Glenfiddich Caoran Review

“Smoking Is Not Allowed”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland/Speyside

Brand: Glenfiddich Caoran

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Yellow Gold (Contains E-150) - Chill Filtered.

Nose: The Alcohol is quite present so be sure to give the Caoran enough time in the glass to develop its Aromas. On the Nose, there are certainly similarities between this Caoran and the standard 12 Years. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Heather Honey, Grass, Oak, Orange Peel, Strawberry Jam, Nuts, Pear, Apple, Cinnamon and Ginger. Additionally, the Caoran offers very mild hints of Earthy Peat, Smoke and Salt. 

Palate: Thin and Watery Delivery as was to be expected at 40% ABV. On the Palate, the Caoran is Bitter-Sweet with Dirty Earth, Barley, Heather Honey, Refill Oak, light Vanilla, Orange Peel, Lemon Juice, Pear, PVC Pipe, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cardamom and Licorice. The Palate does not deliver what the Nose promises. No balance at all actually.  

Finish: Short, Dry and slightly Bitter towards the end with Malt, light Vanilla, Caramel, Burnt Straw, Dried Fruits, PVC Pipe, Dirty Earth, Licorice, Oak, light Pepper, light Cardamom and light Nutmeg.

The New Packaging

The Caoran does not improve with added Water. It's already too Thin as it is.

Rating: 79 

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20

The Original Packaging (A Collector's Item)

General Remarks: The Glenfiddich (Gaelic for Valley of the Deer) Distillery was founded in 1886 by William Grant. It's still owned by the Grant Family today. The Caoran (Peat Embers) revives the Whisky made by Grant in the later stage of World War II when more Peat was used to dry the Barley on account of the shortage of Coal. The Caoran was launched around 2002. I'm tasting a sample today and it does not specify when this batch was bottled. Probably somewhere between 2005 and 2009. During the years two different packaging styles were used. The original "Silver" packaging has become a Collector's Item, even more so since it became known that the Caoran was to be discontinued. Bottles are still available in various places at an average 135 US Dollars (September 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Other Speyside and Highland distilleries have experimented with Peated Barley lately so it's understandable that Glenfiddich tried it out as well. Some of these experiments work and some don't. The latter is the case with the Caoran. The (partly) Peated Barley does not add value to the Glenfiddich Spirit. The Peat and Smoke are hardly noticeable but somehow manage to take out some of the Crisp and Clean characteristics of the Glenfiddich Spirit. No balance whatsoever to be found as well. The Nose is still okay but on the Palate and in the Short Finish this Glenfiddich simply disappoints. The Caoran has been discontinued in the meantime and quite rightly so. No way you should spend over a 100 US Dollars for a Malt like this. Unless you collect rarities!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 24, 2015

"A Sunny Day in Speyside"

Imperial 1995 (Signatory) Review

“The Emperor is Dead, Long Live the Emperor”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Imperial 1995 (Signatory Vintage - Cask Strength Selection)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 57.8 % 

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong so make sure you give this Imperial sufficient time in the glass. The Imperial is Malty and Fruity with Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Vanilla, Bee Wax, Toffee, Nuts, Oak, Mango, Pineapple, Nectarine, Red Apple, Melon, Mint and Floral notes. Traces of Bourbon, Ashes and Lemon.

Palate: Strong Delivery thanks to the high ABV. Quite Spicy as well. Less Sweet than the Nose would suggest. I find Sweet Barley, Butter Kekse, Bee Wax, Oak, Nuts, Vanilla, Orange, Nectarine, Licorice, Pepper and Ginger. Traces of Bourbon and Tobacco.

Finish: Too short. It's quite clearly the weakest part of this Imperial. It's Sweet, Spicy and quite Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Orange, Nectarine, Lemon, Vanilla, Oak, Nuts, light Bourbon, Licorice, Aniseed and Pepper.   

I only had a small sample to begin with and unfortunately I managed to spill most of it over the floor.  So there wasn't enough left to try it with Water as well. Sorry about that!  

Rating: 86

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

General Remarks: The Imperial Distillery was founded in 1897 as a sort of back up to nearby Dailuaine. It already stopped production after 1 year and remained closed until 1919. It was bought by DCL but closed once more in 1925 only to start up again in 1955. In 1965, the production capacity was doubled using Stills that are among the largest in the Speyside area. This made the Distillery quite vulnerable in times of over-supply or lacking demand and in 1985 it closed yet again. Production started again in 1991 but in 1998 the final curtain fell. In 2005, the distillery was bought by Chivas (Pernod Ricard) only to be demolished in 2013. The distillery was located in Carron, four miles South-West of Aberlour.    

The Imperial 1995 I'm tasting today was distilled on the 9th of October 1995 and matured in 2 Hogsheads with Cask # 50322 and 50323. It was bottled without Chill Filtration and at Cask Strength on the 29th of March 2012 by Indie bottler Signatory. This Imperial is naturally coloured. It won't be easy to find and I expect the price to be around 85 US Dollars (September 2015). Samples can still be bought at Master of Malt though.

Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. is an independent bottler, founded in 1988 by Andrew - and Brian Symington. In 2002 they bought the Edradour Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good.

Conclusion: I wasn't familiar with this Distillery until now and once more, like with the 1993 Tamnavulin I tasted last week, I'm pleasantly surprised. What a pity this Distillery stopped production. Again, the Barley surprises in a positive way and I believe that the Imperial would be a great ingredient for Blends while it holds its ground as a Single Malt as well. A pity that the Finish is too Short. It would also benefit from a slightly lower ABV. Still, I scored the Imperial higher than the Tamnavulin because the latter lacks sufficient balance. The Imperial is better in that respect. Interesting distillery. Will try to find samples of other expressions!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 21, 2015

Tamnavulin 1993 (Malts of Scotland) Review

“Malt and Barley Blues”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Tamnavulin 1993 (Malts of Scotland Warehouse-Range)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 19/20 Years

ABV: 54.6 %

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: The Alcohol is pretty strong at first so be sure to give this Tamnavulin enough time in the glass. The Aromas as such are not bad but it all seems to lack a bit of Balance. It's both Sweet and Sour with Barley, Heather Honey, Vanilla, Butter Kekse, Straw, Fennel, Floral Scented Soap and Candles, Sour Cherries, Cocoa, Herbs and hints of Dusty Shelves, Leather and Smoke. It's a bit of a mixed bag and the Alcohol keeps playing up regularly.

Palate: The arrival is a bit Sharp on account of the strong Alcohol. This Single Malt does not deliver on the Palate what the Nose is promising and lacks sufficient interesting Flavours. I find strong Barley, Straw, Oak, Wax, light Vanilla, Red Grapes, Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon and hints of Smoke and Dairy. 

Finish: Quite Long. The Oak and Spices take complete control by now. Besides the Wood I find solid Barley, Cocoa, light Vanilla, Lemon-Pepper, Cloves, Salt, Wax and the finest hints of Smoke and Cranberries. Quite Dry in the end.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Alcohol retreats, giving more space to the Barley, the Floral notes and the Fruit. On the Palate and in the Finish however the Oak and Spices become quite dominant. Still, there's some room to play with a little Water.

Rating: 84.5

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

General Remarks: The Tamnavulin I am reviewing today was distilled in May 1993 and bottled at Cask Strength in January 2013 by Malts of Scotland. It aged in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead # MoS 13003. This Single Malt is Uncoloured and not Chill-Filtered. It won't be easy to find and costs an average 135 US Dollars.  

(September 2015).

The Tamnavulin (Mill on the Hill) Distillery was founded in 1966 by Invergordon Distillers. This company was bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1993. The latter in turn was bought by United Spirits from India in 2007. In 2014, United Spirits had to sell the Tamnavulin distillery to Emperador Inc. from the Philippines for competitive reasons. Despite the fact that it's a young distillery, it had to stop production from 1995 to 2007. It's located 12 miles South-West of Dufftown in the village of Tomnavoulin. At least until recently, most Spirit of this Distillery was used in the Whyte & Mackay Blends.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: This is my first Tamnavulin and I find it an interesting tasting experience. It's not at all a well-balanced Single Malt. The Nose is both Sweet and Sour and has lots of waxy Floral notes. It's almost like walking in a perfume shop although you must get rid of the Alcohol first. But on the Palate and in the Finish Alcohol, Spices and Oak rule with some Red Fruit thrown in for good measure. Still, there is something that sort of holds it all together and that's the Barley. Good quality stuff and excellent material for Blends. I do think however that the Tamnavulin has Single Malt potential as well and I would love to try say a 15 Year old with a solid Ex-Sherry Cask finish. That could well be a cracker! Because this Tamnavulin 1993 depends too much on the Barley and misses the Fruit. So while I won't buy a full bottle of this, I did like the experience! 

Jan van den Ende                                                             September 17, 2015

Tamnavulin (Picture Credit:Whisky Mini Bottles EU)

Glendalough 7 Years Review

“What’s In a Name”

Country: Ireland

Brand: Glendalough

Type: Single Malt Whiskey

Age: 7 Years

ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden 

Nose: My first impressions are New Oak and Nail Polish Remover. Fortunately I also find Barley, Grass, Hay, Orchard Fruit (Pear), Nuts, Custard, Citrus Peel, Honey, Milk, Pineapple Jam, Mineral Notes, Cinnamon and Mint. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. It's a relatively simple Nose but not quite as clean as its Triple-Distilled brothers and sisters. But that's okay with me as I must admit I'm not a huge fan of Triple Distillation as it tends to take out too many Aromas and Flavours.  

Taste: Young and Edgy with Varnished Oak, Alcohol, Bitter Tea, Grapefruit, Lemon, Malt, Grass, Pear, Peach, Pepper, Cloves and Cinnamon.   

Finish: Short, slightly Bitter, Hot and Spicy with Alcohol, Varnished Oak, Lemon, Grapefruit, Pear, Peach, Honey, Malt, Pineapple Jam, Pepper, Nutmeg and Cloves.

I added a couple of drops of Water and on the Nose the Alcohol retreats. I get more Pear, Apple, Pineapple, Vanilla and Barley. The Nose certainly benefits from a little Water. Palate and Finish become too thin though for a Whisky.

Rating: 80  

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

General Remarks: The Glendalough (Glen of Two Lakes) Distillery was founded in 2011 by five friends from Wicklow and Dublin in an attempt to revive Craft Distilling in Ireland. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Ireland was home to over 200 legal - and many more illegal distilleries. Nowadays, only a handful of them are left. The distillery is looking to produce innovative Spirits like Whiskey and Gin. As the distillery was only founded recently, the Spirit for their 7 Years Single Malt was produced at the Cooley Distillery. The 7 Y. was Double Distilled and matured in First Fill ex-Bourbon Casks. It was cut with local Wicklow Spring Water. No Chill-Filtration took place. I looked everywhere but could not find out why the 7 Years is apparently available with both a Green - and a Grey Label. It costs an average 50 US Dollars (September 2015). Too expensive for what this Single Malt offers in my opinion.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average.

Conclusion: I'm not the biggest fan of Irish Whiskey in general although there are some exceptions like Redbreast and Greenspot. But I'm not impressed by this Glendalough 7 Years. The Nose is okay I guess but on the Palate and in the Finish this Single Malt is Young, Edgy and slightly Bitter with too much Hot Alcohol, Varnish and Spices that don't give sufficient space to the Fruit. I get the impression that Cooley provided Glendalough with some indifferent Spirit and I truly question Glendalough's commercial strategy. I understand the need for cash that all beginning distilleries have to deal with but selling Gin and other young Spirits is always the better option in my opinion. In any case I hope and trust that the future expressions made by Glendalough itself will be better and more interesting. Good luck fellows!

Jan van den Ende                                                             September 14, 2015

Suntory Kakubin Review

“Highball Star”

Country: Japan

Brand: Suntory Kakubin Yellow Label

Type: Blended Japanese Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Dark Golden 

Nose: The Alcohol is quite present so please give the Kakubin enough time in the glass to open up. The Kakubin is immediately recognisable as a Japanese whisky as the Aroma is quite distinctive. I'm nosing on the edge of the glass as the Alcohol remains strong. I find Floral and Fruity tones, young Grain Alcohol, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Plums, Sweet Candies, young Bourbon, Nuts, Cinnamon, Vanilla, light Honey, light Coconut Water and a little Citrus. It's nothing special but better than your average cheap Scottish Blend. I would rate it even higher if not for the sharp Alcohol that spoils a bit of the fun.

Taste: Watery, Sugary Sweet, Edgy and slightly Bitter with Grain Alcohol, Oak, Cereals, light Vanilla, light Honey, Grapefruit, light Pepper and light Ginger. What a disappointment after the reasonable Nose. 

Finish: Short, Sugary Sweet and Watery with light Honey, Grapefruit, Nuts, Nut Shells, Grains, light Vanilla, Oak, light Pepper and Ginger.  

Added Water completely kills this Blend. It does not even taste like Whisky anymore.

Rating: 73   

Nose: 20 – Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17 – Overall: 18.5

General Remarks: The Kakubin (Square Bottle) Blend has been produced by Suntory since 1937 and contains a.o. Malt Whisky from Yamazaki and Hakushu. These whiskies mature in a variety of casks that include Ex-Sherry and Ex-Wine casks. It's the best selling Whisky in Japan as it's very cheap there at around 20 US Dollars. It's mainly used in cocktails though such as the Highball. The marks on the bottle are made to look like the shell of a turtle, the Japanese symbol for a long and prosperous life. Strangely enough the name Kakubin is not at all mentioned on the bottle. There are two more versions of the Kakubin available in Japan, the White and the Black Label. I will try to get samples somehow. Prices vary substantially between 12 and 40 US Dollars depending on where you live (May 2021). In Japan, the Price/Quality ratio is okay but no way I would spend over 20 US Dollars to get this Blend.

A Nice Highball

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay 

Conclusion: Most Japanese use the Kakubin Yellow Label as a cheap ingredient for their cocktails, especially the Highball. That's the only reason why it's the best selling Whisky in Japan. Because it does not have sufficient Aromas and Flavours to qualify as a sipping Whisky. The Nose is not bad although the strong Alcohol spoils a bit of the fun. On the Palate and in the Short Finish however, the Kakubin is Watery, Sugary Sweet, Edgy and totally unsatisfactory. I got this bottle as an anniversary gift and I'm now calculating how many Highballs I need to drink before this bottle goes to the graveyard. I hope I like Highballs!

Jan van den Ende                                                             September 10, 2015

Glenmorangie Astar Review

“All About The Cask”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland 

Brand: Glenmorangie Astar

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Said To Be 9-10 Years) - NCF

ABV: 57.1%

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Solid and similar to a mature Bourbon. The Alcohol is very strong so you need to wind your way around it. The Nose is Sweet and Spicy at the same time. I find Toasted Barley, Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Coconut Ice Cream, White Chocolate, Nectarine, Banana Chips, Butter Kekse, Toasted Nuts, Lemon, Peach Marmalade, Charred Oak, Menthol and Spices like Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon and Ginger. 

Taste: Strong Delivery thanks to the high ABV. In fact, many people will likely add a little Water at this stage. Not me! I find Orange and Mandarin that are quite characteristic for Glenmorangie. I also get Toasted Barley, Honey, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Papaya Cream, Toasted Nuts, Charred Oak, Fresh Dough, Butterscotch, Peach, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Brown Sugar and a hint of Polished Leather.  

Finish: Quite Long, Sweet, Spicy and Comforting with Sweet Barley, Honey, Coconut Ice Cream, Creme Brulee, Mandarin, Red Apple, Toasted Oak, Brown Sugar, Toasted Nuts, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Ginger and Menthol. Dry towards the end. 

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose you get some extra Sweet Toffee and Vanilla. Red Apples and Citrus as well. On the Palate and in the Finish the Wood and Wood Spice become very strong. I also find a bit of Lemon-Grass. Despite the high ABV I recommend to sip it neat.  

Rating: 86  

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

General Remarks: The Astar is a revival of the Artisan Cask that was popular a couple of years ago. It was launched in 2008 and matures in toasted and lightly charred Ex-Bourbon casks made from Oak produced in the Ozark Mountains in the US state of Missouri. It's a slow growing variety and as a result the wood is more porous allowing the spirit to extract more flavours. Astar means Journey in Gaelic and represents the long and eventful road from Missouri to your glass. In the meantime, the Astar is discontinued but you can still find it at around 120 US Dollars. But Spirit that matured in the same way as the Astar has been used in the last couple of years to bolster up the 10 Years Original, the work horse of the Distillery.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: The Astar is a very interesting Glenmorangie. It's got more Power than the 10 Years Original and it's not as Sweet as the Glenmorangie Spirit that is finished in Ex-(Fortified) Wine Casks. The Astar is all about the Wood. So if you don't like Woody Spirit you better stay away from this Malt. If you like a mature quality Bourbon however you will certainly enjoy the Astar. I quite like it myself, especially as an after-dinner Whisky in the company of a good cigar. It's a pity that the Astar was discontinued but I could imagine that it will re-appear again in some form and name in the future. Glenmorangie likes experiments and the Astar is one of their better efforts. It's a coherent Single Malt from Nose to Finish!   

Jan van den Ende                                                               September 7, 2015