Teacher's Clan Review

“Clan Beats Highland Cream”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands

Brand: Teacher’s Clan (Wm. Teacher & Sons Ltd - Ardmore Scotland UK)

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Dark Gold (Artificially Coloured: Caramel INS E 150-A).

Nose: Light and Simple with Cereals, a bit of Malt, Refill Oak, Caramel, Toffee, light Vanilla, Treacle, Sweet Red Apple, Nut Shells, light Honey, light Spices, light Peat (Smoke) and hints of Citrus Peel, White Wine, Leather, Sugar and Cocoa Powder. It's Sweet but in an inoffensive way. The Alcohol is quite noticeable. After a while in the Glass I find some Cooked Vegetables and Potatoes as well. On the Nose, the Clan is not exciting but neither do I find really annoying off-notes.  

Taste: Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toffee, Caramel, very light Peat (Smoke), Malt, light Vanilla, Cocoa Powder, Refill Oak, light Licorice and Pepper. Quite Edgy!  

Finish: Edgy and Hot but quite Short. Sugary Sweet at first but with a little Bitterness towards the end. I find Sugared Cereals, Caramel, Refill Oak, light Licorice, Pepper, Menthol and a very distant hint of Peat Smoke. The Alcohol stings a little.

I added some Water and to my surprise the Nose becomes more Floral. I believe to find some Heather-Honey notes as well. On the Palate and in the Finish, the Smoke and Licorice notes become more distinct. It gets a little Watery of course but you can carefully add a few drops at a time.

Rating: 74.5 

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

General Remarks: The Brazilian version of Teacher's Highland Cream elaborated by Pernod Ricard Brasil is Market Leader in the North East of Brazil. You can find my Review elsewhere on the site. It's not a Blend I recommend! In 2013, a new Blend was launched reaching out for the higher end of this specific market. It was named Teacher's Clan and initially it was only available in the North East of Brazil. In the meantime however you can find it in other Brazilian regions as well. I bought my bottle in a supermarket here in Sao Paulo. The Clan differs from the regular local Highland Cream in that it is totally produced and bottled in Scotland. It consists of solid Grain Whisky as well as Malt Whisky from the Ardmore distillery. The lightly peated Ardmore Spirit used in this Blend matures in 200 L. Ex-Bourbon Casks after which some of the better barrels are selected for double maturation in 120 L. Quarter Casks. Teacher's Clan sells at around 35 US Dollars (December 2015).   

Drinking Experience Neat: Slightly below Average

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay. I would advise you to mix in some peated Malt Whisky (1/5).

Conclusion: Teacher's Clan is way better than the horrible Brazilian version of the Highland Cream. Still, the Clan is your average bottom shelf Blend. You can drink it but it doesn't provide any interesting Flavours and Aromas. A little Ice helps but doesn't solve this issue. I bought this bottle out of curiosity and I will finish it by mixing in some peated Malt Whisky. I won't buy another bottle of Teacher's Clan though despite the fact that it's reasonably priced for Brazilian standards!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 3, 2015

The Stills at Ardmore

Nikka From The Barrel Review

Hokkaido does look like Scotland doesn't it!

“Bourbon Made On Hokkaido”

Country: Japan

Brand: Nikka From The Barrel

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 51.4 % 

Colour: Polished Mahogany

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong so be sure to give Nikka enough time in the glass to reveal its Aromas. The first impression is a Sweet, Fruity, Spicy, Oaky Bourbon-like Spirit. I find Banana, Pineapple, Mango, White Grapes, Mandarin, Red Apple, Grapefruit Juice, Orange, Golden Syrup, Honey, Peanuts, Marzipan, Candies, Plum Jam, Cereals, Custard, Butter, light Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, light Floral notes and hints of Leather and Charcoal. Take your time with this Spirit. I nosed it for over half an hour and the Fruit impressions kept coming. After some time a certain Sour note pops up that I can't quite place.

Palate: The Delivery is strong thanks to the high ABV. On the Palate, the Nikka is Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and slightly Sour with lots of Tannin, Charred Oak, Toffee, Bourbon, Malt, Vanilla, Orange, Mandarin, Apples, Banana Ice Cream, Honey, Nougat, Marzipan, Pepper, Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Nuts Dried Herbs and Aniseed.    

Finish: Middle-Long. Bitter-Sweet and slightly Sour at first but Dry in the end. I find Charred Oak, Tannin, Cereals, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Nuts, Dried Herbs, Orange, Grapefruit, Banana, Lemon, Pepper, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Menthol and hints of Tobacco and Metal. 

With a bit of water the Nose gets more Vanilla and some Floral Perfume. On the Palate and in the Finish the Alcohol gets less strong of course and the Spirit becomes very Smooth. But also less interesting. Vanilla, Toffee and Banana Ice Cream start to dominate. Still, you can experiment with a couple of drops at a time.  

Rating: 83 

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

General Remarks: This successful Blend from Nikka most likely contains Malt Whisky from Yoichi and Grain Whisky from Miyagikyo. The matured whiskies are blended and then married in first fill Ex-Bourbon casks. It is bottled directly from these Casks. Bottled at Re-Cask Strength as it were. The average price amounts to 45 US Dollars for a 50 CL bottle (November 2015).

In 1934 Nikka Whisky and the Yoichi Distillery were founded by Masataka Taketsuru the "Father of Japanese Whisky" who learnt the trade in Scotland. The Miyagikyo Plant followed in 1969. Nikka is currently owned by Asahi Breweries. 

Attention: The Label of the sample bottle shows some errors. The correct ABV is 51.4% and Nikka from the Barrel is not a Single Malt Whisky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Certainly not a bad Blend. The Grain component is less noticeable than in many of its Scottish peers. The Nose is Fruity but you need patience to be able to get all the details because the Alcohol is quite strong. It's a must to give the Nikka enough time in the Glass (at least 1 hour) before you can start Nosing. On the Palate you will find more Toffee, Citrus, Spices and Oak. The Tannin is quite strong, even more so in the Finish. There's also a certain Sour note around that you will need to appreciate. You will like the Banana Ice Cream note though. Many Blended Whiskies are not interesting enough to sip neat but this Nikka is one of the exceptions to the rule. Certainly worthwhile to give it a try, especially if you're into Bourbon. 

Jan van den Ende                                                            November 30, 2015

Part of the Yoichi Distillery

Kilchoman Sanaig Review

“Kilchoman’s Softer Side”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Kilchoman Sanaig

Type: Single Malt Whisky 

Age: NAS (4-5 Years)

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Golden Sunlight with a touch of Orange (Natural Colour)

Nose: The Earthy Peat and Smouldering Embers are there but in an inoffensive way. Quite subdued for a Kilchoman. The Ex-Oloroso casks do make themselves known with subtle hints of Nuts and Dried Fruits like Apricots and Raisins. The overall feeling is Young, Mineral, Floral and slightly Yeasty. I also find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Coffee (Latte), Grass, Herbs, Honey, Band-Aid, Wet Rock, Shell Fish and Bacon on the BBQ, Apple, Grapefruit, light Rubber and Varnish, Orange, Leather, Aniseed, Pepper, Menthol and Cinnamon. Despite the Young age and the solid ABV, the Alcohol is well-integrated. 

Palate: Young, Bitter-Sweet, slightly Medicinal and Spicy with Earthy Peat, Ashes, Sweet Barley, Bread Dough, Toffee, Pear Drops, Grass, Straw, Herbs, Oak, Coffee (Latte), Grapefruit Juice, Lemon, Pepper, Nutmeg and hints of Dark Chocolate, Leather, Varnish and Dark Red Fruit.   

Finish: Quite Long, Spicy and a bit Edgy. Sugary Sweet at first but a little Dry towards the end when a light Bitterness pops up. I find Dirt Road, Ashes, Toffee, Vanilla, Caramel, Dried Fruits, Salted Nuts, Herbal Tea, Lemon, Orange, Chilli Pepper, Menthol, Aniseed and hints of Bitter Chocolate and Dark Red Fruit. After some minutes a Plastic-like aftertaste appears.  

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose I get visions of a Peaty Perfume. Maybe an idea for a new After-Shave or Shower Gel. Kilcho for Men! But Palate and Finish do no benefit from the added Water. Better sip it neat! 

Rating: 83 

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

General Remarks: Kilchoman is a farm Distillery on Islay. Around 30% of the yearly Barley necessity is produced on the farm. The rest comes from Port Ellen. It is located on the West Coast and was founded by Anthony Wills in 2005. The Kilchoman Sanaig was launched recently, at first only for the French market. In the meantime it's available in other European countries as well. It's generally regarded as a Sweeter version of the Machir Bay. The latter matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and received a Sherry Cask finishing of around 2 months. The Sanaig (named after a creek close to the Distillery) matured in a 50-50 mix of Ex-Bourbon Casks (Buffalo Trace) and Ex-Oloroso Casks. The Sanaig I'm tasting today was bottled in 2015 without Chill-Filtration. The Barley was peated at 50 PPM. The Sanaig will be part of the core range and currently sells at an average 65 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: When compared to the Machir Bay, I find the Sanaig Sweeter and less Edgy, making it a more accessible Malt. This knife cuts both ways of course. Peat Bomb lovers will find this Kilchoman slightly mainstream while newbies on the Islay scene will judge it more favourably. It certainly is reasonably priced for a Kilchoman. I must confess I'm not really convinced by the Sanaig. It's an okay Malt but it didn't click and I found it to be a bit boring. For that reason I gave it a slightly lower score than the Machir Bay. Not that the latter is a better Malt. I just found it to be a little more Alive and Kicking!  

Jan van den Ende                                                            November 26, 2015

The Cosy Visitor Centre & Shop