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

Old Pulteney Duncansby Head Lighthouse Review

“A Shot in the Dark”

Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Old Pulteney Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Type: Single Malt

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 46%

Colour: Pale Gold (Natural Colour).

Nose: There are Sherry notes but I think that this Whisky mainly matured in Ex-Bourbons casks. It could also be that the Ex-Sherry casks used were not very active or that this Old Pulteney merely received a Sherry Cask finish. I don't encounter many coastal influences as well although I find traces of Salt and Smoke. What I do get is Sweet Barley, Butterkekse (Butter Biscuits), Cereal Bars containing Dried Fruits, Honey, Coconut and Chocolate, Plum Jam, Vanilla, Demerara Sugar, Oak, Dried Apricots, Ripe Apples, Citrus Peel and light Pepper. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. It's not bad but it's not very exciting as well. There's a Young and Sweet feel to the Nose. The Aromas have not yet fully developed. I also would never identify this as an Old Pulteney in a blind Tasting Session. It smells like your average Highlander/Speysider. Be sure to give this Malt enough time in the glass before Nosing. And, finally, I also sensed a very faint Sulphur note. Nothing serious though.

Taste: Young, quite Sweet and Creamy in the beginning. But soon after a "Hot" Bitterness pops up. I find Sweet Barley, Butterkekse, Salted Butter, Ripe Apples, Mixed Citrus Peel, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruits, Nougat, Pepper, Cardamom, Cloves, Mint, Alcohol and Oak.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Hot and Spicy with Orange Peel, Vanilla, Oak, Malt, Dried Fruits, Nuts, Salted Butter, Orange Peel, Toffee, Nougat, Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, Menthol and Cardamom. Dry after a while with traces of Espresso and Dark Chocolate. 

I added a little Water and on the Nose I find additional Malt as well as some Peach. More Plum Jam and Coconut as well. Palate and Finish become too Thin however. Add some Water for Nosing purposes only.

Rating: 82

Nose: 21 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: 

The Old Pulteney Distillery was founded in 1826 in Wick by James Henderson but was rebuilt in 1958. Over the years it changed hands many times but since 2006 it's owned by Thai Beverages PLC. The core range of the distillery consists of the 12, the 17, the 21 and the 35 Years old. In August 2013, Old Pulteney launched the NAS Lighthouse series, originally for the Travel Retail shops only. There are 3 Non Chill-Filtered expressions, all named after lighthouses around Wick. The Noss Head matures in Ex-Bourbon Casks, the Duncansby Head in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks and the Pentland Skerries in Ex-Sherry Casks. The latter was replaced by the Dunnet Head in 2015. The Duncansby Head sells at around 70 US Dollars (September 2015).  

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This type of NAS whiskies is becoming the rule rather than the exception. Fancy name, nice story and a higher than usual ABV. But all this can't disguise the fact that we are talking about a young and underdeveloped whisky. And with a Peppery price tag! Does that make this Duncansby Head a bad whisky? No, it doesn't. But be prepared for the fact that this Old Pulteney is Young, Edgy and Hot. I also miss the Coastal nuances that usually distinguishes this distillery from its peers. It's extremely hard to recognise this Single Malt as an Old Pulteney. That's why I called this post "A Shot in the Dark". Despite the fact that Duncansby Head is a Lighthouse! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 26, 2015

Glenturret 1979 (Gordon & MacPhail) Review

“A Taste of Honey”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands

Brand: Glenturret 1979 

Selected, Produced and Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, Elgin 

Type: Single Malt

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Sweet with Sherry, Heather Honey, Sweet Barley, Butter Biscuits, Straw, Nuts, Toffee, Cereal Bars, Marzipan, Dried Fruits soaked in Rum, Vanilla, Plum Jam, Fresh Mint, Floral Tones and hints of Licorice and White Chocolate. The Nose is reasonably Well-Balanced although the Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Taste: Light, Grassy and a bit Edgy. It's my least favourite part of this Single Malt. I find Sweet Barley, Heather Honey, Straw, Vanilla, Toffee, Plums, Herbs, slightly Bitter Oak, light Sherry, Pepper, Licorice, Nutmeg and Cloves. A hint of Cough Syrup towards the end.   

Finish: Middle-Long, Oily, Bitter Sweet and Dry towards the end with Sweet Barley, Heather Honey, Cough Syrup, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Toffee, Plums, Straw, Charred Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Licorice and Menthol. 

I added a couple of drops of water and on the Nose you will get more Floral, almost Perfume-like Notes. The Barley also develops well. But Palate and Finish become too Light in my opinion. You can add a little Water for the sake of Nosing but you better sip it neat.

Rating: 82.5  

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Glenturret Distillery is the oldest working distillery in Scotland, located at the Hosh, Crieff (Pertshire) just off the A 85.  It's one of the smallest as well with only 1 pair of Stills. It was founded in 1875 as a farm distillery called Hosh. A licence was received in 1818 and in 1875 Hosh was renamed Glenturret. The production ceased in 1921 and only restarted in 1959. It changed hands a couple of times before being bought in 1999 by the 1887 Company, a joint-venture between Edrington (70%) and William Grant (30%). Today, the Glenturret Distillery is the Spiritual home of the Famous Grouse Blend.

The Glenturret 1997 was bottled in 2007 by Indie Bottler Gordon & MacPhail as part of their "Mac Phail's Collection". It matured in a Refill Ex-Sherry Hogshead.

It is discontinued in the meantime but you might find the odd bottle here and there at a price of around 50 US Dollars (October 2015). I bought the miniature 5CL bottle at the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin in May 2014.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: For the first time since I started to write Tasting Notes I got the image of a Stillman chatting on Twitter or something similar that was available in 1997 while the Tail of the Spirit started to pass through the Spirit Safe. I don't think that's really the case here but I do find the Spirit a little Edgy and Dirty, especially on the Palate. I'm not too fond of the Cough Syrup and Licorice notes in this Glenturret but on the positive side I like the Barley and Heather Honey. The Nose and the Finish of this Single Malt are okay but taste wise it's not quite my cup of Whisky. It is my first Glenturret so I need to trace other expressions in order to find out if the Spirit of this Distillery is sufficiently interesting as a Single Malt or if it mostly serves as the Heart and Soul of The Famous Grouse Experience. To Be Continued...   

Jan van den Ende                                                                October 22, 2015

Glenn Batch 1 SE Review

“Glenn Gothenburg”

Country: Scotland

Brand: Glenn Batch # 1 SE
Blended and Bottled By: Svenska Eldvatten, Sweden 

Type: Blended Scotch Malt Whisky 

Age: NAS 

ABV: 50%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Quite Young. I would say that the majority of the Malts used in this Blend matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks. But there's evidence of the odd Ex-Sherry Cask as well. And I would not be surprised if some Ex-Wine casks were also used. It's certainly not a Peat Bomb despite the presence of Laphroaig and Bowmore. The Peat, Smoke and Brine are there but their presence is quite subdued. It's much more a Highland Blend with some Islay mixed in to give it a light smoky touch. I find Young Alcohol, Green Apple, Red Fruit Muffins, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Lemon Peel, light Heather Honey, Refill Oak, Sweet Barley, light Pepper and traces of White Chocolate. It's not bad but the Spirit is still a bit Raw and Edgy. The ABV is a tad too high in my opinion. The way it is, the Alcohol plays a very dominant role.

Palate: Raw and quite Sweet at first. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Nuts, Dried Fruits, light Heather Honey, very light Peat and Smoke, Fruity New Make Spirit (Pears and Green Apples), Citrus Peel and Red Berries. Later on Spices such as Pepper, Nutmeg and Cinnamon appear along with some Salted Licorice. 

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet and Spicy at First. Dry and Herbal towards the end. 
I find Sweet Barley, Nougat, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruits, Red Fruit, Nuts, Oak, New Make Spirit, very light Peat and Smoke, Dried Herbs, Pepper and light Licorice.

This Blended Malt does not accept Water very well despite the high ABV. This might indicate that the high ABV helps to cover up some of the deficiencies of the Raw Young Spirit. 

Rating: 80 

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

Picture Credit: Eldvatten SE

General Remarks: 

Svenska Eldvatten ("Swedish Firewater") is an independent bottler of Whisky, Rum and other Spirits and is owned and run by Tommy Andersen and Peter Sjogren. They buy casks of Whisky, mainly in Scotland, bottle them either as Single Malts or Blended Malts and sell them in Sweden.

Glenn Batch # 1 only comprises of 300 bottles of 500 ml, bottled in 2013. You might still find some in the secondary market, priced today at around 100 US Dollars. Batch # 1 is a Blend of 5 Single Malts and is said to contain Laphroaig, Bowmore and Glengoyne Malt.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good  

Conclusion: The idea behind this Blend is not at all bad. I like Peated Highland/ Speyside Whisky and some peated BenRiachs and Benromachs are among my all time favourites. But a really good result depends not only on the quality of the Spirit used. It also requires sufficient maturation time and first class Wood management. However, the Glenn Batch 1 is basically a young Blend although some older Spirit may have been used as well. And it mostly matured in regular Refill Ex- Bourbon casks. Therefore we can't expect something really out of the ordinary. The Glenn Batch 1 is a decent Blend and that's all there is to is. But, given its Youth, the price is quite Peppery.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 19, 2015

Bowmore 2001 (Carn Mor) Review

“It’s Only Natural”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bowmore 2001 Carn Mor (Strictly Limited Range)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 11 Years

Alcohol: 46%

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Light, Young and Crisp with Soft Campfire Smoke, Grassy Peat, Charred Oak, light Iodine, Ashes, Salted Butter, Lemon Peel, Dried Herbs, light Vanilla, Golden Syrup, Biscuits, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Herbal Tea, Malt, Cinnamon and Cloves. None of the Aromas is aggressive in any way. If this would have been a painting, the artist would have used Water Paint. I hardly detect any Sherry influence. A bit of Dried Fruit perhaps. In any case the PX Finish was a short one or the cask wasn't very active. Or both! Please give this Bowmore sufficient time in the glass before Nosing as the Alcohol is not yet fully integrated.

Taste: Light and Pleasant with Soft Smoke, Dirt Road, light Ashes, light Tar, light Iodine, Sweet Barley, Hazelnut Milk Chocolate, Raisins, light Vanilla, Dried Herbs, Tea, light Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Pear and Mandarin Juice. Again I observe a very limited Sherry influence.    

Finish: Middle-Long with a slight Bitterness towards the end. I find Soft Smoke, Dirt Road, light Ashes, Charred Oak, Pipe Tobacco, Salty Licorice, Espresso, Lemon Peel, Nuts, light Honey, light Vanilla, Dried Herbs, Cinnamon, Ginger, light Pepper and a hint of Dark Chocolate. The Finish is the slightly Weaker part of this Bowmore.

With a bit of Water the Alcohol retreats on the Nose leaving it quite Elegant. On the Palate and in the Finish this Bowmore becomes smooth but too Thin for my liking. But there is room to carefully experiment with a little Water. 

Rating: 85  

Nose: 21.5 – Taste: 21.5 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: 

The Bowmore distillery is the oldest one on Islay and was founded in 1779 by David Simpson. It's one of the few distilleries that has its own Malting Floors. In 1994 Suntory from Japan took control. Suntory merged with Beam last year.

The Bowmore 2001 I'm tasting today was distilled in 2001. It matured in two Hogsheads before receiving a short PX Cask Finish. Only 549 bottles were bottled in 2013 by Carn Mor for their Strictly Limited Range that was launched in 2012. This Bowmore is Naturally Coloured and bottled without Chill-Filtration. You can still find some bottles here and there at an average price of around 65 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Sherry influence is negligible and the Alcohol is not yet fully integrated. But other than that, this is a Light but Pleasant Bowmore expression by Carn Mor with hardly any Sharp Edges except for the slight Bitterness in the Finish. The Price Quality ratio is good. If you like your Bowmore a little less Sugary Sweet and "Heavy" than usual, this might be an excellent alternative. I personally enjoyed the fact that no Colouring Agent was used as I believe the regular Distillery expressions suffer a bit in this respect. To be honest, I believe there should be a ban on the use of E-150. But that's daydreaming for the time being!   

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 12, 2015

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016

Hello Everybody and Welcome at Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

As you all know the purpose of Best Shot Whisky Reviews is to give my personal opinion on Whiskies from all over the world. As I would like to maintain my independent position I'm not engaged in any commercial activity. But, as last year, I would like to make an exception to share with you the new edition of The Malt Whisky Yearbook that has been released every year since 2005 by Ingvar Ronde. The internal lay out of the 2016 edition underwent some changes that give it a more modern image. It really looks great as far as I'm concerned. As always, the Year Book is packed with interesting stories, this time about a/o Peat, Whisky & Food, the changing relation between Malt Producers and Consumers, Wood Management and Craft Whiskies, The writers include Charles MacLean, Gavin Smith, Ian Buxton, Martine Nouet and Neil Ridley. New are articles about various Milestones in the Scottish Whisky History. But the most important part of the book remains the detailed description of over 140 Scottish - and Japanese Distilleries and short presentations on another 219 Malt Whisky Distilleries from the rest of the world. And there's still a lot more such as the 150 best Whisky Shops in the world, Whisky Statistics, favourite Whisky Web Sites and so on. 

The Malt Whisky Yearbook is a must have for every Whisky fan in the world from Master Distiller to Whisky Newbie. I guarantee you that this Book will at all times remain close at hand during the coming year, only to be set aside when the 2017 edition has arrived in your postbox!  

The Book is not at all expensive and is sold in Whisky Shops, Distillery Visitor Centres and at the editor's website: 

www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com.  

I wish you lots of fun with the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016!

Cheers!

Jan