Glen Grant 1995 (The Maltman) Review

“Malty, the Maltman”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside 

Brand: Glen Grant 1995 (The Maltman)

Bottled by: Meadowside Blending Co. Ltd, Glasgow
Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 46 % 

Colour:  Light Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet, Malty, Floral and Fruity. The Alcohol is noticeable and you need to find your way around it. But when you succeed in doing so you will find a basket full of Fresh Fruit that contains Apples, Pears, Pineapples, Peaches, Nectarines and Bananas. I also find Sweet Barley, Oak and Resin, Wax, Custard Pudding, light Bourbon, light Honey, Grass, Lemon Zest, lightly Buttered Toast and light Wood Spices. Despite all these Aromas, it's not a very Complex Nose. Malt and Fruit are the main drivers. It's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Palate: Good- and Creamy Delivery. Here, the ABV works fine. Sweet at first but Oak and Spice quickly appear on stage. It's less Fruity than the Nose suggests. I find Sweet Barley, Charred Oak, Grass, Citrus (Mainly Orange), Apple, Melon, Vanilla, Bitter Chocolate, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, light Licorice and a hint of Espresso. 

Finish: Middle-Long, Woody, Spicy and Sweet with a very light Bitterness in the end. I find Sugar, Marzipan, Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Lemon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, light Licorice, Charred Oak and hints of Aniseed and After Eight.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you get More Malt and some Floral Perfume. On the Palate the Malt and Spices become even more dominant and the Finish gets rather Short. It's nice to add a bit of Water before Nosing but you better sip it Neat.

Rating: 83 

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

General Remarks: 

Glen Grant is the only Scottish Distillery that was named after its founders/ owners John and James Grant. The Distillery is located just off the A 941 in Rothes, Morayshire, around 10 miles South of Elgin. It was founded by the Grant Brothers in 1840 and since 2006 it belongs to the Italian Campari Group. Glen Grant is mostly known as a Single Malt, especially in Italy but it's also a part of the Chivas Regal - and Old Smuggler Braemar Blends.

The Malt I'm tasting today was distilled in September 1995. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask (# 97266) and was bottled in February 2013 by Independent Bottler Meadowside Blending Co. Ltd, Glasgow in their The Maltman Single Cask Series. Meadowside was founded in 2011 by Donald Hart and his son Andrew. This Glen Grant was not Chill-Filtered. Only 276 bottles went to the market. At the moment the average price lies around 90 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. 

Conclusion: It's surely a coincidence that this Glen Grant was released as part of Maidenhead's The Maltman series. Because it is a very Malt driven Whisky. On the Nose, the Barley is accompanied by lots of Fruit and that gives a very nice combination. Unfortunately, the Alcohol is a little too present in my opinion. The same Alcohol however guarantees a good Delivery. The lack of sufficient Fruit on the Palate allow Oak and Spices to dominate. I would have liked to see more balance there. The Finish is okay but simply does not provoke excitement. All in all this Glen Grant is a somewhat uneventful Speysider. Not bad but not great either.

Jan van den Ende                                                               November 5, 2015

Tasting Session at Glen Grant (May 2014)

Bushmills 21 Years Review

“Like Hen’s Teeth”

Country: Ireland

Brand: Bushmills 

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: 21 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: Full, Sweet, Creamy and Mature. What a pity it is bottled at 40% only. The influence of the Sherry and Fortified Red Wine casks is quite noticeable. I find Dark Red Fruit, Dried Apricot, Ripe Apples, Banana Ice Cream, Papaya Cream, Peach or Nectarine, Oak, Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Golden Syrup, Mature Bourbon, Dark Chocolate with a high Cocoa content, Marzipan, Buttered Toast, Malt, Ginger, Cinnamon and hints of Tobacco, Espresso and Orange Peel. I'm not a huge fan of Red Wine Finishing but in this case it works out very nicely. The Alcohol is fully integrated. This is by far the most complex Irish Whiskey I have nosed so far.

Palate: The Delivery is slightly Thin as could be expected at 40%. On the Palate, the Bushmills 21 is quite Sweet and rather Dry. Fans of mature Bourbon will probably like this Irish cousin a lot. I find Dark Red Fruit, Dried Fruit (Raisins and Apricot), Banana, Red Wine, Dark Chocolate, Malt, Oak and Resin, assorted Nuts, Toffee, Ginger, Cinnamon, Vanilla-Flavoured Pipe Tobacco, Coconut Milk and Espresso. On the Palate the 21 suffers from the insufficient ABV. 

Finish: Sweet at first but quickly becoming Dry. The Oak is quite present by now. I also find Dark Red Fruit, Sultanas soaked in Rum, Dark Chocolate, Nuts, Honey, Malt, Tobacco, Espresso, Black Tea, Cinnamon, Menthol and Licorice.  

I only had a very small sample at my disposal so I only nosed and tasted this Bushmills neat. I would imagine that a little added Water would further open the Malty and Fruity Aromas and Flavours.

Rating: 87.5   

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Bushmills Distillery is located in the Antrim County in Northern Ireland. In 2005 it was bought by the Diageo Group but in November 2014 they sold it to Casa Cuervo, well-known for its Tequila. The Distillery produces a whole range of Bushmills expressions including the Original or White Label as it's often referred to, the Black Bush, the 10, 12, 16 and 21 Years Single Malts and the Special Edition 1608, released in 2008 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Legal Distilling at Bushmills. The Bushmills 21 Years matured in a 50/50 mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Oloroso Sherry casks before being married for 2 years in Madeira infused casks. It is Triple-Distilled, coloured and Chill-Filtered. Today's batch was bottled in 2014. It costs between 85 and 120 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. Very nice Nose.

Conclusion: This is the most complex Irish Whiskey I have tasted so far. The 21 Years is a very good Whiskey indeed but it could - and should have been a great one. Why on earth is this bottled at 40% and why did the distillery apply Chill Filtration? Especially when you consider the fact that this Whiskey has already been distilled thrice. I feel that a lot of potential additional Aromas and Flavours were lost this way. At this price level the Distillery should consider these items. Nevertheless I really enjoyed this Bushmills, especially on the Nose. If you're a fan of Sherried Whisky with lots of Oak, Dark Red Fruit, Dried Fruit, Chocolate and Nuts you should give this Bushmills 21 Years a chance! Because it's as good as Irish Whisky gets.  

Jan van den Ende                                                               November 2, 2015

Big Peat Limited Edition 50% ABV Review

“Let’s Forget the 46%”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Big Peat Small Batch Limited Edition (Batch # 45 )

Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 50 %

Colour: Very Pale White Wine 

Nose: Quite similar to the standard Big Peat. But the slightly higher ABV gives this Limited Edition an extra punch that's worth the money. I also find that it's a little Sweeter than the 46%. And this Sweetness smells less Artificial. Still, we are talking about a Young Islay with an ample presence of Caol Ila and Ardbeg. I find Wet Mud, Cold Smoke, Brine, Ashes, Tar, Soot, Iodine, Fish on the BBQ, Leather, Rubber, Mineral - and Medicinal notes. Like in the 46%, they are not as fiery as the name and the package of Big Peat are suggesting. This is much closer to Caol Ila than Laphroaig. I also find Fruity Aromas like Pear, Apple, Pineapple, and Lemon. And, finally, some Buttered Toast, light Vanilla, Toffee, Pepper, Mint, Aniseed, Herbal Tea and Ginger. The Alcohol is present but does not significantly interfere with the Nosing.

Palate: Good delivery thanks to the ABV of 50%. Again, it's Sweeter than the 46% and it has more Fruity flavours. It's also substantially less Raw and Edgy although there's still a Young feel to it. I also encounter less Artificial - and Plastic notes. I find Wet Mud, Cold Smoke, Tar, Soot, light Rubber, Leather, Ashes, Charred Oak, Salmon Sushi, Lemon, Apple, Pear, Barley, light Vanilla, Heather Honey, Toffee, Pepper, Licorice, Ginger and hints of Espresso and Dark Chocolate. 

Finish: Quite Long with Earthy Peat, Wet Grass, Brine, Cold Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Fish, Shellfish and Bacon on the BBQ, Vanilla, Toffee, Apple, Heather Honey, Lemon Peel, Menthol, Salt, Licorice and Pepper. Dry towards the end. I find a faint Plastic note but it's much more subtle than the one I noticed in the 46%. 

No need to add Water to this Big Peat. It's perfect to sip neat.

Rating: 86

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

General Remarks: Big Peat was launched in 2009 by Douglas Laing as the first in their Remarkable Regional Malts series. It contains Single Malts from Caol Ila, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Port Ellen and one or two others. In 2013, a limited Big Peat edition with an ABV of 50% was released. Only 250 (50 CL) bottles were for sale and only through the company's website at the price of around 65 US Dollars. All Big Peats are naturally coloured and Non Chill-Filtered. You can also find a special annual Christmas Edition, bottled at around 53%. I will review that one in a month or so.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is certainly a step up from the Standard Big Peat. First of all the higher ABV gives the Blend a much needed Punch. I also find a lot less Artificial Sweetness and Plastic notes. It's Sweeter than the 46% and it's got more Fruit as well. It's still Young Islay of course but there is a better balance between the Smoky and Fruity flavours when compared to the 46%. I like this Limited Edition a lot better and I think it can hold its ground when compared to the Standard Malts of the main Distilleries that are part of this Blend. If I were Douglas Laing this would be the Standard Big Peat from now on! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                October 29, 2015