Jack Daniels Single Barrel Review

Country: USA

Brand: Jack Daniels Single Barrel

Type: Whiskey (Tennessee)

Age:  NAS (Usually over 4 Years)

Alcohol: 47%

Colour: Deep Reddish/Full Gold

Nose: Sweet Corn, Maple Syrup, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Spice (White Pepper), Acetone, Banana, Furniture Wax and Butter. A bit of Alcohol is present what can be expected when bottled at 47%. The Nose is a more mature version of the Old # 7. After a while I get additional fruit (Peach). Quite nice. Need a little time to open up.

Taste: Cinnamon, Rye, White Pepper, Charred Wood, Vanilla, Toffee, Cigar Box, Cherries and Licorice.

Finish: Quite long. Dry, Spicy and Sour with Lemon, Licorice, Walnuts and Rye. Bit of Maple Syrup is the only sweet component.

I added a couple of drops of water to the whiskey that suppressed the Alcohol and the White Pepper on the Nose. It becomes sweeter and mellow with more Cinnamon, Maple Syrup, Sweet Corn and Caramel. Taste and Finish just mellow down a bit. You can certainly experiment with a little water here.

Rating   82   

Nose: 21.5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20– Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Jack Daniels Distillery is located in Lynchburg (Tennessee). It was indeed founded by a man called Jack Daniel in 1866 and it stayed in the family until 1956 when it was bought by Brown Forman from Kentucky.  

The Single Barrels that are chosen for this expression are selected from the uppermost floors of the warehouses located on the hills surrounding the distillery. During the year these floors endure extremes in temperature resulting in very aromatic and smooth whiskeys. Each bottle is hand–labeled and marked with the number of the Barrel, the Rick and the date of bottling. In this case I’m tasting bottle # II-5199 from Rick # L-2 that was bottled on the 13^th of October 2011. The mash bill for this whiskey consists of Corn, Barley and Rye.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Very Good

Conclusion: I found this Single Barrel to be in line with the general taste pattern of the Old # 7. It’s a bit more mature and polished than # 7 but not too smooth like the Gentleman Jack. It certainly benefits from the higher Alcohol percentage of 47%. If the Old # 7 would be bottled with the same percentage, it would be very difficult to tell them apart in a blind tasting session. Having said that, the nose of this Single Barrel was more interesting and mature than both Old # 7 and Gentleman Jack. The Peach tone was very convincing. And the colour is really beautiful. And it tastes great with Ice thanks to the 47% Alcohol. Is it worth all the extra money? I don’t think so. Despite the very nice bottle and packaging. In the end, I think that’s a compliment to the producers of Jack Daniels. It means that they have a very adequate standard expression with the Old # 7.

Jan van den Ende                                                           September 10, 2012

Crown Royal Fine De Luxe Review

Country: Canada

Brand: Crown Royal Fine De Luxe

Imported in the USA - and bottled by The Crown Royal Co., Norwalk (CT)

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS (Minimum 3 years)

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Sweet Grain similar to Bourbon but lighter, Caramel, Vanilla (Custard), Maple Syrup, Oak. Some Fruity Tones (think of Banana and Cherries). Hardly any Alcohol here.

Taste: Slightly Watery Delivery. Sweet Corn, Oak, Spices, Brown Sugar

Finish: Short, Dry, Slightly Bitter, Licorice, Spiced Rye and Oak.

I added a couple of drops of water that brought some Honeyed Sweetness to the Nose. But it waters down Palate and Finish so better drink this neat

Rating: 77.5   

Nose: 21 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: The Crown Royal Fine De Luxe is a Blend of 50 different whiskies, created in 1939 by the Seagram Company to celebrate the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It is made of Corn, Rye and malted Barley. It matures in a mixture of older – and new White Oak Barrels. It is produced at the Crown Royal Distillery at Gimli on the shores of Lake Winnipeg (Ontario). Today’s owners are the Diageo Group. It’s the best selling Canadian Whisky in the USA.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Pleasant Nose is not matched by an equally good Palate and Finish. I can see why it’s the best selling Canadian whisky in the States though. It’s quite similar in taste when compared to Bourbon. The Crown Royal would cost anything between 15 and 30 US Dollars, depending on where you live. For that price I prefer to buy a Bourbon. It does the same job, only better!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 8, 2012

The Battle Between the Grouses

Hi Everybody and Welcome to the Whisky Paradise,
Today is a National Holiday in Brazil and I took the opportunity to revisit two of Scotland's best selling Blends, the Famous Grouse and her peated sister the Black Grouse. Although neither of them can be called spectacular, both are highly drinkable and affordable. I can see why they are so popular. I tasted both Blends resp. in late 2011 and early 2012. Now, during my my second tasting session, both scored slightly higher as I got additional flavour details that I didn't taste before. Therefore I updated the Tasting Notes on both Blends. Curious who won the battle? You can find them Notes here  The Famous Grouse and here The Black Grouse.

I'm really looking forward to the month of October when I expect to receive around 30 miniature bottles of Scottish Single Malts. That means that, together with my stock here, I will have enough material for the rest of this year and 2013. Good news!

As always I would like to thank all regular and new visitors to the site. It's great to see world wide interest for Whisky and Classic Rock. In the last 24 hours we received visitors from Germany, Norway, Brazil, Yemen, the USA, Sweden, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Greece, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, South Africa, Russia and Turkey. Thanks for your kind interest and feel free to come back anytime. You are more than welcome. I wish you all a very nice weekend. Enjoy it with a nice dram!
Saude!
Jan

Santis Malt Edition Germany Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis (Appenzeller Single Malt)

Type: Edition “Germany”

Age: NAS (Around 5 Year)

Alcohol: 48%

Date: 06/09/2012

Colour: Golden/Red Glow

Nose: Pleasant with Malt, Apple, Red Fruit, Red Grape Juice, Wood, Honey, Vanilla and Buttered Toast.

Taste: Herbal and Dry, Wood, Spice, Sweet Red Fruit and hints of Licorice and Honey.

Finish: Middle-Long, quite dry and bitter-sweet with Caramel and Berries.

I added a bit of water and that removed the last bit of Alcohol on the Nose. Apple Pie with Honey and Red Fruit Topping. Delicious! Taste and Finish don’t change that much in my opinion although the Licorice note gets stronger and extends to the Finish. You can experiment with a few drops here.

Rating:  81.5  

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 but was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains and the whisky is matured in old used Oak Beer Casks. There are 5 expressions, 4 of them named after Alpstein Mtn. formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Drei-Faeltigkeit and Marwees. The fifth - and most recent addition, that is being reviewed today, is called the Edition “ Germany”,  a Single Cask expression, bottled at 48%. This whisky matured for 4,5 years in Old Beer Casks before being finished for 6 months in a Fresh Merlot Cask.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is the most “ Scottish” of the Swiss Malts I have tasted so far and I enjoyed it. I found the nose very pleasant with delicious Apple Pie, Honey and Red Fruits. I expected the Palate to be much sweeter but in fact it’s quite dry and herbal with some licorice notes. The Red Fruits go all the way from Nose to Finish. That Finish was a bit on the dry side in my opinion. This is the best Santis Malt so far and the extra years and bottling at 48% certainly added to the quality. This is the way to go certainly!

Jan van den Ende                                                                September 2012

Chieftain's Rosebank 14 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Chieftain’s Rosebank

Bottled by: Ian Macleod & Comp. Ltd., Edinburgh

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Lowland

Age: 14 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Date: 02/09/2012

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine

Nose: Not bad but slightly disappointing for a 14 Years Single Malt. Alcohol and Oak are very dominant at first. This dram really requires patience. After 15 minutes or so I find Apple (Vinegar), Malt, Lemon and Honey. Floral tones and Sweet Peach at the back of the glass. Once the dram opens up, the Nose is not unpleasant but rather plain and without significant depth. When you nose the empty glass you get a pleasant combination of Apple (Pie) and Malt.

Taste: Sugary Sweet White Grapes with some Spices. It’s not unlike a Grappa.

Finish: A bit hot with Apple, Spices and a touch of Honey.

With a few drops of water, Alcohol and Oak are toned down on the Nose. You get more Malt, Toast and a bit of Blossom and Fruit. The Palate is a little less sweet and more balanced. The Finish gets a bit extra Pepper. You can certainly experiment with a few drops in this case. But as always, don’t overdo it because with one drop too much it gets watered down.

Rating: 79.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 – Finish: 19– Overall: 19.5

General Remarks: Ian MacLeod is a so-called Independent Bottler. These companies play an important part in today’ s whisky industry. They buy casks of (young) spirit from Distilleries, mature them, finish them and bottle them, all at their own discretion and then sell the final product under their own label. This is all very attractive for whisky drinkers who look beyond the standard Distillery offerings. They are often bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered. Many times, but not always, Independent Bottlers offer products that are greatly appreciated.

The Rosebank Distillery was built on the banks of the Forth-Clyde Canal near Falkirk. Most of its production was used for Blends because of the light and floral character of the spirit. It is out of production since 1993 and practically dismantled. There are projects of a new Distillery at the same location but the Diageo Group, the owners of the Trademark Name Rosebank, deny that any whisky that might be produced there in the future will carry the name Rosebank.

Conclusion: Unfortunately I have no idea when this Single Malt was distilled and when it was bottled. I can only tell you that it aged for 14 years. The hot Spices indicate a high number of European Oak Casks but I can’t detect any Sherry influence so most likely Refill Casks were used. Honestly speaking I had expected more from a 14 Year Single Malt. It is a Lowland of course and we should consider the light character of those whiskies. But I feel this expression suffers from a lack of complexity and depth. It’s mainly Malt and Oak with a touch of Apple and Grappa. I bought a miniature of this whisky and that’s a great- and not very expensive way to sort out a dram. It will be hard to find a full bottle of this. I wouldn’t give it a lot of effort though if I were you!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Jan van den Ende                                                               September 2012