Glen Keith 1992 (Archives) Review - Craigellachie 1991 (Scott's Selection) Review, Miltonduff 10 Years (Gordon & MacPhail) Review - Glen Grant 1990 (Gordon & MacPhail) Review

“A Quartet of Indie Speysiders”

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the coming months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific region like today or with specific bottlers, countries or distilleries. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't go into details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. Today's special will look at 4 Single Malts from Speyside bottled by various Independent Bottlers. Enjoy!

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Whisky Review # 664

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Glen Keith 1992
Bottled by: Whiskybase - Archives - The Fishes of Samoa Series

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 21 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 51.5%

Maturation: Bourbon cask # 120599 (218 Bottles) 

Chill Filtration: No   

Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Good Malt. A few flaws. Rather expensive. 

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose: Relatively Light for a 21 Year old Single Malt. Quite pleasant though with lots of Fruit and Malt. The Alcohol has integrated reasonably well despite the high ABV. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Puff Pastry, Vanilla, Hay, Grass, Raisins, Heather-Honey, Wax, Peach, Saw Dust, Floral Soap, Apple, Pear, Pineapple, Orange, Latte Macchiato, Almond Paste and traces of Lemon Grass, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Wood Polish, Papaya Cream and Menthol. There is also a hint of Dark Red Fruit but I can't quite pin it down. Nice laid-back Nose. Good cask.     

Palate: Bitter-Sweet, Herbal, slightly Sour and Medium Dry. The Alcohol is more present now. I find Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Vanilla, Mandarin, Plums, Banana, Pineapple, Toasted Oak, Straw, Dried Herbs, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cocoa Powder, Dried Apricot, Menthol and traces of Tobacco and Wood Polish.  

Finish: Mostly Sweet. A few Bitter, Sour and Herbal notes towards the Medium-Dry end. The Alcohol is even more noticeable by now. I find Toasted Barley, Butter Kekse, Salted Caramel, Dough, Grass, Hay, Vanilla, Orange-Flavoured Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Pear, Apple, Heather-Honey, Latte Macchiato, Menthol, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a slight Rubbery off-note. 

Rating: 85    

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21   

Conclusion:

The Glen Keith I'm reviewing today was distilled in October 1992 and was bottled at Cask Strength in March 2014. Glen Keith's production is mainly used in well-known Blends such as Chivas Regal and Passport. A few bottles of this Archives expression can still be found on the Internet. Prices are in the 160-190 US$ range. Let's see if it's worth that kind of money. The Nose is very nice with all kinds of Fruit but on the Palate Wood and Spices become very prominent and I didn't care for the light Rubbery off-note in the Finish. If Palate and Finish were as good as the Nose I would fully recommend buying a bottle. As it stands however I find the current price a little too stiff for the total package. 

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Whisky Review # 665

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Craigellachie 1991
Bottled by: Scott's Selection

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 20 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 55.8%

Maturation: Bourbon cask # 2712 (225 Bottles) 

Chill Filtration: No   

Buying Advice: 😜 Bored with mainstream? Then give this a try!  

Colour: White Wine/Pale Straw (Natural Colour)

Nose: The Alcohol is there so you will have to find your way around it. Quite different from the Glen Keith by the way. The Glen Keith was pleasant and quite balanced on the Nose but this Craigellachie is still Nervous and Edgy even after 20 years. Less interaction with the cask. The Nose is mainly Sweet but there are quite a few Mineral and Green notes as well. I find Toasted Breakfast Cereals, slightly Burnt Toast with a mix of Butter & Margarine, Farm Yard, Grass, Straw, Vanilla, Wet Sand, Bread Dough, Nuts and Nutshells, Heather-Honey, Cooked Vegetables, Sweet Apple, Pear Drops, Orange, Unripe Strawberries, Muesli Bars, Salted Caramel, Pepper, Nutmeg, Refill Wood and traces of Cherry-Flavoured Candies and Cinnamon. It's all a bit untidy as Field Marshall Montgomery used to say.

Palate: Sweet and Funky. Good Delivery thanks to the high ABV. It remains a bit of a mess but there's a certain flair here that I can't deny. It's the best part of this Malt in my view. I find Toasted Cereals, Salted Caramel, Apricot Jam, Orange-Flavoured Dark Chocolate, Toasted Oak, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Nuts, Sweet Apple, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Licorice, Menthol, and Aniseed. Unripe Pineapples perhaps.    

Finish: Middle-Long but Powerful thanks to the high ABV. Malt, Oak and Spice rule in this department. I find Toasted Cereals, Salted Caramel, Bitter Chocolate, Orange Peel, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cardamom, Licorice, Aniseed, Menthol and traces of Dried Fruit like Apricot and Sultanas.   

Rating: 83.5   

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

Conclusion: 

This Craigellachie was distilled in 1991 and bottled at Cask Strength in October 2011. Craigellachie is of course the home of the Dewar's Blends. The 1991 Single Malt I'm tasting today is certainly an interesting whisky. Not at all boring like many of today's mainstream Single Malts. It is quite funky actually albeit it also a bit nervous, edgy and unbalanced. The best part for me is the Palate and that's highly unusual. You can still buy this Single Malt at around US$ 140. That's not cheap of course and I don't think everybody will like this Craigellachie as it clearly has a mind of its own. But if you're the adventurous type that is easily bored with today's mainstream stuff you might give this one a try! 

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Whisky Review # 666

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Miltonduff
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%

Maturation: A mix of First-Fill and Refill Sherry casks  

Chill Filtration: No    

Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Simple Speyside Malt with Good P/Q ratio.  

Colour: Light Golden (Original Colour)

Nose: Quite Light but not unpleasant. Fruity and Floral. The Sherry casks are noticeable but not overly so. Mostly refill casks I would say. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Heather-Honey, Hay, Grass, Charred Oak, Apple, Pear, Orange, Peach, slightly Sour Berries, Fresh Herbs, White Wine, Milk Chocolate, Green Vegetables, Bread Dough and a sprinkle of Lemon. Simple and quite inoffensive.  

Palate: Light and on the Thin Side. An ABV of 40% hardly ever convinces. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Butterscotch, Caramel, Hay, Straw, Heather-Honey, Red Apple, Orange, Sour Gooseberries, Fresh Herbs, Green Vegetables, Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Pepper, Licorice and Sugared Tea.     

Finish: Rather short and a bit Thin. Mostly Sweet but with some Sour and Bitter notes towards the surprisingly Dry end. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, a mix of Nuts, Apple, Orange, Green Vegetables, Charred Oak, Alcohol, Pepper and light Licorice and Menthol.

Rating: 81    

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5   

Conclusion: 

Miltonduff is mostly known for its contribution to the Ballantine Blends. It's very difficult to find a Single Malt of this Distillery other than the 10 Years bottled by Gordon & MacPhail that I'm reviewing today. There's not much to say about this Malt I'm afraid. It's a simple entry Speysider without any highs or lows. But at around US$ 40, the Price/Quality ratio is quite good. Nice for beginning Whisky drinkers but too simple for advanced Malt fans. 

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Whisky Review # 667

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Glen Grant 1990
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%

Maturation: Bourbon casks  

Chill Filtration: No    

Buying Advice:  😐 Neutral. Simple Speyside Malt with Good P/Q ratio.

Colour: Light Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose: Light. In a Blind Tasting I wouldn't have given this Malt seventeen years. It smells Younger and still quite Fresh. Good but not overly active Bourbon casks. This Glen Grant is mildly Sweet, Fruity and Floral on the Nose. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Caramel, Heather-Honey, Raisins, Red Apple, Peach, Ripe Banana, Pineapple, Nectarine, Citrus, Grass, Milk Chocolate, Saw Dust, Wax, Floral Soap and traces of Resin, Ginger and Aniseed.   

Palate: Creamy but Thin at the same time. I find Sweet Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Golden Syrup, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Grass, Hay, Hazelnut, Red Apple, Pear, Citrus, Nectarine, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Fresh Herbs, Pepper, Ginger, Aniseed, Licorice, Menthol and Cinnamon.      

Finish: Rather Short and on the Thin side. Sugary Sweet on the one hand  but with some Bitter and Sour notes toward the Medium-Dry end. I find Sweet Malt, Caramel, Vanilla, Golden Syrup, Toffee, Nectarine, Citrus, Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Sugared Tea, Licorice, Menthol, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a bit of Cocoa Powder.

Rating: 80     

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20   

Conclusion: 

This Glen Grant might be difficult to find but it's not at all expensive for its age. I have seen prices at around US$ 40. Excellent Price/Quality ratio at this price level. Like the Miltonduff I described above, this Glen Grant is a Light and Thin Entry Speysider. It's not at all bad but there's not too much of interest going on either. To be used as an Aperitif on a hot summer day. Cheers!

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Drinking Advice:

Due to the fact that I merely had small samples at my disposal, I only Nosed and Tasted these four Single Malts neat.

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 11, 2017

Glenmorangie The Taghta Review

“Not My Chosen One”

Whisky Review # 663

Country: Scotland

Region: Northern Highlands

Brand: Glenmorangie The Taghta (Cask Master Selection) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Bourbon Casks with Manzanilla Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No     
Price Range: US Dollars 110-140 (December 2017). Discontinued!
Buying Advice: 😏 Too expensive. Go for the Original 10 Years instead!  

Colour: Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Quite Light. On the Thin side actually. I pick up some Sulphur as well but it stays within limits. On the Nose, the Taghta is basically Sweet but there are some Sour and Meaty notes as well. Medium Sherry cask influence. Not more than a year I think. I find Malted Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Nuts, Honey, Straw, Grass, Wax, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas, Banana and Apricot and traces of Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon, Yogurt topped with Unripe Strawberries, Orange Flavoured Milk Chocolate, Tinned Pineapple in Heavy Syrup and Leather. The Alcohol is not yet fully integrated.

Palate: The Delivery is okay thanks to the adequate ABV. Bitter-Sweet and Sour notes fight each other constantly. There's no real Harmony here. I find Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Salted Caramel, Honey, Salted Nuts, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apricot, Strawberry Flavoured Yogurt, Apple, Orange Flavoured Chocolate, Lemon Peel, Grapefruit Juice, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Charred Oak and traces of Leather and Sulphur. It's a relatively Young Whisky and it shows.

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet at first but Sour, Tannic and Bitter notes develop towards the Dry end. I find Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apricot, Salted Nuts, Honey, Orange Flavoured Chocolate,  Grapefruit, Lemon, Apple, Herbs, Pepper, Ginger and Clove. Traces of Leather, Charred Oak,  Dark Greek Olives, Strawberry Flavoured Yogurt and Sulphur.    

Drinking Advice:
I added a little Water and the Oranges shine even more on the Nose. It doesn't do a lot else though. Raisins and Oranges develop on the Palate as well. You can certainly experiment with a few drops of Water at a time.

Rating: 83.5  

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

General Remarks:

🏣   The Distillery and Today's Whisky:

The production at this Tain based Distillery started in November 1849. By the end of the 1930's the McDonald family took control of Glenmorangie. They only sold the distillery to Vuitton/Moet Hennessy in 2004. Since 1994, Glenmorangie has been very actively experimenting with different Wood Finishes. The current core range includes the Original 10 Years, the 18 years, the Signet and three 12 Year old Wood Finishes i.e. the Quinta Ruban (Port), the Lasanta (Sherry) and the Nectar d' Or (Sauternes). In the last years however, Glenmorangie launched a large number of Special editions and Travel Retail specials. Currently, around 5,5 million litres of Spirit are produced. We visited the distillery in May 2017. The whole place looks impeccable and the Still House (Cathedral), VC and Shop are a true feast to the eye. It's almost a bit too polished for my taste. It's really the complete opposite of a visit to Springbank in Campbeltown. And, to be honest, I prefer the latter!

The Taghta (pronounced as Tuh-Tah) is Gaelic for "The Chosen One". A perfect name for the first Crowd-Managed Single Malt. The Name, the Label Design and the Finishing Cask were chosen by the Cask Masters, a group of loyal distillery fans. It was launched in 2013 as a limited edition and a total of 12.000 bottles was released. Many of those bottles of course went to those who helped create this Single Malt.

Visit May 2017

🍷  The Spirit:  

The distillery operates six pairs of Stills, beautifully lined up in the Cathedral Still House. The Lyne arms are partly straight or with a slightly upwards angle. The stills are the tallest ones in Scotland. They produce a Sweet, light-bodied spirit with Floral, Nutty and Citrus notes. Water is sourced from the Tarlogie Spring.

Visit May 2017(Not a Cask but certainly a well-matured "Vehicle")

🌲  The Wood:

The Taghta was firstly matured in Ex-Bourbon casks for a number of years as is standard procedure at Glenmorangie. The spirit then received a Finish in Ex-Manzanilla Sherry casks from the Bodega Alegro Sanlucar de Barrameda. The Manzanilla is in fact a Fino Sherry produced in and around Sanlucar. As this town is closer to the sea than Jerez, the Manzanilla from Sanlucar usually has some salty tones. 

Drinking Experience: Good but nothing special.

Conclusion: The Taghta is not a bad Glenmorangie and the Salty notes do set it apart from other limited editions as presented by this Highland Distillery. On the other hand I can't deny the fact that we are talking about a relatively young whisky here. Probably around 8 years + the additional Manzanilla Finish. So in fact it's basically a slightly younger Original 10 Years with a fancy Finish. That's okay of course but for the fact that you pay double or even triple the price of the 10 Years. And that does not make sense. The Taghta is a nice initiative but it is overpriced for what it offers. Something we encounter too often in today's Single Malt market. So while the Taghta is okay I can't recommend buying a full bottle. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you like  young Glenmorangie you are perfectly okay with the Original 10 Years!

Jan van den Ende                                                               December 7, 2017

Visit May 2017

Cutty Sark 12 Years (1980's) Review

“Cutty Sark Special”

A Bit of History.

On January 1, 2012, I reviewed the Cutty Sark Original bottled in the same year. Here are the Tasting Notes I wrote back then:

Colour: Pale Gold 

Nose: As always give your whisky sufficient time to open up before nosing. I recommend at least 20 minutes. The Cutty Sark certainly does not present an impressive nose with Malt, Sweet Grain (Breakfast Cereals), Citrus and Oak. There is Alcohol but not as much of it when compared to various other blends in the same price range. At some point I thought I nosed Apple Pie with Raisins and Cream but it’s not consistently there. There’s also something nasty that I can only describe as morning sickness after a stiff night on the town if you know what I mean. Quite a mixed bag that we have here!

Taste: Delivery is a bit thin. Sweet, Simple but Drinkable with some Light Spices, Honeyed Grains, Extra Sweet Toffee and Apple.

Finish: The honey/sugar sticks to the palate for a while followed by Oak and the unpleasant Nutty Bitterness that is so common in Standard Blends and for which I have deducted a full point.

I would not recommend adding water to the Cutty Sark although you get a little bit more fruit (Melon) on the nose. But you completely destroy the  taste.

Rating: 76 

Nose: 19,5 – Taste: 19,5–  Finish: 18 – Overall: 19

Conclusion: Cutty Sark is not an expensive whisky and as such it holds its ground when compared to direct competitors such as Dewar’s White Label, Grant’s Family Reserve, Ballantine’s Finest, Chivas Regal 12 Years, White Horse, the Famous Grouse and Johnnie Walker Red Label. Still it’s depressing when you realise that 90% of all whiskies sold worldwide are blends, many of them of comparable quality, quite a few of them better but lots of them worse as the subject of this review. Anyway, Cutty Sark is an acceptable blend given its competitive pricing. It has some Speyside-like sweetness on the palate and some citrus on the nose. There are some off-notes as well, respectively on the nose (Morning Sickness) and in the Finish (Nutty Bitterness). If you go for cheap and reasonable, Cutty Sark could be your blended whisky of choice. Or you could save a bit longer and buy yourself a Deluxe blend or a Single Malt. Guess what I would do!!!

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On February 2, 2017, I reviewed the Cutty Sark Storm bottled in the same year. Here are the Tasting Notes I wrote back then:

Colour: Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Mainly Sweet with some Sour and Salty accents. The Grain Alcohol is very present. A tiny bit of Smoke and Sherry in the background. I also find Toasted Cereals, Toast and Margarine, Earth and Grass, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Caramel, Butterscotch, some Nuts and Dried Fruits (Sultanas and Hazelnut), a little Fruit (Pineapple or perhaps Mango and overripe Bananas), light Citrus, Refill Wood, light Spices (Cinnamon and Nutmeg) and a hint of Tobacco. I can't get excited about this. It's still quite similar to the standard Cutty Sark I reviewed earlier. A bit more Fruit perhaps.     

Palate: Slightly Thin delivery. Light, Bitter Sweet and mildly Spicy. On the Palate and in the Finish, the Single Malt component is more noticeable. I find Toasted Cereals, light Honey, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Caramel, Dried Fruit (Apricot and Sultanas), Pear, slightly Bitter Orange, Vanilla, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Mint, light Licorice, Charred Oak and a hint of Tobacco. The faintest puff of Smoke from a very distant fire.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and mildly Spicy. Dry towards the end. I find Sugared Cereals, Vanilla, Charred Oak, slightly Bitter Orange Juice, Menthol, light Licorice, Caramel, Corn Syrup, Sultanas, Pepper, light Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and a hint of Tobacco. On the Palate and in the Finish the Storm clearly beats the standard Cutty Sark.

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

Rating: 79.5

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

Conclusion: The Storm is indeed an improvement over the regular Cutty Sark. Not so much on the Nose but certainly on the Palate and in the Finish where the higher Malt content is noticeable. I also didn't find any off notes in the Storm. At an average 25 US Dollars, the Storm has an excellent Price/Quality ratio and it easily beats most of the Bottom Shelf Blends. It's one of the few cheaper blends that you can actually enjoy neat although it's a bit Thin on the Palate. Don't expect Whisky Heaven when you buy the Storm because that's impossible at this price level. But it's an acceptable Blend with an excellent P/Q ratio. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Very recently I received a 5 CL miniature bottle of the Cutty Sark 12 Years from my parents in law. They already had it in their possession for quite some time and their educated guess is that they most likely bought it in the early 1980's. Although the miniature was unopened, I observed that around 15% of the Whisky/Water combination had evaporated over time. I'm really curious to find out if the Blend is still drinkable and, if so, how it compares to the Original and Storm. Let's go!

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Whisky Review # 662 

Country: Scotland

Brand: Cutty Sark 

Type: Blended Whisky
Bottled: 1980's (Emerald Series)
Age: 12 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Mostly American Oak. Probably a few Refill Sherry Casks as well. 
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 60-180 on the Internet (November 2017)
Buying Advice: 😕 Negative. Too Expensive. Go for the Storm!

Colour: Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Very Light. The Grain Alcohol is quite noticeable. And so are the Refill casks. There's not a whole lot going on here I'm afraid. I find Toasted Cereals,  Salted Caramel, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, Hay, Heather-Honey, Nutshells, Toffee, Dried Fruit (Sultanas, Banana), Apple, Orange, Lemon, Peach Jam, Dusty Attic, light Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg), Tobacco and Floral Soap. Most of these Aromas are just hints. There are no off-notes. I get a hint of Cooked Vegetables as well as some extremely faint notes of Smoke and Sherry. I had expected a bit more to be honest.    

Palate: Light Delivery. Mostly Bitter-Sweet. I find Toasted Sugared Cereals, Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar, Toffee, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Orange, Lemon, Apple, Pear, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Sultanas, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Menthol, Licorice, Tobacco, Charred Oak and the faintest hint of Smoke.   

Finish: Middle-Long and mostly Bitter-Sweet. A few Sour notes towards the dry end. I find Toasted Sugared Cereals, Heather-Honey, Salted Caramel, Grain Alcohol, Vanilla, Orange, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Licorice, Menthol, Tobacco, Nuts and Charred Refill Oak.  

Drinking Advice:
Due to the small size of the sample, I only tasted this Cutty Sark 12 Years neat.

Rating: 78.5  

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

General Remarks:

Cutty Sark was launched in 1923 by Berry Bros & Rudd, only three years after the introduction of Prohibition in the USA. Coincidence or not, the Cutty Sark Blend became the best selling Scotch in the States in 1961. On April 1st 2010, the Brand was bought by the Edrington Group. I don't know exactly when the 12 Years was launched but it most likely was in the 1980's. The 12 Years I'm reviewing today was a special release named "Out By The Cape, Home By The Horn". The unique multi-sided Emerald-like bottle has a special label that marks the historical destinations of the ship that gave this Whisky its name. The Heart of Cutty Sark is the Speyside Glenrothes distillery. It usually also contains small quantities of Glengoyne, Macallan, Highland Park and Bunnahabhain.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay. I had expected a bit more.

Conclusion: "In the old days the Whiskies were better". I've heard that a lot since I started writing about Whisky. Unfortunately I haven't been able to taste a lot of older whiskies so I can't give you my opinion. In any case I was slightly disappointed by today's Cutty Sark back from the 1980's. Or maybe I was just expecting too much! It's quite similar to the Cutty Sark Original and Storm of today and that's good in a way as well. Apparently the producers did not change the formula a whole lot during all those years. My favourite remains the Storm as it has the better Price/Quality ratio coupled to a better Wood management.

Jan van den Ende                                                             November 25, 2017

Glenrothes