Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother - Review

Songs: Atom Heart Mother (Father´s Shout – Breast Milky – Mother Fore – Funky Dung – Mind Your Throats Please – Remergence),  If, Summer 68, Fat Old Sun, Alan´s Psychedelic Breakfast (Rise and Shine – Sunny Side Up – Morning Glory).   

Type of Music: Psychedelic Rock   

Comments:

“We know we´re going somewhere but we´re not quite sure where and how”. The group must have had these kind of thoughts in 1970. It would explain the cover of the album with the now famous cow. I think the band wanted to express the fact that the music on it could be anything made by anybody. Free your mind and let the ideas flow. 

When interviewed many years later, most of the band members do not think very highly of this Album, released in 1970 and recorded in the Abbey Road Studios in London. I do not agree with their statements. Stylistically this album is a logical follow up to the studio half of the Ummagumma Album. Again, one side of the Album contains a group effort while the other half showcases individual songs written by the various band members. But this time the Avant Garde music was taken a step further with the help of Ron Geesin, a full bras section and a choir. 

But in comparison to Ummagumma, the musical ideas here are more defined, with the exception of the Mind Your Throats Please part of the opening suite that is more a collection of sounds.The actual songs and melodies however are quite strong and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Album kicks of with the Atom Heart Mother Suite, one of the longest Pink Floyd songs (23.36). It's one of the first successful combinations of progressive rock and classical music. The main theme Father's Shout is very strong. It could have been used as a film soundtrack but in the end the contract did not go ahead. And although not all parts of the Suite are equally good they provide us with a very interesting listen that grows on you with every spin and does not bore easily. And Roger's guitar playing holds the promise of greater things to come.  

The album closer is another long piece called Alan´s Psychedelic Breakfast. Alan is Alan Stiles, one of the roadies of the group who is preparing breakfast and is remembering other breakfasts in between the three instrumental parts. The newly applied production techniques make it all sound very realistic and funny. Very crispy bacon! The music itself is more forgettable than the title track but the experiment still manages to hold my attention after all these years. Still, it's the weakest track on the album.

In between these suites are three shorter songs, respectively written by Waters, Wright and Gilmour. 

The first one If is a nice mainly acoustic pastoral folk song in the style of Grantchester Meadows. But If has a stronger melody, very honest introspective lyrics and a great guitar solo.

It is followed by Summer' 68, written by Richard Wright. A very accurate picture of one night stands and life on the road in the Summer of Love era. Strong melody. Good Song. 

And finally we have Fat Old Sun, written by David Gilmour, another ode to the beloved countryside. Many have said the band sounds like the Kinks here but who cares! Great melody, great song.  

So there you have it in a nut shell. One excellent and one at least interesting suite plus three quality Pink Floyd Songs. I give this Album a very solid 8 and can't understand why the band with the exception of Richard has become so negative about this album. Atom Heart Mother makes for a very relaxing listen after a hard day´s work. Try it out!

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  While it´s not an essential Pink Floyd Album, it's certainly worth owning. It´s got a high Anti-Stress Factor! Make sure you get the Re-Mastered Version! 

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac - Review

Songs:  Monday Morning, Warm Ways, Blue Letter, Rhiannon, Over my Head, Crystal, Say you love me, Landslide, World Turning, Sugar Daddy,

I´m so Afraid.

Type of Music: First Class Mid-Seventies Pop-Rock.

Comments:

Goodbye Bob Welch! Welcome Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the Californian pair that already had cut an album together that went For Sale in about a week! It´s a Collector´s Item now of course. So we have three Brits and two Yankees and an Album simply called Fleetwood Mac as if to say: Hey World we´re starting from scratch again!! And what a start as well!!

While Christine´s Warm Ways still sounds like the Mac from the Bob Welch/Danny Kirwan period, the 10 other songs introduce us to the sound of the new line-up. With the exception of Blue Letter , all songs are written by the band. It´s a perfect match of Christine´s fast improving mid-tempo love songs (Say you love me, Over my Head), Lindsay´s sharp rock songs (Monday Morning, I´m so Afraid) and Stevie´s Mystic Tales (Rhiannon, Landslide, Crystal). Only Mc Vie´s Sugar Daddy is Filler.

Although most people consider Rumours Mac´s best Album from the Seventies, this one here comes very close indeed.

Stevie´s Rhiannon is a very special song because it convinced me that the Fleetwood/McVie Rhythm Section is probably the best in the world. No one else sounds so smooth and comfortable.

And Lindsay Buckingham surely is one of the world´s best acoustic - and electric guitar players. Get a copy of the DVD The Dance reunion Concert and listen to his reading of I´m so afraid as well as an acoustic version of Big Love from the Tango in the Night Album.

But that´s looking in the very bright future of the band. For the moment, dig deep in your collection, select your copy of Fleetwood Mac, put it in your player and just enjoy this excellent Pop-Rock Album. 

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody.

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Johnnie Walker Double Black Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker Double Black

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: Not Stated

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber/Gold/Sauternes

Nose: Light. There’s raw Alcohol present so be sure to give it some time to open up. Still, not too much going on here with Light Peat, Brine, Oak, Nuts and Sweet Sultanas.

Taste: The delivery is slightly watery with Sweet Grain, Light Peat and Smoke, slightly bitter Orange Zest, Pepper, Oak, Candy and hints of Tobacco and Licorice.

Finish: Short with a bit of Wet Earth, Sweet Grain, Nutmeg, Oak, Tobacco and Salt.

When I added a few drops of water the Peat is a bit stronger and I get some Malt as well. Not many changes on the Palate so better drink it straight.

Rating:  80 

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

General Remarks: I have no idea why this Blend almost costs 50% more than the regular Black. It’s a bit more (subdued) Islay, a little less Speyside and some more and younger Grain Whiskies. That’s All!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Double Black is a highly drinkable Blend but it’s not Good Value for Money and it’s NOT better than the regular Black. Another Marketing trick by Diageo I’m afraid.

Jan van den Ende                                                              May 12,  2012

Johnnie Walker Black Label Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker Black Label

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Copper/Dark Amber with a touch of Red (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: It’s actually a rather light nose. Give it some time to open up cause there’s some Alcohol around. I find Grain Alcohol, Toasted Grain, light Oak, Vanilla, Nuts, Brown Sugar, Toffee, light Sherry, Sweet Dried Fruit like Raisins and Figs, Sugared Orange Zest, Green Apple, Floral Notes, Buttered Toast, Cinnamon, Aniseed, Salt and Pepper. I only find very faint hints of Smoke and Dirty Earth.

Taste: Rather Thin Delivery with Sugared Grain, Oak, Nuts, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Prunes, Orange Zest, light Honey, Pepper, Cinnamon, Salty Licorice and very light Smoke, Ashes and Earthy Peat.

Finish: Short, Sweet at first but quickly turning Dry with a touch of Bitter Oak. I find Toasted Cereals, Grain Alcohol, Toffee, Caramel, Pepper, Salt and faint hints of Smoke, Ashes and Earthy Peat. 

Rating: 82

Nose: 21 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20.5

Cardhu

General Remarks:

Johnnie Walker Black Label was my first whisky. It's a Blend that consists of around 40 Grain - and Malt Whiskies with a minimum age of 12 Years. Some of the main Malts include Cardhu, Cragganmore, Linkwood, Glen Elgin, Royal Lochnagar, Aberfeldy, Lagavulin, Caol Ila and Talisker. It's quite cheap with prices in the 30/35 US Dollar range (April 2017). I would assume that the Malt part for this blend matured in a mix of mostly Refill Ex-Bourbon casks and a few Refill Ex-Sherry casks. The Grain/Malt ratio is likely to be 70/30.

Johnnie Walker Black used to be a very good Blended Whisky and has always been sold at accessible prices. But Taste wise I've noticed a huge decrease over the years. I will assume that two main reasons are to blame for this downfall. Firstly the lack of good active Wood to mature the huge quantities of JW Red - and Black that are sold all over the world. And secondly the possible change of formula. To me, JW Black today smells and tastes like a mix of indifferent Grain Alcohol, Boring Cardhu and a spoonful of Caol Ila. Although I'm pretty sure that a lot of Linkwood, Glen Elgin and Royal Lochnagar disappears in this Blend as well. The Price/Quality ratio is still good but the magic of yesterday has gone. 

I do not recommend adding Water. It drowns the whisky quite quickly.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: It’s still a very decent Blend, also in view of its competitive pricing. But to me it has lost a lot of its former charm. What a pity!

Jan van den Ende                      June 7, 2011, May 12 2012 and April 15, 2017

Caol Ila

BenRiach 16 Years Review - The Final Verdict

Hi Everybody and Welcome to the Whisky Paradise. Yesterday evening I was in a productive mood. First I wrote the Review on Led Zeppelin's excellent 4th Album. You can find it below or here: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV. 

After all those years and after all the Air-Play on Rock Radio Stations, it's still fun to hear those songs. And who of you was not enchanted when you heard Stairway to Heaven for the first time! 

Then I devoted my attention to the BenRiach 16 Single Malt from Speyside. 

It' s in the Top 20 since I tasted it for the first time and deservedly so. I did make some small changes to the Tasting Notes that you can read here: BenRiach 16 Year. It's a very nice and interesting Single Malt and I fully recommend it.

And yes, time to celebrate as well as the Paradise Pages were visited last night for the 30.000th time since November 29, 2011. Thanks to visitors from a.o. the USA, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand, Brazil, India, Australia, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Singapore, Mexico and Spain.

Thanks a lot to all of you for your visits. Tell me what you think of the site when you can and leave a comment. Would be great! 

Tonight I will start the big duel between JW Black and JW Double Black. This fight will continue tomorrow and I will post the Tasting Notes on Monday evening, local time.

That's it for today, Enjoy reading the Tasting Notes and Reviews and see you all back tomorrow.

Sweet Drams!

Jan 

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV - Review

Songs: Black Dog, Rock and Roll, The Battle of Evermore, Stairway To Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, Going To California, When the Levee Breaks.

Comments:

Is there anything that can be said about Led Zeppelin’s 4^th -and probably most famous Album? To be able to give a more or less objective opinion on Four Symbols or Runes or Zosa as the Album is also often called I might try not to consider the following facts:

·      Robert Plant is a Cock-Rocker who is often overdoing the wailing and showing off;

·      Led Zeppelin’s lyrics generally suck;

·      The songs on this Album get constant day to day Airplay on Classic Rock radio stations;

·      A couple of songs on the Album are not that great.

If I do that this Album would score 10 out of 10. Because no band was able to release such an Album back in 1971. Led Zeppelin has been often accused of stealing riffs from old blues songs but who didn’t. Rock & Roll and Blues only have so many possible musical combinations! It’s more how you play it than what you play and Led Zeppelin played like no band before them. And many tried to imitate them afterwards but few, if any, came close. Together with Led Zeppelin I, IV is my favorite Led Album. They are just completely different. The Debut Album is a very coherent album and the songs complement each other in an extraordinary manner. It’s almost like a perfect jam during a very inspired live show.

Led Zeppelin IV is not like that. It’s much more a collection of mostly great songs put together in no particular order. It’s almost like a Greatest Hits Album. One of the reasons for this is that the band had more time to concentrate on actually writing songs of their own. This Album shows Led Zeppelin on the top of their song-writing capabilities with Stairway to Heaven as the undisputed crown on their work. If they would have stopped here they would have been called as great as the Beatles and the Stones by everybody but they didn’t and most of their later work is simply not on par with their first 4 albums.

Well let’s have a look at the individual songs then, as they are more important than the sum of the total:

The Album kicks off with the confident dark rocker Black Dog quite possibly written as an ode to Peter Green, the founder of Fleetwood Mac. The stop and go moments in the song do show similarity with Oh Well. Black Dog is not a great song but it’s loud, raw and hard and it’s a good opener.

The second song, Rock & Roll, to me represents all that Classic (Hard) Rock is about. It’s based on Rock and Roll and boogie from the fifties but played in a fast and furious way. With pounding drums, howling guitars and screaming vocals, in short everything that parents in those days were afraid of but their children adored.

The Battle of Evermore is a song that divides even the Leddest of the Fans. Some think it’s better than Stairway and some think it’s not that good. In my opinion it’s certainly pretentious but not in a bad way. I like these medieval style songs and since it’s about War, howling and wailing do not seem out of line here. And Jimmy plays a wonderful mandolin. The song also benefits froms the vocals of Sandy Denny.

I can’t find words to describe Stairway to Heaven. The melody is stunningly beautiful, Robert is actually singing, Page is great on acoustic guitar and the combination of a soft and a loud part is one of the, if not the, main trademarks of Led Zeppelin. Although I would have loved the soft part to be longer. But then we might have missed one of the best guitar solos in Rock & Roll history. It’s the song that got me really interested in Rock Music in the first place and I don’t think I’m the only one!

It’s quite a change from Stairway to Misty Mountain Hop. It’s more of a groove or chant or almost rap, set against a mixture of Arabic Music and Blues. It’s not a great song but it’s still listenable.

Four Sticks is the only song on the album I could easily live without although there is some great drumming going on. But the riff, although funky, is a bit boring and the song, well, is nothing special.

My favorite all time Led Zeppelin folk song must be the hippie Going to California, based on Joni Mitchell’s song California. 

The album closes with the unbelievable and scary When the Levee Breaks. Yes, it’s a bit too long and it does gets monotonous after five minutes or so. But it’s a great Doom Blues with these hard pounding drums, the great slide guitar and Robert’s Harmonica. Never heard a song like that before or after. I think it’s quite unique.

So after the more laid-back and folksy Led Zeppelin III, the Led was back with an album full of heavy metal rock with some mystical folk and Louisiana blues thrown in for good measure. The fans adored it and it went to #1 all around the world. And it really stood up to the test of time. For me the band reached the highest point in their careers. In terms of songwriting, in terms of mastering their instruments and in terms of production. They would go on making nice songs from here on but never again an album like this!

So I would have given this album 10 points out of 10. But let’s be honest, Robert Plant is a Cock Rocker and he does overdo the wailing and howling from time to time. And the lyrics do suck for most of the time. And I’ve heard all these songs already a thousand times before. And I’m not that fond of Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks although they are certainly not as bad as some would lead us to believe. So in the end it’s a very solid 9 for one of the greatest Classic Rock Albums of all time!

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody!!  One of Led Zeppelin’s Best Album and one of the true Classic Rock Albums of All Time. Get It Now!

Connemara Peated Single Malt Review - The Final Verdict

Hello Everybody and Welcome at the Whisky Paradise,

Friday afternoon here in Sao Paulo and I'm ready for another nice weekend. Tonight I will have another look at the BenRiach 16 Years Single Malt as I received another miniature bottle of this whisky. I'm looking forward to it as I quite liked it the first time around. Later on this weekend I will do the JW Black Vs JW Double Black Tasting and that promises to be fun as well. Yesterday night I finalized the second tasting of the Connemara Irish Peated Single Malt. You can find my original Review here: Connemara Peated Single Malt.  At the request of various friends of the Whisky Paradise I did a second set of tastings as some people thought I was being too negative on this Irish Malt. Fortunately I had another miniature bottle available so I gladly accepted the challenge. But I'm sorry to say that Wednesday's and Thursday's Tastings confirmed my earlier conclusion. This is no match for a good Islay Malt like the Ardbeg, Laproaig, Lagavulin or Bowmore. The main problems that I keep having with the Connemara are the Smoke that tastes artificial and the Rubber and Medicinal Off Tones. I just don't think it's a pleasant whisky. It's drinkable but that's all. I have heard that the Cask Strength Version is much better so I hope I will be able to lay my hands on that one. So my verdict stands and you might want to have a look at the Tasting Notes again. In the meantime have a really nice weekend and I hope to see you all back tomorrow for the Re-Review of the BenRiach 16 Years as well as a Review of Led Zeppelin's 4th Album.

Sweet Drams.

Jan

Yes - Yes - Review

Songs: Beyond and Before, I See You, Yesterday and Today, Looking Around, Harold Land, Every Little Thing, Sweetness, Survival

Bonus Songs: Everydays (Single Version), Dear Father (Early Version # 2), Something’s Coming, Everydays (Early Version), Dear Father (Early Version # 1), Something’s Coming (Early Version).

Comments:

It must have been great for talented young musicians to make a debut rock album back in 1969. It was an era of innovation ever since Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone showed the world that everything was possible in Rock Music. Extremely strong commercial pressure did not exist at that time and new bands were allowed to experiment with their musical ideas in the studios. And musical references were widely available and first class. This was the era of the Beatles, the Stones, the Doors, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock, Led Zeppelin and so many other great bands and festivals. All kinds of rock music were being explored and progressive rock was lurking around the corner.

It’s no wonder therefore that I love so many of the debut albums from that period. They sound original, catchy, honest, crisp, daring, sweet, simple, committed, spontaneous and to the point while at the same time you will find that they are not always as coherent, complex, confident and musically perfected as later work. But maybe that’s why I find them often very attractive.  

That’s also the case with the first album of vocalist Jon Anderson, guitarist Peter Banks, bass player Chris Squire, drummer Bill Bruford and Tony Kaye on keyboards. Jon and Chris wrote most of the songs and they were clearly influenced by the Beatles. The two ballads on the album, Yesterday and Today and Sweetness could have easily been written by Paul McCartney. They are beautiful love songs and Jon’s voice seldom sounded so honest and tender as on these two songs. Beautiful piano as well.

And in the Album opener, the very confident rocker Before and Beyond, I imagine the guys having listened to Sgt. Pepper and I Am the Walrus. Great guitar and very strong harmony vocals.

And there’s the cover of Every Little Thing of course with a Day Tripper riff in the intro. Still it’s a great version and it challenges the original as far as I’m concerned.

I See You, written for the Byrds by David Crosby and Roger McGuinn is transformed into a jazzy groove that would do justice to any of the great Steely Dan Albums. It shows that Peter is a very versatile guitarist who masters many styles. Bill Bruford also shines on drums here.

Looking Around is another rocker with great vocals and powerful interplay between organ and bass.

And finally we find Harold Land and Survival. Both songs point to the direction of the Multi Part Suites that Yes would exploit to full length in the future. The first song (about War as so many songs in those days because of Vietnam) could easily have been written by Peter Gabriel and has a Genesis –like feel to it. The latter however is pure Yes and a foreplay of greater things to come.

The Bonus Tracks are awsome and give us three great Yes Songs in early and final versions. It’s very interesting to note the differences. My favorites are the Single Everydays and Something’s Coming from West Side Story, a song that perfectly fits Jon’s angelic voice.

Yes is certainly not a progressive rock album. It’s much more a Pop album with a (prog) rock edge! That makes for a great listen and the excellent sound quality of the re-mastered version as well as the great bonus tracks only add to the pleasure.

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: This is a great start for getting into the music of Yes. I can safely recommend this to everyone as long as you get yourself the Re-Mastered version.

Dewar's 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Dewar’s Double Aged

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber

Nose: Sweet Nose with Honey, Toffee, Malt, Sweet Grain and Oak. Give it time to open up as there is some Alcohol there. Some Fruity Tones (Citrus Zest or Lemon Marmalade) and traces of Heather and Buttered Toast.

Taste: The Palate is quite smooth and confirms the Nose with rather sweet Honey and Caramel. Light Spices appear (think Cinnamon) alongside Butter, Oak and Fruitcake.

Finish: Sugary, Light Spices, Oak and Licorice

I added a few drops of water and you get some more Fruity tones on the Nose. But the Palate does not really show a lot of changes so I prefer to drink this Blend neat.

Rating: 80

Nose:  20.5 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: This Blend is Double Aged. This means that after the initial maturation of more than 11 years, the around 40 whiskies that are part of the Dewar’s 12 Years are blended together and return to Oak Casks for an additional marriage of 6 months. The Highland Single Malt Aberfeldy lies at the heart of the Dewar’s 12 Years Blend.

Aberfeldy Distillery

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: I can’t get really excited about this Blend because it’s too Sweet and there’s very few flavors out there to balance it out. But it's not bad although a bit overpriced. And, it’s completely drinkable, to a point where you have to remind yourself it has 40% Alcohol. It’s almost like whisky flavoured Honey liquor! One thing is clear though. It’s a very big step up from the rather unpleasant White Label!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       May 5, 2012

Connemara Peated Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Connemara Peated

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber

Nose: Peat, Earth and Smoke but significantly lighter and somehow less Organic and more Metallic than your average Islay Malt. These first impressions are followed by Rubber, Heather, Burnt Sugar, Oak and Apple. Hints of Leather and Honey and a bit of young Medicinal Alcohol

Taste: Not very attractive. A combination of Burnt Rubber, Earth, Caramel and bitter Herbal Tea with very faint hints of chocolate.

Finish: Sweet (Think more of Sugar than of Honey) and Bitter Almonds. Dry in the end with that same medicinal off note that I found on the Nose. The Wet Earth stays for quite a while and it’s rather unpleasant

With a couple of drops of water the Nose becomes very light. The Peat retreats a bit and some Malt and Grass appears. The Oak and Leather are coming through as well. On the Palate it all gets very watery and the Finish becomes very short indeed. Still, you can experiment with a few drops here.

Rating: 74,5

Nose: 20 – Taste: 19– Finish: 17 – Overall: 18,5

General Remarks: In the old days all Irish whiskey was dried with peat but today Connemara is the only Peated Irish Single Malt. This whiskey is double distilled to improve its smoothness. It’s a blend of a 4, a 6 and an 8 Years old whiskey. The Cooley Distillery where Connemara is produced was bought early this year by Beam Inc.

Drinking Experience Straight: Average

Conclusion: The Nose is the best part of this whiskey despite the rubber and medicinal off-notes. But on the Palate this Malt is disappointing and the Finish is rather unpleasant. I’m sure that Connemara wanted to provide an Irish alternative for Islay malts but I’m sorry to say that this whiskey is no match for the Islay Single Malts. And since it’s also not as smooth as other Irish whiskies despite the Double Distilling, it’s rather a Black Sheep in the family if you ask me. It’s drinkable but I can’t recommend this.

Jan van den Ende                                                                     May 3, 2012

David Crosby - It's All Coming Back To Me Now... - Review

Songs: In My Dreams, Rusty and Blue, Hero, Till It Shines On You, Thousand Roads, Cowboy Movie, Almost Cut My Hair, Déjà Vu, Long Time Gone, Wooden Ships. 

Type of Music:  Folk/Rock   

Comments:

This Live Album was recorded on December 7, 1993 at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, California as part of the tour to promote David´s new studio album Thousand Roads.

It contains a mix of old – and more recent solo work as well as songs from the CSNY period. And there are two new songs, the boring Rusty and Blue and the generic rocker Till It Shines On You.

I think you got the point already. I don´t like this record. I´ve listened to it a few times to find out exactly what it is that makes me dislike this particular set of songs.

For one, it´s David himself. On too many occasions he´s shouting instead of singing. That works fine on Long Time Gone. That song benefits from a rough and dirty treatment. But it stinks on most of the other songs. I also don´t like the different – and sometimes improvised arrangements of the songs. I´ll give you an example. I really like the studio version of Thousand Roads with the nice sort of Keith Richard riff. Here it sounds like a dull version of Joe Cocker´s reading of Randy Newman´s You Can Leave Your Hat On. But most of all I object to the generic sounding guitar of Jeff Pevar. No soul whatsoever in his playing.

Three of the CSN(Y) songs get the “Let´s Jam a Bit” treatment. For me that only works somewhat in Déjà Vu where all the players get their little moment in the sun. And the Crosby/Nash vocals blend well here.

But to summon up things, go try and find the King Biscuit Flower Hour Live CD and leave this one alone.

Rating: ***** (5 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: Only for Die Hard David Crosby Fans.

Auchentoshan Three Wood Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Auchentoshan Three Woods

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Lowlands

Age: Unspecified but said to be 12 Y

Alcohol: 43%

Colour: Deep Amber

Nose: Slightly sweet with Sherry, Oak, Cooked Red Fruit (think of Berries), Malt, Vanilla and Apricot Marmalade. After a while Toffee, Brown Sugar and Butterscotch become more present. There are certainly a number of flavors present here but it does not seem to be a well-orchestrated effort.

Taste: The Sherry and Cooked Red Fruits are still there with Oak, Leather, Licorice and Salted Nuts.

Finish: Sweet like Maple Syrup at first but quickly drying out with Oak, Light Spices and Mint. There is a Rubbery Off Tone in the end.

I added a bit of water but it does not make a whole lot of difference although you get a bit extra fruit on the Nose (Pear). You can play with a bit of water if you want.

Rating:  80,5 

Nose: 21 – Taste: 20,5 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20

General Remarks:

The Auchentoshan Distillery was founded in 1800 and is located just north of Glasgow. It’s one of only three active Lowland Distilleries alongside Bladnoch and Glenkinchie.  This Single Malt is triple-distilled like most Irish whiskey. Generally, this leaves the young spirit lighter and fruitier. Although no age is specified it is understood that this Single Malt aged in American Bourbon Oak for 10 years and was finished for one year each in Spanish Oloroso – and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good (with the exception of the Rubber Off Tone in the Finish)

Conclusion: This is not an easy Malt to judge. On the one hand the Nose has sufficient interesting flavors for you to unravel. But they don’t seem to fit together all that well. The Palate sometimes reminds me a bit of Bourbon and sometimes of Raspberry juice. Red Wine and even Port Wine came to my mind. I have nothing against whisky being finished in casks that previously contained other spirits. But distilleries need to be careful not to overdo it. This is not a bad Single Malt but the Three Wood may have overplayed its cards a bit.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 April 29, 2012