coming months or so. 

Above you see an image of a 60 Year-Old Glen Grant. Not because I'm reviewing that one at the moment although I would really like to give it a try! No, tomorrow is my 60th Birthday! How time flies. I still remember my fifteenth birthday in 1967. As a gift I got my first record, Ticket to Ride by the Beatles followed the next day by This Strange Effect by Dave Berry. I never stopped loving Classic Rock from then on! My real interest for whisky started much later as I preferred drinking beer and wine when I was younger. Since November last year I'm writing about these two hobbies on this site. In the meantime we passed the 47.000 page views and it's great to see there's interest for these subjects all around the world. So a big thanks to all of you! Although I didn't had the chance to taste the 60 year old Glen Grant, I did review another Irish Whiskey last night namely the Tyrconnell NAS Single Malt. You can find the Tasting Notes below or here: Tyrconnell Single Malt NAS. I'm not too fond of the Irish Whiskeys so far. I get too many off-notes to really enjoy them. Maybe it's just me! Please leave your opinion in the Comments sector if you think otherwise. 

One of the good things about Birthdays is the fact that you receive presents! Even more so because it just so happens it's also Father's Day tomorrow in Brazil. So I'm curious to know if there will be any whiskies among my presents. I think so! 

Before I start celebrating tomorrow I will make a few changes on the site today. I will rearrange the Tasting Notes in such a way that you will find separate sections for Scottish Single Malts, Scottish Blends, Ireland, the USA and The Rest of the World. Hope that makes your search somewhat easier. As always, just let me know what you think about it !
I wish you all a very nice weekend and do come back on Monday when I will post the Review of the Whyte & Mackay The Thirteen Blend.
Saude!
Jan

The Tyrconnell Single Malt Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Tyrconnell

Type: Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Age: NAS but said to be 6-7 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 10/08/2012

Color: Pale Gold/Straw

Nose: Light and Crisp. Lots of Vanilla to start with followed by Malt, lightly Buttered Grain Biscuits, Oak, Raisins, Apples, Vinegar, light Alcohol, Lemon – and Orange Zest. Unfortunately I also find a light off-note (Plastic). There is some Sweet Fruit lurking in the back (Pear).

Taste: Vanilla, Custard, Slightly Bitter Almonds, Sweet Malt, Honey, Butter Biscuits, Light Spices.

Finish: Sugary Sweet at first but dryer towards the end. Vanilla followed by Grassy tones, Oak, Pepper and Slightly Bitter Cocoa Powder.

I added a bit of water and won’t do that again. It doesn’t do any good. The Nose becomes very Malty and Grainy. The rest just waters down. My advise would be to drink this whiskey neat.

Rating: 79 

Nose: 21 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: Tyrconnell is the name of an Irish race horse that won the Irish Derby in 1876 at 100-1 odds. The distillery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Stuart but closed in 1925. The brand name was bought and reintroduced by the Cooley Distillery in 1988.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: I am desperately trying to get friends with Irish Whiskey. It’s true that I only tasted Jameson Standard, Jameson 12Y, Connemara Peated NAS, Greenore 8Y Single Grain and now the Tyrconnell. And that’s not a hell of a lot of course. But so far I found Jameson to be okay but certainly not great. The other three are produced by the Cooley Distillery and I’m not extremely impressed by any of them. The Nose is not the main problem. There are certainly nice tones to be found although I get off-notes in all three of them, respectively fake Peat Smoke, fake Bananas and Plastic. But I have difficulties in really liking the Palate. There are nice Vanilla and Malt tones but the overall impression that lingers in my mouth and in my mind is a combination of Sweet Sugar,slightly Bitter Nuts (Almonds) and a peculiar off-note. I’m sure there are a lot of people who will like the Tyrconnell and Irish Whiskey in general and I will certainly continue to test and taste these spirits. Who knows? Someday I might see the light. But for the time being I find them interesting to try out, yet not tasty enough to really compete with their Scottish brothers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       August 2012

Dimple 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Dimple (J.Haig & Company Ltd, Markinch)

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: The Nose is the best part of this Blend with some Young Oak, Grains, Vanilla, Caramel, A Dried Fruits - and Nuts Mix and light Honey. There is some Alcohol and Vinegar around as well. If you dig deeper you will get some hints of Peat, Leather and Butter and very light fruity tones that pop up from time to time and could be Pineapple and/or Orange Zest.

Taste: The delivery is a bit watery and very Sweet. Sugar mostly and a bit of Honey. Some Pepper.

Finish: Middle-long and a bit hot with Pepper, Sugar and slightly bitter Oak.

I added a couple of drops of water and came to regret this. Everything just waters down. Drink this Blend neat.

 

Rating: 76 

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 18.5 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19

General Remarks: Robert Haig is said to have been the first distiller in the Haig family. This was way back around 1630. The first Dimple Deluxe blend appeared in 1888 and the specific – and very nice bottle was introduced in 1893. This blend probably consists of around 30 whiskies. Some of the Malts used might come from Glenkinchie and Linkwood, respectively Lowland and Speyside. A touch of Highland as well I would say. Next to the 12 Years you could also try out the 15 Years -and NAS Gold Crest Expressions as well as an 18 Years Expression especially for the Far Eastern market. Dimple is popular in a/o Greece, Mexico, Germany and the USA. The packaging and label of the 12 Years may vary from country to country.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: The 15 Years is just as Sweet as the 12 Years but it’s more complex and refined. The Noses are quite similar but the 12 Years basically gives you Sugar and Pepper on the Palate and in the Finish and that’s not quite enough. If you like your blend very Sweet I suggest to pay an extra 10 bucks and go for the 15 Years. But if Sugar and Spice is not your cup of tea, better look elsewhere for your daily Blend.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  July 27, 2012

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