Goldlys 12 Years Pedro Ximenez Review

"Gin House Blues"

Country: Belgium

Brand: Goldlys

Type: Double Still Whisky - Pedro Ximenez Finish - Limited Edition 2012

Age:  12 Years

ABV: 43 %

Date: 15/03/2014

Colour: Light Copper

Nose: Don't stick your Nose right away in the middle of the glass because the Alcohol is quite strong there. Better to nose the Goldlys along the edge of your glass. Here you will find lots of Grain (Wheat, Rye), Toast with Margarine and New Oak. It's quite dry actually. Some Sweet tones as well, mainly Sugar and Vanilla. Traces of Salt, Sherry, Varnish and Lemon. 

Palate: Sharp Alcohol, slightly Bitter Wood, Salt, Pepper, Winter Spices, Ginger Ale, Lemon and a bit of Toffee. It reminds me of Spiced Gin. 

Finish: Short and Spicy with Grains, Malt, Alcohol, Pepper and Salt. Quite like Gin or Dutch Jenever.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets extra Creamy Grains and a Margarine - Butter Mix. On the Palate and in the Finish the Alcohol looses ground. You can carefully experiment with a few drops at a time.

Rating: 70

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 17 - Finish: 17 - Overall: 17.5

General Remarks: The Goldlys 12 PX Finish is Double Still Whisky.This technique uses both Pot - and Column Stills. Malted Barley and other Grains are used in the distilling process. It will be difficult to find a full bottle as only 1850 units were released in 2012. Currently it sells at around 85 Dollars. This Whisky is produced in the Villiers Grain Distillery, founded around 1880 and located near Ghent in Belgium. The distillery mainly produces Jenever and Gin. The Goldlys 12 PX Finish matures on Ex-Bourbon Casks from Clermont Spring and is being finished on Ex-PX Sherry Butts.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: My first Belgian whisky and I'm disappointed. I had expected more from a 12 year old Single Malt with PX Finish. On the Palate the Sherry is hardly noticeable but the PX butt did provide a nice dark colour. The Nose is the best part of this Goldlys. Some nice Fat Grains and Vanilla and a touch of Sherry. But on the Palate and in the Finish this Goldlys much more resembles a Gin or Jenever than a Whisky. Maybe a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks would produce a better result. I am really a supporter of the new Whisky producing countries and I wish them all the success in the world. But I do think they need to work on the Aroma and Flavour profile to be able to successfully compete with Scottish Malt in the future. As it stands, the Goldlys 12 Years PX Finish leaves me with a bit of the "Gin House Blues".

Jan van den Ende                                                                  March 2014

Glenfarclas 25 Years Review

“Woody Woodpecker”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland/Speyside

Brand: Glenfarclas

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 25 Years

ABV:  43 %

Sample Provided by Derek from the USA. Many Thanks!

Colour: Amber

Nose: Quite restrained actually for a 25 Year old Single Malt. Nice combination of Fruit, Sherry and Oak. I find Tangerine, Apricot, Apple and a very distinct note of English Marmalade. I also get some Flowers/Heather/Herbs, Honey, Hazelnut Paste (Nutella), Pears in Heavy Syrup, Cocoa, light Vanilla, Lemon Zest, Dark Chocolate, Malt and a little Cinnamon. The Alcohol is there but it's sufficiently integrated. It's not a truly spectacular Nose but it is very pleasant and invites you to take a sip.

Palate: Much more Oak than I would have expected after Nosing. A bit too much if you ask me! It's almost like a Cognac. I also find Cocoa Powder, Dried Fruits and Hazelnuts, light Sherry, Buttered Toast, Orange Marmalade, Toffee, Citrus, light Pepper, Nutmeg and Cloves.  

Finish: Quite Long, Oaky and lightly Bitter-Sweet with Dark Chocolate, Toffee, Honey, Malt, Sugared Almonds, Buttered Toast, Orange Marmalade and light Spices (Nutmeg and Cloves).

I added some Water and I find some nice extra Dark Chocolate tones on the Nose. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water.

Rating: 86

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21- Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Glenfarclas Distillery was founded in 1836 and has been in the hands of the Grant family for around 150 years now, a rare fact in the Whisky Industry. It is located in Ballindalloch (Banffshire). The 25 Years is part of the Core Range of this Distillery together with the 10, 12, 15, 21, 30 and 40 Years. It sells at around 180 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The 25 Years is a nice Single Malt, especially on the Nose. But it's also quite expensive given the fact that it's not that different from the 15 and 17 years except that you get a lot more Oak. And I'm not sure that's a good thing. If you like Sherry & Wood or Cognac, this might just be the Single Malt you like. I liked the tasting experience but I would not spend 180 US Dollars on a full bottle.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 March 13, 2014