Glenrothes 2000 Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Speyside

Brand: Glenrothes 2000 (Coopers Choice) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine

Nose: The spirit makes a rather young impression. The Ex-Bourbon Hogshead is easy to identify. I find Oak, Vanilla, Malt, Buttered Toast, Grass, Straw, Nuts, Licorice and Spices. Very light Fruit, mostly Pear and Lemon. The Alcohol is not yet fully integrated. This is all a bit boring really.

Palate: Soft, Creamy and Scented Delivery that is slightly better than I expected after the unimpressive Nose. I find Oak, Pear, Banana, Toffee and Spices like Pepper and Nutmeg. 

Finish: Short with some Malt, Buttered Toast, light Spices and Pear.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets a lot of extra Toasted Cereals. More Pepper and Licorice on the Palate. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference really.

Rating: 78.5

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

General Remarks: The Glenrothes Distillery was built in 1878/1879 by James Stuart & Co. Current owners are Berry Bros & Rudd. The Glenrothes is an important ingredient in Blends like Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse. 

The Single Malt we are tasting today was distilled in 2000 and bottled in 2011. It was matured by - and bottled for The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. Ltd under their brand name Coopers Choice. This Independent Bottler was founded in 1992 by Brian Cook, a guy with 20 years of experience in the Malt Whisky Industry. It matured in Ex-Bourbon Hogshead # 1365 and costs around 80 US Dollars. Only 390 bottles were commercialised. This whisky is naturally coloured and not chill-filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: I'm disappointed by this Single Malt. Spirit and Wood are not really complementary and the Alcohol is not yet fully integrated. As a result this Glenrothes misses purpose and personality. At this price level you can find lots of better stuff in the market, including some high-end Blends. I will look for other expressions of this distillery to find out if this Glenrothes 2000 is the exception rather than the rule. To be continued!

Jan van den Ende                                                      September 18, 2013

Russell's Reserve 10 Years Review

Country: USA

Brand: Russell's Reserve Small Batch

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 45 %

Sample Provided By: Derek, USA. Thanks!  

Date: 17/09/2013

Colour: Deep Amber with Orange tones

Nose: Sweet, quite Fruity and Spicy with Orange Peel, Peach, Vanilla, Caramel, Cinnamon and Cardamom. I suspect a high Rye content in the Mash Bill. I also find Acetone, Butter, Brown Sugar and traces of Peanut Butter and Mint. Some Alcohol is present as well. All in all a solid Bourbon Nose.

Palate: Bitter-Sweet, Spicy, Woody and Waxy with Sweet Corn, Rye, Saw Dust, Pepper, Cardamom, Almonds, Caramel and Orange Peel.

Finish: Bitter-Sweet and Spicy with Oak, Caramel, Sweet Grain, Raisins, Menthol, Orange-Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper and Cardamom.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets Sweeter while the Spices and Acetone retreat. Instead I find Buttered Toast and Honey and some Apricot. The Alcohol is toned down. I would advise you to Nose the Russell's Reserve both with - and without some Water. Palate and Finish however get a bit Watery. Better sip it neat or (preferably) on the Rocks.

Rating: 81.5

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

Derek's Bottle that produced the Sample!

General Remarks: Russell's Reserve is distilled at - and bottled by Austin Nichols Distilling Company at Lawrenceburg Kentucky, the makers of Wild Turkey. It matures in deeply Charred American White Oak barrels and is stored in the centre part of the rick house. The barrels eventually used for Russell's Reserve are hand picked. Russell's Reserve was created by - and named after Jimmy Russell, master distiller at Wild Turkey and his son and associate distiller Eddie Russell. Today, Austin Nichols is owned by the Italian Campari Group. Russell's Reserve 10 Years sells at between 30 and 35 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: I had expected more from this Bourbon after a promising and solid Nose. Maybe 10 years in the barrel was a bit too much. Bitter Oak and Wood Spice are a tad too dominant on the Palate and in the Finish. It's not too expensive though and certainly okay on the Rocks. But I would not consider the Russell's Reserve 10 years as my day-to-day sipping Bourbon.

Jan van den Ende                                                         September 2013

Jimmy Russell and his Creation!

Talisker Storm Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Talisker Storm

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland (Island: Skye)

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 45,8%

Tasting Date: 15/09/2013

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: With a name like this I would have expected impressions of Briny Waves full of Foamy Salty Water breaking on the rocks and screaming white Seagulls fighting the Dark and Rolling Thunderclouds above the Isle of Skye. In reality, the Nose of the Storm is not much more than a gentle Breeze of (Tropical) Fruits like Banana, Apricot and Pineapple, Honey, Salted Butter, Malt, Pencil Shavings and Orange Peel in combination with some Leather, Dusty Earth, Wood Smoke, Pepper, Ginger, Mint and hints of BBQ and Band-Aids. It's clear that there are some young spirits included in the Storm and the Alcohol is not completely embedded. When compared to the Talisker 10, the Storm has perhaps a tad more Peat and Salt. 

Taste: On the Thin side despite the relatively high ABV. It is quite Dry and Salty and presents a light Bitterness that could be a result of relaxed Wood Management. I find light Wood Smoke, Dusty Peat, Brine, Grass, Malt, Wax, Leather, Nuts, Honey and Pepper. It's not as diverse as the 10 Years but perhaps slightly more balanced.

Finish: Medium Long, Dry and Salty with (Chili) Pepper, Wood Smoke, Oak, Peat, Ginger and a touch of Honey. Rather forgettable. It's in the Finish that the Storm clearly loses the battle against the 10 Year.

The Talisker Storm does not accept Water very well despite its fiery name.  

Rating: 84,5 

Nose: 21 – Taste: 21.5 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 21

General Remarks: The Talisker distillery is located in Carbost on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye. It was founded in 1830 by Hugh - and Kenneth MacAskill and produces 2,6 million litres per year. It’s part of the Diageo Group. The Storm is a new NAS Single Malt released at the beginning of 2013. The Storm costs around 60 US Dollars and is said to have matured in a mix of refill - and rejuvenated casks.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Talisker distillery is part of Diageo. And Diageo takes marketing very seriously. Talisker sales have boomed during the last years. And everybody knows the word-wide success story of Johnny Walker Blue despite it being overpriced and overvalued. But let's go back to Talisker. With the Ten Years they have a standard OB that's quite good although quality has dropped a bit over the years. I would not be surprised if increasing demand for the 10 years was threatening supply. So a short-term solution needed to be found. And that solution could well be the NAS Storm that was introduced with the usual quality marketing of Diageo. Great packaging and presentation that will certainly please potential buyers. "Bring on the Storm" the propaganda screamed. To me this Single Malt seems to be the temporary assistant of the 10 years until supply and demand of the latter are back in balance. But let's go back to the intrinsic quality of the Storm. When compared to the Nose of the 10 years, the Storm is slightly more Peaty and Salty but also younger and a bit edgy. On the Palate the Storm is actually quite smooth but shows less character than the 10 Years. And while the Finish of the 10 years is something you will remember for the rest of your life, the Finish of the Storm is smooth but quite forgettable. All this leads me to the conclusion that, while the Talisker Storm is not a bad Single Malt, it is actually not much more than a Storm in a Teacup! 

Jan van den Ende                                                      September 2013 

MacLeod's Island 8 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: MacLeod's

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Island

Age: 8 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 14/09/2013

Colour: Dark Ember with a touch of Orange. 

Nose: First impressions are Leather, Rubber, Tar, Smoke, Diesel, light Iodine, Peat, Salt and Oak. Give it some time to open up. After some 20 minutes I find some Dried Fruits (Apple), Nuts and hints of Sherry and Ginger Ale. It's Maritime and Earthy at the same time but not really convincing either way. After nosing this Mystery Dram I would rule out Arran, Highland Park and Jura as possible distilleries where this Single Malt was produced.

Palate: The delivery is Sweet and a bit Thin as a result of the low ABV. Smoke, Peat, Tar, Leather and Oak are accompanied by Pepper, Espresso, Salted Butter and Toffee. 

Finish: Medium-Long, rather Sweet and slightly Meaty with Smoke, Earth, light Leather, Nuts and a Pepper tone that reminds me of Talisker.

With a bit of Water, the Nose of the Macleod's Island becomes quite Thin  although some Malt and Honey appear. Palate and Finish become Sweeter and Watery. Some light Licorice pops up. You can carefully add a few drops to see where that will lead you. 

Rating: 80

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20 

General Remarks: The Island region includes all Scottish Isles with distilleries except Islay. That leaves Jura, Orkney, Skye, Arran and Mull. This Island Single Malt was produced and bottled by Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd, an Independent Bottler established in 1934 and a.o. owner of the Glengoyne Distillery and various Blends such as Isle of Skye and Smokehead. Many people will know their Chieftain's range as well. The Island is part of a small collection known as MacLeod's Scotch Whisky Trail that also includes a Single Malt from Lowland, Speyside, Highland and Islay as well as the before mentioned Isle of Skye Blend. A full bottle of the Island costs around 45 US Dollars. A Miniature Gift Set is also widely available. (See Picture Below).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: The Nose is quite interesting actually. More Islay than Islands in my opinion. Maritime at first but with Earthier tones later on. Palate and Finish are less convincing but sufficiently characteristic for the region they represent. And now for the big question. Where was this spirit distilled? I can't be sure of course but I would guess it's either Talisker from Skye or a peated Ledaig, distilled by Tobermory on Mull. It reminded me a bit of a peated Tamdhu as well but that's a Speysider of course. If anyone knows or would like to make an educated guess, please leave your thoughts in the Comments sector!

Jan van den Ende                                                       September 2013