Whyte & Mackay 30 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Whyte & Mackay

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: 30 Years (Said to contain Whiskies as old as 36 Years)

ABV: 40%

Colour: Golden Sunset

Nose: It takes a little while before the Nose starts to reveal itself. But give it some time and you will find that this is a well-crafted balanced Nose. No off-notes to be found here. The first words that come to my mind are luxurious, rich, smooth and comfortable like an old English upholstered chair. A nice combination of Grain and Malt Whiskies with Sherry, Leather, Orange Marmalade, Citrus Peel, Figs, Fruitcake, Malt, Marzipan, Light Spices, Wood, Toffee and lots of Dried Red Fruits like Plums, Prunes and Raisins. Buttered Toast and hints of Tobacco and Cocoa Powder. Very much a sherried Speyside Nose.

Taste: As so often I had expected more after the Nose. The delivery suffers from the fact that this Blend was bottled at 40% only. This combination of thirty years old - and even older whiskies deserves an ABV of at least 46%. The basic elements of the Nose are confirmed however as I get Malt, Caramel, Marzipan, Sherry, Citrus Peel, Orange Marmalade, Dry Oak and Nuts. Additionally I find Licorice, Brown Sugar and Dark Bitter Chocolate. I also detect a Soapy off-note that continues in the Finish. Could it be the Jura component?

Finish: Middle Long with Malt, Grains, Slightly Bitter Oak, Bitter Chocolate, Caramel and Anise.

I added a few drops of Water but I don't find significant improvements. Better sip this Blend neat.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: Can't complain about the presentation. Very sophisticated bottle and packaging. I received this Sample from my Belgian friend Glenn VanBellingen. Thanks once again Glenn! 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: This Blend has been elected Blended whisky of the year on two different occasions but based on this sample I can't agree with that. The Nose certainly lives up to expectations but the Palate and Finish don't. Even when I don't consider the clear Soap-like off-note, the delivery is too thin on account of the 40% ABV. Because of that, the luxurious and rich impressions of the Nose are literally watered down. And that's a real pity. I'm not saying that the W&M 30 years is a bad whisky. But this is a very expensive Blend at around 220 US Dollars. At that price level I expect nothing less but an excellent Blend. And the Nose shows that it could have been just that. At 40% however, Nose and Palate do not get the chance to really shine. I really hope I will be able to ask W&M Master Blender Richard Paterson one day why!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 December 27, 2012

Glenmorangie Lasanta Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland 

Brand: Glenmorangie Lasanta Extra Matured

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 46%

Date: 25/12/2012 and 05/01/2013

Colour: Amber/Golden

Nose: Quite Sweet and Syrupy with the characteristic Glenmorangie combination of Orange, Dried Fruits (Raisins, Figs), Oak, Caramel, Honey and Spices like Cinnamon and Ginger. I also get Sherry, Nuts, Malt and Fruity tones like Peach and Mango. A hint of Grounded Roasted Coffee. 

Taste: Malt, Sweet Sherry, White Pepper, Orange Liqueur, Vanilla, Nuts (Almonds), Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Licorice and Butterscotch, Hints of Red Grapes, Olive Oil and Grapefruit. 

Finish: Sweet at first but dryer towards the end with Orange, Ginger, Nutmeg, Mint, Cocoa, Nuts, Oak and White Pepper.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose gets a more Fruity and Malty character while Orange and Spices start to dominate the Palate. I prefer this neat but you can certainly experiment with a bit of Water.

Rating:  84.5 

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

General Remarks: The Lasanta (Gaelic for Warmth) replaces the old Sherry Finish. It has matured for 10 years in Ex-Bourbon Casks and is Extra Matured for 2-3 years in Oloroso Sherry Casks from Spain. It costs around 55 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: The first dram of the Lasanta that I tasted on December 25, 2012 came from a 10 cl. bottle that was part of a gift set that also included the 10 Original, the Nectar d' Or and the Quinta Ruban. Unfortunately I got a strong impression of Sulphur and a clear Rhubarb-like off note. I did not detect Sulphur and off-notes in any of the other three. When my colleague Rodrigo Fernandes read the review he was quite surprised with my findings of Sulphur. He offered me a sample from a large bottle he had recently acquired at the Duty Free Shop at Sao Paulo Airport and I gladly accepted. Thanks for that Rodrigo! I'm tasting this sample today and I do not find any Sulphur or off-notes. I must therefore conclude that something was wrong with the 10 cl. bottle. As a result I have upgraded the Lasanta a full 2 points. This new end result is quite similar to the Quinta Ruban and the Nectar d' Or. And that's about right. All three are Single Malts I will enjoy occasionally as an after dinner dram.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  January 2013

Merry Christmas!

Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

I don't know about you but for me 2012 is a year that went by very quick.   Almost Christmas again and I'm sweating here behind my computer. The temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius and it's very humid. We had a lot of rain in Sao Paulo again this afternoon. So it was a short - but very interesting year for the site. First of all I would like to thank you all for showing so much - and constant interest in Whisky and Classic Rock. Thanks to the site I have been able to make friends all around the world. It's amazing to see how today's communication brings people together. With so much interest it's easy for me to continue and I'm looking forward to review many interesting whiskies and records in 2013. But first it's Christmas time and I would like to wish you all a Merry Merry Christmas. Enjoy these days with the family, some good food, wine and of course a nice dram. 
Cheers to all of you and see you all back tomorrow!
Saude!
Jan

Santis Malt Edition Cask 1130 Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Malt Edition Cask 1130

Type: Appenzeller Single Malt Whisky

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 64%

Date: 20/12/2012

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: The Cask Strength guarantees a strong Nose. There is quite some Alcohol there so give the dram time to relax and open up. After a while I get a very agreeable combination of Fruity - and Grassy tones. It's comparable to the Edition Germany but more sophisticated. I recognise Red Grapes, Plums, Straw, Wood, Malt, Caramel, Honey, Vanilla, Bourbon and Buttered Toast. This could have been bottled at a slightly lower ABV of around 50% in my opinion. But if you like strong Bourbons such as Knob Creek Small Batch 9 or Noah's Mill 15 you will love this Nose.

Taste: Strong Delivery as could be expected with Sweet Malt, Red Fruits, Caramel, Straw, Honey, Plums and Wood (Spices). A hint of Cocoa Powder. Palate and Finish of the Cask 1130 are significantly better than the (already very nice) Edition Germany.

Finish: Very pleasant and quite long with Red Fruit, Red Wine, Caramel, Plum Liqueur and Honey.

I added a few drops of Water and the Alcohol is of course subdued. The characteristics of the Nose do not change dramatically however although Caramel and Honey present themselves even more clearly. On the Palate the Red Wine notes and Spices become more dominant. You can certainly add a bit of water to this whisky. Personally I would prefer to Nose and Sip it neat as the various flavour components are nicely balanced that way.

Rating:  87.5  

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: Cask 1130 is a special bottling of the Locher Distillery. Only 450 bottles of 500 ml were extracted from this old Pinot Noir Cask. Bottling took place on September 21, 2011 at a Cask Strength of 64%. This can't be a cheap whisky of course and bottles are sold at around 150 US Dollars. This whisky is only for sale at the Visitor Centre of the Distillery in Appenzell, Switzerland. It's Non Chill-Filtered and no E-150 was added.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: This is an excellent and well-crafted whisky, no doubt about that. Some people might find it a bit on the strong side with an ABV of 64%. But the Pinot Noir Cask obviously was of excellent quality. The Red Grapes and Plums combine very nicely with the Sweet Barley, Honey and Bourbon-like Vanilla. The Finish is very pleasant and long-lasting. The Cask 1130 scored high in Blind Tasting sessions and deservedly so. I certainly hope that the Locher Distillery will take it from here and surprise us in the future with other well crafted, sufficiently matured and nicely finished Single Malts. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   December 2012

John Mayall - The Turning Point - 1969 - Review

Songs: The Laws Must Change, Saw Mill Gulch Road, I´m Gonna Fight For You J.B., So Hard To Share, California, Thoughts About Roxanne, Room To Move.

Type of Music: British Blues

Comments:

Mick Taylor had just left for the Stones and John Mayall was left with Steve Thompson on Bass only. Instead of looking for new guitar players and drummers however, he invited two session musicians (Jon Mark & Johnny Almond) and went on tour.

One of these basically acoustic concerts was recorded on July 12, 1969 at the Fillmore East in New York City.

The record is a relaxing mix of blues and long jazzy grooves carried by Johnny´s Sax and Jon´s acoustic finger-style guitar. The album got extra airplay of course on account of the single Room to Move that was released in countries like The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For once the single is indeed the best track on the album.

None of the other songs is bad as well. The only problem I have with the album is that all songs sound somewhat similar, caused by the stripped instrumentation and John´s slightly irritating voice.

I actually think that this might have been a great album if performed by a full band line up including electric guitar and drums. And with a better singer!!

Yeah, I know,  I´m going too far now. Because we wouldn´t be talking about a John Mayall album any longer. So let´s take The Turning Point for what it is. A pleasant relaxing jazzy blues album made by four performers that play together in a very natural way. And they couldn´t have had much time to rehearse!

Who should buy this Record: A Must For John Mayall and Jazz/Blues fans.  It´s not an Essential Rock Record however.   

Afterthought: You better look  for  the Re-Mastered version released in 2001. It has 3 bonus tracks, a/o the single Don´t Waste My Time.  

Score: ******* (7 out of 10)