Highland Park Dark Origins Review

“Smuggler’s Blues

Country: Scotland

Region: Islands
Brand: Highland Park Dark Origins

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 46.8%
Chill-Filtration: No 
Buying Advice: Negative. The 12 - and 15 Years are better choices.
Whisky Review # 570

Colour: Dark Amber/Copper (Natural Colour)  

Nose: Young and a little Edgy. The Alcohol is quite noticeable. Unfortunately some Sulphur and Varnish notes slip in as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toast with good quality Margarine, Caramel, Toffee, light Vanilla, Straw, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Figs, Dough, Cassis, Salted Nuts, Toasted Oak, Tomatoes sprinkled with Balsamic Vinegar, light Heather-Honey, Apple, Citrus Peel, Tobacco, Milk, Cocoa Powder, Winter Spices, Light Licorice and traces of Aniseed. In the background I notice some Earthy Peat and light Smoke. Despite the relative large number of Aromas, the Dark origins is not a well-balanced Single Malt. It is most certainly too young for that. On the Nose, the Dark Origins feels like a younger, less balanced and more aggressive little brother of the 12 years.

Taste: Young, Edgy and quite Thin despite the high ABV. The Alcohol is very present and the Sulphur/Varnish note is there as well. I find Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Caramel, Treacle, Dried Prunes, Nut Shells, Artificially Flavoured Cough Syrup (Cherry), Bitter Orange Juice, Bitter Tea, Menthol, Licorice, Winter Spices, Pepper, Cocoa Powder, Earthy Peat, light Dirty Smoke, light Oak and Balsamic Vinegar.    

Finish: Middle-Long, slightly Harsh, Bitter-Sweet and Herbal. Almost too Dry in the end. The Sulphur note is still there I'm afraid. I find Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Caramel, Orange Peel, Cocoa Powder, light Earthy Peat, light Dirty Smoke, Nut Shells, Dried Herbs, Peppered Vodka, Licorice, Aniseed, Toasted Oak and Bitter Tea. A bit of Rubber as well after a while.

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose the Dark Origins becomes Thin but also less aggressive. Light notes of Butterscotch and Milk Chocolate are now perceptible. The Palate and Finish become too Thin for my taste but the Earthy Peat comes more to the front. You can carefully experiment with a few drops. 

Rating: 81 

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

General Remarks: Dark Origins was released in 2014 and is the most recent addition to the core range. It is inspired by the courageous personality of the "founder" of Highland Park, Magnus Euson. He was a well-known smuggler in his days who mostly operated in the darkness of night. It matures in a combination of 80% First Fill Ex-Sherry Casks of which 60% is European Oak and 20% Refill Ex-Sherry casks. The average price is around 80 US Dollars (October 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Unfortunately, the Dark Origins is another example of what is wrong in today's whisky world in my opinion. A clever story, packaging and marketing are paired with young, immature Whisky with an awkward Price/Quality ratio. And a higher percentage of First Fill casks and a high ABV can't hide those facts.
If you like Highland Park, just stay with the seasoned 12 - and 15 Years, as long as they are around anyway. Highland Park, leave your Dark Origins behind and show us a Brighter Future!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 31, 2016

Arran 18 Years Review

“I’m Eighteen and I Like It”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islands
Brand: Arran

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 18 Years (Limited Edition) 

ABV: 46%
Chill-Filtration: No
Buying Advice: Fully Recommended
Whisky Review # 569

Colour: Full Gold (Natural Colour) 

Nose: Sweet, Fruity and Pleasant. The Ex-Sherry casks are quite noticeable. I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Toffee, Vanilla, Nuts, Dried Fruits (Raisins), light Heather-Honey, Canned Pineapple in Syrup, White Grapes, Red Apples, Peach Jam, Orange - and Lemon Peel, Ripe Mango, Caffe Latte, Cinnamon, Ginger and a light Dusty Wood note. It's quite light, crisp and clean for an 18 Years Old and the Fruity tones dominate the wood completely. I'm pretty sure that (mainly) Refill casks were used. The Alcohol is there of course but it's reasonably well integrated. It's not a very complicated Nose for its age but it's quite pleasant!

Taste: Sweet, Fruity and Creamy. The nice Spices make sure there's balance. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Dried Fruits (Raisins, Sultanas), Vanilla, Caramel, Nutella, Mango, Citrus Peel, Peach Jam, Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, light Honey, Wax, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pepper, Ginger and a little Oak. The ABV is perfect.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Fruity, Creamy with nice Spices for balance. I find Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Nutella, Raisins, Sweet Apples, Pear Drops, Milk Chocolate, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Wax and light Wood. A little bit Dry towards the end.   

I added a few drops of Water and I find more Creamy Barley on the Nose. The Palate and Finish do not change a lot with added Water. It's a matter of taste as always. I prefer it neat but you can certainly add a bit of Water if you like.

Rating: 88

Nose: 22 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Isle of Arran in Lochranza at the Isle of Arran is a very young and independent distillery. The first spirit was produced in 1995. The 18 Years Limited Edition (9000 bottles) was released in March 2015. It's a real 18 Years of course as Arran wouldn't have older stocks of Whisky available. It matured in Ex-Sherry Hogsheads. It may still be available in places at prices between 80 and 100 US Dollars (October 2016). In the meantime a new Arran 18 Years has been incorporated in the core range of the distillery. The Arran 18 years Limited Edition I'm tasting today is bottled at 46% without Chill-Filtration. Caramel was not added. Well done!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good, Pleasant and Well-Balanced

Conclusion: I'm sure I wouldn't give this Arran 18 Years when tasted blind. It's still Crispy, Clean and relatively Light. The Wood and Wood Spices are there but they interact nicely with the Fruity Spirit. It's by no means a Sherry Monster but the Ex-Sherry casks did provide some pleasant and Creamy notes of Nutella and Dried Fruits. The Fruity notes are very clear, especially Pineapple and Peach. It is not a very complicated Malt given its age but one should consider that there are no older whiskies present in this Arran. Still, the Arran 18 Years is a Single Malt that will please many people. It's Fruity, it's Fresh and it's got Balance. If I was to use only one word to describe this Arran, it would be "Pleasant". And all that at a very acceptable Price/Quality ratio. Congrats Arran!  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 27, 2016

Chivas Brother's Blend Review

“Purple Grain”

Country : Scotland

Brand: The Chivas Regal Brother's Blend

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Chill-Filtration: Yes

Whisky Review # 567

Colour: Full Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: I'm not a big fan of the original 12 Years so I'm really curious to see if there's any significant difference here. There's still a lot of young, indifferent Grain Alcohol around but I do get some Sweet Barley as well. I would assume that the Malt for this Blend matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry casks. I tasted the "old" 12 years back in 2011/2012 and I must admit that today I'm more able to recognise what I'm nosing and tasting. Next to the Alcohol and Barley, I find Caramel, Toast and Margarine, light Vanilla, light Honey, Straw, Artificially-Flavoured Tropical Fruit Candies (Papaya, Pineapple, Banana), Dried Apricot, Nut Shells, Pencil Shavings, Citrus Peel, light Peanut Butter, Bread Dough and the faintest hint of Smoke. There's a bit more to discover here than in the "old" 12 years and it feels less aggressive but I still can't get excited about this Chivas Regal Blend.   

Taste: The delivery is quite Thin and Sugary Sweet. The Grain Alcohol is very noticeable and so are the Wood Spices like Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon and Ginger. I also find Sugared Cereals, Sweet Barley, Caramel, Toffee, light Vanilla, Dried Apricot, Citrus Peel, Herbal Tea, Refill Oak, Artificially Flavoured Fruit Candies (Banana, Papaya) and light Licorice.  

Finish: Short, Sugary Sweet, Spicy and with a light Alcohol bite. I find Cereals, a little Toasted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, very light Honey, Refill Oak, Hazelnuts, light Vanilla, Salt, Pepper, Clove and light Licorice. Slightly Bitter towards the end. A very faint hint of Smoke.     

With added Water, the Chivas Brother's Blend becomes too Thin although I find some additional Floral notes. 

Rating : 77.5  

Nose: 20 - Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 18.5 - Overall: 19.5

General Remarks:The Chivas Brother's Blend 12 Years was launched in October 2012, originally as a Travel Retail Expression. In the meantime it forms part of the Chivas Regal core range. It was created as a tribute to the two founding brothers James and John who started Chivas back in 1801. It is based on the "old" 12 years but it received a higher proportion of Malt Whisky, mainly from Strathisla and Longmorn. It sells at around 50 US Dollars (October 2016).   

Drinking Experience Neat : Okay  

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay. It gets a bit Thin over Ice.

Conclusion: Despite the slick presentation and packaging, the Chivas Regal Brother's Blend only improved slightly when compared to the "old" 12 Years. It's a little less Sharp and a little more rounded thanks to the higher Malt content. But the Young Grain Alcohol is still in control and the same type of Refill casks is used to mature the Malt for this Blend. Sugar, Spice and Artificial Fruit Flavours are the main drivers. If you find it at around 30 US Dollars it's an okay buy but at 50 US Dollars it's way too expensive for what it offers.

Jan van de Ende                                                                  October 17, 2016

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017

“This Book Is Really On The Table”

Hi Everybody and Welcome at Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

As you all know the purpose of Best Shot Whisky Reviews is to give my personal opinion on Whiskies from all over the world. As I would like to maintain my independent position I'm not engaged in any commercial activity. But, as I have done over the last 2 years, I would like to make an exception to be able to share with you the new edition of The Malt Whisky Yearbook by Ingvar Ronde that has been released every year since 2005. As always, the Year Book is packed with highly interesting stories, this time amongst others about Grain Whisky, the Internationalisation of the Single Malt production, Copper Pot Stills, Diageo, Whisky Prices and others. The writers include Charles MacLean, Gavin Smith, Ian Buxton, Becky Paskin, Neil Ridley, Jonny McCormick, Nicholas Coldicott and Stefan van Eycken. 

Other features include a section devoted to Independent Bottlers and a summary of the latest Whisky Year. But the most important part of the book remains the detailed description of 155 Scottish - and Japanese Distilleries and shorter presentations on another 287 Malt Whisky Distilleries from the rest of the world. And there's still more such as the 150 best Whisky Shops in the world, Whisky Statistics, favourite Whisky Web Sites and so on.

Ingvar Ronde

Hundreds of books have been written on the fascinating Spirit called Whisky. Many of them relate to specific subjects while many others give more (global) overviews. I own several of them and I think many of you do too. And for sure I consult these books every once in a while. But there's only one book that stays next to my computer all the time and that's the Malt Whisky Yearbook. Why? Because it's one of the few Whisky books that manages to provide both newbies and connoisseurs alike with all the required information in a clear, pleasant and precise way!    

On top of that, the Book is not at all expensive and is sold in Whisky Shops, Distillery Visitor Centres and at the editor's website: 

www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com.  

I wish you lots of fun with the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017 and may the Dram be with you!

Cheers!

Jan

This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land, This Land Is Made For You & Me!

Glen Scotia 12 Years Review

“And Now For Something Completely Different”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Campbeltown

Brand: Glen Scotia (Old Version bottled between 2005-2012)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%
Chill-Filtration: Yes
Whisky Review # 568

Colour: Dark Gold with a shade of Orange (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Mostly Sweet but with a light Bitter touch for balance. Glen Scotia usually matures their Whisky in Ex-Bourbon casks but the Dried Fruit and Nuts Aromas that I find suggest some Sherry influence. Remarkable. I also detect Toasted Barley, lightly Buttered Toast, Caramel, Marzipan, Toffee, light Vanilla, light Heather Honey, Straw, Dusty Shelves, Apple, Pear, Citrus, Pepper, Ginger, Dried Herbs, Cinnamon and Bitter Chocolate. In the background a little Earthy Peat, Soft Leather and Smoke from a distant fire. Hints of Diesel and Raw Meat. Some Mineral tones as well. The Alcohol is not completely integrated. This is certainly not an everyday modern Middle of the Road Whisky. It is a bit of a mixed bag but there's some authentic raw quality to it.  

Palate: Bitter Sweet, slightly Sour, Woody, Spicy and Herbal. The Dirty Earth and Factory Smoke are a bit clearer now. The Alcohol is certainly noticeable as well. I find Toasted Malted Cereals, Caramel, Candle Wax, Straw, Dried Fruit (Raisins), Salted Almonds, light Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Apple, Butterscotch, Citrus Peel, Ginger, Pepper, Cardamom, Dried Herbs, Tobacco, Aniseed and a hint of Dark Chocolate. An ABV of 43-46% would have greatly enhanced this Glen Scotia.   

Finish: Quite Long, Bitter-Sweet, Salty, Herbal, Spicy, slightly Sour and Dry in the end. A light Alcohol bite as well. I also find Wet Earth, Soft Smoke, Diesel, Charred Oak, Caramel, Heather, Straw, Nut Shells, Gin, Citrus Peel, Licorice, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom and a hint of Dark Chocolate.    

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you will get some extra Herbs, Spices and Citrus. A hint of Caramelised Bananas as well. Palate and Finish become too Thin. Better enjoy this Glen Scotia neat.

Rating: 84.5 

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

General Remarks: The Glen Scotia Distillery was founded in 1832 and is located in Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsular. It's one of the three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown along with Springbank and Glengyle. The current owner is a Glasgow based Blending House called Loch Lomond Distillery. The 12 years I'm reviewing today was launched in 2005.  In 2012, a new set of core Expressions was released (10, 12, 16, 18 and 21 Years), all with an ABV of 46%. Finally, a new range was launched in 2015. It consists of the 15 Years and two NAS Expressions, the Double Cask and the Victoriana. The Old 12 Years is still around at places and today, the average price should be somewhere around 45 US Dollars. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Quite interesting and certainly not Mainstream! 

Conclusion: If you like Mainstream Modern Single Malt, I don't think you will appreciate this Glen Scotia. If you're looking for something more adventurous with an excellent Price/Quality ratio, this Glen Scotia 12 Years might be an interesting alternative. It has its flaws though. The Alcohol bite is noticeable despite the low ABV. And it lacks a certain balance. But on the other hand there is a Raw, Authentic feel to this Glen Scotia that you won't find anymore in the standard Distillery offerings of today. Enjoy it while it's still there! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 24, 2016