Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold Review

“A Hazy Shade of Winter”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Central

Brand: Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 43 %

Colour: Deep Gold (Artificially Coloured)

Room Temperature:

Nose: Young and Light. Do I detect a hint of Sulphur? I'm not quite sure. I do find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Yeast, Creamy Toffee, Golden Syrup, Brown Sugar, light Vanilla, Heather-Honey, Almonds, Straw, Young Oak, Dried Fruits, Pineapple, Nectarine, Orange, Apple, Floral Perfume, Ginger Bread, a sprinkle of Mint and a very distant hint of Smoke. Most of these Aromas are quite Faint. On the Nose, Creamy Barley, Honey, Syrup and Citrus are the main drivers. It's not really bad but it misses Balance. The Alcohol is not integrated. I don't think that there's a lot of Whisky older than say 5 Years in Winter's Gold. There's a clear Unfinished feel to this Spirit.     

Palate: Slightly Thin, Spicy and Bitter Sweet. The Wood and Wood Spice are quite present. I find Sweet Barley, Creamy Toffee, Golden Syrup, Heather-Honey, Cocoa Powder, Icing Sugar, Straw, Young Oak, Nectarine, Orange, Apple, Banana, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Mint.  

Finish: Unfinished, Middle-Long, Bitter Sweet and Herbal. Quite Dry in the end. Again, Wood and Wood Spice are dominant Flavours. I also find Sweet Malt, Golden Syrup, Brown Sugar, Heather Honey, Toffee, light Vanilla, Straw, Grass, Orange, Nectarine, Banana Flavoured Candies, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Mint. On the Palate and in the Finish, Winter's Gold reminds me of Peppered Vodka or German "Obstler" from time to time.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you get more Floral Perfume - and Citrus notes. Lots of Creamy Barley as well. But Palate and Finish do not take added Water very well. You can add a little Water for Nosing purposes but it's better to sip Winter's Gold neat.

Frozen: In this form Winter's Gold becomes quite syrupy. As obviously was to be expected, it's very difficult to pick up Aromas on the Nose. I get Barley and perhaps a Fruity note. On the Palate I find Creamy Barley, Honey, Citrus and Oak. And perhaps a tiny tad of Smoke. The Finish becomes real Short, is Bitter-Sweet and still very Oaky. I must say that the Frozen condition doesn't bring significant changes to the general Aroma and Flavour profile of Winter's Gold. With the exception of the Smoke I found on the Palate. The frozen state does help to hide some of the imperfections of the Spirit. But it also increases the feeling of drinking a German "Obstler" (Fruit Liqueur) instead of a Single Malt Whisky.

Rating: 79 

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

General Remarks: The Dalwhinnie Distillery is the highest -, coldest - and most remote Scottish Distillery. It was originally named Strathspey (a village nearby) and was founded in 1897. The pure spring water comes from Lochan An Doire-Uaine, the highest source of any malt, located at 2000 feet in the Drumochter Hills. The Distillery is now part of the Diageo group and represents the Central Highlands in their Classic Malt Range. The Dalwhinnie is also used in the known Buchanan's - and Black & White Blends. 

In August/September 2015, Diageo (as part of their strategy to launch NAS versions of their Classic Malt range) introduced Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold to honour the influence that the cold has on the Dalwhinnie Spirit. For the Winter's Gold, the distillery only uses Spirit produced between October and March. It matures in a mix of American and European Oak and is Chill-Filtered before bottling. Also, Diageo recommends Winter's Gold to be served frozen following the path of the Snow Grouse and JW Gold. Well, today's Whisky World is full of NAS Whiskies, accompanied by a nice story as we all know. It's priced at between 35 and 55 US Dollars, depending on where you live (December 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: This is the first Single Malt that I have tasted where it came to my mind that the Spirit gave some Flavour to the Wood instead of the other way around. I hope this is not the future of Whisky! Because despite all the slick packaging, nice names and beautiful stories it can't be denied that a lot of the current NAS expressions simply miss Mature Flavours and Aromas as well as Balance. Winter's Gold is no exception to the rule I'm afraid. It was most likely launched to release the pressure on the stocks used for the 15 Years. I guess this means we will see the 15 Years occasionally while the supermarkets will be flooded with Winter's Gold. Is that a good thing? No, it isn't in my opinion. The 15 Years was a light but fully matured Summer Dram. Not spectacular but nice as an aperitif. Instead we get Winter's Gold a young, simple, unbalanced and immature Single Malt. And it's slightly more expensive as well, depending on where you live. I'm sorry but I won't be tempted by fantasy names and nice stories. Because it's what's in the bottle that matters! And in that respect, while not really bad, Winter's Gold simply disappoints.

Jan van den Ende                                                               December 7, 2015

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