Caperdonich 1972 (Whiskybase) Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Caperdonich 1972 (Whiskybase/Whisky-Faessle)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 39 Years

ABV:  45 %

Colour: Pale Straw

Nose: Relatively Light but very Crisp and Fruity with Pears, Apples, Banana, Kiwi and Lemon. There's Oak of course but a lot less than expected after 39 years. The whisky smells remarkably fresh and vibrant. There's Malt, Toast, Honey and some "Herbes de Provence". Sweet Marzipan and Pralines also come to mind. Floral and Mineral tones complete the picture. It's amazing that so much of the Fruity distillery character has been preserved after such a long time. I don't get much Sherry on the Nose which leads me to believe that a large number of 3rd/4th Refill and/or Sherry infused casks might have been used.

Palate: A Cocktail of White Grapes, Orange, Apples, Banana and Tropical Fruits sprinkled with a bit of Lemon Juice and some Pepper and Cinnamon. I get Tea, Honey, Oak and Mint as well. Again only faraway hints of Sherry.  

Finish: Short, Dry and a bit Salty with Fruits, Ginger, Lemon-Tea, Menthol, Oak, Nuts and slightly Bitter Grapefruit-Juice. 

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets additional Floral tones. These tones get even richer when Nosing the empty glass after some time. But I also get Licorice on the Palate and in the Finish. Better sip this Caperdonich neat. Lots of people find completely different Flavour-Profiles when adding a bit of Water but I'm not one of them I'm afraid. Generally speaking I don't find improvements when adding Water unless  the ABV exceeds 50%. But please try it out by all means as your senses might differ in this respect!  

Rating: 85.5  

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

General Remarks: This is probably the most expensive Whisky I've tasted so far. I'm tasting a sample from this Special Edition. It's a Joint-Bottling of Whiskybase and Whisky-Faessle. It was distilled in 1972 and matured for 39 years in Refill Sherry Casks before being bottled in 2011. This whisky is Un-Chill filtered and has not been artificially coloured. It's priced at around 230 US Dollars. The distillery was built in Rothes in 1898 by the founders of the Glen Grant distillery. Initially named Glen Grant # 2, it closed after only 4 years and was not operational until 1965 when it was rebuilt by Glenlivet Distilleries and renamed Caperdonich. It was sold to Seagram in 1977 and subsequently to Pernod Ricard in 2001. It was closed in 2002 and demolished in 2010.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Nosing and Tasting this 39 years old Whisky was quite a surprise. The Oak is there but it merely supports the Fruity distillery character that is still quite present. Quite some Floral and Herbal tones as well on the Nose. A bit more Sherry would have enhanced the overall quality of this dram. On the Palate the Caperdonich reminds me a bit of one of the more spicy White Whines of the Alsace on the Franco-German border. It's a nice dram for sure but I don't see me spending some 230 US Dollars on a full bottle. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                March 2013

Bushmills Black Bush Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Bushmills Black Bush

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS (Probably around 8-10 years for the Malt content)

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden

Nose: It's Triple-Distilled and it shows. Quite clean, crisp and relatively light Nose with Malt, Buttered Toast with Black Currant Marmalade, Lemon, Dried Fruits, Grass, Straw, Oak, Apples, Toasted Corn, Vanilla Toffee, light Alcohol and hints of Sherry, Banana and White Grapes. You have to dig a bit for the Fruit but it's quite nice when you find it. There is a slight Metallic feeling to the Nose but not as noticeable as in the regular Bushmills.

Taste: A bit Thin, slightly Metallic and quite Spicy with Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom and Cloves. There's also Honey, Malt, Sherry, Butter, Cocoa, Biscuits, Nuts, Oak, Licorice, Lemon and a hint of Milk. Never got that before!

Finish: Rather short and a bit sugary with Biscuits, Grapefruit, Nuts, Oak, Licorice, Caramel, Apricot and Spices like Nutmeg, Cloves and Cardamom.

A few drops of Water take the raw edges of the Nose. But Palate and Finish are just watered down.

Rating: 82.5 

Nose:  21.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 21

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 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 Black Bush is a Blend of Malt - (80%) and Grain (20%) Whiskies. It is Triple-Distilled and matured in Ex-Bourbon (Grain) and Ex-Oloroso (Malt) Casks. It's not expensive at around 35 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: It's a step up from the regular White but not by a whole lot. The Nose is the best part with lots of Malt, Toast, Lemon and hidden Fruits. Be sure to nose this dram from every angle. There's quite some Alcohol in the middle of the glass. Taste and Finish are quite Spicy and I'm not a fan of Licorice and Metallic Notes. It' s not a bad Whiskey for sure but also not one I will drink on a regular basis. I guess that, with a few exceptions like the Redbreast 12 , Irish whiskies are just not my favourite drams.

Jan van den Ende                                                                March 15, 2013

Macduff 2000 Archives Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Macduff 2000 (Whiskybase Archives)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 11 Years

ABV:  48.2 %

Date: 12/03/2013

Colour: Light Gold/Straw

Nose: Not the most exciting of Speyside Noses I have come across so far. There's Sherry, Sulphur, Dried Fruits, Oak, Sweet Malt, Honey, Brown Sugar, Wet Cardboard and Pineapple. Hints of Leather, Beef and Tobacco. This doesn't do a lot for me I'm afraid.

Palate: Better than I expected after Nosing but still a bit on the Thin Side despite the high ABV. The Sherry and Sulphur are still there together with some English Marmalade, Pepper, Malt, Oat-Meal, Lemon, Licorice and hints of Leather and Tobacco.

Finish: Middle-Long with Malt, Pepper, Mint and slightly bitter Wood.

I added a bit of Water but I don't perceive important changes, neither positive or negative. You can certainly play with a bit of Water here.

Rating:  79 (out of 100)

Nose: 19.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: The Macduff Distillery in Banff on the edge of the Speyside area was created by Glen Deveron Distillers Ltd in 1960 and was acquired by Bacardi in 1990. The Single Malt from this distillery is officially called Glen Deveron but sometimes independent Bottlers market whisky from this distillery under the name Macduff. The malt is used in the William Lawson's blend. The Macduff we are tasting here is the Fourth Release, distilled in November 2000 and bottled by Archives in May 2012. This specific dram matured in Refill Sherry Cask # 5803 of which 90 bottles were drawn. It is uncoloured, un-chillfiltered and bottled at Cask Strength. It costs around 70 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: I must confess I didn't like the Macduff 2000 a lot. The Sulphur is pretty strong and otherwise not much is happening. Bulk Malt for simple Blends but not exciting enough as a Single Malt. Can't recommend this.

Jan van den Ende                                                                       March 2013

Guest Review # 1 - Cardhu 18 Years

Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Today it's a great pleasure to present to you the first Tasting Notes written by one of the regular visitors of the site. Via Facebook he transmitted his Tasting Notes of the Cardhu 18 years. So here we go:

Guest Review # 1 

Cardhu 18 Years

ABV: 40%

Region: Speyside

Written by: Akagi

Lives in: Cologne, Germany.

Colour: Amber

Nose: First impression is of massive Pineapple with clear hints of Oranges, Apples and Pears. Very Fruity and no Alcohol whatsoever!

Palate: Again Pineapple and lots of other Fruits, especially Yellow Fruits.

Only after some time you can smell and taste the Oak and feel the 18 years of maturation.

Finish: Medium-Long, Sweet and Fruity with a little bit of Oak right at the end.

Rating: 88 (out of 100)

Nose: 23 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22

Conclusion: Can't believe the Pineapple is so clear! If this would have been bottled at 46%, it would have been a great whisky. Still, it's mighty good, very well-balanced, and accessibly priced at around 80 US Dollars.

Akagi                                                                                    March 10, 2013

Akagi's Current Selection

Thanks a lot Akagi. Sounds like a very tasty dram indeed! If you would like to write a Guest Review for Best Shot Whisky Reviews, just give it a try and let me know! 

I wish you all a very nice week and see you all back tomorrow for the Tasting Notes on the Macduff 2000 Archives Single Malt.

Saude!

Jan