Fleetwood Mac - Penguin (1973)

Songs: Remember Me, Bright Fire, Dissatisfied, (I´m a) Road Runner, The Derelict, Revelation, Did You Ever Love Me, Night Watch, Caught in the Rain.

Type of Music: Early Seventies Pop-Rock, sometimes served with a Prog-Rock Sauce courtesy Bob Welch.

Comments:

Danny Kirwan had left The Mac and was replaced by two vocalists what seemed unnecessary with Bob Welch and Christine McVie already on board. Dave Walker contributes with the country song The Derelict while Bob Weston gives us a superfluous version of the famous Road Runner that seems out of place here. He also wrote the instrumental filler Caught in the Rain. Neither Walker nor Weston would stay long in the band and that seems just fine to me.

After a few listens however the rest of the Album  grows on you. Christine´s Remember Me, Did You Ever Love Me (with Steve Nye on Steel-Drums) and Dissatisfied that sounds like an earlier version of Don't Stop are generic - but well written pop songs. And I´ve come to like some of the Bob Welch songs on this album, especially Revelation driven by the famous Fleetwood/McVie rhythm section and Night Watch that would have fitted well on any of the earlier Crosby/Stills/Nash albums.

This album really sounds close to Rumours and it now becomes clear why Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham would fit in so well in Fleetwood Mac. To sum it up, Penguin is simply a pleasant pop-rock album vastly underrated by both fans and critics alike.   

Who should buy this Record:  If you like Rumours, give this one a try. It might be a bit difficult to find.  

Rating: *******1/2 (7.5 out of 10)

Born On Islay (Wilson and Morgan) Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Born on Islay 
Bottled by: Wilson & Morgan, Edinburgh, Scotland

Type: Single Malt

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 43%

This dram is sold in the Netherlands by Van Zuylen, a very competent wine - and spirits merchant in Loosduinen (The Hague) in the Netherlands. This Single Malt was bottled by Wilson & Morgan of Edinburgh. This particular batch comes from casks no. 6256-6262. This batch was distilled in May 2003 and bottled in September 2011. I will not only taste this whisky but I will also try to determine the Distillery where this batch was produced. Starting at the nose I will do so via the process of elimination. For good order's sake, the isle of Islay is home to the following distilleries, listed in alphabetical order: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.

Which Distillery is it??

Colour: Light Amber

Nose: Lovely mellow Peat (Smoke). Only slightly Medicinal so I will rule out Laproaig right now. This dram needs a bit of time to open up. After a while I get Leather, Ashes, Oak, Sultanas, and Tea with Lemon. I don't get a lot of Sweet components and that leads me to believe that this is not a Bowmore. By the way, I am not yet familiar with the whiskies distilled by Kilchoman but it's a rather young distillery and I don't think this distillery would be chosen as a House Islay Malt, at least not for the time being. I will also rule out Ardbeg and Lagavulin at this point because I know their resp. 10 and 16 years expressions very well. Both of them have quite strong Peat on the Nose and that's not the case here. I'm nosing this dram for about half an hour now but I'm not getting anything else except some hints of Citrus Peel and Butter. It's an agreeable Nose but not very complex.

Taste: The Medicinal notes are a bit stronger now. There's the Peat of course as well as Black Pepper, Herbs, Nuts, Malt and Licorice. I've tasted the Bunnahabhain 10 years old and I remember lots of Vanilla on the Palate. That's not the case with this dram so I think I can probably rule out Bunnahabhain.

Finish: Middle-Long with Peat, Burnt Grass, Smoked Bacon from the Black Forest (Scharzwalder Schinken), Black Pepper and Caramel. The Smoked Black Forest Bacon earns the Finish half a point extra as it is my favourite Bacon!

I added a few drops of Water but won't do that again. It just waters the dram down. My clear advice is to sip this dram neat.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21- Finish: 21.5- Overall: 21

Drinking Experience: Good

Conclusion: If you like a bit of gentle Peat in your dram and do not care so much for Sherry influences, the Born On Islay Malt might be an interesting day-to-day alternative. Personally I just love the combination of heavy Peat, Maritime Notes, Leather, Barbecue, Seaweed, Salt and...Sherry. To wrap things up, this Single Malt is an agreeable - but not very complex Islay. And now the 1 million Dollar question! So far I have eliminated 6 of the 8 Islay distilleries and I'm quite confident that this dram is either a Bruichladdich or a Caol Ila. Unfortunately I'm not yet very familiar with these two distilleries. But expressions with names as Rocks, Waves and Peat suggest that the whiskies from Bruichladdich might be heavily peated. Therefore it's my guess that this Single Malt is most likely a Caol Ila! If I'm correct I'm gonna play in the lottery again!!!!! 

Jan van den Ende                                                            November 27, 2012

Linkwood 15 Years (Gordon and MacPhail) Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Linkwood

Region: Speyside

Type: Single Malt

Age: 15 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Full Gold

Nose: I thought I was smelling a Bowmore at first. In a blind tasting this would have fooled me completely. First impressions are Peat, Smoke, Leather and Oak, followed by Hints of Sherry, Caramel, Red Fruit, Malt, Dried Fruits (Sultanas) and Honey. I got the image of old books found in an attic that hadn't been dusted for quite some time! It's not unpleasant but a bit one-dimensional.

Taste: Slightly Thin Delivery. Another one that should have been bottled at 46%. I find Peat, Oak, Red Fruit, Sherry, Black Pepper, Anise, Olive Oil and Salt.

Finish: Middle-Long with some Black Pepper, Anise, Wet Earth and a sprinkling of Salt. The mild Peat stays with you for a couple of minutes. 

I added a few drops of Water but the Nose does not change a lot. And Palate and Finish just get watered down. Sip this one neat!

Rating: 82.5 

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Linkwood Distillery was built in Elgin in 1821. A second facility was constructed in Linkwood in 1971. The old distillery went out of production in 1985. It reopened in 1990 but produces only during a couple of months per year. Today it is part of the Diageo Group. Gordon and MacPhail is an Independent Bottler and Distiller founded in Elgin in 1895. Currently the company bottles over 350 expressions from around 70 Distilleries. This Linkwood expression was matured in a combination of first fill and refill Ex-Sherry Casks. In Europe it's sold at around US$ 60.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I was expecting more of the Linkwood 15 Years. Its nose is controlled by Peat that leaves little room for other flavour components to come forward. The Nose is familiar to a standard Bowmore but the latter manages a better balance between Peat and Sweet components such as Fruits and Sherry. The bottling at 40% is clearly a mistake. As a result, the Delivery is on the Thin side. The Palate is not very complex and Peaty Spiced Olive Oil summons it up reasonably. That does not exist in real life of course but inventing stuff is one of the privileges of the writer! The Finish is nothing special but the mild Peat stays in your mouth for a few minutes. It's not a bad dram but it suffers from being too one-dimensional. Frankly, it's a bit boring.

 Jan van den Ende                                                            November 25, 2012

Gordon & MacPhails's Shop in Elgin

Canadian Mist Review

Country: Canada

Brand: Canadian Mist

Type: Blended Canadian Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Date: 23/11/2012

Colour: Pale Amber

Nose: Rather subdued but not unpleasant Nose with some Malt, Grain (Toast), Orange Peel, Bourbon, Rye Spices, Oak, Prunes, Vanilla, Red Grapes, Caramel and Apple. Less Alcohol then I expected.

Taste: Rather Thin and Sweet delivery with Caramel/Toffee, Rye Spices, Orange Peel, Oak and Pepper.

Finish: Short with Toffee, Pepper, Grain and Citrus. Dry, Spicy and slightly Bitter.

I added a few drops of Water and it reinforces the Grain, Vanilla, Caramel and Orange a bit. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from Water. Better have it neat if you must. In practise, most people use the Canadian Mist only as a basis for Cocktails. 

Rating: 80 (out of 100)

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

General Remarks: Triple-Distilled Canadian Mist is one of the most popular whiskies in Canada and was first launched in the sixties. Nowadays, it is distilled from Corn, Rye and Malted Barley at the Canadian Mist Distillery in Collingwood, Ontario. The water is sourced from the Georgian Bay. The whisky matures in charred White Oak Barrels, most likely for around 3 years. The Brand is owned by Brown Forman from Louisville. The presentation and bottle are very nice.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: The Nose is certainly the better part of the Canadian Mist. The Palate is not very complex and the Finish is short and forgettable. It's sweet and light and therefore a good basis for Cocktails. It's quite drinkable but not really interesting enough to sip neat.

 Jan van den Ende                                                          November 2012

Crosby Stills Nash & Young - Deja Vu

Songs: Carry On, Teach Your Children, Almost Cut My Hair, Helpless, Woodstock, Déjà Vu, Our House, 4+20, Country Girl, Everybody I Love You.

Type of Music: (Country)Rock /Folk 

Comments: 

This Album changed my musical views when it was released in 1970. Until that time I was mostly a Soul - and Motown kind of guy. My favourites were Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Four Tops, Temptations etc.  Liked the Stones as well. But I can still clearly remember a rainy night in my hometown Rotterdam in the Netherlands  when a friend played Carry On for me. He drew my attention to the point in the song where the A Capella part of the chorus ends and the organ flows in. I thought then and still think now that it´s one of the great moments in Rock Music. And I was hooked forever. As a result , 42 years and thousands of records later, I´m writing a review of what must be one of my all time favourite Albums.

It´s different from the debut album. Neil Young joined CSN. This resulted in two things. Good songs and a lot of trouble. Captain Stills did not want to share his ship with Captain Young. Therefore most of the album was recorded in separate sessions. Strangely enough you don´t notice that at all when listening to the record. Especially Joni Mitchell´s Woodstock sounds as a great Group effort.

As a whole, Déjà Vu sounds more dark and serious than the flower (folk)rock of the debut album. They grew up very quick indeed.

Some songs like Graham´s Teach your Children and Our House and David's Almost cut my Hair sound a bit dated as well now. And most of the songs on the album have been overplayed by Classic Rock and MOR Radio Stations. Nevertheless these songs are among the best that Graham and David ever wrote, together with the dreamy Déjà Vu.

And the same goes for Stephen´s contributions. His acoustic 4+20 is simply a great little song and Carry On is in the Top 10 of my favourite Classic Rock Songs.

Neil´s songs are good but pale a bit in comparison to the rest. I thoroughly enjoy the first half of Country Girl but it deserves a better final part. But Helpless, although not bad really, and Everybody I love You are just a bit below par. Not by much though.

Déjà Vu is an essential Rock album and a musical statement of the Woodstock generation. What a pity that Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  separated shortly afterwards. They would re-group from time to time but would never be able to reach the level they display on this here record.    

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