Glenfarclas 105 CS Best Shot Whisky Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland/Speyside 

Brand: Glenfarclas 105 CS

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 60 %

Colour: Dark (Reddish) Gold

Nose: Full and Complex. With an ABV of 60% this dram needs lots of time to open up. The first clear impressions are Sweet Oloroso Sherry, light - and acceptable Sulphur, (Hazel) Nuts, Grains, Wood (Pencil Shavings), Brown Sugar, Caramel and Fruits like Plums, Peach and Tangerines. It's a complex Nose but there's Alcohol to deal with of course. So take your time to nose the 105. After a while you get hints of Leather, Honey, Coffee, Mashed Ripe Bananas, Straw, Sweet Port Wine, Chocolate, Rum and Vanilla. Pinch of Salt. This is still a rather young whisky and the Oak is in balance with the Spirit. There is a light Vegetable-like flavour component that bothers me a bit. Can't quite pin it down but it's something like Cabbage or Carrots. Quite a complex Nose but a bit heavy and not entirely to my liking.

Taste: Quite Hot and Spicy with Pepper, Malt, Oloroso Sherry, Wood, Ginger, Aniseed, Tobacco, Marzipan, Rum, Cloves, Citrus, Salty Earth, Wet Leafs, Hazelnuts, Caramel and Coffee.

Finish: Very Dry with Black Pepper, Orange Liqueur, Sherry, Marzipan, Nuts, Cinnamon and (Milk) Chocolate. After five minutes or so my mind is telling me I ate Popcorn and urges me to take another sip of the 105. Quite remarkable!

I added a spoonful of Water. As the Alcohol is toned down, the Nose has an easier time in showing its (Distillery) Character of Fruit, Grain and Blossom with a pinch of Salt. Some Toast with Honey and/or Orange Marmalade as well. And the off-note almost disappears. Still, I get more flavour details while sipping it neat. I certainly advise you to experiment with still water here. Palate and Finish are better enjoyed neat. 

Rating: 85.5  

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

General Remarks: The Glenfarclas 105 is bottled at an even 60% after blending batches of mature barrels without adding water. The 105 is NAS but matured for 8-10 years according to the producers. It was first released in 1968. The Glenfarclas Distillery is owned by the Grant Family since 1865. The 105 CS is sold at around 75 US Dollars. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Not an easy one to judge. On the one hand it's a very interesting dram. A complex nose with lots of stuff to discover. I could have lived without the Vegetable off-note though. On the Palate the spirit is quite warming with lots of Spices and impressions of Marzipan soaked in Rum. The Finish is middle-long and interesting enough and the Popcorn effect brought a smile to my face. And if you like a heavy sherried Speysider you should certainly try it out some time. Still, I'm glad I only bought a miniature and a sample. I wouldn't like the idea of having to work myself through a full bottle of the 105. It's one thing to enjoy this dram occasionally, maybe paired with some fine chocolate. But I can't see myself sipping this on a regular basis. It's a bit heavy (handed) and almost too serious despite its relative young age!

Jan van den Ende                                                               January 22, 2013

Praia de Pipa

Hi Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Just returned after some very nice holidays at Pipa Beach, situated on the beautiful shores of the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the North-East of Brazil. Just enjoying the sun, the people, the family, the seafood and of course some beer and Caipirinha!

Really had a nice time there! I hope you enjoyed reading some of the older Tasting Notes in the meantime. Nevertheless I'm sure you're looking forward to some new Reviews and so am I. Tomorrow and Tuesday I will taste the Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength. Should be a good one! I reviewed the Glenfarclas 12 earlier and liked it!

So welcome back everybody! I'm looking forward to a great new tasting year 2013. I have quite some surprises coming up so stay tuned!

Saude!

Jan

Auchentoshan 10 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Lowland 

Brand: Auchentoshan

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Yellow Golden

Nose: It's not really bad but I can't say I like the Nose. It' s a rather weird combination of Cooked Vegetables, Malt, Vegetable Oil, Floral tones like Grass and Wet Leaves, Acetone, Tangerine, Lemon, Stale Peanuts, Wood (Shavings), Buttered Grain Biscuits and some Sherry, Apples, Alcohol, Vanilla and light Spices.

Taste: Slightly Watery Delivery with Malt, Sweet Candies, Tangerine, Licorice, Wood, Lemon, Sherry, Cinnamon and White Pepper.

Finish: Short with Sugary Malt, Vanilla, White Pepper, Sherry, Honey and Lemon. It's a bit perfumy but not the likes of Chanel # 5 I'm afraid.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose gets more Malty and Buttery. This dram already has a watery profile so Palate and Finish do not benefit in my opinion. But if you like you can try out a few drops at the time and see where it leads you.

Rating:  76 

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19

General Remarks: As you will probably know, Auchentoshan (Gaelic for Corner of the Field) is triple-distilled like Irish Whiskey. The idea is to produce a smooth dram. But most of the time this process also invokes some lack of personality and that's certainly the case here. It's priced at around 60 US Dollars on average. In 2008 the 10 Years was replaced by the 12 Years when Auchentoshan reviewed its line and packaging. You can find the Tasting Notes here: Auchentoshan 12. I think it's slightly better than the 10 but also not too impressive for a Single Malt. It is a bit cheaper on average at around 50 US Dollars.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: Auchentoshan is not one of my favourite Distilleries. I'm not too impressed with the somewhat unbalanced flavour profile of the standard whiskies and their lack of personality. The 18 Years is the best I've tasted so far Auchentoshan 18 although it still has its flaws. The 10 Years old I've tasted today is easily the weakest so far. The Nose is a strange mixture of on- and off notes and the Palate is watery and does not show any depth. Oh Well, can't love them all!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  January 7, 2013

Glenmorangie Lasanta Revisited

Hi there and welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews,

First weekend in 2013 and it's hot again in Sao Paulo. You might recall that I tasted the Glenmorangie Lasanta recently. I posted the results on December 25, 2012. At that time I found Sulphur and a strange Rhubarb-like off-note. My dram came from a small bottle that is part of the Glenmorangie Gift-Set that also included the 10 Original, the Quinta Ruban and the Nectar d' Or. I did not find the Sulphur and/or the off-notes in the other 3 bottles. When my colleague Rodrigo Fernandes read the Tasting Notes he was very surprised. He had just bought a bottle of Lasanta at the Duty Free and could not find any Sulphur. He offered me a sample that I gladly accepted. Thanks Rodrigo! I tasted the sample today and could not find any off-notes or Sulphur. Obviously something was wrong with my little bottle. As a result, I adjusted the Tasting Notes accordingly and increased the Lasanta final score. Please find the revised Tasting Notes here: Glenmorangie Lasanta.

I would like to wish you all a very nice weekend and hope to see you back tomorrow for more Whisky and Classic Rock.
Saude!
Jan

Laphroaig 13 Years Anam Na H-Alba Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay 

Brand: Laphroaig Anam Na H-Alba

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 13 Years

ABV: 54.2 %

Date: 05/01/2013

Colour: Pale Straw/Light Gold

Nose: Welcome to a Malty Barbecue around a Campfire. But be patient because this dram needs its time to open up. Nobody will be surprised that Peat, Grass, Smoke, Charred Wood, Malt, Butter, Lemon, Shell-Fish, Medicinal tones and a touch of Leather are my first impressions. This is a Laphroaig after all. You can almost touch the Brine, Tarred Driftwood and Seaweed from the Distillery's waterfront. If you like a Peaty Nose, this certainly is something to look out for. The fire is only a part of the BBQ of course but the rest comes a bit later still. This happens a lot with heavily Peated Single Malts by the way. The Peat and Smoke tend to disguise the other flavours. But it pays off to wait cause after half an hour or so you're being served a plate of rock salted Pork Chops and a fatty slice of Bacon with Pineapple. Is this Whisky? Amazing! I can smell this for hours. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing tonight!

Taste: Strong Delivery thanks to the Cask Strength of 54.2%. The basic flavours of the Nose are confirmed. I get Peat, Oak, Malt, Smoke, Iodine, Lemon, Grass and Leather. Additional tones of Menthol and strong Black Pepper. It's Bitter, Sweet and Spicy, all at the same time. I would welcome a bit of Sherried sweetness here to counterbalance the tasteful  but ever so slightly monotonous Peated ensemble. 

Finish: Middle long and dry towards the end. Charred, slightly Bitter-Sweet Oak and Smoked Fish. But then you get the distinctive flavour of a Menthol Cigarette that stays with you for quite a while and is accompanied by a black Espresso. Again, amazing. Extra half a point for that!

I added a little spoonful of Water and that's certainly something you should consider. It doesn't change the general flavour profile a lot but it does make the dram smoother and milder.

Rating: 89 

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 22.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Anam Na H-Alba (Soul of Scotland) was distilled in May 1998, matured for 13 years in a Bourbon Hogshead (# 700228) and was bottled in December 2011 by Whisky bottler Anam Na H-Alba from Germany. Less than 200 bottles went to the market and I was lucky enough to get a sample. This Laphroaig is non Chill-Filtered, does not contain E-150 and was bottled at Cask Strength. The Bottles were sold at around US$ 100 a piece.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: This is not merely a dram. It's an exciting flavour experience that will keep you busy for at least two hours. When nosing this Laphroaig you feel like you're sitting at night outside the Distillery on Islay by a campfire where you are about to roast some Pork and Bacon. On the Palate I find the Peat a bit too monotonous to consider this my favourite dram so far. I do think that Ardbeg is better balanced. But the Finish is very interesting again and the combination of Black Espresso and a Menthol Cigarette is simply stunning. If you can find this, buy it. You won't regret it!

Jan van den Ende                                                             January 2013

Nice Book by Max Milligan that describes the beauty of the Scottish Cities, Countryside and Wilderness and contains many beautiful pictures.