Auchentoshan 10 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Lowland 

Brand: Auchentoshan

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Yellow Golden

Nose: It's not really bad but I can't say I like the Nose. It' s a rather weird combination of Cooked Vegetables, Malt, Vegetable Oil, Floral tones like Grass and Wet Leaves, Acetone, Tangerine, Lemon, Stale Peanuts, Wood (Shavings), Buttered Grain Biscuits and some Sherry, Apples, Alcohol, Vanilla and light Spices.

Taste: Slightly Watery Delivery with Malt, Sweet Candies, Tangerine, Licorice, Wood, Lemon, Sherry, Cinnamon and White Pepper.

Finish: Short with Sugary Malt, Vanilla, White Pepper, Sherry, Honey and Lemon. It's a bit perfumy but not the likes of Chanel # 5 I'm afraid.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose gets more Malty and Buttery. This dram already has a watery profile so Palate and Finish do not benefit in my opinion. But if you like you can try out a few drops at the time and see where it leads you.

Rating:  76 

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19

General Remarks: As you will probably know, Auchentoshan (Gaelic for Corner of the Field) is triple-distilled like Irish Whiskey. The idea is to produce a smooth dram. But most of the time this process also invokes some lack of personality and that's certainly the case here. It's priced at around 60 US Dollars on average. In 2008 the 10 Years was replaced by the 12 Years when Auchentoshan reviewed its line and packaging. You can find the Tasting Notes here: Auchentoshan 12. I think it's slightly better than the 10 but also not too impressive for a Single Malt. It is a bit cheaper on average at around 50 US Dollars.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: Auchentoshan is not one of my favourite Distilleries. I'm not too impressed with the somewhat unbalanced flavour profile of the standard whiskies and their lack of personality. The 18 Years is the best I've tasted so far Auchentoshan 18 although it still has its flaws. The 10 Years old I've tasted today is easily the weakest so far. The Nose is a strange mixture of on- and off notes and the Palate is watery and does not show any depth. Oh Well, can't love them all!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  January 7, 2013

Glenmorangie Lasanta Revisited

Hi there and welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews,

First weekend in 2013 and it's hot again in Sao Paulo. You might recall that I tasted the Glenmorangie Lasanta recently. I posted the results on December 25, 2012. At that time I found Sulphur and a strange Rhubarb-like off-note. My dram came from a small bottle that is part of the Glenmorangie Gift-Set that also included the 10 Original, the Quinta Ruban and the Nectar d' Or. I did not find the Sulphur and/or the off-notes in the other 3 bottles. When my colleague Rodrigo Fernandes read the Tasting Notes he was very surprised. He had just bought a bottle of Lasanta at the Duty Free and could not find any Sulphur. He offered me a sample that I gladly accepted. Thanks Rodrigo! I tasted the sample today and could not find any off-notes or Sulphur. Obviously something was wrong with my little bottle. As a result, I adjusted the Tasting Notes accordingly and increased the Lasanta final score. Please find the revised Tasting Notes here: Glenmorangie Lasanta.

I would like to wish you all a very nice weekend and hope to see you back tomorrow for more Whisky and Classic Rock.
Saude!
Jan

Laphroaig 13 Years Anam Na H-Alba Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay 

Brand: Laphroaig Anam Na H-Alba

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 13 Years

ABV: 54.2 %

Date: 05/01/2013

Colour: Pale Straw/Light Gold

Nose: Welcome to a Malty Barbecue around a Campfire. But be patient because this dram needs its time to open up. Nobody will be surprised that Peat, Grass, Smoke, Charred Wood, Malt, Butter, Lemon, Shell-Fish, Medicinal tones and a touch of Leather are my first impressions. This is a Laphroaig after all. You can almost touch the Brine, Tarred Driftwood and Seaweed from the Distillery's waterfront. If you like a Peaty Nose, this certainly is something to look out for. The fire is only a part of the BBQ of course but the rest comes a bit later still. This happens a lot with heavily Peated Single Malts by the way. The Peat and Smoke tend to disguise the other flavours. But it pays off to wait cause after half an hour or so you're being served a plate of rock salted Pork Chops and a fatty slice of Bacon with Pineapple. Is this Whisky? Amazing! I can smell this for hours. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing tonight!

Taste: Strong Delivery thanks to the Cask Strength of 54.2%. The basic flavours of the Nose are confirmed. I get Peat, Oak, Malt, Smoke, Iodine, Lemon, Grass and Leather. Additional tones of Menthol and strong Black Pepper. It's Bitter, Sweet and Spicy, all at the same time. I would welcome a bit of Sherried sweetness here to counterbalance the tasteful  but ever so slightly monotonous Peated ensemble. 

Finish: Middle long and dry towards the end. Charred, slightly Bitter-Sweet Oak and Smoked Fish. But then you get the distinctive flavour of a Menthol Cigarette that stays with you for quite a while and is accompanied by a black Espresso. Again, amazing. Extra half a point for that!

I added a little spoonful of Water and that's certainly something you should consider. It doesn't change the general flavour profile a lot but it does make the dram smoother and milder.

Rating: 89 

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 22.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Anam Na H-Alba (Soul of Scotland) was distilled in May 1998, matured for 13 years in a Bourbon Hogshead (# 700228) and was bottled in December 2011 by Whisky bottler Anam Na H-Alba from Germany. Less than 200 bottles went to the market and I was lucky enough to get a sample. This Laphroaig is non Chill-Filtered, does not contain E-150 and was bottled at Cask Strength. The Bottles were sold at around US$ 100 a piece.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: This is not merely a dram. It's an exciting flavour experience that will keep you busy for at least two hours. When nosing this Laphroaig you feel like you're sitting at night outside the Distillery on Islay by a campfire where you are about to roast some Pork and Bacon. On the Palate I find the Peat a bit too monotonous to consider this my favourite dram so far. I do think that Ardbeg is better balanced. But the Finish is very interesting again and the combination of Black Espresso and a Menthol Cigarette is simply stunning. If you can find this, buy it. You won't regret it!

Jan van den Ende                                                             January 2013

Nice Book by Max Milligan that describes the beauty of the Scottish Cities, Countryside and Wilderness and contains many beautiful pictures.

Evan Williams Review

Country: USA

Brand: Evan Williams Black

Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Date: 03/01/2013

Colour: Light Amber

Nose: Sweet with a slight rough Alcohol edge to it. Familiar flavours like Sweet Corn, Rye, Charred Oak, Glue, Vanilla, Butter, Brown Sugar, Coca Cola, Leather, Cinnamon, Furniture Polish from Grandma's days and Pine. Traces of Honey, Peach, Dried Apricot and Banana. Not bad at all!

Taste: Medium Alcohol bite, Caramel, Charred Oak, Dark Red Fruits like Cherries, Rye, Toffee, White Pepper, Vanilla, Brown Sugar. A bit rough I'm afraid.

Finish: Medium-Long, Nutty and a bit Sour towards the end with Charred Oak, Grain, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Brown Sugar, White Pepper and hints of Leather, Licorice and Tobacco.

I added a few drops of Water but the Bourbon just waters down. Better sip it neat or drink it over Ice.

Rating:  81.5  (out of 100)

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

 Heaven Hill Warehouses (Note the Black Fungus!)

General Remarks: Evan Williams started distilling Whiskey on the banks of the Ohio River back in 1783, making him Kentucky's first commercial distiller. Today, this Bourbon is distilled at the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Corn, Malted Barley and Rye are part of the Mash bill. The Whiskey matures for around 4 years in new charred White Oak Barrels. Evan Williams is America's second largest selling Kentucky Straight Bourbon after Jim Beam. It's not very expensive at around 12 Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks : Good

Conclusion: This is certainly a good alternative when you don't want to spend too much money on your Bourbon and still want to be able to enjoy an acceptable quality. I applaud the ABV of 43% and I quite like the Nose of the Evan Williams. Nothing too fancy but agreeable and well-balanced. It's a bit rough on the Palate and it's not my favourite sipping Bourbon. But it's quite alright with Ice on a warm day. And fortunately there are many of those in Sao Paulo!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   January 2013

Happy New Year!

Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

After having spend some very nice days in the mountains of Monte Verde in the state of Minas Gerais I'm back in Sao Paulo to write the first few words in 2013. This is a picture that will give you an idea of Monte Verde and surroundings.

I would like to thank you all for showing so much interest in Whisky and Classic Rock in 2012. Not only by visiting the site but also via comments, e-mails, Facebook messages etc. A special thanks to some of my readers in the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, the USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia and Scotland who surprised me with samples and books on whisky. Really appreciated! So to all of you a very happy and healthy 2013. It will be another challenging year for the world with lots of problems to sort out. I hope that politicians will use common sense for once and will try to tackle some of the most urgent problems. There's too much war, too much unemployment, too much violence, too much poverty and too much pollution. Just to name a few of them. 

As far as whisky is concerned I hope that supply and demand will find a new balance in the coming years with consistent quality and reasonable prices. It won't be easy because demand is booming, especially in the new Asian markets. For 2013 I expect higher prices again. So be careful with what you buy. Try a sample or a miniature bottle first before buying a full bottle. That can save you a lot of money and stress! And read as many reviews as possible, especially from independent reviewers. They will give you a fair idea of what to expect from a whisky. But never forget as well that Taste is something really personal. Just drink what you like! But not too much (well, not every day at least!) and never when you have to drive!!!

I have been able to collect sufficient samples and miniatures to provide you with some very informative (and hopefully useful) reviews in 2013. Tomorrow we will start the year with Evan Williams, a very reasonable and affordable Bourbon from Kentucky! 

I hope you will continue to like Best Shot Whisky reviews in 2013. Please let me know your suggestions, ideas or wishes in the Comments section or send me an e-mail (janende@uol.com.br). 

Cheers, Happy 2013 and hope to see you all back tomorrow to check out the Evan Williams Review.

Jan