Bunnahabhain 1989 Great Cask Review

“Strange Kinda Woman”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bunnahabhain 1989 Great Cask Series

Selected by and Bottled for Whiskysite NL, The Netherlands

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 23 Years

ABV: 44.1 %

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Pleasant but not very complex for a 23 Year old Single Malt. The Floral and Fruity tones like Heather, light Honey, Flagrant Soap and (Green) Apple are combined with slightly Salty Mineral notes and light Maritime Peat reminding us of the fact that this Whisky was created on Islay. I also find Mandarin, Lemon, Unripe Peach, Toasted Barley, light Varnish, Butter and Oak. The Alcohol is not completely integrated.

Palate: Sweet, Spicy and Herbal with Sweet Barley, Grass, Citrus, Aniseed, Licorice, Pepper, Toasted Oak, Minerals and hints of Maritime Peat and Leather.

Finish: Medium Long, Sweet and Spicy at first but Dry and a bit Bitter towards the end with Floral Notes (Heather, Grass), Citrus, Oak, Buttered Toast, Salt, Pepper, Cardamom and Licorice.

I added a couple of drops of water. On the Nose the Floral and Citric tones become even stronger. Some Vanilla pops up as well. Palate and Finish remain basically the same. But you can certainly play with a few drops here.

Rating: 82

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Single Cask Bunnahabhain 1989 I'm tasting today was distilled on October 20, 1989, matured in an Ex-Bourbon Barrel, Cask # 5706 and was bottled at Cask Strength on March 7, 2013 for Whiskysite NL's the Great Cask Series. It sells at around 110 US Dollars.

Bunnahabhain (Mouth or Foot of the River) Distillery was founded around 1881 and is located close to Port Askaig. Usually, the Distillery dries the Malt with hot air or light Smoke, giving their whisky a more subtle flavour then most of its Peated neighbours on the island. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I am more familiar with the peated Bunnahabhains and mixed casks expressions. Therefore this 1989 Great (Ex-Bourbon) Cask struck me as a bit odd. A pleasant Creamy Nose with Fruit, Floral tones and Maritime notes is followed by a quite Spicy, Herbal and Oaky Palate. The Finish is slightly Bitter and did not really invite me to have another sip. It's not a bad Single Malt and I liked the Nose but on the Palate and in the Finish this Bunnahabhain did not convince me. The price is stiff and I would advise to try a sample first before deciding to buy a full bottle! 

Jan van den Ende                                                         November 19, 2014
     

Johnnie Walker The Gold Route Review

“Not All That Glitters Is Gold”

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker The Gold Route (Explorer's Club Collection)

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Sundown/Golden Amber

Nose: I must admit I had expected more of the Gold Route. It's a Medium Light Nose with Grains, Alcohol, Light & Sweet Coastal Peat, light Cold Smoke, lightly Charred Oak, Dried Fruits, Nuts, light Spice, Toast, Ripe Bananas, light Citrus, light Honey, light Pineapple, Strawberry Yogurt, light Vanilla and a very distant hint of Raw Meat. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Taste: Sweet but a bit Thin with Grain Alcohol, lightly Charred Oak, light Peat, Dried Fruit, Orange, Caramel, Licorice, Pepper, Mint and Lemon Zest.

Finish: Medium Long and slightly Thin with Grain, Alcohol, Light Earthy Peat, very light Smoke, Lemon, Pepper, Wood, Mint, Aniseed and light Licorice.  

I added a little Water and you get more Fruit on the Nose, mostly Pineapple and perhaps a bit of Mango. A little bit more Smoke and Toast as well. But Palate and Finish do not take the added Water very well. It's already on the Thin side as it comes.

Rating: 80

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19.5 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: The Johnnie Walker Brand is owned since 1997 by the Diageo Group. The Explorer's Club Collection is exclusively sold via Travel Retail and was introduced during 2012 and 2013 to honour the Johnnie Walker Whisky Traders who have always travelled the whole wide world in search of new adventures, experiences, flavours and aromas. The Trade Routes series include The Spice Road, The Gold Route and The Royal Route. Diageo's Master Blenders have tried to create Blends that reflect those voyages, stories and regions. The Gold Route I am reviewing today is inspired by the diverse Aromas and Colours from Latin America. The Gold Route weaves its way from Central America through the Andes, passing the Inca Pyramids and along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The whiskies used in this blend matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks. It costs on average 90 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good 

Conclusion: Let me start by saying that the Gold Route is not a bad blend. But at its Price Level I had expected a lot more. For a luxury Blend it's too Young and too Grainy. I don't get many tropical flavours as well. Bananas and some Pineapple basically. I do like the Peat and Smoke in the Blend. It's there in the background all the time without ever being too present. Well done! And yes, I'm going to say it again. A luxury Blend like this NEEDS to be bottled at least at 43%. There's more than enough margin in the price to do that! I also tasted the Gold Route on the rocks and I liked it. But JW Black does that trick as well if you like smoky Blends and its Price/Quality ratio is much better! I truly admire the Marketing Qualities of the JW Blends. The idea to combine the Explorers Collection and Travel Retail is good and the presentation and packaging are absolutely beautiful. But in the end it's the Whisky that matters and in this respect The Gold Route fails to impress me, especially at its current price level.

Jan van den Ende                                                         November 16, 2014

Cooley 13 Years Review

If You Concentrate Hard Enough This Logo Might Become a Bottle!

“Cool For (Peat) Cats”

Country: Ireland

Brand: Cooley (An Irish Representative in the The Soul of Scotland Series)

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: 13 Years

ABV: 51.4 %

Sample Provided By Thomas from Germany. Many Thanks!

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Right away there's Fresh Fruit like Melon and Apple but it is followed quite quickly by Smoke from a Dying Campfire, light Earthy Peat, Buttered Toast, light Vanilla, Raisins, Lemon Zest, Tangerine Mousse, lightly Charred Oak, Malt and Mineral tones. The Alcohol is not fully integrated and I think this Spirit could have done with a slightly lower ABV of around 47%. It's not an overwhelming Nose but it's not as Light as most of the other Irish Whiskies I have tasted so far. All in all it's quite pleasant and the Peat smells much more natural than the slightly artificial Peat I found in the NAS Connemara Peated Single Malt. 

Palate: Good Strong Delivery. Again I believe the ABV could be a tad lower. The Fresh Fruit from the Nose is gone. Instead I find some Red Forest Fruit Preserve accompanied by Smoke, Peat, Pepper, Licorice, Herbal Tea, slightly Bitter Almonds, Grapefruit Juice and Butter Biscuits.

Finish: Middle-Long, Spicy, Zesty and slightly Dry towards the end. I find Ashes, Smoke, Earthy Peat with a light Plastic feel to it, Lemon Zest, Grass, Licorice, Pepper, slightly Bitter Almonds and Cocoa Powder. 

I added a bit of water and the Nose becomes more Malty and Waxy with a bit of added Honey. The Vanilla gets stronger as well and the Alcohol is better in balance with the rest. I find some Pear Candies as well. The Palate does not change a whole lot although the Alcohol is less present of course. The Finish becomes a little Flat this way. But certainly a Whiskey where you can play with  Water, always adding only a few drops at the time.

Rating: 86.5

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Cooley Distillery was originally a Potato Alcohol Plant and was converted in 1987. It's located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth in Ireland. Since 2014 it's part of the Beam Suntory Group. Cooley' s main range include Kilbeggan, Greenore, Connemara and Tyrconnell. Unlike most Irish distilleries, Cooley only distills their Spirit twice instead of three times. Today's Single Malt is a very rare Single Cask Bottling that was distilled in June 1999 and bottled at Cask Strength in January 2013 by Independent Whisky bottler Anam Na H-Alba from the town of Oberhausen in Germany. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask, is Uncoloured and Not Chill-Filtered. It sold at around 100 US Dollars. Only 240 bottles were commercialised and I don't think it's still for sale somewhere. By the way, for the first time I could not find an image of today's bottle. Well, there's always a first time for everything! 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is quite different from your average Irish Whiskey. Certainly an interesting bottling by Anam Na H-Alba. The Nose calls attention with an initial burst of Fresh Fruit. Unfortunately that fades away rather quickly but it is followed by some decent but not overwhelming Smoke and Peat notes. I also liked the Tangerine Mousse Note although you might identify it as Orange as well. On the Palate the good strong Delivery called the attention. I missed some of the Fresh Fruit Notes from the Nose. The Peat and Smoke are still there and are accompanied by Herbal and lightly Bitter notes. Those slightly Bitter Notes are still there in the Finish and Ashes and Licorice become more noticeable. But I do not find any aggressive tones and it all remains within the comfort zone. This Cooley 13 accepts a bit of Water and it's interesting to notice the subtle differences with each added drops. It's a pity that this type of Irish Whiskey is not readily available because I'm quite sure that people who like softly peated Islay or old style lightly peated Speyside wouldn't mind drinking this type of lightly peated Cooley from time to time. Even more so if it would be a bit cheaper. Because around a 100 US Dollars is a bit of a stiff price for a 13 Years Old from Ireland. Even if it's the odd Single Cask!

Jan van den Ende                                                         November 12, 2014

Cooley's Pot Stills