Glen Deer 30 Years Review

“Herbal Tea”

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Glen Deer Special Reserve
Distilled, Blended and Matured by: William Grant & Sons

Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Contains Single Malt from: Glenfiddich and The Balvenie
Age: 30 Years 

ABV: 40% 
Chill-Filtration: Likely
Buying Advice: 😷 Negative. Tastes like Medicinal Herbal Tea. Good Nose though. It's not expensive.

“Whisky Review # 600”

Colour: Golden Amber (Probably Artificially Coloured)

Nose: The Ex-Sherry Cask influence is quite clear. My first impression is that this Blended Malt probably contains more Glenfiddich than Balvenie. I do get a bit of Sulphur as well but nothing serious. The Nose is basically Sweet and Medium Full. This Malt should probably have been bottled at Cask-Strength to enhance the Aromas. On the Nose, this Glen Deer 30 Years has all the characteristics of a Single Malt that you would appreciate around Christmas time or after a nice dinner in combination with a Medium-Strong Cigar. I find Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Dusty Straw, X-mas Cake, a Mix of Dried Fruits (like Raisins and Apricot) and Nuts, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Honey, Orange, Strawberry, slightly Sour Apples, Wood Shavings, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint and hints of Furniture Polish and Dusty Road.

Palate: Slightly Thin Delivery on account of the low ABV. On the Palate, the Glen Deer is mainly Sweet with some Oaky, Herbal and Sour notes as well. It's quite disappointing after the good enough Nose. I find Toasted Barley, Toffee, Raisins, slightly Bitter Almonds, Vanilla, Honey, Orange, Strawberry, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Aniseed, Ginger, Clove, Licorice and stale Coffee.

Finish: Not very Long, slightly Spicy, Bitter-Sweet, Herbal and Oaky. Quite Dry in the end with a strange Off-Note I can't quite place. An odd mixture of Oak, Metal, Herbal Tea and Green notes. This does not work for me at all. I also find Toasted Barley, Nuts, Orange, Honey, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Licorice, Aniseed and Cocoa Powder.  

Added Water does not improve this Glen Deer. On the Palate and in the Finish I keep on being punished with this Herbal Tea Flavour. You know, the one that people use to lose weight.

Rating: 81.5   

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks:

The Glen Deer 30 Years is a special expression made by William Grant & Sons for the French market. In the meantime you can buy it elsewhere as well. Glen Deer is a Blend of Single Malts from Glenfiddich and the Balvenie. The Malts for this Blend were distilled in May, 1980. They matured in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry casks before being married and bottled in 2012. Therefore this Glen Deer has in fact over 30 Years. It's still available in places. Prices are likely to be in the 80-100 US Dollar range (March 2017). Quite cheap for a whisky of this age. 

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 and Glenfiddich is the world's best selling Single Malt. The standard distillery range consists of the 12, 15 and 18 Years.

Glenfiddich (May 2014)

The Balvenie distillery was founded in Dufftown in 1892 by William Grant. It is still in the hands of the Grant family. The Balvenie lies at the heart of the Grant's Family Reserve Blend.

Drinking Experience Neat: The Nose is okay but Palate and Finish are quite disappointing.

Conclusion: I choose this 30 Year Old blended Malt to be my 600th Review as I expected something special. It is special but not entirely in a positive way. The Nose is quite okay and suggests your typical sherried Speysider. The Palate and Finish however are quite disappointing. I suspect indifferent cask-management. I am constantly reminded of Herbal Tea that is used to help people lose weight. A worthy cause certainly but not a Flavour I want to encounter in my Malt. Based on the Nose alone, this Glen Deer has an excellent Price/Quality ratio. Based on Palate and Finish however there is no way I can recommend this Blended Malt. Unless of course you got hooked on this Flavour in your latest effort to fight the extra kilos.                      

Jan van den Ende                                                                      March 6, 2017

The Balvenie (May 2014)

Talisker Distillers Edition 2015 Review

“Skye-High”

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands - Islands - Skye

Brand: Talisker Distillers Edition 2015 (TD-S 5RD) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years 

ABV: 45.8% 
Chill-Filtration: Likely
Whisky Review # 599
Buying Advice: 😄  Positive. Good Malt and Excellent Price/Quality Ratio.

Colour: Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry (Likely Artificially Coloured)

Nose: A Coastal Malt without any doubt! My first impression is Tarred Driftwood and I will certainly sniff the air around this Distillery during my upcoming visit in May this year! After a while this Wood mingles with a mix of Salted Nuts and Dried Fruit (Sultanas, Raisins, Apricots and Plums). These are the main drivers on the Nose of this Talisker. I also find Sweet Barley, Toasted Cereals, Brown Sugar, Toffee, Vanilla, Dirty Earth, Distant Factory Smoke, Sour Apples, Citrus Peel, Floral Perfume, light Iodine, Leather, Dusty Old Books, Dried Herbs, Light Aniseed, Pepper and Menthol. The Alcohol is quite present! The Sherry casks were very active considering the fact that this Talisker was only finished in those casks for a couple of months. I could imagine that regular Talisker 10 drinkers would feel that the Sherry overpowers some of the original characteristics but personally I feel that Talisker Spirit and Sherry go well together. 

Palate: Good delivery thanks to the adequate ABV. On the Palate, this Talisker is mostly Sweet with some Bitter and Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toasted Oak, Vanilla, Toffee, Butterscotch, Salted Nuts, Brine, Dirty Earth, light Smoke, Cocoa Powder, Sour Apples, Smoked Fish on the BBQ, Leather, Ashes, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mustard, Aniseed, Licorice, Dried Herbs and Menthol.

Finish: Quite Long, Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and Ashy. A little Dry and slightly Sour towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Malted Cereals, Dirty Earth, light Smoke, Wet Stone, Brine, Salted Fish sprinkled with Lemon, Salted Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Grapefruit Juice, Sour Apples, Leather, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint and a mere hint of Dark Chocolate. It is not as Peppery as the regular 10 Years but it's still tasty enough. The Finish really invites you to take another sip!   

I added a little Water and on the Nose you get more Floral Perfume, Lemon and Grapefruit. The Dirty Earth and Peat develop on the Palate together with some Juicy Oranges. With a little Water you'll get rid of most of the Alcohol and that's not a bad thing in this case. This Talisker certainly accepts a little water and I must admit I liked it both ways!  

Rating: 86.5   

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

General Remarks:

The Talisker distillery is located in Carbost on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye. It was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill and produces around 3 million litres of Alcohol per year. It is part of the Diageo Group. Almost on a yearly basis, a Distillers Edition is launched, usually a more or less Standard 10 Years expression that received a Sherry Cask Finish. The 2015 Edition was distilled in 2005. It matured for around 10 years in Ex-Bourbon casks before finished for a couple of months in Ex-Amoroso Sherry casks. It won't be easy to find these days but prices were usually in the 60-70 US Dollar range (March 2017). In the meantime, the Distillers Edition is part of Talisker's core range.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good stuff and not too expensive!

Conclusion: I must admit that I'm a fan of the Talisker 10 and Talisker 18. The first one is wild and rough with this unforgettable Pepper jive and the latter one is well-balanced, especially on the Palate. This 2015 Distillers Edition has a bit of both of them and I quite liked it as well. It's kind of rough on the Nose, more balanced on the Palate and with an inviting Finish. Good Price/Quality ratio as well. I will certainly try and taste the more recent Distillers Edition during my visit to Talisker. It won't be easy to find but I can certainly recommend the 2015 DE! Much better than their recent NAS expressions!   

Jan van den Ende                                                                      March 2, 2017

Bladnoch 19 Years Review

“Interesting Rebel Without a Cause”

Country: Scotland
Region: Lowlands

Brand: Bladnoch 
Bottling Series: Belted Galloway Cattle Label

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 19 Years 

ABV: 55% 
Chill-Filtration: Likely.
Whisky Review # 598
Buying Advice:😐 Neutral. Interesting but Expensive. Not my Style. 

Colour: Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong and it's not easy to find your way around it. Be sure to give this Bladnoch enough air contact. Malt and Straw are the main drivers on the Nose but a few surprising artificial Tropical Fruit notes appear as well. I find Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Heather-Honey, Dried Grass/Straw, Vanilla, Yeast, light Sherry, Mixed Citrus Peel, Hazelnut-Chocolate, Oak, Floral Perfume, Cinnamon and hints of Cardboard, Mint, Coconut, Pear, Pineapple and Mango.

Palate: Dry, Malty, Oaky and Spicy. The Alcohol remains very present. I find Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Grass and Straw, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Coffee Beans, Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Floral Perfume, Tutti-Frutti Bubble Gum, Coconut, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Oak, Hazelnut-Chocolate, Heather-Honey and a sprinkle of Mint. 

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and Spicy. Very Dry towards the end. I find Toasted Barley, Toast, Grass/Straw, Nuts, Vanilla, Toffee, Lemon, Grapefruit, Herbal Tea, Oak, Coconut, Pear, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom and light Menthol.  

I added a little Water and on the Nose you get more Malt, Citrus and Perfume. On the Palate, the added Water helps to kill the Alcohol bite. The Finish gets a bit weak though. My advise is to carefully add a few drops at a time until you find the perfect balance. 

Rating: 82.5  

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks:

The Bladnoch Distillery is located in Bladnoch, Wigtown and was founded in 1817 by Thomas and John McClelland. It changed hands various times before being mothballed by United Distillers in 1993. A year later it was bought by Raymond Armstrong but unfortunately the distillery went into administration in 2014 and was put up for sale again. In 2015 it was bought by David Prior, an Australian businessman who wants to put Bladnoch on the whisky map again. The 19 Years I'm tasting today was distilled around 1990 and bottled in 2009. It most likely matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon and Refill ex-Sherry Casks but I'm not absolutely sure about that. It's quite expensive and prices are usually in the 150/200 US Dollar range (February 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Quite interesting. It's not my style though.

Conclusion: This is my third mature Bladnoch and I am pretty sure now that it's not my favourite style of Whisky. I must admit though that's it's interesting and different. But I find it a bit too much Rebel Without a Cause. My main problems with Bladnoch are the lack of Balance and the very present Alcohol. A little Water helps to control the latter but also takes away quite a bit of the character. Because this Single Malt certainly does not lack personality. You will remember Bladnoch once you've tasted it. It doesn't quite work for me but do give it a try when you encounter it as taste is of course a very personal matter. It is quite expensive as it has become a bit of a cult name in the Whisky world. Let's see if the new owners with their new equipment can come up with a slightly more balanced Whisky in the future without compromising the "old" Bladnoch style too much.

Jan van den Ende                                                               February 27, 2017

Miltonduff 1987 (Private Cellar) Review

“The Heart of Ballantine’s”

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Miltonduff 1987
Bottled By: Forbes Ross & Co Ltd, Rutherglen (Private Cellar Series)

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 20 Years

ABV: 43% 
Chill-Filtration: No 
Whisky Review # 597
Buying Advice: 😒  Negative. Too expensive for what it offers.

Colour: Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose: Based on Colour and Aroma I assume that this Miltonduff matured most likely in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks. Be sure to give this Malt enough time in the glass as the Aromas are liberated quite slowly. My first impression is Strawberry Yogurt and that's quite unusual. On the Nose this Miltonduff is quite Light and a bit Introvert. The casks have not been very active. I further find traces of Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Honey, Vanilla, Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Citrus Peel, Apple, Pear, Banana, Pineapple, Peach, Resin, Floral Perfume, Grass, Nutella, Oak, Wax and Cinnamon.  

Palate: The Delivery is on the Light side. This Malt would have been better when bottled at 46%. On the Palate this Miltonduff is Bitter-Sweet and presents some Toasted Cereals, Barley Sugar, Vanilla, Caramel, Salted Almonds, light Honey, Lemon, Grapefruit, Oak, light Licorice, light Aniseed, Pepper, Cinnamon, light Tobacco, Wax, light tropical Fruit (Pineapple or perhaps Banana) and Cocoa.   

Finish: Rather Short, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Herbal with some Acid - and Metallic tones as well. I find Toasted Cereals, Salted Almonds, Grapefruit Juice, Vanilla, Oak, light Tobacco, Dried Herbs, Pepper, light Menthol, light Aniseed, light Licorice, Lemon and, after a while,  Strawberry-Flavoured Milk Chocolate. 

I added a little Water and on the Nose you will get more Malty and Floral notes. Some Banana Ice Cream as well. Palate and Finish do not improve however.

Rating: 83.5 

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 21

General Remarks:

This distillery was founded in 1824 and is located in Elgin. A huge reconstruction of the distillery took place in 1974. It changed hands various times over the years but since 2005 it is owned by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard). Most of the production is destined for the Chivas blends. More specifically, Miltonduff and Glenburgie form the heart of Ballantine's. You don't encounter many official Distillery Single Malts so you need to look for Indies. Forbes Ross was founded in 1953. Their current status is dissolved however. You can still find this Malt on the Internet. I've seen prices in the US Dollar 100/150 range (February 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good but without any Wow factor.

Conclusion: I'm not impressed by this Miltonduff, especially when you consider the current price level. It's not bad but it misses character and personality. I can see why most of the output of the distillery disappears in the Ballantine's Blend. Not at all my favourite Blend by the way. Some excellent casks could have given the Spirit a Face lift. I must conclude however that the casks weren't very active. This was only my first mature Miltonduff so unfortunately I can't make any comparisons. I will try to get some additional samples from more renowned Independent Bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail. Maybe that can change my mind about this Distillery. For the time being however I can't recommend this Single Malt as it is currently too expensive for what it offers.

Jan van den Ende                                                               February 24, 2017

Bruichladdich 1991 (WM Cadenhead) Review

“Licorice Laddy”

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay

Brand: Bruichladdich 1991
Bottled By: WM Cadenhead (Authentic Collection) 

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 21 Years

ABV: 52.1% 
Chill-Filtration: No 
Whisky Review # 596
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Good Price/Quality Ratio. Interesting but not exactly my type of Malt. 

Colour: Pale White Wine  (Natural Colour)

Nose: Very Light and Crisp for a Single Malt of this Age. Both the Colour and the Nose suggest a rather inactive cask. I pick up a little Varnish right at the start so it's important to give this Bruichladdich sufficient air contact. The Alcohol is quite strong at first and you need to find your way around it when nosing this Malt. On the Nose, this Malt is Floral, Fruity and Mineral with only the faintest note of Smoke. Quite a bit of Salt though. Other than that I find Malted Cereals, Toast, German Butter Biscuits, Grass, Wet Stone, Lemon, Pear, Vanilla, Nougat, Fresh Mint, Oak and hints of Canned Pineapple and Tobacco. A very Fresh and Medium-Creamy Bruichladdich without too much Depth and Complexity. 

Palate: Bitter-Sweet, Medium-Fruity, Malty and quite Mineral with Sweet Barley, Caramel, Vanilla, Apple, Pear, light Honey, Nougat, Lemon, Grapefruit, light Licorice, light Pepper, Salt, Mint, Oak, Herbal Tea and a very faint Smoky note.

Finish: Quite Long and Creamy. Too much Licorice as far as I'm concerned. I also find Malted Cereals, Barley Sugar, Grass, Mineral and Herbal notes, light Menthol, Pepper, Salt, Oak, Lemon, Grapefruit, Peach and light Nougat. Quite Dry in the end. This is my least favourite part of this Malt.

Due to the fact that I merely had a small sample at my disposal, I only tasted this Bruichladdich neat.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5  - Overall: 21

General Remarks:

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by Barnett Harvey. During its history it was mothballed various times, the last time in 1998. In 2012 the distillery was bought by Remy Cointreau. Since, Bruichladdich is showing a healthy growth again. The distillery produces three types of Single Malt, i.e. the unpeated Bruichladdich, the heavily peated Port Charlotte and the peat monster Octomore. The Bruichladdich I'm reviewing today was distilled in 1991 and matured for 21 Years in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead before it was bottled at Cask Strength in October 2013 by WM Cadenhead, the oldest Independent Bottler in Scotland that was founded in 1842 by William Cadenhead. Only 276 bottles went to the market and some bottles are still available at prices that are mostly in the US 90/130 range (February 2017). Not that expensive for a quality Single Malt of this age!  

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. A bit too much Licorice in the Finish for my taste!

Conclusion: This is an interesting Bruichladdich. It is similar to the 22 Years I reviewed earlier but it's not quite as good due to some details that might have been caused partly by the indifferent cask. In my opinion, this Cadenhead expression is not as complex, less Fruity and less Well-Balanced. The Licorice in the Finish is a bit too much for me. It's just not my kind of Whisky. Having said that I found the Nosing and Tasting experience quite interesting as I kept discovering new Aromas and Flavours all the time. They might not form a very coherent combo but they are there nevertheless. To sum it up, I liked the Tasting Experience but I wouldn't buy a full bottle. If you like the Aroma- and Flavour profile I have described however you could give it a try as it's reasonably priced for a 21 year old.

Jan van den Ende                                                               February 21, 2017