Highland Park Einar Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland-Island-Orkney

Brand: Highland Park Einar 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV:  40 % 

Colour: Bright Gold

Nose: Peat, Pineapple-Juice, light Smoke, Heather, Unripe Bananas and a hint of Leather are my first impressions. I also find some Alcohol, light Spices, Oak, Malt, Butter and Nuts.

Palate: Thin Delivery. Mighty Einar himself would have questioned this too low ABV. I get Peat, light Smoke, Pepper, Ginger, Heather, Licorice, Citrus Peel, Oak, Nuts, Pineapple and Syrup.

Finish: Sweet at first but Dry later on with Vanilla, Syrup, Heather, light Smoke, Pepper, Nuts, Citrus and a hint of Meat that lingers on a bit together with the Smoke.

I added a bit of Water but that did not provoke significant changes in the Flavour and Aroma Profile. Better sip it neat. I actually enjoyed it over a little Ice. If you like JW Black on the Rocks this might be a good alternative once in a while. Vikings and Ice always went well together historically!

Rating: 84

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

General Remarks: Highland Park, founded in 1798, is the most northerly distillery in Scotland and is located on the Orkney Isles, off the North-East coast of Scotland. The distillery uses local Orcadian Peat, that mostly consists of Heather and other Plants. Only a limited amount of the Malt is dried with Peat though. Highland Park matures its spirits in Ex-Sherry casks from both Spanish and, curiously, American Oak. Highland Park is one the very few remaining distilleries that malts (at least part of) the Barley on its own malting floor. The Einar matures in 75% American Oak and 25% European Oak casks. Einar is part of the Warrior Series consisting of 6 Single Malts to be exclusively sold in the Travel Retail market. Einar, Svein and Harald have been released while Sigurd, Ragnvald and Thorfinn will follow later in 2013. All were named after real Nordic figures that played a part in the history of the Isle of Orkney. Einar was a ruthless Viking warrior who always carried a sharp and deadly Axe. Eventually, Einar became the overall ruler of the Isle of Orkney. The HP Einar will sell at around 65 US Dollars for a litre bottle.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Given the size of his Axe, I am sure that Einar made a very powerful impression on anyone he came across. I think that a whisky with his name should have the same effect. But it doesn't I'm afraid. The Nose is rather shy and the delivery is too thin on account of the low ABV of 40%. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad Single Malt. But Einar would have liked to see this whisky powerful, brutal and overwhelming. And such characteristics this Highland Park does not possess.

Jan van den Ende                                                                    June 1, 2013

Jim Beam Rye Review

Country: USA

Brand: Jim Beam Rye

Type: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 

Age: NAS (Said to be: 4 Years)

ABV: 40 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 28/06/2013

Colour: Golden

Nose: Quite different from the Templeton Rye Small Batch I nosed earlier. Sure, the Rye is there and so are Saw Dust and Spices like Cloves, Pepper and Nutmeg. But I also get Corn, Cinnamon, Maraschino Cherries, Charred Oak, Glue, Vanilla, Orange, Lemon, Apple and Tangerine. A hint of Leather and Wood Polish as well. Jim Beam Rye tries to combine the Best of Both Worlds. The result is not unpleasant but a bit flat.

Palate: The Palate basically follows the Nose with lots of Spices like Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves and Cinnamon, accompanied by Honey, Citrus, Mint, Rye-Bread, Maraschino Cherries, Tangerine, Vanilla, Caramel and Oak. Some characteristics of the Jim Beam Bourbon have been preserved.

Finish: Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with Cherries, Tangerine, Vanilla, Mint, Pepper and Cinnamon.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets more Vanilla and Maple Syrup while the Rye and Spices retreat. The Palate and Finish become a bit too thin and slightly bitter. Better sip it neat or enjoy it on the Rocks.

Rating: 81.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20  Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Jim Beam Rye is produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It's America's Top Selling Rye Whiskey. It is made with 51% Rye in the Mash bill and matures for 4 years in freshly Charred White Oak Barrels. It's sold at around 15-25 US Dollars in the USA and at around 30 US Dollars in Europe.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Imagine for a moment that for instance Templeton Rye Small Batch and Knob Creek Small Batch 9 years are American Single Malts. Following this image, the Jim Beam Rye would then be an American Blended Whiskey. I think you get the picture this way. I can see that Jim Beam Rye is the USA's Top Selling Rye Whiskey. It has a bit of everything and therefore will probably please lots of consumers. In my opinion however Jim Beam Rye, while quite enjoyable on the Rocks, lacks sufficient complexity and depth to be considered a sipping Whiskey. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                                 June 2013

Stephen Stills I Review

Songs: Love The One You´re With, Do For The Others, Church (Part of Someone), Old Times Good Times, Go Back Home, Sit Yourself Down,

To A Flame, Black Queen, Cherokee, We Are Not Helpless.

Type of Music: Late Sixties Country-Rock/Folk

Comments:

Some of my all time favourite music was created by David Crosby, Graham Nash, Neil Young and Stephen Stills, not necessarily in that order. With the possible exception of Neil Young I usually found that the combined musical strength of these four produced better results than their individual efforts. Not unlike say the Beatles.

That does not mean that Stephen Still´s first solo Album is not worth listening to. In 1967-1970 he had certainly been the driving force behind Crosby Stills Nash (& Young). His Bruce Springsteen alike No Non-Sense attitude is apparent on this Album. It was still 1970, and free love, protest and reflections on life in general were hot items. Some of the lyrics are therefore outdated by now.

As for the music I strongly suspect that Stephen is a perfectionist. He must have spend hours in the studio building layer upon layer, using organ, a gospel choir and overdub.

Sometimes it works like in the well-known single Love The One You´re With and Old Times Good Times that features Jimi Hendrix on guitar. But songs like Church (Part of Someone), We Are Not Helpless and, to a lesser extend, Sit Yourself Down suffer under this burden.

But Stephen´s more intimate songs like the probable Crosby/Stills/Nash left-over Do For The Others, the country-blues Black Queen, that shows that Stephen is vastly underrated as a guitar player and the jazzy Cherokee are certainly worth listening to.           

Who should buy this Record: Stephen would issue a number of solo albums in the Seventies. None would come close to this effort.Therefore if you like Stephen Stills, this is the one to go for.

Rating: *******1/2 (7 1/2 out of 10)

Green = Excellent Songs

Black = Good Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Templeton Rye Review

Country: USA

Brand: Templeton Rye

Type: Rye Whiskey (Small Batch)

Age: NAS (Said to be: 4-5 Years)

ABV: 40 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 24/06/2013

Colour: Amber/Light Orange

Nose: Nice, Sweet and slightly addictive! The Rye (Spice) is prominent and so are Pencil Shavings. Clear notes of Mint and Aniseed as well. I also get Caramel/Toffee/Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Maple Syrup, Butter, Honey, Cinnamon and some nice Grassy and Fruity tones that I can't quite pin down. Assorted Fruit-Flavoured Candies perhaps including Orange/Mandarin and Pear. The Alcohol is there but it does not bother me a lot. 

Palate: Rather Thin Delivery. This clearly deserves a higher ABV. I get  Dry Rye (Spice), Toffee/Caramel, Brown Sugar, Pepper, Honey, Mint, Oak, Orange Peel and hints of Red Fruits.

Finish: Dry and slightly Bitter with Rye-Bread, Oak, Spices (Cinnamon), Honey and Mint.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets even Sweeter with Caramel, Honey and Maple Syrup leading the way. The Orange becomes more clear in the Finish. There's room for experiment here as long as you don't overdo it. Personally I prefer the Templeton over a little Ice.

Rating: 84

Nose: 22 - Taste: 20.5  Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: Templeton Rye Whiskey was originally made in Templeton, Iowa during the Prohibition. In those days it was said to be Al Capone's favourite drink! The " New"  Templeton was introduced around 2006 and is said to be based on the original recipe. It is produced and aged by Lawrenceburg Distillers (part of MGP Ingredients, Kansas) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and then shipped by tanker truck to Iowa where it's bottled. Templeton Rye sells at around 35 US Dollars.

By law, Rye Whiskey must be distilled from at least 51% Rye. The other ingredients are usually Corn and Malted Barley. Templeton however uses  90-95% Rye and 5-10% Malted Barley. It is aged in Charred New Oak Barrels. The Sample I'm tasting today is from Batch # 5, Barrel # 400 and Bottle # 54. Batches usually consist of 15-20 Barrels.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I have mixed feelings about this Templeton. The Nose is quite nice and inviting. I smelled it for almost half an hour and I did not get bored at all. The delivery however is too thin in my opinion and the producers should seriously consider increasing the ABV. This is my first contact with Rye Whiskey so I have no idea how Templeton compares to its competitors. For the time being my conclusion would be that this is a good - but not overly complex Rye Whiskey, preferably enjoyed on the Rocks.

Jan van den Ende                                                                        June 2013