Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Review

    “Saddle Your Horses”

Country: USA

Brand: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Age: NAS (Said to be around 6 Years)

ABV: 45%

Colour: Light Copper with a dash of Orange.

Nose: The first impressions include Artificially Fruit-Flavoured Bubblegum and Glue. That's not a great start and I decide to give the Bulleit more time in the glass. After an additional hour or so I put my curious nose to work again. The extra air contact certainly helped although hints of the above mentioned Aromas are still there. But I also find Sweet Corn, Vanilla, Charred Oak, Toffee, Sweet Red Apples, light Corn Syrup, Sugar coated Nuts, Orange, Cinnamon, Fresh Mint and some Floral tones I can't quite place. It's Sweet but not overly so thanks to the relatively high Rye content. After a while I get images of saddling a horse. It might be Leather but it's not just that. Odd! The Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Taste: The Delivery, while Hot Sharp and Spicy, is nevertheless a bit on the Thin side. The Rye is very noticeable though and the overall Flavour profile is Bitter- Sweet and Spicy. I find Sweet Corn, Vanilla, Caramel, light Syrup, Charred Oak,

Orange, Sugared Nuts, Red Apple, Cinnamon, Pepper, light Menthol and hints of Leather, Bitter Chocolate and Floral Soap. 

Finish: Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet. Dry towards the end. The Rye Spices are quite evident as well as the Cherries and the slightly Metallic Alcohol Burn. I also find Sweet Corn, Charred Oak, light Menthol, Toffee, Dusty Road, Vanilla, Floral Soap, Sugared Nuts and Orange Liqueur.

The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey does not improve with added Water.  

Rating: 84.5 

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

General Remarks: The original Bulleit was distilled between 1830 and 1860 by Augustus Bulleit. Only in 1987 the Brand was revived by Thomas E. Bulleit Jr., a great-great-grandson of Augustus. The new mash bill consists of Corn (68%), Rye (28%) and Malted Barley (4%). A Bulleit Distillery does not exist. At least until 2010 the Spirit was produced at the Four Roses Distillery. But Diageo, the owner of the Bulleit Brand since 2010, sold Four Roses to the Kirin Group. It's likely that at least a large part of the Spirit used for Bulleit is still produced at Four Roses but no one knows for sure. In the future, Bulleit will be produced in the new Diageo distillery that is being constructed in Shelbyville , Kentucky as we speak. Production is expected to start still this year. What we do know for sure is that all Bulleit Whiskey matures in the old Stitzel-Weller warehouses in Louisville. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is priced between 25 and 45 US Dollars, depending on where you live (February 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good. I would love to see it a little Sweeter but I'm afraid they won't change the Mash Bill just for me!

Bulleit 40% ABV

In 2008, Bulleit was launched in the UK market. It was bottled at a lower ABV of 40% however. I tasted a sample that I bought at Master of Malt. As Bulleit is produced in relatively Small Batches, the quality may vary of course. Fact is I did not like it a lot. I'm not sure if it was just this sample but I got lots of Young Oak, Varnish, Alcohol and Cooked Vegetables on the Nose. On the Palate and in the Finish it was Thin, Dusty, Metallic and Mineral without pleasant Aromas. Like I said, it may have been just a bad Sample or a bad Batch. To avoid any risks however I would advise you to go for the 90 Proof only.  

Conclusion: A decent everyday Bourbon, especially if you like Rye Whiskey. Just be sure to give it some time in the glass when you have just opened your bottle for the first time. The Nose is the best part of the Bulleit and I'm still wondering why I got images of Saddling a horse! On the other hand, Whiskey and Horses were a common sight in the Wild Wild West! On the Palate and in the Finish the Bulleit is Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and a little Hot & Sharp. And there are a couple of slightly Artificial Aromas and Flavours that I don't care for too much. However, if my notes are in line with your preferred Bourbon profile you can't go wrong with Bulleit, especially when you can buy it at around 25 bucks. However, if you, like me, prefer your everyday Bourbon a little Sweeter I would like to recommend Wild Turkey 101 or Maker's Mark. 

Jan van den Ende                                                              February 18, 2016

Scallywag Small Batch and Scallywag Cask Strength Review

“Who Let The Dogs Out”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Scallywag (Small Batch)

Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden Amber (Natural Colour) 

Nose: The Sherry influence is there but it's a bit Dusty and Tired, almost Stale. 

I suspect that many older Refill casks went in the mix. I also believe that the heart of this Blend is formed by Glenrothes. On the Nose, this Scallywagg is mostly Sweet although it's got some Sour, Herbal, Spicy and Metallic notes as well. I find Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toast with Margarine, Toasted Barley, Nuts, Straw, Toffee, Vanilla, Treacle, Dried Fruit, Overripe Apple, Citrus, Cherry Flavoured Candies, Floral tones, Chocolate, Tobacco, Dusty Road, Ginger, light Pepper, Cinnamon and other Christmas Spices. The Spirit is still Young and the Alcohol is not fully integrated. After a while I get some Heather-Honey as well. It's not bad but it's a bit of a mixed bag without sufficient balance.

Palate: Malty and Quite Spicy. Much more so than the Nose would want you to believe. Less Sweet as well and a bit Sour. It's a Scallywag indeed! I find Toffee, Toasted Barley, Caramel, Dried Fruits (Raisins), Vanilla, Refill Oak, Orange Peel, Tobacco, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Apple Sauce, Cherry Flavoured Candies and Chocolate.      

Finish: Short, Bitter-Sweet, Spicy, Herbal and slightly Sour. I find Sugared Cereals, Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Green Apple, Tobacco, Licorice, Menthol, Charred Refill Oak, Alcohol, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Herbal Tea, Citrus Peel, Nuts and Dark Chocolate. A bit Edgy and Dry towards the end. 

I added a bit of Water but the Scallywag Small Batch does not improve that way. It's a bit more Floral on the Nose and with some extra (Wood) Spice on the Palate. 

Rating: 80.5

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Scallywag Cask Strength (Limited Edition # 1)

Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 53.6%

Colour: Dark Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose: Although the Nose of the CS is not significantly different from the Small Batch it does become clear that selected casks were used for this quite Limited Edition. The Sherry notes are once again clear but this time with less Sour notes. And no Metals around. Glenrothes still dominates with its Nutty and Spicy character. I find Buttered Toast with Peach Marmalade, Toasted Barley, Nuts, Straw, Caramel, Vanilla, Marzipan, Espresso, Dried Fruit, Honey, Orange, Cherry Flavoured Candies, Floral tones, Milk Chocolate, Tobacco, Salt, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cinnamon and Cloves. The Spirit is still Young and the Alcohol is not fully integrated. Despite this, the CS leaves a more balanced impression than the Small Batch.  

Palate: Sherry and Spices. The Macallan makes itself known. Again, the heavy Spices come as a surprise after the Nose. I find Toasted Barley, Roasted Nuts, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Apple Sauce, Chocolate, Dried Herbs, Oak, Alcohol, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg and Cardamom.     

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Spicy, Herbal and slightly Sour. I find Cereals, Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Green Apple, Tobacco, Chocolate, Licorice, Menthol, Charred Refill Oak, Alcohol, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Dried Herbs, Citrus Peel, Marzipan and Dark Chocolate.

I added a bit of Water and you get more Tobacco and Spices on the Nose. Almost like an After Shave with those characteristics. The Palate and Finish become Sweeter and the Chocolate notes become stronger. There is certainly room to play with a bit of Water. 

Rating: 84

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

General Remarks: The name of this Blended Malt was inspired by the long line of Fox Terriers owned by the Laing family through the years. Fox Terriers are known for being Sweet and Mischievous at the same time. It was launched in 2013 and forms part of a series of four called Remarkable Regional Malts that covers the Highlands (Timorous Beastie), Speyside (Scallywag), Islay (Big Peat) and the Islands (Rock Oyster). The Scallywag CS was launched as a Limited Edition in 2015. Only 6000 bottles went to the market. It is not Chill-Filtered and contains Single Malt from a/o Glenrothes, Macallan and Mortlach. It matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads and Refill Ex-Sherry Butts. It sells at an average 70 US Dollars (February 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: The presentation of the Scallywag is certainly original. It's funny to see that the Fox Terrier on the CS Packaging has wide open eyes and looks more confident than the one pictured on the Box and Bottle of the Small Batch. That surely is representative for the two Blended Malts. The CS is stronger and more balanced than the Small Batch and has less Off-Notes. It's clear to me that selected casks were used to compose the CS. When compared Head-to-Head, the CS is the clear winner although it's quite expensive for such a young Whisky. The main difference is that the Small Batch comes close to being a young Glenrothes in disguise that matured in indifferent Refill Casks. The CS clearly benefits from being composed of selected casks. It makes this Blend more balanced and gives the Macallan more room to shine. So despite the price difference my advice is to stick with the CS if you can afford it and leave the Small Batch alone.   

Jan van den Ende                                                               February 14, 2016

Glentauchers 2005 Dewar Rattray Review

“Ground Control to Major Tom”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside 

Brand: Glentauchers 2005 (Bottler - Dewar Rattray)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden Sunlight (Natural Colour)

Nose: The Ex-Sherry cask can't quite obscure the fact that there's a relatively Young Whisky in the glass. Nevertheless, the Puncheon left its marks and I find Dried Fruits, Orange Marmalade, Pancakes with Golden Syrup, Toasted Nuts, Toasted Barley, German Butter Biscuits (Butterkekse), Vanilla, Caramel, Toffee, Cocoa, Plums, Flowery Perfume and hints of Yeast and Herbal Tea. On the Nose this Glentauchers is mostly Sweet. Given its age, the Alcohol is reasonably well integrated.     

Taste: Slightly Thin delivery despite the adequate ABV. On the Palate, this Malt is Young and Bitter-Sweet with Toasted Barley, Toasted Nuts, Dried Fruit, Oak, Vanilla, Toffee, Treacle, Grapefruit Juice, Orange Marmalade, Pepper, Nutmeg Cinnamon and Dusty Road. Some Herbs and Chocolate as well as a light Metallic off-note. The Alcohol is more present here.     

Finish: Bitter-Sweet at first. Slightly Bitter, Metallic and Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Raisins, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Grapefruit Juice, light Oak, Dried Herbs, light Pepper, Cardamom, Mint, Licorice and Nutmeg and a touch of Bitter Chocolate. 

I only had a very small sample so I just Nosed and Tasted it neat.

Rating: 81.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20- Finish: 20 - Overall: 20

General Remarks: The Single Cask Glentauchers I'm tasting today was distilled on the 16th of September 2005. It matured in a Sherry Puncheon with Cask # 900389 and was bottled by Indie Bottler Dewar Rattray for The Specialists' Choice (NL) on the 17th of September 2013. It was not Chill-Filtered before bottling. It might be hard to find but it was for sale at around 60 US Dollars last time I saw it.

The Glentauchers Distillery was founded in 1897 by James Buchanan and W.P. Lowrie. Today it is owned by Chivas (Pernod-Ricard). At this moment, almost all of the spirit is used in Blends like Chivas and, especially, Ballantine's. As far as I know, no Distillery Bottlings are available at the moment.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: Although the Nose is not bad, this Glentauchers is not quite my thing. Despite the influence of the Sherry Cask, I find this Single Malt to be Young, Nervous and slightly Acid. On the Palate it lacks balance mainly because of the absence of more Fruity notes. I'm not too fond of the Bitterness as well and I could easily do without the light Metallic Off-Note. If you like the Aroma and Flavour profile you could give it a try but I have launched this Glentauchers into space. Maybe Major Tom can wrap it up in his Tin Can and sell it as a Spaceside Single Malt to some Aliens.

Jan van den Ende                                                                February 4, 2016

Singleton of Glendullan Liberty Review

“Body Without Soul”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside 

Brand: The Singleton of Glendullan Liberty (Reserve Collection)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: I would say that the Liberty matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon casks and some Refill Ex-Sherry casks. On the Nose, the main drivers are Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Caramel, Nuts and Dried Fruits. I also find Refill Oak, light Vanilla, Pineapple Jam, Red Apple, Ginger Bread and traces of Leather and Tobacco. The Liberty has a Young and Light feel to it. It's quite Sweet as well. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.   

Taste: Young, Light, slightly Thin and Sugary Sweet. It's a Single Malt that on the Palate might appeal to beginning Whisky Drinkers. For more experienced Malt drinkers however, the Liberty does not offer sufficient Depth. It's all a bit boring and plain-vanilla. I get mostly Toast, Caramel, Toffee, Dried Fruit, Apple White Grape Juice, Hazelnuts Pepper and Ginger. I also find hints of Chocolate, Honey, Refill Oak, Dried Herbs, Tobacco and Malt.      

Finish: Short, quite Sweet in the beginning but slightly Bitter-Sweet and a little Dry towards the end. I find Cocoa Powder, Dried Herbs, Ginger-Flavoured Tea, Toffee, light Honey and Pepper.  

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose becomes Thin and slightly Floral. The Barley and Apple also come to the foreground. Palate and Finish become too Thin. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 81.5   

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

General Remarks: The first Glendullan Distillery was founded in Dufftown by William Williams & Sons in 1896. In 1962, a second Glendullan Distillery was built next to the old one. They operated together until the old distillery was closed in 1985. The current owner is Diageo. Most of the Spirit of Glendullan was and is -used in Blends like Old Parr, JW, Dewar's and Bell's. As of 2007, the Single Malts produced at Glendullan, Glen Ord and Dufftown are marketed under the name "The Singleton". The standard Glendullan is the 12 years. In 2013 two special Travel Retail Glendullan Reserve Collection expressions were launched in the Americas, the Trinity and the Liberty. They were both created by Maureen Robinson, the Singleton Master of Malts. The 1 liter bottle of the Liberty is sold at an average 90 US Dollars (January 2016).  

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay/Good. As I got a full 1 liter bottle, I took the Liberty to enjoy it on the Rocks as well. And I must say it's simple but enjoyable.

Conclusion: The Glendullan Liberty is a Single Malt that is clearly composed to please as many people as possible, especially those who usually drink Blended Scotch and buy the occasional Glenlivet or Glenfiddich when they visit the Travel Retail Shops. I say this because the Liberty is smooth, easily drinkable, quite Sweet and without any aggressive notes. In this way the Liberty does what it's supposed to do although it's too expensive for what it really offers. For those of you though who enjoy Single Malts on a regular basis, the Liberty does not offer sufficient interesting Aromas and Flavours. It has a body but it ain't got Soul!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 February 1, 2016