Dalmore Cromartie Review

“Highland Blues”

Whisky Review # 617

Country: Scotland
Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Dalmore Cromartie (1996) - Bottling Series: Lands of Clan MacKenzie

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45%
Maturation: Bourbon and Sherry Casks 
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 150-200 (June 2017)
Buying Advice: 😡 Negative. Way too expensive. Stick with the 15! 

Colour: Amber/Copper (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Sweet and a bit Heavy. It reminds me of a Floral Perfume. The Sherry cask influence is quite clear. I find Dried Fruits like Raisins, Apricots, Sultanas and Figs. Unfortunately I detect a fair amount of Sulphur as well together with a few slightly Sour Red Wine notes. They tend to diminish over time in the glass. The Alcohol is quite present as well I'm afraid. Other familiar Aromas include Malted Barley, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Toffee, Caramel, Polished Leather, Grass, Orange, Grapefruit, Canned Pineapple and hints of Tobacco, Chocolate, Wet Stones, Oak, Espresso, Ginger and Menthol. It's not bad but I was expecting much more at this price level.

Visit Dalmore May 2017

Palate: Sweet and Heavy, almost a bit tired. I find the Dried Fruit from the Nose together with some Malt, Toffee, Caramel, Treacle, Black Currant Jam, Vanilla, Red Wine, Orange, Grapefruit, Chocolate, Oak, Tea, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves, Aniseed, Menthol, Dark Honey, Polished Leather, Espresso, Licorice and the faintest hint of Smoke. The Alcohol is still there!      

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet at first but quite Dry, Woody and Mineral towards the end. A few slightly Sour and Bitter notes pop up as well. I find Malted Barley, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Treacle, Dark Chocolate, Orange, Grapefruit, Red Wine, light Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Licorice, Aniseed, Menthol, Dried Herbs, Tobacco and a sprinkle of Salt. The Alcohol remains present until the end.

Visit Dalmore May 2017

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and on the Nose the Floral - and Orange notes become even clearer. Almost like Orange-Oil. The Alcohol withdraws. Palate and Finish do not significantly change although the Orange becomes almost a bit too dominant. Still, the Cromartie gladly accepts a little Water.  

Rating: 84    

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

General Remarks:

🏣   The Distillery and Today's Whisky

The Dalmore Distillery was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. It is located in Alness on the banks of the Cromarty Firth. It is operated by Whyte & Mackay Ltd, owned by Emperador Inc. since 2014. The Dalmore Cromartie was launched in 2012 and is the third in a series of 3 Limited Editions crafted by Master Distiller Richard Paterson to honour the Clan MacKenzie, the owners of the Dalmore Distillery for over a century. The Dalmore McKenzie was the first, released in 2010, followed by Castle Leod in 2011. Together they seek to celebrate the ancient lands of Cromartie, the heartland of the McKenzie clan and home to Castle Leod, the clan's historic seat where they still reside today. A substantial contribution from the sales of these three Expressions will be used to maintain the clan's estates in Cromartie. Only 7500 bottles of the Cromartie went to the market.

🍷  The Spirit: 

Dalmore is equipped with four pairs of Stills of various size and form with high Reflux characteristics. Together these stills produce a slightly heavy and more complex Whisky. The Water is sourced from the river Alness.

🌲 The Wood: 

The Cromartie initially rested in American White Oak Bourbon casks before being further matured for a couple of years in Oloroso casks from Sherry Producer Gonzales Byass in Jerez de la Frontera. Richard Paterson decides when the casks are ready for bottling. The Sulphur and Sour Red Wine notes suggest that at least a number of indifferent Sherry casks went in the mix.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: You would expect that extra good casks would be used for these expensive Limited Editions but somehow I get the feeling that's not the case here. The Alcohol, the Sulphur and the Sour notes would suggest that some less excellent casks were used as well. The standard 15 Years is in fact better in my opinion and it's a lot cheaper. It's perhaps a tad less complex but it doesn't show these off-notes and it's simply a more pleasant dram. Do we need to be careful with all Single Malts that bear fancy names these days? It almost looks like it. The Dalmore Cromartie is not a bad Single Malt but it's way too expensive for what it offers. No way I would spend more than 50 US Dollars for this!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      June 12, 2017

Trip To Scotland (May 6/May 22, 2017) - Part 2: The Trip

“Drams Come True 2017 Part 2”

Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

The Trip.

In Part 2 I'm sharing a short but still detailed day-to-day overview so you might have an idea of what you can do on a single day and in two weeks if you are thinking of making a Whisky Trip yourself. Booking in advance of Distillery Tours, Ferries and B&B's is certainly worth while considering. That way you can fully concentrate on the Whisky part, the fun stuff! I would not do more than two Distillery Tours per day. One in the morning after a good Scottish Breakfast and one in the afternoon after lunch are good choices in our opinion. If possible avoid Tours in the Weekend. Unless you like  crowds!

We arrived in Newcastle on May 7 and proceeded to our first destination, the small village of Dumgoyne, not far away from Glasgow. Here we did the Wee Tasting Tour at the Glengoyne Distillery. We had an excellent diner in The Burbrae Bar in Milngavie and spend the night in the Premier Inn in the same town. On May 8 it took us a little while to find the Auchentoshan Distillery in Dalmuir/Clydebank where we did the Distilled Different Tour. After lunch we set out for Ardrossan to take the ferry to Brodick on the isle of Arran. We dined at the Lochranza Hotel Country Inn and spend the night in the Kincardin Lodge B&B, also in Lochranza. On May 10, we did the Distilling and Tasting Tour at the Isle of Arran Distillery and enjoyed lunch there as well. After lunch we took the ferry to Claonaig and the beautiful coastal road to Campeltown. We had diner at the Big Sheep Bar and stayed the night in the Earadale B&B.
   

Springbank Distillery

On May 10 we visited the famous Cadenhead Whisky & Tasting Shop before participating in the Springbank & Mitchells Glengyle Tour. After a quick lunch in Amelia's Cafe and Bistro we did the Heritage Tour at the Glen Scotia distillery. We had some hot Mexican food for diner and spend the second night at Earadale B&B. On May 11 we took the road to Kennacraig to take the ferry to Port Ellen on the island of Islay. We had lunch in the small town of Bowmore and went on to do the standard tour at the Kilchoman Farm Distillery. We dined at the Islay Hotel in Port Ellen and had booked a room at the Trout Fly B&B in the same village. On May 12 we paid short visits to our friends at Laphroaig and Lagavulin and enjoyed the lunch in the Ardbeg Distillery. After lunch we proceeded to Port Askaig and did the Bunnahabhain Tasting Tour. Afterwards we paid a very nice visit to the Caol Ila Distillery shop. We had a good Pizza for diner and spend our second night at the Trout Fly B&B.

Ardbeg Distillery   

On May 13 we took the ferry back to Kennacraig and proceeded to Oban where we had lunch and took the ferry to Craignure. Another half hour by car brought us to Tobermory on the isle of Mull where we dined at the Mishniss Restaurant and slept in the Moshill Accomodation. On May 14 we had breakfast at the famous Tobermory Bakery before enjoying a Classic Tour at the Tobermory Distillery. Afterwards we took the ferry to Kilchoan. We lunched quite close to the new Ardnamurchan Distillery and drove on to Mallaig where we took the ferry to Armadale on the isle of Skye. We had diner at the Ardvasar Hotel and spend the night at the Hazelwood B&B in the same village.

On May 15 we took the road again to Carbost where we had lunch at the Old Inn before doing the Tasting Tour at the Talisker Distillery. We then proceeded to Portree where we dined at the Sea Breeze Restaurant and slept at the Isles Inn.

Talisker Distillery

On May 16 we hit the road again to Muir of Ord where we had lunch at the Bad Girl Bakery before doing the standard tour at the Glen Ord Distillery. We then proceeded to Tain via Dornoch and spend the night at the Dunbius B&B in Tain. On May 17 it took us 10 minutes to reach the Glenmorangie Distillery where we did the Signet Tour. We lunched somewhere on the way to Brora where we wanted to do the standard tour at the Clynelish Distillery. Unfortunately it was closed for repairs so we only had a dram in the shop. After that we returned to Tain where we had diner and slept at the Dunbius B&B. On May 18 we proceeded to Alness where we did the Standard tour at the Dalmore Distillery. We enjoyed lunch somewhere along the road to Edderton where we participated in the Vintage Moments Tour at the Balblair Distillery before returning to Tain for diner and our last night at Dunbius B&B.

Glenmorangie Distillery

On May 19 we left for Carbridge. After lunch we did the Taste of Tomatin Tour at the Distillery before dining and resting at the Glenan Lodge B&B in Tomatin. On May 20 we drove to Aberfeldy where we had lunch at the Aberfeldy Distillery before doing the Connoisseur Tour. We had a nice pizza in town and spend the night at the Tigh Eilean B&B. On May 21 we visited the Glenturret Distillery where we participated in the Famous Grouse Experience. We then took the (wrong) road to Auchterarder but we arrived just in time for lunch in that city before doing our final Warehouse Tour at the Tullibardine Distillery. We had diner in town and slept in the Allandale House B&B. On May 22 we hit the road for Newcastle where we took the ferry for the crossing to IJmuiden. Our 2nd Whisky Tour had come to an end.

Tour at Glengoyne

Shortly Part 3: Tours and Tastings!

Nikka Taketsuru 17 Years Review

“Water of Life”

Country: Japan

Brand: Nikka Taketsuru

Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years

ABV: 43% 
Chill Filtration: Likely
Whisky Review # 616
Buying Advice: 😋  Great Nose. Good Blend. 😟  Expensive.

Colour: Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Interesting! My first association was a Bourbon finished in Sherry casks! It's quite different when compared to mainstream Scottish Whisky. The Sherry casks influence is more than evident. I find lots of Dried Fruits like Plums, Figs, Raisins, Sultanas, Dates and Apples. Dark Honey, Blueberry Preserves, Coffee and some Bitter Chocolate. But there's enough Vanilla as well representing the Bourbon casks. I can't find any Smoke or Peat in the Islay sense of the words. I do get Charred Oak and Dusty Roads. Recently polished Leather. Perhaps some Virgin Oak was used to mature this Taketsuru. This is a very complex Nose and Aromas and impressions pop up all the time. Fresh Cigar Smoke, Marzipan. Also more regular notes such as Buttered Toast, Toffee, Herbal Tea, Lemon, a teaspoon of Pepper and, surprisingly, a little Salt. And finally a slice of Sweet Pineapple sprinkled with Mint. There's so much going on here that it's almost a bit too busy. I just looked at my watch and I realised that I'm nosing this Blend for more than an hour now. Amazing. The one thing that puzzles me a bit is the Alcohol. It's more present than I would have expected of 17 year old Malt. But other than that Nikka has succeeded in creating a Nose that is made to be enjoyed and discussed with friends after a nice dinner.

Palate: Quite disappointing after the intriguing Nose. The Alcohol is confusing. On the one hand you feel that an ABV of 46% would have greatly helped the delivery and mouth feel that presently is a bit on the Thin side. On the other hand the Alcohol is quite present! We have a bit of a dilemma here. Would love to hear your opinions on this one. On the Palate, the Taketsuru presents a mix of Sweet, Spicy and Sour elements. The Oak is much more noticeable by now. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit (Raisins, Sultanas), Red Wine, Dried Herbs, Dark Honey, Bitter Orange, Bourbon, Chocolate, Blackberry Preserves, Dusty Road, Pepper, Salt, Cinnamon, Mint, Licorice, Aniseed and hints of Leather, Tobacco and Espresso. There is a sort of Dirty and Meaty feel to this Blend that ever so slightly reminded me of a mature Mortlach.

Finish: Middle-Long. Mainly Bitter-Sweet but also with Sour Grapes or Red Wine notes towards the end. Licorice, Aniseed, Herbs, Charred Oak and Chocolate are key notes. I also find Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Demerara Sugar, Strong Herbal Tea, Tobacco, Dark Honey, Soy Sauce, Lemon, Pepper, Cinnamon and hints of Pineapple and Espresso. A little Alcohol kick right at the end.

I added a little Water but came to regret that. The Nose completely lost its complexity and reminded me of a Fruit Cocktail. Palate and Finish do not get any better as well. Definitively a Whisky to sip Neat.   

Rating: 87.5       

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22

General Remarks:

The Taketsuru range was launched in 2001 in honour of Masataka Taketsuru who founded Nikka whisky in 1934 after having studied chemistry in Glasgow and learnt the art of distilling at Longmorn and Hazelburn. Yoichi was the first distillery, located in Yoichi, Hokkaido. This area roughly resembles the Scottish Speyside region. Originally, the Taketsuru range consisted of the 12, 17 and 21 years. A couple of years ago, Nikka decided to stop producing Vintage Malts. The 12 Years has been replaced in the meantime by the NAS Pure Malt. The 17 and 21 Years are becoming hard to find. The price of the award winning 17 Years lies usually in the US$ 180/240 range (June 2017).

🍷 The Spirit: The Taketsuru 17 years is a blend of especially selected Single Malt Whiskies from Nikka's two Malt distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. The first one produces Rich and Peaty whiskies. This distillery still uses the traditional Direct Heating Distillation where the Pot Stills with downward Lyne arms are heated with Coal Powder giving the Whiskies a distinct Aroma and a full Body. Yoichi mostly uses peated Barley with 4-50 PPM. Miyagikyo on the other hand is known for its Fruity and Elegant malts. It is located in Miyagi (Honshu). The large stills have boil bulbs and upward Lyne arms. Unpeated or very lightly peated Barley is used. (June 2017).

🌲 The Wood: Nikka does not specify what casks are used for the Taketsuru 17 Years. However strong Sherry Cask Aromas and Flavours like Dried Fruits, Nuts, Chocolate, Coffee and Berries are evident as are the Vanilla and Charred Oak from the Bourbon casks. I would not be surprised if a small number of Mizunara (Japanese Oak) casks and/or Virgin Oak casks were used as well.

Drinking Experience Neat: Quite Good. Very nice Nose!

Conclusion: This is one of these What If conclusions. Because if the Palate and Finish would have been able to accompany the wonderful Nose, this Taketsuru would have rocketed into my Top 5. And I would have gladly paid 200 Dollars for this Blend although this is something I normally wouldn't do. But Palate and Finish are noticeably weaker than the Nose and I'm afraid I can't quite explain why. Did the Spirit remain a couple of years too long in the casks? Should it have been bottled at 46% or even Cask Strength? You would think so but the Alcohol is already strong enough. Is the Sherry cask percentage perhaps a tad too high? Do the Sour elements point at some weaker casks in the mix? That's exactly why I like Whisky so much. It's as complicated as life itself. It's not for nothing that Whisky derives from the Gaelic word Uisge Baugh or "Water of Life"

Jan van den Ende                                                                       June 5, 2017

Miyagikyo and Yoichi Distilleries

Trip To Scotland (May 6/May 22, 2017) - Part I Preparation and Logistics

“Drams Come True 2017 Part 1”

Hello Everybody and Welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews!

Intro:

In 2014, my Dutch brother-in-law Jan Bronkhorst and myself made our first Whisky trip to Scotland. On that occasion we stayed one week on Islay/Jura and one week in Speyside and visited around 40 distilleries. This time around we left Rotterdam on Saturday evening, May 6th and returned safely there on Tuesday morning, May 23rd, after having visited around 20 distilleries in the Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islay Revisited, Arran, Skye, Mull and a part of the Highlands. In 2014 we were very unlucky with the weather. With the exception of 2 sunny days on Islay we had mostly rainy and grey days during those two weeks. This time it was the other way around. We had mostly cool but sunny weather in the first week. The second week was not quite as good with one miserable day on Skye and rain during the last two days in the Highlands. May is usually a good month to visit Scotland. If you plan to make a Whisky trip you should consider the fact that during the last days of May and the first days of June the very busy Feis Ile festival of Music and Malt will be held on the island of Islay. All accommodations are usually booked way ahead. If you prefer a little bit more privacy during the distillery visits (like we), the first 3 weeks of May are the better option.

Transport:

If you are planning a Whisky trip to Scotland it's better if you don't have to depend on public transport. Lots of distilleries are located in the middle of nowhere and buses are scarce. Only a few taxis will be available and they are often expensive. That leaves you with basically two choices. You can fly to either Glasgow or Edinburgh and hire a car or take the ferry and use your own car. We feel the latter is the better choice if available.

In 2014 we took the Rotterdam to Hull ferry but this time we chose the one from IJmuiden to Newcastle to diminish road time in the UK. The ferry is very crowded during the weekends and our advise would be to avoid this period of the week. As in 2014, we were very lucky and the North Sea was as smooth as a Speyside Single Malt.

If you're visiting (some of) the Scottish Islands, the ferries of Caledonian MacBrayne are the obvious option. We booked all ferries in advance and that worked perfectly. It safes a lot of time and worries!

B&B on Arran

Accommodations:

We choose, with one exception in Milngavie (near Glengoyne) where we stayed at the Premier Inn Hotel, to make use of the Bed & Breakfast system. Our experiences are generally speaking quite good and not seldom excellent. My brother in law booked all of them in advance and that proved to be crucial. Because all of our B&B's had the "No Vacancies" sign on when we arrived. Booking in advance is almost a must if you go to specific, whisky related regions. Use Trip Advisor whenever possible and make sure your location is not too far from the pubs if you care to take a pint or a dram at night!

B&B in Tayne 

“A Bed”

“And a Breakfast”

Food and Drinks:

I can't deny that there are people who go to Scotland and have Tea, Marmalade, Toast, Yogurt and Fruit for Breakfast. It's healthy of course but it's not the way to do it over there. We thoroughly enjoyed our Haggis, Black Pudding, Sausage, Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Bacon! A good start of the day when you're on a Whisky Trip like us.

For lunch we limited ourselves to the traditional Soup of the Day that is always widely available, good and not expensive! At night, after a day's hard work, our first mission was to find something like this:

You can of course go to a fancy restaurant but we love pubs. They are friendly, cosy, not too expensive and they have draft beer like Tennants (our favourite) and usually sufficient Single Malts for dessert. Our favourite Pub Foods include the traditional (if you can't smell the oil they are good) Fish & Chips, Haggis with Neeps and Tatties, Pizza and Chicken/Curry. To be honest we did go out for some fish or shell fish every once in a while!

Arran Distillery

Shortly Part 2: The Trip 

Antiquary 21 Years Review

“A Semi-Precious Stone”

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Antiquary (Gold Box)

Type: Blended Whisky
Blended By: J & W Hardie Ltd, Glasgow (Tomatin)
Age: 21 Years

ABV: 43% 
Chill Filtration: Yes 
Whisky Review # 615
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Good Blend. Negative Price/Quality Ratio.

Colour: Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: There is a nice balance between the Bourbon - and Sherry casks but the Grain Alcohol is still quite noticeable. It's rather Light and Clean for a 21 Year old Blend. Sweet, Medium-Dry and Malty with very distant hints of Grassy Peat and light Smoke. I also pick up Sweet Cereals, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Caramel, Toffee, Heather-Honey, Straw, Dried Herbs, Dusty Road, Banana Flavoured Candy, Citrus, Black Currant Jam, Cooked Apples, Cinnamon, light Menthol, Aniseed, Refill Oak casks and traces of Pepper and Nuts. Most of the Aromas are merely impressions and it takes quite some time to identify them. You would expect some clearer notes after 21 Years which leads me to the conclusion that (most of) the casks weren't very active. After more than an hour I also got an additional Tropical Fruit note but I can't pin it down. Honey Melon perhaps. 

Palate: Slightly Bland and Thin Delivery. An ABV of 46% would have been more adequate. On the Palate, the Antiquary is mainly Sweet with clear notes of Malt, Cereals, Fruit and Spices. the Impressions of Flavours include Sweet Cereals, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Caramel, Straw, Heather-Honey, Cooked Apples, Citrus, Dried Figs, Melon, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Aniseed and a mere hint of Peat.

Finish: Long, Fruity and Pleasantly Sweet. Quite Mineral towards the end. I find Red Apples, Banana, Melon, Pear, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Fudge, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Oak, Walnuts, Grain Alcohol , Aniseed, Menthol and a very faint hint of Peat. My favourite part of this Blend.    

I added a little Water and the Nose becomes extra Fruity - and Floral. Palate and Finish don't take the water quite as well.

Rating: 84       

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

General Remarks:

The Antiquary Blend was produced for the first time in 1888 in Edinburgh by John & William Hardie. The name derives from a novel by Sir Walter Scott. The diamond-shaped bottle and presentation are quite nice. J & W Hardie Ltd in Glasgow was bought in 1995 by the Tomatin Distillery Company Ltd. The Blend contains around 55% Malt Whisky, a high percentage. All in all some 30 Grain - and Malt whiskies are used for the Antiquary. The heart of the Blend is Speyside, represented by a/o Glenrothes, Mortlach, Benrinnes, Linkwood and Cragganmore. Highland malts include Tomatin, Royal Lochnagar and Clynelish while the Lowlands are represented by Glenkinchie. A touch of Bowmore takes care of the subtle peated part of the Blend. The Grain Whiskies are from Camaronbridge and Port Dundas. Maturation takes place in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry casks. The average price of the Blend lies around 90 US Dollars (May 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: The Antiquary 21 years is certainly a very big step forward when compared to the Antiquary 12 Years I reviewed earlier. The 21 Years is a good Blend as it should be given the spicy price-tag. But it's not an exceptional blend and there are two main reasons for that. First of all I suspect that the Malts used did not mature in very active casks. And secondly, as a result, the Grain Alcohol remains quite prominent despite the high Malt content. On the outside the Antiquary 21 years indeed shines like a Diamond with its nice packaging and bottle. The Whisky itself is more like a semi-precious stone. Good but not Great! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                      May 30, 2017

Tomatin