Glen Garioch 1991 Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland (Eastern)

Brand: Glen Garioch 1991 Batch 38

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 19 Years

ABV: 54.7 %

Sample Provided By: Marlie, The Netherlands. Thanks!

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Give the Glen Garioch some time to open up. It's well worth waiting for. Quite clean and crisp with lots of Malt and Cereals (Biscuits/Buttered Toast), Straw, Honey, Heather, light Smoke, Oak, Vanilla, Pear Drops, Toffee, light Spices, Lemon Peel and a hint of Espresso. A True Highlander! If I was a poet I would describe it as taking a stroll on a Dusty Highland Country Road bordered by Golden Fields of Barley. But I'm not much of a poet I'm afraid. Though I think you got the picture!

Palate: Very nice indeed. A tasty combination of Cereals, Fruit (Pear and Orange), light Smoke, Vanilla, Oak, Honey, Pepper and lots of Christmas Spices like Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

Finish: Long and Dry with Cereals, Honey, Oak, Pear, Vanilla and Spices like Nutmeg, Pepper and Cinnamon.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets more Malt and Honey. Very smooth! On the Palate the Oak gets a tad bitter and Pepper and Nutmeg come to the Front. The Finish becomes rather Spicy as well. Better sip the Glen Garioch neat!

Rating: 87.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 22.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

Marlie's Bottle that produced the sample!

General Remarks: Glen Garioch is Scotland's most Easterly Distillery, located in the small town of Old Meldrum, close to Aberdeen. Glen Garioch was founded in 1797 by Thomas Simpson and is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. It was bought in 1994 by Morrison Bowmore, part of the Suntory Group from Japan. It was closed from 1995-1997 and now only produces non-peated whiskies. The Glen Garioch we are tasting today was distilled in 1991 before the take-over when the Distillery still produced lightly peated spirits. It matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks and was bottled at Cask Strength in 2010. It costs around 100 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: This is a very well crafted Single Malt. It's balanced and coherent from Nose to Finish. Nice Oak and completely integrated Alcohol. The only reason it doesn't score even higher is the fact that it's quite straightforward and not overly complicated. But who said that was always necessary! Well done Glen Garioch! Look forward to try out other expressions. And thanks for the sample Marlie. Great Choice!

Jan van den Ende                                                           October 11, 2013

Glen Talloch Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Glen Talloch Rare & Old

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40 %

Date: 09/10/2013

Colour: Yellow Gold

Nose: All the features of a young Bottom Shelf Blend. I find sharp Grain Alcohol, Green Refill Oak and Wood Chips, Burnt Sugar/Caramel, Pepper and Malt. And then some light Smoke, Tar, Nut Casks, Burnt Toast and Margarine, Lemon Peel and Rubber. A Hint of Gooseberries.

Palate: Rather Thin Delivery but nevertheless somewhat better than I had expected after the indifferent Nose. I get Cereals, Caramel, Pepper, slightly Bitter Wood, light Smoke, Vanilla, Honey, Rubber, light Licorice and Grain Alcohol.

Finish: Short, Sugary Sweet and somewhat Bitter with Sugar, Grain Alcohol, Pepper and Wood. Some Alcohol Burn at the end.

With some added Water, the Nose becomes less Sharp. But on the Palate and in the Finish it really doesn't taste like whisky anymore. 

Rating: 70.5

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

General Remarks: This Blend is a mixture of Grain - and around 15 Single Malt whiskies (30%) including Balblair, Knockdhu, Aberfeldy, Pulteney, Craigellachie and Speyburn which have aged for at least 5 years. The Glen Talloch is mainly sold in the Netherlands (Boomsma) where it's one of the best selling Blends, generally used in Mixed Drinks. There are two other expressions, the 8 Years Blended Malt and the 12 Years Gold. The Rare & Old is very cheap at around 18 US Dollars per litre.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: This is not a Blend I would recommend unless you only use Whisky for Mixing Purposes. Still I would suggest to try a cheap Bourbon instead. They taste better and their sweetness combines better with Coke or something similar. What a pity that so much Single Malt whisky is lost in a sea of indifferent Grain Whiskies to produce Blends like this!  

Jan van den Ende                                                           October 2013

Johnnie Walker The Spice Road Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker The Spice Road (Explorer's Club Collection)

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Date: 07/10/2013

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: A quite familiar combination of Cereals, Dried Fruits, Citrus, light Smoke, Burnt Sugar/Caramel, Oak, Vanilla, Pear Drops, Pepper and Nutmeg. A bit of Earth and Wet Leaves as well.

Taste: Slightly Watery Delivery. Light Smoke, Oak, Vanilla, Orange, Brown Sugar, Dried Fruits and assorted Nuts, Lemon and Spices like Pepper, Licorice and Ginger.

Finish: Rather Short. Sweet at first but Dry, Spicy and slightly Dusty and Bitter towards the end with Oak and Saw Dust, Malt, Nuts, light Smoke, Pepper and Licorice. 

I added a couple of drops of Water and some extra Malt, Cereals and Honey appear on the Nose. But Pepper and Licorice start to dominate Palate and Finish. I prefer to drink the Spice Road over a little Ice actually. 

Rating: 79  

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

General Remarks: The Johnnie Walker Brand is owned since 1997 by the Diageo Group. The Explorer's Club Collection is (at least initially) exclusive to Travel Retail and was introduced in December 2012 to honour the JW Whisky Traders who have always travelled the world in search of adventures, experiences and new flavours and aromas. The Trade Routes series include The Spice Road, The Gold Route and The Royal Route. Diageo's Master Blenders have tried to create Blends that reflect those voyages, stories and regions. The Spice Road we are tasting today is inspired by the Aromas and Colours of the Spice Markets in Asia. The whiskies used in this blend matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks. It costs around 45 US Dollars and that's a reasonable price for what it offers.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good 

Conclusion: Decent Blend but nothing special. It lacks interesting Aromas and Flavours and therefore I would not consider the Spice Road as a day-to-day sipping whisky. The finish is actually Spicy but also a tad too bitter and does not really invite you to take another sip. Over a little Ice however, this Blend is quite enjoyable as a drinking Whisky although I still prefer Black Label for that purpose.

Jan van den Ende                                                           October 2013