Bruce Springsteen - Darkness at the Edge of Town Review

Badlands, Adam Raised A Cain, Something In The Night, Candy’s Room, Racing In The Street, The Promised Land, Factory, Streets Of Fire, Prove It All Night, Darkness On The Edge Of Town. 

Type of Music: Rock

Comments:

When I think about Bruce Springsteen as a performer, I always see at least two different characters. One is the self confident Stadium Rocker on Albums like Born to Run or Born in the USA. The other, and the one I like even better, is the sober observer of the industrial working class. A painter and a storyteller who creates images of life in small industrial towns in the Northern part of the United States.

Bruce scored big time in 1975 with his third album Born to Run. Probably because of the success of the record, Bruce entered in a three year long legal struggle over money with his former manager. During these three years Bruce was not allowed to record.

Once the dispute was settled, Bruce, like John Lennon, ventilated his anger and frustration through his songs.

Darkness on the Edge of Town is Bruce’s Primal Scream Therapy. He never rocked harder before and would almost never rock that hard again. It’s a dark and haunting album painting the life of the hard working - and betrayed American working class losers seeking a way out in alcohol, cars and women. And the music keeps up with the lyrics through furious guitar solos and pounding drums.

Bruce had at least three years to write the new songs and it shows. There are no weak tracks to be found on the album. Absolute high points are Adam Raised a Cain, a song that somehow reminds me of an African Tribe Chant, and the fabulous ballad Racing in the Street.  But Badlands, Candy’s Room, The Promised Land, Factory and Darkness at the Edge of Town are excellent songs as well. 

Starting with this album, Bruce changed his style of songwriting somewhat. Gone are the epic anthems, now replaced by shorter to the point statements. Bruce would keep this style for most of his career from now on. But hardly ever again would he be able to match the sheer power of expression he found in the Darkness on the Edge of Town. 

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: Everybody! This is an Essential Springsteen Record and one of the great Rock Albums of the Seventies

McClelland's Speyside Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: McClelland’s

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: Not specified but most likely around 5 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 05/04/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Grain, Malt, Sharp Oak, Young Alcohol, Light Peat. A bit Metallic. Slightly bitter Licorice.

Taste: Malt, Sweet Custard, Spices, light Oak, Bit of Honey, distinct Menthol taste. It burns a bit on the palate.

I added a few drops of water and you get a bit more peat and floral (grassy) tones on the nose. The nose fares well with a bit of water. On the palate it does not make a lot of difference. It gets more sugary but it burns less. So you can experiment a bit with just a few drops. 

Finish: Dry, Bit of Vanilla, Cocoa Powder and Light Oak, Licorice, Harsh Alcohol, Bitter.

Rating: 75 

Nose: 19,5 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 18,5

General Remarks: A McClelland’s Distillery does not exist. It’s a series of 5 Single Malt Whiskies from the main Scottish production areas. Four of them, the Highland, the Lowland, the Speyside and the Islay are NAS or Non-Age Specified. In 2008, a Speyside 12 Years was added. McClelland’s Parent company is Morrison Bowmore Distilleries (Suntory Group). They are the owners of Auchentoshan (Lowland), Bowmore (Islay) and Glen Garioch (Highland), so it is safe to say those distilleries are home to the respective expressions. However, Suntory does not own a Speyside Distillery so it’s anyone’s guess where the McClelland’s Speyside is produced. A lot of people think it could be Macallan but I think that’s highly improbable as their owners the Edrington Group needs their whisky for the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark Blends. I have compared my tasting notes to some Distillery profiles and they came close to Craigellachie, the home of Dewar’s White Label. So that’s my option. But I won’t put too much money on it!  McClelland’s main markets are the USA, Canada, Japan and France.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Speyside Whiskies are usually sweet, have floral and fruity tones and a bit of peat. And they age well in Sherry Casks. So you could argue that McClelland did a reasonable job in creating a Speyside type of Single Malt. The problem that I have with this Malt however is that there are too many off notes like the bitterness, the licorice and the menthol and that there’s too little Fruit, Sherry and good Oak. I conclude therefore that this is a drinkable Single Malt at a low price (around US$ 20-25) but not one that gives you a lot of pleasure and will bring a smile to your face. And that’ s a Pity!

Jan van den Ende                                                                             April 2012

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - Review

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III - 1970

Songs: Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day, Since I've Been Loving You, Out On The Tiles, Gallow's Pole,Tangerine, That's the Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Hats Of To(Roy) Harper

Type of Music: Rock, Folk Rock and Blues with tiny bits of Glam Rock and Country

Comments:

After the huge success of the first two albums, I'm sure Jimmy and Robert called for a band meeting. Because they had to decide what to do musically. They could of course continue in the same style as Led Zeppelin I & II (Rock and Blues) with the danger that people would grow tired or try out some new directions with the danger of scaring off the old fans. I think they also wanted to show their fans they could write some music of their own without having to look for old blues songs. In the end the Band reached a compromise. I think that Jimmy and John got one side (of the original Album) that would be filled with Rock and Blues and Robert and (part of) Jimmy got the other side, basically filled with folk rock. I wouldn't go so far as to call this Robert's Album because Jimmy had already flirted with Folk music in his Yardbirds days but it is a fact that Robert's later solo-work is much more in line with Led Zeppelin III, than with I and II.

Led Zeppelin III tends to be the " forgotten" album as it was released between the top albums II and IV. Part of this is understandable as the fans of the first hour had expected the third album to be more in line with I and II. But Led Zeppelin III has aged well and with time most fans started to discover the jewels hidden on this Album. Today, there are numerous fans who rank it amongst their favourite Led albums. There is a reason for that namely the intrinsic quality of most of the songs. Let's have a look at them.

The album starts off with one of my favourite Led rockers. I don't care where they got the riff for the Nordic inspired Immigrant Song but it's timeless and Robert's vocals are great here. It had the same impact on me in those days as Paranoid by Black Sabbath. The text is an indication that the band paid more attention to the lyrics when compared to the previous Album. There are two more rockers on III, Celebration Day and the funky offbeat Out on the Tiles. Both are good although not spectacular. The first is a bit of a Glam Rocker that would have fitted on an Album from say T. Rex or David Bowie or the Sweet from the early seventies. The latter however should get much more attention than it usually does. However, they can't beat "Immigrant Song" in my opinion. 

Then we have the two blues songs on the Album. The absolute cracker Since I've Been Loving You and the weird and forgettable Hats Off to (Roy) Harper. The first of the two however is one of the all time great blues performances by any band in rock history. It would have fitted perfectly on their Debut Album. As it is, it forms a welcome interlude between the rockers and the folk. It's a very tight song with great vocals by Robert and an excellent solo from Jimmy that would be the inspiration for many solos in the eighties. 

Don't you consider Friends a rocker I hear you ask? Well yes, it is, but it's much more complex and almost psychedelic and it has grown a lot on me. For a number of years I considered it to be okay but nothing more but I've come to really appreciate this more experimental song with its unusual rhythm and great acoustic guitar from Jimmy. Today I consider it one of the highlights of the Album. 

That leaves us with the acoustic Folk Section. Gallow's Pole starts off slowly but when it gets underway there is no way of stopping it. Some country picking going on there as well if you pay close attention. And who of you is not tapping along with the country-folk rocker Bron-y-Aur Stomp? Impossible to sit still. And finally Tangerine and That's the Way, two beautiful folk/pop/rock songs that I consider to be a couple of the Led's finest moments. 

I know, Robert's vocals are a bit cocky from time to time as usual, but on this album it does not scare me off that much. Maybe a bit at the end of Gallows Pole. The Album still takes us back a bit to Led Zeppelin I and II but it also shows us some new directions without getting too eclectic as Houses of the Holy. 

There are people who have their reservations about this album and sometimes I do miss a bit of the force and the emotion that made Led Zeppelin I such a great record. Still, I consider it to be the hidden gem in the Led's work and it deserves a solid 8. 

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody!! A great Folk-Rock Album with excellent songs.

Jan van den Ende                    

April 2012

Black Grouse Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Black Grouse

Blended By: Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd., Perth

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: Unspecified

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 31/03/2012 + 06/09/2012

Colour: Full Gold

Nose: Be sure to give this Blend enough time to open up. The first impression is Earthy Peat and a whiff of Smoke, followed by Brown Sugar, Grain (Biscuits), Oak and Spices.

Taste: Sweet (Sugar and Honey), Toffee, Caramel, Oak, White Pepper and a bit of Smoke.

Finish: Not very long and somewhat dry Finish with some Cocoa, Oak, Lemon and light (Tobacco) Ashes. A light bitterness. Surprisingly, Wet Earth pops up after five minutes or so.

I added a few drops of water but it brings nothing new to the nose and the palate gets watered down. No need to add water to this blend.

Rating:  78.5 

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19,5

General Remarks: This blend is a mixture of the Standard Famous Grouse (containing Macallan and Highland Park single Malt along with other grain- and malt whiskies) and additional Islay Single Malts. The Edrington Group owns the Blend. I believe they added the Black Grouse to their product range to try to compete with the Johnnie Walker Black Label fans. But although there are some similarities, I find the JW much smoother and balanced. The Black Grouse on the other hand is cheaper at around 30 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience On The Rocks: Okay

Conclusion: Jim Murray gives this Blend 94 points in his Whisky Bible 2011. Once again, I simply don’t understand where he’s coming from. This is a decent Blend for an acceptable price but I can’t find any debt or adventure here. The nose is basically Peat and Brown Sugar, the palate is mainly plain Toffee and Caramel with a bit of Oak and Spices and the Finish is short and dry and slightly bitter. The only thing that saves the Black Grouse from being totally anonymous is the light Smoke on the nose and the Wet Earth that suddenly pops up at the end of the Finish. So while it’s slightly better than The Famous Grouse because of the Islay accents, it does not come close to the smoothness and adventure of Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Jan van den Ende                                                                September 2012

Benromach Traditional Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Benromach Traditional

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: Not stated but said to be 5-7 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 30/03/2012

Colour: Pale Straw/Sherry

Nose: Peat, Earth, Salt, Medicinal Alcohol, Charred Oak, Butter, Very Light Fruity and Floral Tones, Herbal Tea, Bit of Honey and a Touch of Lemon. Toffee and Vanilla after a while. The Peat and Earth tones tend to dominate. Being a Speysider, and with 20% of the spirit matured in Sherry Casks, I had expected more sweet (Sherry) tones. Still, although far from perfect, it’s an interesting nose.

Taste: Creamy and at the same time slightly watery delivery. Grains and Malt, Oak, Sweet Caramel, Lavender and a touch of Smoke. Again I had expected more Sherry.

Finish: Quite dry with a bit of Pepper, Grain, Licorice, Citrus tones and Oak, all covered by a light Smoke and Ashes screen that lingers on for quite a while.

With a couple of drops of water you get some more fruity tones but the Peat maintains its strong presence. The palate gets too watery though and the finish gets more Earth and a bit of Ginger and Sugar but loses the nice smoke. Instead you get wet Ashes.

Rating:  83 

Nose: 21,5 – Taste: 20,5 – Finish: 20,5–  Overall: 20,5

                                      Benromach Distillery

General Remarks: Benromach was founded in 1898 and today is the smallest active distillery in Speyside. In 1993 it was acquired by Gordon & MacPhail who renewed the distillery and reopened it in 1998. The Traditional expression was introduced in 2004.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: This is a very young and earthy spirit. The Peat is very present. I liked the touch of smoke on the palate and the Ash tones in the finish. Very little harsh alcohol on the nose as well which I appreciate. I would have liked to see more Sherry tones however that would create a better balance with the omnipresent Peat. As it is, this spirit is certainly not bad but a bit too much one-sided for my likings.

Jan van den Ende                                                      March 2012

Pink Floyd - More - Review

Songs: Cirrus Minor, The Nile Song, Crying Song, Up the Khyber, Green is the Colour, Cymbaline, Party Sequence, Main Theme, Ibiza Bar, More Blues, Quicksilver, A Spanish Piece, Dramatic Theme

Type of Music: Psychedelic Folk-Rock (Space-Folk)  

By 1969, Pink Floyd was well appreciated in progressive art circles apparently as they were asked to write the soundtrack for Barbet Schroeder´s movie More. You have to bear in mind they were only active as a recording band for about 2 years. Also, they had little time to write and produce the soundtrack. Maybe that’s why Roger’s voice seems to sound a bit fragile at times. However, I believe it combines well with the spacey folk material on the album.

The story of the film goes as follows: In the midst of the psychedelic revolution, a young German, Stephan, leaves the Fatherland to travel. In Paris he meets the beautiful and mysterious Estelle and falls in love despite many warnings that the girl is a heroin addict. Estelle leaves for Ibiza and invites Stephan who follows. Despite the romantic setting of the island and the many parties it soon becomes clear to Stephan that Estelle indeed uses heroin. After his initial protests he soon gives in to temptation and the couple slowly but surely become junkies. Stephan also suspects that Estelle is sleeping with her dealer, a guy called Wolf. Despite everything the couple tries to get clean with the help of LSD.

It goes okay for a while until Wolf returns in their lives. Stephan is tormented by jealousy and resorts to heroin again. When a friend from Paris tries to persuade him to leave the island, he goes looking for Estelle as he doesn´t want to leave without her. She probably went out with Wolf and Stephan roams the island in a desperate quest. As he fails to find her, he takes an overdose and dies.

A heavy story indeed!!

And now The Music. This is likely to be the least known and most underrated album of the band. Probably because sound tracks are usually considered as nothing more than background music for the film itself. But that´s not the case here. Sure there are bits of music, like A Spanish Piece and Party Sequence, that only make sense when watching the movie but hey, there are some great songs here.

Most of the good stuff was written by Roger Waters who apparently used this album to try and create a style of his own. I’m sure the basis for later albums was laid here maybe even without Roger realising it.  Most of these goodies are actually folk rock tunes and they are stunningly beautiful. I consider Cirrus Minor the best but it is closely followed by Crying Song, Cymbaline and Green is the Colour. Listening to Cymbaline I believe I know where groups like Air and Groove Armada found their inspiration. This is perfect lounge music and we are talking 1969 here! There are some good instrumentals as well like the jazzy Up the Khyber, the obviously bluesy More Blues and the spacey Main Theme. This song seems to have inspired the German band Kraftwerk in their later work. Only Quicksilver is a mere collection of sounds without any meaningful direction.

Actually, the album would have been even better if it weren´t for two hard rocking Heavy Metal songs that seem completely out of place, although they aren’t bad songs. They do sound very similar. The Nile Song and Ibiza Bar might have inspired David Bowie to undertake his Berlin adventure. In fact I don’t believe Pink Floyd rocked in this style ever again. 

So my advise to you is to program your CD without those two songs, make yourself comfortable on the couch and pour yourself a nice dram of whisky. 

Just close your eyes while listening to the Main Theme or Quicksilver and you can almost imagine yourself floating in deep space!

Make sure you get the new re-mastered version!

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  This is an Essential Pink Floyd Album as it helps to define Roger’s style. It also has inspired other musicians in my opinion. As such it should be part of every great Classic Rock Collection

Something Special Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Something Special

Bottled by Hill, Thomson & Co. Ltd., Paisley

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: Unspecified

Alcohol: 40%
Chill-Filtration: Yes

Colour: Deep Golden (Artificially Coloured) 

Nose: When you pour this Blend in your glass you immediately get Peat and Light Smoke that remind you of a light Islay whisky. However, the Peat and Smoke are driven back quickly to the back of the glass and Dried Fruits, Grain, Wood, Nuts and Malt come into play. After a while in the glass, Earth and Wood tones begin to dominate. There isn’t much sharp Alcohol, which is good but I only get hints of Fruit and Sherry and that’s a pity! This Blend would benefit from some more fruity tones.

Taste: Sweet (Sugar, Honey) and Spicy Oak.

Finish: Not overly long and quickly getting dry. Some Cocoa Powder, Nuts and Wood.

When adding four or five drops of water, the Peat on the nose withdraws to the background and floral - and mineral tones appear. The palate however just gets watered down. So you can nose this blend with -and without a few drops of water but better drink it neat.

Rating:  77,5

Nose: 20– Taste: 19– Finish: 19 – Overall: 19,5

General Remarks: The Longmorn Distillery (Speyside) is the home of this Blend. It is said that Something Special contains a lot of the Longmorn 15 Years, maybe as much as 35%. I also suspect some Islay malt and assorted Grain Whiskies. The Distillery is currently owned by the French Pernod Ricard Group, that also owns Chivas Regal. Something Special, a blend created in 1793, is said to age in Bourbon and Sherry Casks  but I can’t find too much Sherry influences in this Blend which is a pity. Something Special with its Diamond shaped bottle was a huge success in the Seventies. Today it still flourishes in Latin America and in countries like Venezuela, Uruguay and Colombia.

The Longmorn Distillery

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion: With the Speyside Single Malt Longmorn 15 Years at the heart of this blend, I would have expected more fruity and floral tones. Instead I get a lot of Earth and Peat and Wood tones. Maybe even a bit too much (cheap) Wood. I wonder how a younger Longmorn, say 12 years, would have fitted in this Blend.

So is this Blend really Something Special? I don’t think so. It’s more of a missed opportunity in my opinion. It’s not very expensive of course. You can get it for around US$ 25,- in the Duty Free Shop. I picked one up there but I think I’ll pass next time!

Jan van den Ende                                                              March 25, 2012

Stand Up - Jethro Tull - Review

Songs:  A New Day Yesterday, Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square, Bourée, Back To The Family, Look Into The Sun, Nothing Is Easy, Fat Man, We Used To Know, Reasons For Waiting, For A Thousand Mothers. 

Type of Music: Mixture of Blues and (Hard) Rock with touches of Jazz, Folk and Classical Music.

Comments:

Guitarist Mick Abrahams left JT after This Was and was replaced by Martin Barre. This immediately resulted in a more Hard Rock orientated sound as opposed to the Bluesy atmosphere on the debut album. And that´s not at all bad.

In fact the combination of Martin´s guitar, Ian´s Flute and, not in the least, Ian's excellent songs make Stand Up one of the great Classic Rock Albums of all time. The whole album sounds very rough, sincere and to the point.

The instrumental Bourée is a good example. It´s the perfect mix between Classical Music and Rock. It’s stunningly beautiful. This is Classic Rock!

Stand Up is a great mix of (hard) rockers (A New Day Yesterday, Back To The Family, Nothing Is Easy, For A Thousand Mothers), ballads (Look into The Sun, Reasons For Waiting) and Folk (Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square). This last song will serve as a reference for many of the Tull’s later Minstrel Songs.

The opener A New Day Yesterday is a great Blues Track transformed into Hard Rock with fine drumming and a perfect interplay between Martin’s Guitar and Ian’s Flute.

Quite different is the funny Fat Man, an Indian sounding George Harrison type of song. In fact, Ian managed to stay thin for a long time. And if you ever wondered where the Eagles found their inspiration for Hotel California, listen  to We Used To Know. Both the melody and guitar solo were “used” by Don Henley & Company.

At the end of the sixties, JT also released many great singles. Two of them, Living In The Past and Sweet Dream are included in this Remastered version released in 2001, together with Driving Song and 17.   

Jethro Tull would make other great records in the coming years. But few were as consistently good as this, their second Album. And Stand Up was a good title for the music still stands up after all these years!

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  This is both an Essential Tull as well as an Essential Rock Album. Therefore it should be part of your Rock Album Collection.

Bonus Tracks: Living in the Past, Driving Song, Sweet Dreams, 17 

Glenfarclas 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Glenfarclas

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Date: 21/03/2011

Colour: Gold/Amber

Nose: First impressions include Malt, Oak, Dried Fruits (Raisins) and Nut-Cake. Tones of Honeyed Sherry and Grass and a bit of Salt. Hardly any alcohol present. After a while I find very light Peat and a bit of Chocolate. There is a light sweetness but it’s not dominating. Pleasant but not overly complex nose.

Taste:  Sweet Caramel and Sherry. Some Spice (Ginger and Cinnamon) and Salt. Oak. A light bitterness as in Orange Zest.

Finish: Quite Long with lingering Caramel, Sherry and Oak. In the end there are some distinct Earth Notes. Quite interesting that.

I added a couple of drops of water that brought out more Peat and Floral/Grassy tones to the Nose. It also enhances the Sherry and Spices on the Palate. And the finish becomes more Fruity while maintaining the Earthy tones right at the end. The bottling at 43% certainly allows you to experiment with a couple of drops.

Rating: 87

Nose: 21,5– Taste: 22– Finish: 22 – Overall: 21,5

General Remarks: The Glenfarclas Distillery was founded in 1805 and is still in the hands of the children of the founders, the Grant family. That’s extremely rare these days. Maintaining quality and a distinct Speyside character will certainly have helped to survive all these years.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I have tasted the 10 Years expression in late 2011. While there are certainly some similarities, the two years extra have mellowed the whisky down. The nose of the 10 Year was more adventurous but the taste and finish of the 12 year are much more mature and balanced. So while I like and recommend them both, the 12 Years slightly beats his younger brother.

Jan van den Ende                                                               March 21, 2012

David Crosby - Oh Yes I Can- Review

 David Crosby - Oh Yes I Can - 1989 

Songs: Drive my Car, Melody, Monkey and the Underdog, In the Wide Ruin, Tracks in the Dust, Drop Down Mama, Lady of the Harbor, Distances, Flying Man, Oh Yes I Can, My Country ´tis of Thee.

Type of Music:  Mostly Generic Rock and Ballads  

Comments:

David´s first Solo effort after finally having cured his Lebanese Flew. The mood of the album is very optimistic. David is letting us and his wife Jan (not a relative of mine) know that “ Oh Yes I Can still make music” and “Oh Yes I can still be the man you fell in love with”. And David invited a lot of friends to celebrate his return. The whole West Coast Scene took a train and went to the Studio. You will recognise Graham Nash, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Lukather and many others. And David´s band includes Russ Kunkel and Joe Vitale on Drums, Craig Doerge on Keyboards, Joe Lala and Danny Kortchmar on Guitars,  George Perry on Bass and Mike Finnegan on Organ. And, finally, David´s voice is back in full.

So everything and everybody is set to make a great record. Unfortunately that did not quite materialise because of two reasons. Firstly, the songs, mostly written by David alone or in association with Craig Doerge, are very mainstream and miss quality. And secondly, the production is very generic. Artists like Toto and Jackson Browne came to my mind when listening to Melody and In the Wide Ruin.       

There are some exceptions to the rule of course. There is quality in songs like Monkey and the Underdog and Tracks in the Dust. The first song is the story of David (The Underdog) in his battle against drugs (The Monkey). And in the second song we welcome Graham Nash´s harmony vocals. That probably explains why I consider this song to be the best on the album.

So yes, David is back and that´s great. But Oh Yes, You Can Do Better!!

Rating: ****** (6 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: Only for the Ultimate David Crosby Fan. Not Relevant for the Rest of the Universe.

McClelland's Highland Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: McClelland’s

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland

Age: Not specified but most likely around 5 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber/Gold

Nose: Peat, Wet Earth, Heather, Light Smoke, Wood and Light Sherry are my first impressions. There is a bit of Alcohol, which makes sense given the youth of the spirit. Some Malt and Spices (Think of Pepper) as well. Floral tones and a hint of ripe Fruit.

After a while in the glass, the Peat, Malt and green Wood become more dominant and I get some Biscuit as well. After having finished the whisky you will get some blossom and orange if you nose the empty glass after an hour or so. The nose, as so often, is the better part of this Malt.

Taste: The delivery is thin, sweet (Sugar, Honey) and hot (Black Pepper). Toasted Grains as well.

I added a few drops of water but it doesn’t contribute anything to the nose and the Palate gets watered down. Don’t add water to this Malt.

Finish: Short, Dry and slightly Bittersweet. The Wet Earth and Leaves are returning together with some Wood and Peat. Hints of Lemon and Cinnamon.

Rating:  76

Nose: 20– Taste: 18– Finish: 19– Overall: 19

General Remarks: A McClelland’s Distillery does not exist. It’s a series of 5 Single Malt Whiskies from the main Scottish production areas. Four of them, the Highland, the Lowland, the Speyside and the Islay are NAS or Non-Age Specified. In 2008, a Speyside 12 Years was added. McClelland’s Parent company is Morrison Bowmore Distilleries (Suntory Group). They are the owners of Auchentoshan (Lowland), Bowmore (Islay) and Glen Garioch (Highland). So we only have to guess where the Speyside is produced I would say! We can safely assume that the Glen Garioch Distillery produced this Highland Malt. McClelland’s main markets are the USA, Canada, Japan and France.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: This Single Malt is sold at around US$ 20. - and that’s cheap. One of the reasons for the relative low price is the fact that it merely ages for 5 years instead of the usual 10 to 12 for Standard Single Malt expressions. I did consider this fact in the final note. But to be honest, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction from whiskies like this one. It’s lack luster and it leaves me with an urge to drink something more interesting. It is however better than McClelland’s Lowland Expression and less sharp than Red Label. You could also argue that it has some hints of the main characteristics of a Highland whisky, namely floral tones on the Nose, slightly sweet on the Palate and a dry Finish. Still it’s just not good enough to deserve a permanent place in my Whisky cabinet!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        March 17, 2012