Crown Royal Black Review

Country: Canada

Brand: Crown Royal Black

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 45%

Colour: Very Dark Reddish Amber. I suspect that a generous hand of Caramel was added. This is the darkest dram I've reviewed so far.

Nose: In a blind tasting session, nine out of ten people (including me) would probably identify this as an American Bourbon or Rye Whiskey. The first impressions are Sweet Corn, Rye, Charred Oak, Pepper,Vanilla (Custard), Maple Syrup, Cherry Cough Syrup and Alcohol. After a while I find some Orange Peel, Mint and Cinnamon. Nice effort!

Taste: Bitter Caramel (Too much E 150?), Brown Sugar, Rye, Pepper, Licorice, Orange Peel, Alcohol (Ethanol), Nuts and Cherries. The Crown Royal character pops up a bit now. Taste Wise this is not a Bourbon anymore. It's more Crown Royal Fine De Luxe goes Bourbon style!  I'm not too impressed. I get visions of cheap Rum and Coca Cola!

Finish: Rye, White Pepper, Orange Peel, Alcohol (Ethanol) and Bitter Grapefruit Juice.

I added a few drops of Water but won't do that again despite the 45% ABV. The bitterness on the Palate is becoming unpleasant. Better sip this neat or with Coca Cola.

Rating: 78.5 

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

General Remarks: This new 45% ABV expression of the well-known Crown Royal Blend was launched by the Diageo Group in April 2010 with a massive propaganda campaign. It is distilled at the Gimli Distillery in Manitoba, Canada and matures in Charred Oak Barrels. Crown Royal Black contains Corn, Rye and Grain Whiskies and was elaborated by Master Blender Andrew MacKay. It is imported and bottled in the USA by the Crown Royal Company, Norwalk (CT).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Crown Royal definitively looked for ways to attract the US Bourbon market when launching the Black. First they put in lots of Caramel to make it look like Bourbon. Then they in fact managed to blend a Nose together that is quite similar to American Bourbon and Rye Whisky. Good work from Andy MacKay in this respect. But on the Palate the Caramel and Ethanol are too dominant and don't give the other flavours a real chance. Americans may be tricked in trying out the Black once but at an average price of around US$ 35 there are too many good Bourbon and Rye Whiskey alternatives available that simply outclass this Canadian brother!

Jan van den Ende                                                              November 2, 2012

James Taylor - James Taylor - Review

Songs: Don´t Talk Now, Something´s Wrong, Knocking ´Round The Zoo, Sunshine Sunshine, Taking It In, Something In The Way She Moves, Carolina In My Mind, Brighten Your Night With My Day, Night Owl, Rainy Day Man, Circle Around The Sun, The Blues Is Just A Bad Dream.

Best Song:  Carolina In My Mind

Type of Music: Soft Rock/Folk

Comments:

Most people think that James Taylor popped up out of nowhere in 1970 with his album Sweet Baby James and the Hit Single Fire And Rain. T´is not so. James was born in 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. Around 1964 he played in a band called The Fabulous Corsairs. After that Danny Kortchmar asked him to play in his band that was called The Flying Machine. They released one single namely Night Owl/Brighten Your Night With My Day. In 1968, James went to England and met producer Peter Asher (The Peter from Peter & Gordon). Together they went to see Paul McCartney and as a result James Taylor was the first artist to sign for Apple Records.

After some long hours in the Think Tank, the resulting album was simply called James Taylor. Peter Asher thought it a good idea to add some brass. He also provided most of the Baroque style links between the songs. Especially the first six tracks are thus glued together and form a suite based on Taylor´s personal experiences including his short stay in a mental institution, here referred to as The Zoo. It is well-known that James has had a serious heroin problem throughout his career. 

Despite the above, this album sounds quite confident. James knows how to write a nice soft-rock song or two. Other artists seem to think so as well. It´s obvious where George Harrison got his inspiration for Something. And Bonnie Raitt would make Rainy Day Man her song on her album Streetlights. James himself would re-record some songs later on in the seventies and would even hit the charts with Carolina In My Mind.

James Taylor is a pleasant combination of folk, soft-rock, blues and country, craftily produced by Peter Asher. Another perfect album for a rainy Sunday morning. Unfortunately, not all songs are as good as Don´t Talk Now, Something, Carolina In My Mind and The Blues Is Just A Bad Dream. As always, there´s quite some filler as well. Not really bad but somewhat boring.

Still, a very confident first album from an artist that would go on to dominate the Soft-Rock Scene in the early Seventies.

Who should buy this Record: Everyone who enjoys pleasant Soft-Rock. It is not an Essential James Taylor Album though.

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

Glen Moray 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Glen Moray

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Amber

Nose: Not as crisp as the 8 years. Quite Speyside though with Minerals and Floral tones like Heather and a light hint of Peat. I also find Toffee, Malt, Oak, Lemon and Vanilla. Fruity tones are present but in a more subdued way. I get a bit of Orange, Pear and Cocoa.

Taste: Medium-Sweet to Sweet. Slightly Watery delivery with Malt, Oak, Vanilla, Sugared Tea, Wood Spices and Toffee.  

Finish: Medium-Long with Spices (Black Pepper and Ginger), Nuts, Licorice, Malt, Toffee and Oak.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose becomes a bit more Malty and Fruity (Orange, Apricot, Peach). But taste wise I can't find any significant improvements. If anything, the dram becomes more Sugary Sweet.

Rating: 79   

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20- Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

General Remarks:  The Glen Moray-Glenlivet distillery is located close to the city of Elgin, the capital of the Moray region. Glen Moray whiskies  have been distilled there since 1897. The Elgin region is known for excellent malting Barley and a mild climate. The Glen Moray is matured in American Oak Casks and stored in traditional low roofed warehouses that are said to maintain the well-rounded characteristics of this spirit. The distillery is owned since 2008 by La Martiniquaise from France.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion: I don't know about you but I like young Speysides. They are light and crisp and the Floral, Lemon and light Fruit Tones (Pear) aptly qualify them as a very nice Aperitif. They taste great with a bit of Ice on a warm summer day. That's why I like a.o. the Glen Moray 8. It's not a great and complex whisky but it has all of these simple, yet effective qualities. With 4 extra years of American Oak, the Glen Moray 12 is more subdued and frankly a bit boring. While it does not show any significant progress in complexity, it looses quite a bit of the crispy and fruity youth that makes the 8 attractive as an Aperitif. I'm sure this Single Malt would be a lot more interesting when bottled at say 46%. Like the 8 Years, the Glen Moray 12 years is not very expensive. I paid 35 US Dollars at the Duty Free Shop in  Argentina. Still, I don't see me buying the 12 again. Not because it's a bad whisky. But because it does not quite qualify as an Aperitif and it's too simple as a to-go-to sipping dram.

Jan van den Ende                                                              October 30, 2012

Santis Malt Edition Alpstein Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Malt (Appenzeller Single Malt)

Type: Edition Alpstein

Age: 5 Years

ABV: 48%

Date: 28/10/2012

Colour: Oloroso Sherry

Nose: The good quality Sherry Cask certainly did its job well. The Sherry is accompanied by Oak, Malt, Wood Spices and Buttered Toast with Fruit Marmalade. Think of Pear, Plum, Blueberries and Peach. There are some Floral tones as well. It would be quite difficult or even impossible to identify this Dram as a Swiss Whisky in a blind tasting. There are some similarities between the Alpstein and Irish Whiskey but I'm sure the Sherry Finish would "confuse" a lot of tasters. And that's a great achievement by a young distillery like Locher! I would be really curious to know what a couple of years more of Wood contact could do to this dram.

Taste: I was expecting lots of Fruit and Butterscotch on the Palate but that's not the case. In fact, the Alpstein is quite Dry and Spicy thanks to the 48% ABV with Malt, Oak, Herbs, Sherry, Licorice and Dried Fruits. 

Finish: Some Fruit returns together with Oak, Caramel, White Pepper and Licorice. Hints of Tea with Stroh Rum that I drank a lot in the late Seventies and early Eighties when skiing in Austria.

I added a few drops of Water and you get More Malt and Fruit on the Nose. Palate and Finish get a bit too spicy as far as I'm concerned but you can certainly experiment with a couple of drops.

Rating:  82.5 

Nose:  22 - Taste:  20 - Finish: 20   - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Alpstein is one of the new expressions from the Locher Distillery in Appenzell, Switzerland. The Alpstein matured for three years in Old Oak Beer Casks from the Locher Brewery and was finished for another two years in Sherry Casks. The Alpstein does not contain E-150 Caramel and is Non Chill-Filtered. Of this Edition, only 450 bottles were produced.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A very mature whisky from a very young Distillery. The Alpstein has a very pleasant Fruity Nose that can easily compete with Scottish Malt Whisky. Unfortunately, as happens so oft with whiskies, Palate and Finish don't quite live up to the expectations created by the Nose. This is quite understandable as the Alpstein only matured for 5 years. Imagine this dram after 10 years in Old Oak and a 2 year Finish in Quality Sherry Casks. I think a great after dinner dram would emerge. I really cross my fingers for the Locher Distillery. I hope they will get the chance to surprise the whisky world with fully matured Swiss Single Malts.

Jan van den Ende                                                                       October 2012

Macallan Select Oak Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Macallan Select Oak

Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: The First Fill Ex-Sherry Casks make their mark together with Oak, Butterscotch, Malt, Dried Fruits (Raisins and Blackberries), Fresh Fruit (Pears), Leather and Tobacco. Hints of Grass and Lemon. Hardly any Alcohol present.

Taste: Sweet Sherry, Spices (White Pepper and Ginger), Butterscotch, Licorice, Nuts, Oak, Vanilla.

Finish: Middle-Long and Dry with White Pepper, Oak, Raisins and Almonds. A hint of Chocolate.

I added a few drops of Water and you get more Malt and Fruit (Peach) on the Nose. Palate and Finish don't benefit from the Water however so my advice is to sip this dram neat. 

Rating: 85.5 

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

General Remarks: The Select Oak forms part of the 1824 Travel Retail Series, released in 2009 to celebrate 1824, the year that the Macallan Distillery was licensed. The other 3 are the Estate Reserve, the 1824 Limited Release and the Whisky Maker's Edition. The Select Oak is a vatted blend of Single Malt Macallan whiskies matured in different Cask Types namely American Oak seasoned with either Bourbon or Sherry and a high percentage of First-Fill European Oak Sherry Casks.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: If you like a sherried dram, this Macallan might be a nice option. I think it's better than the 10 Year Sherry Oak. I don't know if it's still available but I bought it two years ago at the Duty Free for US$ 55 a liter. And that's not a bad price. On the Nose the Sherry and Butterscotch are dominant. The Oak is of good quality though and I like the Tobacco and Leather Tones. The Palate is basically a combination of Sweet Sherry and strong Spices. The Pepper holds its ground in the Middle-Long Finish. In my opinion the Select Oak is a well-crafted dram with a good price/quality ratio, especially for a Travel Retail Bottling. It would improve even further if it would be bottled at a higher ABV of say 46%. As it is, the Select Oak is a good choice for an after dinner dram but not quite exciting enough for me to sip on a regular basis. 

Jan van den Ende                                                               October 26, 2012