Bushmills 10 Years Single Malt

Country: Ireland

Brand: Bushmills 

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Light. First impressions are Grains (Malt, Toast with Margarine), Straw/Hay and Dried Fruits (Raisins and Sultanas) followed by Nuts, Oak, light Fruity tones (Apple, Banana with light Honey, White Grapes and Coconuts), Milk Chocolate, Lemon Peel and the faintest hint of Sherry. Grains are rather dominating the Nose. The other flavours, while not unpleasant, are rather understated for a 10 Year old Single Malt.

Palate: Watery delivery. Very light, Ashy, slightly Metallic, Sugary Sweet and Soapy with Malt, Oak, Licorice, light Honey, light Fruits (Apple, Pear, Coconut), Caramel, Green Pepper and Nutmeg.

Finish: Short, Dry, Slightly Bitter, Earthy and Herbal. Some Toast, Toffee, Green Pepper, Licorice and Lemon Zest.

I added a few drops of Water and the Fruit on the Palate becomes slightly clearer. The rest though is simply washed down.

Rating:  79 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 19.5- Finish:  18.5 - Overall: 20

General Remarks:  The Old Bushmills Distillery is located in the Antrim County in Northern Ireland. Since 2005 it's owned by the Diageo Group. In 1608 a licence to distill was granted by King James I which makes Bushmills the oldest licensed Distillery. That's why the year 1608 is printed on the label. The Distillery produces a whole range of Bushmills expressions including the Original or White Label as it's often referred to, the Black Bush, the 10, 12, 16 and 21 Years Single Malts and the Special Edition 1608, released in 2008 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Legal Distilling at Bushmills. The Bushmills 10 Years is the only 10 Year Old Single Malt from Ireland. It is Triple-Distilled, unpeated and matured in Bourbon infused American Oak Barrels and Sherry Casks. It's not too expensive at around 45 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Below Average

Conclusion: This was Whisky of the year in 2007 I believe! And Jim Murray rewards this with 90 points in his Whisky Bible! And I? I can't say I like this Bushmills expression a lot. It's not really bad but it's too light, too watery and too understated. Some people would call this dram Smooth, Crisp, Clean and Light. In my book this is called watery, uninteresting and utterly forgettable. And that's all there is to the Bushmills 10 Year old Single Malt if you ask me!

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 27, 2013

Ringo Starr - Beaucoups of Blues

Songs: Beaucoups of Blues, Love Don´t Last Long, Fastest Growing Heartache in the West, Without Her, Woman Of The Night, I´d Be Talking All The Time, $ 15 Draw, Wine Women and Loud Happy Songs, I Wouldn`t Have You Any Other Way, Loser´s Lounge, Waiting, Silent Homecoming. 

Type of Music: Country

Comments:

Ringo had already released a not very memorable solo album with Hollywood songs earlier in 1970 called Sentimental Journey. During his work with George on the All Things Must Pass Album, he met Pedal Steel Guitar ace Pete Drake who had also recently produced Dylan´s Nashville Skyline. Ringo always liked country music and in his Beatles period he had sung country songs like Act Naturally and What Goes On. Ringo and Pete agreed to do a country Album together. Ringo wanted recordings to take place in London but Pete persuaded Ringo to go to Nashville.

In Tennessee, Pete gathered the cream of country musicians and ordered a dozen of new country songs as well. So when Ringo arrived end June 1970 everything was ready and everyone was prepared. No wonder it took only 10 days to record the album. Still it manages to sound like an Authentic Country Album. 

Considering Ringo´s somewhat doubtful past as a singer and subsequent doubts about his future career as a solo artist, one should admit that he is not doing bad at all here. Of course it all depends on where you set your expectations. This is not All Things Must Pass nor McCartney nor Plastic Ono Band.

This is Beaucoups of Blues, a collection of tear-jerkers about Whiskey, Wine, Fallen Angels, Losers, Love Lost and Loneliness. But well played by professionals and “ starring”  Ringo´s adequate country performance.

Sometimes, adequate is not enough like in Silent Homecoming, a song about a girl waiting at the airport for the return of her lover´s body killed in Vietnam. This type of song requires more feeling or involvement if you like. But Ringo is doing fine in tracks as Beaucoups of Blues, Without Her and Loser´s Lounge.

This CD was released in 1995 and includes two bonus tracks. The first one, Coochy Coochy was written by Ringo during the Nashville sessions and I have no idea why it was not included on the original Album. It would have been the best song on the Album! The second bonus track is a pleasant instrumental called Nashville Jam, also recorded during the sessions for the album.

Conclusion: Certainly not an Album that shook the Rock World in 1970. But it´s pleasant back ground music for a Sunday Morning!

Bonus Tracks: Coochy Coochy, Nashville Jam.

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

Black = Good Songs

Green= Great Songs

Red= Could Be Better

Aberlour A' Bunadh Batch 37 CS Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside 

Brand: Aberlour A' Bunadh Batch 37 CS

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 59.6 %

Date: 25/26/01/2013

Colour: Copper/Deep Amber

Nose: With almost 60% Alcohol the A'Bunadh needs time to open up of course. Don't rush! Use every angle to sniff this dram. If you simply stick your nose in the middle of the glass you won't get nothing but Alcohol. The Nose is quite powerful but also very sweet. I do not get any off-notes nor significant Sulphur for that matter. The Sherry is there of course but it's not too dominant. Lovely dessert flavours like Crepe Suzette (Warm Pancakes with Butter, Caramel, Orange Zest/Juice and the Orange Liqueur Gran Marnier) and warm Bananas soaked in Rum. But also Malt, Oak, Spices, (Bourbon-like)Vanilla, Nuts, Prunes and Raisins.

Taste: The Sherry from the Nose remains and weaves a web around an array of Spices such as Black Pepper, Cardamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Cloves. All this accompanied by lots of Bourbon Vanilla as well as Oak, Caramel, Dates and hints of Tobacco and Chocolate.

Finish: Middle Long and Hot with Sherry, Black Pepper, Vanilla and Rum-Soaked Raisins.

I added a spoonful of Water and that reduces the Alcohol of course. The Nose however gets Malty and Buttery and much of the flavour profile is lost. The Palate and Finish become more smooth but less balanced. Still, you can experiment with a couple of drops if you find the Alcohol too strong. Personally I prefer to sip the A'Bunadh neat.

Rating: 88  (out of 100)

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

General Remarks: The A' Bunadh (Gaelic for of the Origin) was recreated in 1975 when Distillery workers found an old bottle of Aberlour from 1898. It is bottled at Cask Strength, Non Chill-Filtered and without adding Caramel for colouring. It matures in good quality Oloroso Sherry Butts.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: This is a real Powerhouse and a perfect dram for Christmas! I'm living in Brazil for almost 20 years now and sometimes it's difficult to imagine sipping whisky on a Christmas Eve when outside the cold wind is howling and the snow is falling. Right now for instance it's 9.30 in the evening and it's still around 28 degrees Celsius. But even so I'm getting these Christmas images while sipping the A' Bunadh and that says something about the quality of this whisky. And it's still pleasantly priced at around 50 to 60 US Dollars. It helps of course that it's NAS but you don't get that impression while sipping. This could easily pass for a 15 year old in a Blind Tasting in my opinion. Nosing this dram requires patience. At least let it sit in the glass for an hour or so. You will be rewarded with wonderful dessert flavours. The Palate is a balanced combination of Sherry, Spices and Vanilla. The Finish is hot and could have been a bit more subtle. On the whole however this is a well-crafted sherried Speysider that I can fully recommend.

Jan van den Ende                                                                            January 2013

Bruichladdich The Laddie 10 Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bruichladdich The Laddie

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Medium Amber/Bright Gold 

Nose: A surprise right at the beginning. This is an unpeated Whisky but there is certainly a Damp, Wet Wood, Peaty smell to it. I've never been to Islay unfortunately but I can imagine I'm walking through the Peat Fields on a cold and foggy morning. I also get light Baby-Vomit, Cooked Vegetables and Potatoes (not unlike the Jura 16 but less prominent) and  slight Band-Aid tones. They are not strong enough to be considered off-notes and they tend to get weaker with more time in the glass. I can't exactly smell the Sea here but there are certainly some Maritime, Salty, Briny Notes to be found. The little Fruit I get consists mainly of Pineapple, Lemon and Banana. Some hints of Grass/Straw, Butter, Menthol and Leather. A lot of different things are going on but they do not paint a very coherent picture. I had heard a lot of good stuff about the Laddie so maybe I set the bar too high. To summon it up, It's Not Right But It's Okay as Whisky Houston used to sing.

Taste: Oak, Malt, Lemon, Candied Fruits, Vanilla, Bourbon, Black Pepper, Sultanas, Honey, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg, Orange, Brine, Tobacco, Licorice and Nuts. Ever so slightly Metallic.

Finish: Medium long with Malt, lightly Charred Oak, Herbal Tea, Honey, Black Pepper, Menthol, Lemon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a pinch of Salt. After a few minutes a slightly bitter Earthy tone appears.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose becomes fruitier and mellow.  The Candied Fruits on the Palate become stronger. Licorice appears in the Finish as well. You can experiment with a few drops but don't overdo it. Personally, I prefer it neat. Actually, I prefer to taste whisky neat most of the time. 

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: Without any doubt, the Laddie is the best-known  expression of this Distillery that was bought by Remy Cointreau in 2012 from a group of private investors (including Mark Reynier). It was cask-filled at 70% for extra flavour and first bottled in September 2011, exactly 10 years after the re-opening of the Distillery in 2001. It's not Chill-Filtered, unpeated, American Oak matured and does not contain colourants. It costs around 50 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Let me start by saying that the Laddie is not at all a bad whisky. But certainly I had come to expect more of it. The Nose is quite interesting and the unpeated Peat smell took me by surprise. But the multiple flavours, although not bad on an individual basis, are not fully in balance. Palate and Finish are a bit flat and do no provoke any Wow-This is It feelings. This is my first acquaintance with the Bruichladdich distillery but certainly not the last. Miniatures of Links, Rocks, Waves and Peat are waiting to be savoured!

Jan van den Ende                                                             January 25, 2013