Santis Malt Edition Marwees Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Cream Whisky Liqueur  

Type: Edition “Marwees”

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 18%

Date: 04/10/2012

Colour: Cafe au Lait (French Breakfast Coffee)

Nose: Pleasant and Creamy with Cocoa (Chocomel) Caramel and Butterscotch. Hints of Malt, Hazelnut and Oak. The Whisky is there but really hidden in the back of the glass. And that’s the whole idea of course.

Taste: Medium-Bodied. Sweet but not too Sweet. Smooth and Creamy with Nougat, Caramel and Butterscotch. Again, only a touch of whisky.

Finish: A bit light and on the short side. I think this liqueur would benefit when bottled at a slightly higher Alcohol percentage.

I added a bit of ice. This practically kills the Nose of course but taste wise it’s a very nice combination.

Rating:  82 

Nose: 21.5– Taste: 21– Finish: 19  – Overall: 20,5

General Remarks: General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 but 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 and the whisky is matured in old used Oak Beer Casks. There are a number expressions, all named after Alpstein Mountain formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Drei-faltigkeit and Marwees. There is also a Single Cask expression finished in a fresh Merlot Cask and bottled at 48% that is called Edition "Germany ". And new expressions are being presented to the market as I write. The Whisky Liqueur that I taste today is a mixture of the Edition Santis and Cream made of Milk from the Alps.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: This is certainly a well-made liqueur with a pleasant Nose and a Palate that’s not too sweet and has a remarkable Nougat taste. You can enjoy it both neat and with a bit of Ice. The Finish is a bit short. Personally, I think that the Marwees would benefit from a higher Alcohol percentage in the range of 25%. Still a very pleasant whisky Liqueur that will appeal to most people!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      October 2012

New Name - New Site

Hi Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Yes, it is official now. Goodbye Jan's Whisky Paradise and Hello Best Shot Whisky Reviews. And the site is new as well. I've changed from blogspot.com to a full . com. Here's the new address of the site:

bestshotwhiskyreviews.com

http://www.bestshotwhiskyreviews.com/

You can still access it via the old name but it's good to mark the new name if you are interested in Whisky and Classic Rock. With this new name I hope to be more visible on the Internet so it will be more easy for you to find the site. The contents are not going to change. I will continue to review and taste whiskies from all over the world and in all price categories. I will also start posting some more Classic Rock Album Reviews again. That had slowed down a bit because of the large supply of miniatures and samples. 

I also posted a Review of the Woodford Reserve Bourbon earlier today. You can find the Tasting Notes below or here:  Woodford Reserve

That's all for today! Hope I will see you again soon here.

Take care and Saude!

Jan

Woodford Reserve Review

Country: USA

Brand: Woodford Reserve

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (Probably at least 6 years)

Alcohol: 43.2%

Colour: Shiny Dark Amber

Nose: The Nose is a bit different from the Bourbons I’ve tasted so far. It’s Kentucky Straight alright but with references to Scotch and Irish Whisk(e)y. Of course there are the immediate Vanilla and Sweet Corn impressions but there’s also a very strong presence of Oak and Oranges and Spices like Nutmeg and Ginger. Additionally I find Mint, Fruit and Honey tones. This Nose needs some patience but will reward you!

Taste: A combination of Fruit, Toffee, Oak, Maple Syrup, slightly Bitter Grain, Orange, Ginger and Mint. I wouldn’t call this an extremely smooth whiskey! If you’re in to Sweet Bourbons, this might not be your call.

Finish: Strong and Dry with Oak, Rye, Black Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg.

I added a couple of drops of Water and the Nose becomes more mellow with Sweet Corn, Honey, Vanilla and Oranges in the lead. Palate and Finish do not seem to benefit a lot from the additional water but I would surely advise you to experiment a bit with a couple of drops.

Rating:  80 

Nose: 21– Taste: 20– Finish: 19– Overall: 20

General Remarks: Elijah Pepper started distilling whiskey on the banks of Glenn’s Creek in 1812. Today, the facility is the oldest operational Distillery in Kentucky. The Whiskey produced here is triple distilled in copper pot stills imported from Scotland. The Master Distiller (Chris Morris) selects the matured charred White Oak barrels from this Distillery and vats them with selected barrels from the Brown-Forman stocks to produce the Woodford Reserve. The Mash Bill consists of 72% Corn, 18% Rye and 10% Malted Barley. Today I tasted bottle 07602 from Batch 293. The Woodford Reserve is bottled by Labrot & Graham Distillers Company of Versailles, Kentucky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: This Bourbon is certainly different from the ones I tasted so far. It starts with the Nose that has some clear references to Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y. On the Palate and in the Finish you will find the Woodford quite Woody and Spicy. I won’t go so far as to call it harsh but I certainly don’t consider it to be very smooth either. If you like your Bourbon Sweet as Honey, the Woodford Reserve would not be your obvious choice. But if you like it Rough and Woody, this might just be what you’re looking for!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  September 30, 2012

Best Shot Whisky Reviews.

Hello everybody and welcome,

Today Jan's Whisky Paradise is 10 months young. And it's great to see that it's appreciated all over the world. Today we will pass the 58.000 Page Views and people from over 150 countries have visited the site. And an average page-view of well over 3 is absolutely great. So first of all I would like to thank all of you for your kind interest in Whisky and Classic Rock during these last 10 months. But there have also been some complaints of course and I would be stupid not to take them into account. The first complaint was about the font that I used from the beginning (Lucida Handwriting). Too many people had trouble reading it so I replaced it in the meantime and all posts are now made in Verdana. The second complaint was the fact that people couldn't find me in Google or other Search engines when they couldn't remember the full name of the site. And also the engines would not refer to the site when they were looking for the Tasting Notes of a specific whisky or bourbon. I have decided to do two things about that. As of tomorrow I will transfer the site from a blogspot.com to a full . com. And secondly, also as of tomorrow although the full implementation might take a week or so, I will change the name of the site from Jan's Whisky Paradise in Best Shot Whisky Reviews.

I chose the new name for a couple of reasons. In the first place the name now contains the important part Whisky Reviews. This will make it easier for the search engines to relate to the site. And secondly of course I am always looking for the Best Shots of Whiskies around. Tomorrow I will confirm the final new name so you can hopefully add it to your favourites.

The Name changes but the contents will remain the same. I will continue to review whiskies from all over the world and in all price categories. I hope and trust you will continue to follow the site with interest and look forward to your reactions.

See you all back tomorrow for definite Name and Web-Address!

Cheers!

Jan

Whyte and Mackay 19 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Whyte & Mackay

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 19 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Deep Golden

Nose: More mature than the Thirteen and with notably less Alcohol. Sultanas, Figs, Malt, Licorice, Oak, Sherry, Red Wine. Hints of Honey, Nutmeg and Bourbon. In a blind tasting I could have easily thought that this whisky had been finished in Red Wine Barrels or Port Pipes. I would describe this as a Dark Nose with Dark Fruits, Dark Wine and Charred Oak.

Taste: Rich and Fruity, Sweet Grain, Dark Chocolate, Black Pepper, Nuts, Sultanas, Honey, Toffee and Oak.

Finish: Licorice, Oak, Toffee, Sultanas, Honey, Cherries and light Pepper.

When you add a bit of water, the Nose reveals a bit more Stone Fruit like Pears and more Honey and Vanilla. On the Palate, Honey and Sweet Grain take control while Licorice and Black Pepper dominate the Finish. I prefer it neat but there is sufficient room to experiment with a couple of drops.

Rating: 84 

Nose 21.5 – Taste 21 – Finish 20.5 – Overall 21

General Remarks: Allan & Poynter started as a warehouse in 1843 in Glasgow, gradually getting into the business of storing whiskies as well. The company changed hands various times before it was sold to Whyte & Mackay. Soon afterwards these two partners started to blend whisky. Between 1900 and 1950 the company survived despite the World Wars and the recession. In the sixties things became better. After a large number of take-overs, United Spirits from India took control in 2007. At the moment, the Diageo Group is making a bid for a stake in the company (September 2012).

The blend is made following the Double Marriage process and has a larger Malt content than the Thirteen. First, Single Malts mature in Oak Barrels for at least 18 Years. These Malts are then married and transferred to Sherry Casks from Jerez for another year. Finally, this Malt Blend is mixed with Grain Whiskies before bottling.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: This is certainly a step up from the Thirteen. There is hardly any Alcohol that hinders the Nosing of this Dram. It’s quite smooth and mature. Despite the 19 years, the Wood is not very dominant. If anything, I find this Blend a little on the dark and moody side. A bit too much Speyside perhaps but in the end that’s a matter of personal taste. As it is, the 19 is a good Blend with a reasonable price tag.

Jan van den Ende                                                        September 27, 2012