Scapa 16 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Scapa

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland - Orkney

Age: 16 Years 

ABV: 40%

Colour: Bright Yellow Gold

Nose: Light but agreeable. Immediately I get Butterscotch, Straw, Apricot Marmalade, Oak, Orange Peel, Malt, Heather and Vanilla- flavoured Biscuits. Traces of Brine and Peach. I had expected a more coastal feel to the Nose but it's hardly there. This Scapa is made with unpeated Barley of course but after 16 years of storage, presumably on Orkney, I would have liked to find a stronger presence of the location. It's pleasant enough though and quite inoffensive.

Taste: Smooth and Sweet. Hardly any Alcohol. Quite Floral with Heather and Honey, Caramel, Oak, Vanilla and light Spices (Cloves).

Finish: Middle Long and quickly becoming Dry with Oak, Vanilla, Spices, Caramel and Cocoa-Butter.

I added a few drops of Water and you get more Butterscotch, Heather and some Bananas on the Nose. But at 40%, the Water does not add anything to Palate and Finish. It's a crying shame that Single Malts like this are not bottled at 46%. 

Rating:  85.5 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Scapa 16 years was relaunched in 2008 to replace the very popular 14 Years. It's distilled from unpeated malted Barley and matured in First Fill Bourbon Casks. It is chill-filtered. It's not cheap at around 70 Dollars. The Distillery, located on the Isle of Orkney off the North-Eastern coast of Scotland, is owned by Pernod Ricard/Chivas. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I believe that this could have a been a great whisky! With a little bit more Brine, Sea Air, Seaweed and whatever else you experience when you live on the coast plus a touch of Peat-Smoke this could have been splendid. And it should have been bottled at 46% of course and should have been Non Chill-Filtered to preserve more of the Distillery Character. Unfortunately, all of this is not the case and instead you get loads of Butterscotch, Honey and Heather. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very nice whisky and many people will love the smooth and easy going Palate. But it's a bit of a One Trick Pony in the end. The Scapa Distillery is capable of much more in my opinion.

Jan van den Ende                                                              November 18, 2012

Snow Grouse Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Snow Grouse

Type: Blended Grain Whisky

Age: NAS  (Said to have matured around 3,5 Years)

ABV: 40%

Colour: Pale Gold 

Nose: Light. The first impressions are not that good. There is some Sulphur present and I get an odd Metallic Off-Note. After a while it gets  better though with Oak, Lemon, Grain, Tangerine, some Spice and light Vanilla. Very little Alcohol which is good and unexpected. A very citric Nose not unlike the Lemon flavoured Vodkas. What can I say, it does not do much for me. I must admit that this is only my second pure Grain Whisky after the Irish Greenore Single Grain Whiskey. So maybe I'm not fully used to the characteristics of this spirit. As it stands however, I'm not overly impressed. It is quite smooth though!

Taste: Smooth but Thin delivery. Much Sweeter than I expected after the Nose. I find Sweet Grain, Biscuits/Corn Flakes, Vanilla, Oak, Light Spices and a touch of Mint.

Finish: Short with Sugared Grain, Vanilla Pudding and a hint of Honey.

I added a few drops of Water but that's not a good idea. The dram becomes completely unattractive.

Rating: 74 

Nose: 18 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 18.5 - Overall: 18.5

General Remarks: The Snow Grouse is the Chill-Filtered nephew of the Famous Grouse. You are supposed to drink it seriously chilled. I believe that the producers aim at a young vodka/gin drinking public. It's a blend of Grain whiskies, amongst others from the Girvan Distillery. These Grain whiskies have matured in Oak Casks. Nowadays, the Brand is owned by the Edrington Group. The Snow Grouse is not very expensive at around US$ 25.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience Seriously Chilled: Okay/Good. The Nose becomes unpleasantly Metallic. The delivery is a bit more Syrupy. On the Palate you get candied Pears, Vanilla and Spice. It wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't this Metallic Off-Note. Vanilla and Pepper are the main drivers in the Finish.

Conclusion: The Snow Grouse is not just a marketing Gimmick. It's a Whisky alternative for drinkers of flavoured Vodkas and Gins. Just put it in the Freezer and take it out on a warm day. It's drinkable, both neat and seriously chilled although the Metallic Off-Note there is unpleasant. People who love to sip a quality Single Malt or first rate Blend however should leave this white bird alone.

Jan van den Ende                                                             November 16, 2012

Arran 14 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Arran

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Islands

Age: 14 Years 

ABV: 46%

Colour: Medium Amber/Pale Gold

Nose: Fresh, Crisp, Fruity and Buttery with Malt, Vanilla, Citrus, Oak, Banana, Brown Sugar, Apple, Raisins, Toffee/Caramel and hints of Leather, White Grapes, Melon and Grappa. While Nosing the Arran the hit Summer Sunshine by the Corrs (2004) popped up in my mind. If you know the song, you get the feeling!

Taste: Dryer than expected with Oak, Spices (Pepper and Nutmeg), Citrus, Salted Nuts, Malt, Caramel and a hint of Dark Orange-flavoured Chocolate.

Finish: Middle Long combination of Sweet and Sour with Buttered Toast, Malt, Pepper, Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Lemon, Mint and Pineapple. Pinch of Salt.

I added a few drops of Water and you get more Citrus, Oak, Malt and hints of Brine and Honey on the Nose. Palate and Finish become spicier and you get lots of Lemon. Nice to play with a bit of Water here.

Rating:  85 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21- Overall: 21

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 Arran 14 was released in late 2010 and replaced the 12 Year Old as the Standard Bottling. It matured in a combination of American Oak Barrels and Ex-Sherry Casks. During the last two years the whisky was transferred to fresh barrels (2/3 American Oak and 1/3 European Oak). The Whisky is distilled from un-peated malted Barley, does not contain E-150 and is non Chill-Filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Arran 14 Years is a very pleasant crisp Summer Dram. Sip this neat on your balcony or terrace or enjoy it with a bit of Ice. The Palate and Finish are dryer than the Nose would like you to believe. But the combination of Lemon, Spice, Mint and Salted Nuts is just what the doctor ordered on a nice Summer Day!

Jan van den Ende                                                              November 14, 2012

David Crosby - King Biscuit Flower Hour (Live)

Songs:  Tracks in the Dust, Guinnevere, Compass, In My Dreams, Drive My Car, Lady of the Harbor, Oh Yes I Can, Monkey and the Underdog, Delta, Déjà Vu, Night Time for the Generals, Wooden Ships, Almost Cut My Hair, Long Time Gone.

Type of Music:  Folk/Rock   

Comments:

The King Biscuit Flower Hour was a famous One Hour Live Show that went on Air on hundreds of Rock Radio stations in the U.S.A. No Musical Style was too outrageous. Literally from the Beach Boys to Motörhead. The Show was first broad casted in 1973. Special Guests were Blood Sweat & Tears and Bruce Springsteen. The show ran until deep in the nineties. There are some 16.000 reels of concert tape and some of the best have been released on CD. Just to name a few: Humble Pie, Deep Purple, Greg Lake, America, Canned Heat, 10CC, Steve Forbert,Greg Kihn, John Sebastian, Romantics and…….David Crosby. One of the main characteristics of the series is the awesome sound quality. It´s really like you were there and during the acoustic set it´s almost if David is singing directly to you. Excellent!!! 

David was promoting his Oh Yes I Can album at the time. The performance in question was recorded on April 8, 1989 at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia. For David it was his return to stage after 10 years of drugs and alcohol addiction. On this specific night David and the band performed extremely tight and convincing.

The Concert is divided in an acoustic part consisting of the first four songs with just David and his acoustic guitar, followed by the electric set. 

David and the band play songs from his above mentioned solo record as well as older work from the Crosby Stills & Nash Albums.

Most songs from Oh Yes I Can sound much more inspired than the versions on the studio album with the possible exception of Monkey and the Underdog. The CSN material sounds good but I do miss Stephen´s guitar and Graham´s harmony vocals from time to time. It does give us the chance however to hear the songs performed David´s way. Sometimes that means that he´s deviating a bit too much from the original musical lines. But that´s my only tiny bit of criticism on an otherwise splendid performance. 

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Vat 69 Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Vat 69

Bottled by: William Sanderson & Son, Edinburgh

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Not much going on here. Young Grain Whisky, Caramel, Green Wood, bit of Malt and Custard, Margarine and Alcohol.

Taste: Sugared Herbal Tea, Caramel, Bitter Oak and Spice.

Finish: Short and Sugary Sweet with Alcohol, Bitter Wood and a touch of Licorice.

With a few drops of Water, the Nose becomes a bit softer. Taste & Finish however are just watered down. Better drink this...eh, better don't!

Rating:  68 

Nose: 18 - Taste: 17- Finish: 16 - Overall: 17

General Remarks: This Blend was produced for the first time in 1882 by William Sanderson from Edinburgh. He organised a tasting panel to help assemble the Blend and out of the 100 Barrels offered, the blended whisky from Cask # 69 was considered the best of the session. Hence the name Vat 69. It's not a vatted Blend however. It consists of around 40 different Single Malt and Grain Whiskies. Today the brand is owned by the Diageo Group. Important markets include India, South America, Australia and Southern Europe. In these regions, whisky is often enjoyed over Ice or in Cocktails because of the hot climate. It's cheap at around US$ 25.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Below Average

Conclusion: The Vat 69 is cheap and that's about it. The Nose tells us that a lot of young Grain Whiskies have been used in this Blend.The Taste is Sugary, Herbal and Bitter at the same time. The Finish is mercifully short. There is no way to enjoy this dram neat. And if you wanna mix, buy some Bourbon instead.  

P.S. I try not to think about the whisky in Vat 01-Vat 68! 

Jan van den Ende                                                              November 11, 2012