Bell's Blended Scotch Whisky Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Bell's 

Blended and Bottled by: Arthur Bell & Sons, Edinburgh

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV:  40 %

Colour: Golden

Nose: As so often with standard Blends, Sweet Grain, Toast with a little bit of Honey and slightly harsh Alcohol are the first impressions, followed by some Malt and Earthy/Grassy tones. A bit of canned Pineapple syrup and some Wood Spice. That's it I'm afraid. I don't find unpleasant off-notes.

Palate: Watery Delivery. Sugared Cereals, Walnut casks, Oak, Spice and Caramel. 

Finish: Short and Watery with Cereals, Salty Licorice, Pepper, Dirty Earth and Slightly Bitter Wood.

No need to add water here. The Blend will drown in its own tears!

Rating: 70.5 

Nose: 18 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17 - Overall: 17.5

Blair Athol Distillery

General Remarks: This is the most popular Blended Scotch Whisky in the UK. At its heart lies the Blair Athol Single Malt. But all in all it contains around 35 Malt and Grain Whiskies that have matured between 5 and 12 years. Dufftown, Caol Ila, Inchgower and Glenkinchie are some of the Single Malts used. The founder, Arthur Bell, started as a wine and whisky merchant in 1837. The Bell's blend was launched in 1896. The whisky was very popular with the soldiers during World War I. Nowadays, Bell's is owned by the Diageo Group. It's priced at around 25 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average.

Conclusion: How on earth can this be the most popular Blend in the United Kingdom? I've tasted the Bell's tonight but I won't gladly drink this again. Not because it's really bad but because I think distilling this type of whisky is a waste of time, money and material. Okay it's not expensive. But better drink a Bourbon then! Because there's absolutely nothing going on here. A bit of Grain, Wood Spice and dirty Earth. It's utterly boring and it does not provide any pleasure. It may be popular in the UK but for me this Bell's does not toll!

Jan van den Ende                                                             February 20, 2013

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Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Since late December last year I had problems with the Follow by E-Mail gadget. Various readers complained they did not receive their notifications of the new posts via e-mail. It took a long time to discover the problem but today my colleague Renato managed to solve it. Tomorrow I will post a new Tasting Note and I hope everybody receives the e-mail advice. If not, please subscribe again via the sidebar. You can find it under the Visitors! Five colleagues have subscribed today and it went well. Thanks Renato!
It's been a while since I thanked all of you for your many and frequent visits to the Site. We have passed the 300.000 Page Views already and people from over 200 countries have entered the site. Comments have increased a lot as well and that's very nice to see. If you have any questions, suggestions for Tasting Notes or otherwise, please leave your comment and I will respond as quickly as possible. 
Tonight I will be tasting the Bell's Blended Scotch. It's the best selling Blend in the United Kingdom. Let's see if it earns that position!
Enjoy reading and see you all back tomorrow to find out For Whom The Bell's Toll!

Saude!

Jan

Longrow 11 Years Red Cabernet Sauvignon Cask Whisky Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Campbeltown

Brand: Longrow Red Cabernet Sauvignon Cask

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 11 Years

ABV:  52.1 %

Date: 18/02/2013

Colour: Reddish Gold/Copper

Nose: Take your time because the first impression is Peat. Lovely, fat succulent Peat. Then, after quite a while, Malt and Red Fruits like Cranberries and Raspberries arrive, followed by Oak, Caramel, Butterscotch, cured Bacon, Butter, Coal, Fresh Grapefruit Juice and Salted Smoked Mackerel. Some Floral tones in the background. Very complex Nose but it needs time. Don't rush it because if you do that you could easily write it off as an aggressive Peatbull!

Palate: Strong and Full delivery with Peat, Red Fruit and Red Wine, Caramel, Orange, Black Pepper, Cardamom and Cinnamon, Oak, Leather, Salt and Bitter Chocolate.

Finish: Very Long and Dry with Red Fruit, Red Wine, Peat, Charred Oak, Nuts, Menthol, Salt/Brine, Black Pepper, Smoked Bacon and light Medicinal Notes.

With a bit of water, you get a bit of extra Malt and Buttered Toast on the Nose. On the Palate the Red Wine becomes more evident. The Finish almost disappears apart from a bit of Licorice, Red Wine/Fruit and Spices. I would advise you to drink this dram neat to be able to fully enjoy all of the intended flavour combinations.  

Rating: 88.5 (out of 100)

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

Springbank Distillery

General Remarks: The Longrow peated Single Malt is produced at the Springbank Distillery. It is named after the old Longrow distillery that was located close to the Springbank distillery. The Longrow Red matured for 7 years in refill Bourbon Barrels and was finished for another 4 years in Cabernet Sauvignon hogsheads. The Red is a limited edition that was distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2012. I believe only 9000 bottles were marketed word wide. The price amounts to around 70 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: People that follow my Notes on a regular basis already know that, generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of Red Wine finishing. Let  wine be wine and whisky be whisky! But there are always exceptions to every rule and the Longrow Red is such an exception. Very nice interplay between the quality Peat and the Red Fruit and Red Wine Components. And there's a Salty Maritime element present that makes it all even more interesting. It's not an everyday dram but something to enjoy on special occasions. If you love a complex and peated whisky with nice Red Fruit and Red Wine tones, go for this one. I fully recommend the Longrow 11 Red Cabernet Sauvignon Cask!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   February 2013

Campbeltown

Loch Lomond Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highlands

Brand: Loch Lomond

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 40 %

Colour:  Gold/Amber

Nose: Quite Light. I find Toast with a Butter/Margarine Mixture, Bitter Wood (Shavings), Sweet Barley, Resin and a little Caramel, Heather, Vanilla, and Leather. A bit Musty as well. This is mostly Grain and Wood. Not very interesting.

Palate: Soft and Bitter Sweet with Sweet Barley, Sugar, Nuts, Licorice, Lemon-Pepper and Menthol.

Finish: Dry and Middle-Long with Lemon, Sugared Nuts, Dried Fruits (Raisins and Currants), Menthol and Cocoa Powder.

I added a bit of water and the Nose becomes a mixture of Grains and Caramel with a bit of Margarine on top. More Mint and Menthol on the Palate. The Finish gets a bit watery. There's room to experiment with a few drops.

Rating: 74

Nose: 19 - Taste:  18- Finish: 18.5 - Overall: 18.5

General Remarks: The Loch Lomond distillery was built in 1965. It closed between 1984 and 1987. It is currently owned by Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd in Alexandria, Scotland. In various types of stills the distillery produces both Grain - and Malt whiskies under a variety of Brand names such as Croftengea, Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Craiglodge, Inchfad, Old Rhosdhu, Scots Earl and High Commissioner. Remember the stories and films of Tintin? Check it out, Captain Haddock's favourite whisky was the Loch Lomond!

Drinking Experience Neat: Average

Conclusion: Not interesting enough for a Single Malt. It's not very expensive at around 35 US Dollars but still. The Nose is very light and mainly consists of Grain and Wood. Soft and Bitter-Sweet on the Palate. The Finish is actually slightly more interesting on account of the somewhat refreshing Menthol and Mint notes, especially when a couple of drops of Water are added. On the whole however we can archive this one for always and ever. I'm sorry Captain Haddock!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    February 16, 2013