Glen Grant 1993 Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside 

Brand: Glen Grant 1993

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 55 % 

Date: 20/08/2013

Colour: White Wine/Pale Straw 

Nose: Fruity and Floral. The Distillery character shines. Wouldn't have given it 17 years in the Hogshead. Nicely embedded Alcohol. I get Citrus, Nectarine, Banana and Bourbon-type Cherries alongside Buttered Toast, Malt and Oak. Hints of Peach, Lemon-Grass and the occasional vision of a Dusty Old Attic. 

Palate: Fruity and Spicy with Malt, Sweet Grain, Pear drops, Citrus, Toffee, Vanilla, Pepper, Ginger, Mint, Aniseed and light Licorice. The Oak is more present now

Finish: Dry and Spicy with Pepper, Licorice, Citrus Peel, Malt and Oak

I added a bit of Water and, as so often, I get more Malt, Sweet Fruit and Butter on the Nose. Palate and Finish get lots of Mint and Licorice. Better sip this Glen Grant neat. 

Rating: 84.5

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

General Remarks: The Glen Grant we are tasting today was distilled on October 13, 1993 and was bottled at Cask Strength by Independent Bottler Whisky- Broker Co. in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2011. It matured in an Oak Hogshead with Cask # 121909. The cask yielded 297 bottles of 700 ml and at least part of the cask was sold via Whiskybase in Rotterdam, Holland. I don't think it's still available. Lately it was priced at around 65 US Dollars. This whisky is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Glen Grant 1993 is not a very complicated Single Malt. But with lots of Fresh Citrus and Spices it makes for a very nice aperitif on a warm Summer Day. I could even imagine throwing in a small Ice Cube for additional refreshment. This particular bottling will be very difficult to obtain but there are other Independent Bottlers that have released similar Glen Grants from the early nineties. It's worthwhile to have a look around!

Jan van den Ende                                                            August 2013

Talisman Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: The Talisman

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 40 % (My Guess: Around 5 Years)

Colour: Pale Amber/Straw

Nose: I'm going to be completely honest here at the risk of sounding like some spoiled snob which I ain't cause I still love my JW Black or Jim Beam Black on the Rocks. But after having tasted a couple of nice Single Malts lately it's not very rewarding to sniff at the Talisman Blend. Not because it's bad but because it simply lacks interesting aromas. It's very light with a bit of Malt, lots of Grain, some Oak, light Spice, Citrus and hints of Heather and Mango.

Palate: Thin Delivery. Sweet Grain, Caramel, Bitter Refill Wood, Lemon and hints of Heather, Peat and Honey.

Finish: Short and Sugary Sweet with a bit of Toffee, Pepper and Oak.

With a bit of Water the Nose becomes very thin but gains a bit more Fruit and Honey. Palate and Finish however disappear completely. 

Rating: 72

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5  - Overall: 18

General Remarks: The Talisman is produced by the Tomatin Distillery that was founded in 1897 and is located close to the A9 Motorway, halfway between Aviemore and Inverness. Over the years it grew very fast and today it is the second largest distillery in scale after Glenfiddich. It is owned by the Japanese Takara Shuzo and Okura Group. A large part of the production (80%) goes into blends like Talisman, Big T and the Antiquary. The Talisman contains around 30% of Malt Whisky and is quite affordable at around 20 US Dollars. Lately the distillery is making an effort to promote its Single Malts as well.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Below Average

Conclusion: There are better Blends at this price level. The Talisman is not interesting enough as a sipping Whisky and on the Rocks you can find better alternatives like the Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark, William Lawson's, JW Red and the cheaper Bourbons. If you want to mix, better use Bourbon!

Jan van den Ende                                                             August 18, 2013

Highland Park Loki Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland-Island-Orkney

Brand: Highland Park Loki 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 15 Years

ABV:  48.7 % 

Date: 16/08/2013

Colour: Light Gold/Amber

Nose: Take your time with the Loki. Sour, Malty and Spicy at first with Green Apples, Balsamic Vinegar, Oat Porridge with a knob of Butter, Aniseed, Salt and Cardamom. A bit later some Oak, Menthol, Citrus Peel, Heather and Mineral tones. Only after 20 minutes or so I get some Fruit like Passion Fruit or Pineapple and hints of Sherry and Tobacco. I had expected much more in this department.

Palate: Quite different from the Nose. Fruity with Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange Peel and Pineapple. But I am also pleasantly surprised by a nice touch of Cigar Smoke. Additionally I get Spices like Nutmeg and Ginger, light Licorice, Nuts, Vanilla and slightly Sour Oak.

Finish: On the short side and a bit Thin but quite tasty with Sugar coated Lemon Peel, Milk Chocolate, Marzipan, Cinnamon, Cloves, light Pepper, Vanilla, Orange Marmalade and a tad of Smoke. Quite Dry eventually.

No need to add Water to the Loki despite the high ABV. The Alcohol is in Harmony with the rest of the flavours and aromas. 

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21  - 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. Highland Park is one the very few remaining distilleries that malts (at least part of) the Barley on its own malting floor. 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. The Loki is the second expression in The Valhalla Collection, the first being Thor. Loki was the trickster God, a very treacherous character in the Nordic mythology who could change his shape and sex. Highland Park Loki mainly matured in traditional American and Spanish Oak casks but some heavily peated casks were used as well. The Loki is very expensive at 200 to 250 US Dollars, is bottled at Cask Strength and comes in a wooden frame inspired by a Viking long-ship. It's very difficult to get as the production was very limited and collectors were quick to grab their chances!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: First of all I think it's great that Highland Park managed to match the whisky with the character of Loki. Because Nose and Palate of this Single Malt are two different stories. The Nose is quite disappointing really but on the palate the combination of Fruit and light Smoke works fine for me. The Finish is tasty but on the short side. The Loki is certainly different from the Standard Highland Park bottlings and I enjoyed tasting the sample. But no way I would spend 250 US Dollars on this Single Malt despite the nice packaging and presentation. Even Loki himself would not be able trick me into that! 

Jan van den Ende                                                             August 2013