Old Orkney Review

Hi everyone, after a week holidays in the mountains I'm back with the first Review of the New Year. But first of all I would like to wish all my readers and their families a very Happy and Healthy 2015. Over the last 3 years you have supported Best Shot Whisky Reviews with your visits, questions and comments. I sincerely hope that you will continue to accompany my Journey through the Land of Single Malts and Blends from all over the world in 2015! The interest you have shown is a huge driver for me to try and improve with every new review. Please feel free to leave your comments, questions and suggestions. They are more than welcome! And now let's continue with the first Review of 2015!  

“A Weak Revival of an Old Name”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islands - Orkney

Brand: Old Orkney
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail, Elgin

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Full Gold

Nose: A quick Floral brush is followed too rapidly by Caramel, Grains, Young Oak, Malt, light Peat, light Cold Smoke, lightly Buttered Toast, Peanuts, Dried Apricot, light Citrus, light Acetone and a sprinkle of Salt. The Alcohol stings a little. All in all, it doesn't seem to go in any specific direction and I miss a bit of balance and purpose. Still, at this Price Level I have nosed far worse.

Taste: Thin, Edgy and slightly Bitter Arrival. The Alcohol is quite present. I find some Toffee, Caramel, Refill Oak, Wood Spice, Licorice and the Smoke of a cheap Menthol Cigarette.

Finish: Bitter-Sweet and Short with Grains, Alcohol, Spices, light Salty Peat, Sea Water, Sugar, Menthol, Refill Oak and a vague Floral note.

I added a few drops of Water and the Nose gets a little extra Fruit. It almost doesn't smell like Whisky anymore. It's more like a Banana-Rum Cocktail. Still, it's not bad. Try it out! Palate and Finish however do not accept the added Water. 

Rating: 72

Nose: 19 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18

The Gordon & MacPhail Shop in Elgin

General Remarks: Gordon and MacPhail is an Independent Bottler and Distiller founded in Elgin in 1895. Currently the company bottles over 350 expressions from around 70 Distilleries as well as Blended Whiskies. Originally, Old Orkney or "OO" was a Single Malt produced in the 1920's at the Stromness Distillery on the Isle of Orkney. This Distillery closed in 1928 but "OO" remained available into the late 1930's, firstly as Single Malt and later on as Blended Whisky. The name Old Orkney was revived in the 1990's by Gordon & MacPhail. Next to the 8 Years you can find a 12 Years Blended Malt Whisky. Old Orkney 8 Years sells at an average 26 US Dollars. I bought the miniature on the spot at the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin. The light Floral Smoke suggests the presence of young Highland Park in the Blend.

Drinking Experience Neat: The Nose is okay but the rest is below average.

Conclusion: The Label states that this Old Orkney is "The Islands Peedie (Small)
Dram". But if I lived on Orkney I would go for a Highland Park instead unless I would be totally out of cash. Because the "OO" is a simple bottom shelf Blend, be it with a reasonable Nose at this price level. Other than that there's not a lot to enjoy and if I was either Gordon or MacPhail I'm not sure I would want to commercialise this type of Blend as it does not seem to fit in their well known range of quality whiskies. In any case I won't dream of the Old Orkney 8 Years tonight!  

Jan van den Ende                                                             January 4, 2015

Tomatin Legacy Review

“An Affordable Summer Malt”

Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Tomatin Legacy

Type: Single Malt

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Light like a Summer Breeze! This is quite clearly a relatively Young Single Malt. Fruity New Make Spirit on a bed of Pine Needles and light Oak. I find light notes of Lemon Cake, Butterscotch, Buttered Toast, Pencil Shavings, Grass, Tropical Fruit Cocktail, Canned Pineapple, Banana Ice Cream, Vanilla, Malt, Milk Chocolate, Nuts, light Citrus, Floral - and Vegetable Tones and Mint Flavoured Tea. These are mostly subtle Notes though. The Alcohol is not fully integrated and that's a pity. Otherwise it's reasonably Well-Balanced.

Taste: Light and Sweet with Sweet Barley, Pine Needles, Grass, Sweet Honey Candies, Toffee, Fruit Cake with added Cream, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Oak, Lemon, Nuts, Cinnamon and Pepper.    

Finish: Middle-Long, Mostly Sweet and Buttery with Sweet Barley, Apple-Pie, Ginger Bread, Dairy, Lemon, Salted Nuts, Pepper and Cinnamon. A bit Dry in the end with a light Metallic Off-Note.

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose you get extra Barley, Dairy, Fruit and Toffee. Palate and Finish become too Thin. However, it's nice to Nose it with a bit of Added Water!

Rating: 82.5   

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

My Miniature of the Legacy

General Remarks: The Tomatin Distillery was founded in 1897 and is located close to the A9 Motorway, halfway between Aviemore and Inverness. Over the years it grew very fast and today it has one the largest production capacities in the industry, although the distillery is currently not producing at full capacity. It is owned by the Japanese Takara Shuzo and Okura Group. A large part of the production (80%) goes into blends like Antiquary and Talisman. Lately the distillery is making an effort to promote its Single Malts. The Tomatin Legacy is a new NAS Entry Level that was launched in 2013. It matured in a mix of Ex-Maker's Mark Bourbon Barrels and Virgin Oak Casks. It costs on average 30 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Light, Fruity and Uncomplicated Summer Dram. Might do quite well over a little Ice. Great Value for Money as well if you can find it at around 30 US Dollars. The Nose is Light and Sweet with lots of Tropical Fruit. Like Brazilian New Make Spirit! If that would be produced over here of course which it ain't! A touch too Light on the Palate. Here a bit of extra Wood Contact would have helped. In the Finish there's this light Metallic Off-Note that probably should not have been there. But if you like the Flavour Profile and like Young, Light and Fruity Whisky you can't go wrong with the Tomatin Legacy at this price level.

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 26, 2014

Edradour Ballechin # 7 Review

“The Pink Panther From Pitlochry”

Country: Scotland

Region: Southern Highlands

Brand: Edradour Ballechin # 7 Bordeaux Cask (The Discovery Series)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Said to be around 10 Years)

Alcohol: 46%

Edradour, the Farm Distillery

Colour: Bronze with a touch of Red.

Nose: Despite the high PPM (comparable to Ardbeg) the Peat and Smoke are not at all dominant. It's like a Veil of Fog, hanging there in the back of the Glass. Well Done! My main impression is of Cooked (Dark) Red Fruits like Raspberries, Strawberries and Blackcurrants. I also find Hay, Flowery Perfume, Butter Cake, Mandarin, Red Wine, Cooked Apples, light Vanilla, Fresh Wood, Wax, Herbs and Spices. Finally I detect Acetone and a distant hint of Leather. It's not bad but a bit too much Cooked Fruits for a Whisky. At least, for my Nose!

Some of the Cask Types Used

Taste: Good Delivery. On the Palate the Peat is more noticeable alongside Sour Red Fruit (Berries) and Flowery Perfume. It's quite Dry and Spicy with Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Salt. I also find traces of Vanilla, Butter, Licorice and Leather.

The Wash Backs

Finish: Quite Long with Peat, Smoke, Tar, Ashes, Leather, Red Fruit, Buttered Toast, Cocoa Powder, Pepper, Nutmeg and an interesting hint of Salted Meat. For me it's the best part of this Edradour.

Still # 2

This Edradour does not benefit from added Water. The ABV of 46% is Spot On for this Expression.

Rating: 84.5 

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

The Smallest Distillery in Scotland

General Remarks: The Edradour Distillery was founded in 1825 and is located in Pitlochry, Perthshire. It changed hands various times but in 2002 it was bought by Andrew Symington/The Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. from the French Pernod Ricard Group. It's the smallest distillery in Scotland with an annual production of only 130.000 litres. All of the Spirit is sold as Single Malt Whisky. The core range consists of the 10 Years and the 12 Years Caledonia. Edradour experiments heavily with Wine Finishing using a.o. Sherry, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Port, Marsala, Chardonnay, Chateauneuf du Pape and Barolo Casks. The Ballechin expressions on the other hand fully mature in Wine Casks. The Ballechin # 7  that I am reviewing today, was launched in 2012 and matured in Ex-Bordeaux Casks. Edradour produces both peated and un-peated Spirit. The heavily peated Ballechin # 7 Bordeaux (50 PPM) costs around 80 US Dollars.  Only 6000 Bottles were produced. The Ballochin # 7 is Naturally Coloured and Non Chill-Filtered. 

The Setting is Really Nice!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Usually I'm not a big fan of Edradour but I have to say that they did well with the Ballechin # 7. It's got a lot of Red Fruit and you have to like that in a Whisky. But the interaction of the Peat and other Aromas and Flavours is nicely done. And I especially enjoyed he Finish and the unexpected hint of Salted Meat. As you probably know I'm not a huge fan of the Whisky and Red Wine combo but there are always exceptions and this is one of them. So if you like the Flavour profile you can't go wrong with this Edradour Despite the rather high price level and the horrible packaging!

Cleaning Out the Closet!

Some Data: The name Edradour means "Between Two Waters".  It's located just outside Pitlochry close to the A 924 and 27 miles north of Perth. The Distillery possesses 1 open cast iron Mash Tun, 2 Wash Backs of Oregon Pine and 2 Stills. Edradour is one of the last remaining Farm Distilleries and its location is very picturesque. A Visitor Centre was opened in 1982. It includes a very nice Shop and a Tasting Bar. It's the third most visited Scotch Distillery with an average of 90.000 visitors per year. 

Still # 1

The water for the distillery is sourced from the springs on Moulin Moor. From May to October, Edradour opens from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 to 17.00 hours, except in May and October when it opens at 10.00. It also opens on Sundays from 12.00 to 17.00. From November to April it opens from Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00 and on Sunday from 12.00 to 16.00 except in January and February when it's closed on Sundays. The Standard Tour costs 5 Pounds and can be a bit messy when there are lots of visitors. 

Some Casks Maturing in the Warehouse

We visited Edradour on Monday, May 26 2014. The weather that day was not too bad. Rain at times but some Sunshine as well. We did the Standard Tour and, as stated above, there were lots of visitors. Various groups were doing the Tour at the same time and it became a bit messy. Our Group for instance started at the Warehouse and worked our way back through the production process, thereby constantly clashing with groups that followed the correct order of things. Before the Tour started we tasted a peated Edradour, the 10 Years and a Whisky Liqueur. At times I felt that Edradour has become a touristic attraction rather than a Whisky Distillery that can be visited. Tourism is big business at Edradour these days and it looks like they are making more money on that than on the actual Whisky sales. Let's hope that Edradour will be able to find a balance between Tourism and making good Whisky in the coming years.  

The Pink Panther from Pitlochry!

Jan van den Ende                                                        December 23, 2014

Edradour, Certainly Worth a Visit!