UD 2005 KIW Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland

Brand: UD 2005 Third Confidential Cask (KIW - Kintra Whisky)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 7 Years

ABV: 51.6 %

Date: 06/06/2013

Colour: Dark Golden

Nose: This is a relatively young whisky and it's bottled at Cask Strength so the Alcohol is very present all along the way. On the Nose I find Malt, lightly Buttered Grain Biscuits, Toffee, Burnt Sugar, Honey, Sherry, Citrus, light Fruit (Pear, Apricot), light Wood Spices and some Green Wood. It's not bad but it would have benefited greatly from additional years in the cask.

Palate: Sweet yet slightly Bitter as well with Toffee/Caramel, light Licorice, Pepper and Green Oak.

Finish: Short. Initially Sweet with Caramel and Burnt Sugar but Dry towards the end with Wood, Pepper and a hint of Espresso.

I added a bit of Water and the Alcohol is of course subdued. Malt, Honey, Toffee and Fruit reveal themselves more clearly. Palate and Finish don't change a lot but in this case I advise you to add a bit of Water as the Alcohol notes are really strong otherwise.

Rating: 78

Nose: 20 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5 

General Remarks: This Undisclosed Highland Single Malt was distilled in September 2005 and bottled at Cask Strength by Independent Bottler Kintra Whisky (Deventer, the Netherlands) in October 2012. It matured in an Ex-Sherry Butt with Cask # 900161 out of which 143 bottles were reserved by Kintra. The whisky is non-chillfiltered and naturally coloured. It costs around 70 US Dollars but I'm not sure if it's still available.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: I have read somewhere that this Whisky could have been distilled at Glenmorangie or Balblair. I'm not familiar with the latter but I can't find the distinct Glenmorangie Oranges. If this whisky would have been served in a Blind Tasting event I would not have been able to identify it. The Honey and Fruit would have given it away as a Highlander but that's about it. I'm not (yet) impressed by the UD 2005. The Nose is promising but needs more Wood time. Palate and Finish are pretty generic and not at all complex. The Alcohol is way too dominant. I would love to taste this again as a 15 year old though. So back to the cask with you young man!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        June 2013

Poit Dhubh 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Pot Dhubh

Bottler: Praban Na Linne Ltd. 

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age:  12 Years

ABV:  43 %

Date: 03/06/2013

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: Very clear impressions of Oloroso Sherry and Peat (Smoke) accompanied by Sweet Malt, Custard, Toast and Orange Marmalade, Grapefruit, Dried Fruits, Lemon, Oak, Honey, Old Leather, Brown Sugar, Figs and light Spices. I recognise the same Vegetative (Cabbage) aroma that I also find in the Island Distilleries of Jura and Arran so I'm inclined to think that either one or maybe both are part of this Blend. Initially I thought that this aroma automatically hinted at Sulphur but I am now pretty much convinced that it's the characteristic smell of the Island Peat. I have to confess it's not one of my favourite aromas although it tends to diminish after giving the whisky some extra time in the glass. In any case  it's  different from the more Maritime and Medicinal Peat you find in the Islay whiskies. I quite prefer the latter!

Palate: The delivery is Sweet and a bit thin with Toffee/Caramel, Honey, Oak, Licorice, Sherry, Peat, Orange, Malt, Pepper and a little Salt.

Finish: On the short side with Citrus, light Peat, Licorice, Biscuits and some hot Pepper that clearly hints at the participation of Talisker in the Blend.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes more friendly with Honey, Sherry, Malt, Floral Tones and Citrus in the lead. Palate and Finish become too Watery for my taste. Be careful with Water here!

Rating: 83

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

General Remarks: Poit Dhubh (Gaelic for Black Pot or Illicit Still) is Blended Malt Whisky, partly matured in Ex-Sherry Casks. It was released in 1984 and is Non Chill-Filtered since 1992. It costs around 45 US Dollars. It is bottled by Praban Na Linne Ltd, located on the Isle of Skye (Hebrides) and founded in 1976 by Sir Iain Noble. It's still a family-owned company. There are also 8 - and 21 year old expressions of the Poit Dhubh.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Much better than your average boring Blend. I suspect that Jura, Arran and Talisker are part of it. Some nice Aromas here and there, especially the Oloroso Sherry, the Citrus and the Talisker Pepper. And the price is certainly acceptable. But there are some flaws as well. I'm not too fond of the Island Peat and on the Palate I find the Poit Dhubh a bit too light. The Finish is on the short side as well. So all in all a good effort by Praban Na Linne but not sophisticated enough to consider it as my day-to-day blend.

Jan van den Ende                                                               June, 2013

Crosby and Nash - Another Stoney Evening Review

Songs: Déjà Vu, Wooden Ships, Man in the Mirror, Orleans, Used To Be a King, Traction in the Rain, Lee Shore, Southbound Train, Laughing, Triad, Where Will I Be, Strangers Room, Immigration Man, Guinevere, Teach your Children.

Type of Music: Folk/Pop/Country (1971)

Comments:

After Crosby Stills Nash & Young broke up, buddies Crosby and Nash teamed up for a series of acoustic concerts. Just two acoustic guitars, a piano and their voices. And it works out just fine.

Yes, they are stoned. David´s real flew is probably contained by hash as suggested here by Graham when he refers to David´s Lebanese Flew. But they are in full control, something that can not be said from the even more stoned public. That becomes very clear when they try to clap along in Teach Your Children. They fail completely and David´s  reaction is extremely funny: “ I know you are moved, but you got to be moved in time”.

The Song List is predictable with work from their solo albums and Graham´s best songs from the CSNY period.

The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. They really come over as good friends and their voices match beautifully although Graham is out of tune a couple of times. But they cover up those moments brilliantly.

The absolute Highpoint is David´s Where will I be, a moving song about his soul mate Christine, killed in a car accident. The versions of Déjà Vu  and Lee Shore are great as well.

But there are no real weak moments here except the before mentioned Teach your Children. Personally I don´t like those  Hello Audience won´t you sing along songs. It´s nice when you are at the concert I´m sure. But on record it´s irritating. That´s the only complaint however.

So what are you waiting for? Light the open fire, open a bottle of wine and enjoy Another Stoney Evening.   

Rating: ********(8 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  A very pleasant album for a romantic evening. The songs are good and the atmosphere and sound quality are excellent.