A Splendid Speyside Surprise Review

“She’s a Mystery To Me” 

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside  

Brand: A Splendid Speyside Surprise (The Soul of Scotland Series)
Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 48.5 %
Sample provided by Thomas from Germany. Many Thanks!

Colour: Golden

Nose: Alternate Fruity and Floral tones. Be sure to give this Malt some time to breathe. I find Malt, Butterscotch, Toffee, Buttered Toast, Honey, Brown Sugar, Dried Fruits, Heather, Grandma's Fragrant Soap, Sherry, a hint of Sulphur, light Vanilla, Canned Pineapple in Syrup, Dusty Road, Wood, light Cinnamon, light Clove, Nuts and Espresso. It's all pretty Delicate despite the quite strong Alcohol that's still around. A bit Musty as well.

Palate: Here the Sherry is much more present. I find Nuts and Raisins, Honey, Toffee, Orange, Canned Peaches in Syrup, Brown Sugar, slightly Bitter Oak, Musty Dried Herbs, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Pepper and Licorice.

Finish: Middle Long and Bitter Sweet with slightly Bitter Orange, Berries, Bitter Oak, Toffee, Hazelnuts, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Mint and Licorice. Quite Dry in the end.

The Splendid Speyside Surprise does not improve with added Water. It gets very Sweet and Malty. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 84.5 

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

River Spey (Photo Credit: Rene Ramon)

General Remarks: The Splendid Speyside Surprise was distilled in 1995. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask and was bottled in 2012 for Anam Na H-Alba, the Independent Whisky bottler from Oberhausen in Germany. This Single Malt Single Cask Whisky is Uncoloured and Non Chill-Filtered. It was sold at roughly 75 US Dollars per bottle. I'm not sure it's still around! 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: A nice but not perfect Speysider. Quite Fruity, Floral, Delicate and a bit Musty on the Nose. More Robust on the Palate with Sherry and lots of Herbs, Spices and Oak. Personally I believe this rather delicate Spirit has overstayed its time in the Cask a bit. Perhaps 15 Years would have been quite sufficient. It's not easy to identify the Distillery that produced this Spirit. If pressed, I would say that the Sherry and the Earthy, Dusty Feeling would point in the direction of Aberlour or Glenfarclas. But my guess is as good as yours. If you have any info on the matter, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Jan van den Ende                                                         December 15, 2014

Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: The Balvenie DoubleWood 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 43 %

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: Pleasant and quite Relaxing. I find lots of Sweet Barley, Heather, Honey, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Pastry with Apricot Preserve, Raisins, Coconut, Nectarine, Orange, Pineapple and Wood. I also find hints of Sherry, Furniture Polish, Straw, Buttered Toast, Peanut Butter, Bread Dough, Aniseed, Cinnamon and Lemon. Despite the fact I'm picking up various aromas, the Nose is not really complicated as Barley, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Orange and Wood are the main components. Still, the Nose is Sweet and Easy-Going and will certainly appeal to people who have just started their journey in the land of Single Malts. It's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Palate: Slightly Thin but nevertheless Creamy delivery with Sweet Barley, Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream, Raisins, Pastry with Apricot Preserve, slightly Bitter Almonds, Marzipan, Nutella, Nutmeg, Clove, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Pepper,  Aniseed and Oak.  

Finish: Middle-Long and quite in line with Nose and Palate. I find Sweet Barley, Butterscotch, Honey, slightly Bitter Almonds, Orange, Nectarine, Oak, Peach, Pepper, Aniseed and Cinnamon.

The Balvenie DW 17 Years is a discrete and Easy-Drinking Single Malt. No need whatsoever to add Water.

Rating: 86.5

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

General Remarks: The Balvenie distillery was founded in Dufftown in 1892 by William Grant. It is still in the hands of the Grant family. The Balvenie lies at the heart of the Grant's Family Reserve Blend. We took this picture of the distillery when we visited Speyside back in May 2014. Unfortunately we were not able to visit Balvenie as all visits in that period were fully booked. The DW 17 years was released in 2012 to celebrate the 50th birthday of Balvenie icon Dave Stewart. It's called Double Wood but as it matured for more than 16 Years in Ex-Bourbon Casks before being transferred for a period of around 6 months to Ex- Sherry Casks, it's actually a Sherry Finish. It's expensive at an average price of 135 US Dollars. If you are lucky and/or if you really try hard you can find it in some places for around 60 US Dollars. At that price you can safely buy it!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A well-made, balanced Single Malt. Palate and Finish are roughly in line with the Nose. A perfect dram for beginning Whisky drinkers. At the same time it's not a very challenging Whisky. It's mostly Barley, Toffee, Spice, Wood, Vanilla and Orange. It's got slightly more Depth, Balance and Character than its 12 Old brother. But by far not enough to justify the huge Price Difference. The DW 17 Years is now part of the Balvenie's Core Range. I'm not sure how long it will remain on that list. Unless the distillery would decide to lower the price. And that's hardly likely for the time being. In which case my advise would be to go for the 12 Years Double Wood. The latter one also became more expensive but it still has a much better Value for Money.

Jan van den Ende                                                         December 12,  2014

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Review

“Classy But Expensive”

Country: USA

Brand: Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit

Type: Single Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Age: NAS (Said To Be around 9 Years)

ABV: 50.5 %

Sample provided by Derek from the USA. Many Thanks!

Colour: Golden Amber with a touch of Orange.

Nose: Very Sweet and Seductive with Toffee, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, Papaya Cream, Banana, Cherry, Citrus Peel, Blackberry Jam, Toasted Almonds, Rye, Charred Oak, Mint, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and hints of Milk Chocolate and Bounty Bars. It's similar to the 101 Proof but it's got a bit more Depth, Oak and Spices. The Alcohol is quite strong. Still, a very pleasant Nose!

Taste: Sour-Sweet, Spicy and Creamy with Charred Oak, Corn Syrup, Rye, Caramel, Butterscotch, Brown Sugar, Cherry, Blackberry, Nuts, Pepper, Mint, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and hints of Orange-Flavoured Dark Chocolate and Leather. Light to Medium Alcohol Bite.

Finish: Quite Long. Sweet at first but Dry and slightly Sour later on with Cherry, Blackberry, Charred Oak, Resin, Corn Syrup, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Lemon Zest, Nuts, Pepper, Nutmeg, Mint and a hint of Leather.   

With a bit of Water the Nose loses a bit of its intensity. Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, Charred Oak and Milk Chocolate start to dominate. But Palate and Finish mellow down considerably without giving up too much of the Flavours. I would advise you to add a bit of Water. It makes it easier to fully enjoy the Kentucky Spirit.

Rating: 87  

Nose: 22.5 – Taste: 21.5  – Finish: 21.5 – Overall: 21.5

Derek's Bottle and the Sample!

General Remarks: Wild Turkey is produced in Lawrenceburg Kentucky. Nowadays the Brand is owned by the Campari Group. The distillery produces the 81 Proof, the 101 Proof, the Single Barrel Kentucky Spirit at 101 Proof, Russell's Reserve 10 Years named after Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, Rare Breed a blend of 6, 8 and 12 old Wild Turkey at 108.4 Proof, a Rye Whiskey  made with 65% Rye, 23 % Corn and 12% Barley and a Honey Liqueur by the name of American Honey. The Kentucky Spirit I'm reviewing today is the Single Barrel version of the 101 Proof. It was bottled on the 8th of April 2011 and matured in Barrel # 28 from Warehouse E, Rick # 42. It is said that Master Distiller Jimmy Russell personally selects the Barrels that will be used for this expression.The Mash Bill consists of Corn (75%), Rye (13%) and Barley (12%). On average it costs around 50 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I like Wild Turkey Bourbons in general. Especially on the Nose. I find it difficult to stop Nosing them! The Kentucky Spirit is no exception to the rule. The combination of Fruit, Grain and Spices is hard to resist. The Bounty Bar note is very nice as well. Palate and Finish can't quite keep up with the Nose. Lots of Charred Oak, Spices and slightly Sour Cherries and Blackberries. Still good mind you but I would have liked to see a bit more Fruity Sweetness here. In summing it up, I find that the Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit is a good but not sensational Single Cask Bourbon. It's got a bit more Depth than the 101 Proof but not enough to justify the considerable price difference. Also, please bear in mind that Single Cask Spirits will vary from Cask to Cask. 

Jan van den Ende                                                           December 9, 2014