Highland Park Voyage of the Raven Review

“One Raven Doesn’t Make a Summer”

Whisky Review # 823

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands - Orkney

Brand: Highland Park Voyage of the Raven

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 41.3%
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bourbon and a high percentage of First Fill Sherry Wood
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 55-75 (August 2019)
Buying Advice: 😐 Nothing special. Better stay with the core range. P/Q: 😒

Colour:

Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The Sherry Cask influence is clear and a little Sulphur is noticeable. Nothing too serious though. The Nose is Young, Fruity, Waxy and Sweet. Some Green notes as well. The Smoke weaves its spell in the background. It's all a bit Light but not unpleasant.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Grass and Straw, Honey, Apricot filled Puff Pastry, Nutella, Smoke, Dry Earth, Dark Berries, Prunes, Orange, Dark Chocolate filled with Raisins, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Caramel, Musty Oak, Rubber, Wet Paper, Polished Leather and Tobacco.

Palate:

Young and on the Thin side. A not very convincing mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. I was expecting more after the Nose.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Dark Berries, Prunes,  Nuts, Smoke, Dry Earth, Grass and Straw, Nectarine, Grapefruit, Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Salted Caramel, Raisins, Polished Leather, Tobacco, Rubber, Marzipan, Stewed Fruit, Dried Herbs and Musty Oak.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. Sweet at first but with some Bitter and Sour notes towards the Medium-Dry end. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnuts, Dough, Grass and Straw, Musty Oak, Smoke, Dry Earth, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves, Dried Herbs, Menthol and Dark Chocolate.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and that intensifies Malt and Smoke on the Nose. Palate and Smoke become quite Thin with an increasing Wet Newspaper note. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 83.5

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The distillery was founded in 1798 by David Robertson. It is located in the small town of Kirkwall on the isle of Orkney.  Orkney is still quite strongly influenced by its Viking past and the distillery has increasingly used this past as a rather successful marketing tool. Highland Park currently produces around 2.3 million litres of Alcohol and is owned since 1997 by the Edrington Group. The core range consists of the 10 years (Viking Scars), the 12 years (Viking Honour), the 18 years (Viking Pride), the 25, 30 and 40 years.

The Story behind this Single Malt is the following: For the Vikings who once ruled the Orkney Isles, the Raven was a powerful symbol of victory in battle, success on a voyage and loyalty to the god Odin. Ravens were the trusted guides of the early voyagers that left the Northern shores in search of new horizons. Ravens became symbols of good fortune on many Viking long ships.

The Voyage of the Raven was released in 2017, initially for Travel Retail only. It is not really a bad Single Malt but I strongly feel that Highland Park is overdoing the Viking heritage stuff a bit. Story, Image and Price seem more important than the effective quality of the Whisky. But Highland Park fans from all over the world seem to love it all. So who am I to complain? What I do know though is that it's way better to let the Raven guide you to the above mentioned core range. You are much better served that way. So help me Odin!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    August 1, 2019

Method and Madness Batch 2 Review

“You Can Play With Madness”

Whisky Review # 822

Country: Ireland

Brand: Method and Madness - Batch 2
Distilled at: Midleton Distillery, Cork - Bottled: 2017

Type: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation:  Ex-Oloroso and Ex-Bourbon finished in French Chestnut Casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price: Around US$ 75 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😀An interesting Spicy Whiskey with a reasonable P/Q ratio.

Colour:

Light Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Varnish and Wood Polish are the first impressions. They fade away over time however so be sure to give this Whiskey enough time in the glass. There's a Creamy, Waxy feel to the Nose and you can certainly notice the Virgin Chestnut Oak. It's still Young of course but the Alcohol is reasonably well integrated. A few Spices and Herbs are around as well. The Chestnut Oak gives an interesting touch to this Pot Still Whiskey.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Cereals, Porridge, Vanilla, Apricot filled Puff Pastry, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts, Wax, Orange Peel, Peach, Milk Chocolate, Wood Shavings, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint, Butter and Fresh Herbs.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Brown Sugar Toffee, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Bounty Candy Bars, Pineapple, Red Apple, Dusty Earth, Wet Newspaper, Pepper and a faint hint of Leather.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Dry and quite Spicy. The French Oak is quite noticeable again and so is the Alcohol. Palate (and Finish) are a little on the Thin side.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Oak, Citrus Peel, Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Aniseed and Fresh Herbs.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Wet Paper, Stewed Apples, Banana Ice-Cream, Dry Earth, Nutmeg and a hint of Varnish and Wood Polish.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and quite Spicy. Increasingly Dry towards the end. The Alcohol provides a little kick. The relative Youth of the Spirit becomes more noticeable at this point. I find Toasted Cereals, Toasted Oak, Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Stewed Fruit like Apples and Pears, Wet Stones, Herbal Tea, Espresso, Bitter Chocolate, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, Licorice and Mint.

Drinking Advice:

I added some Water and on the Nose you will get extra Fruity - & Floral notes. The Spicy notes are enhanced and mellowed at the same time. I liked it a lot better this way so my advise is to add a few drops of Water.

Rating: 84

Nose: 22 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5  - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Good (especially with added Water)

Conclusion:

Method and Madness is a Brand name developed by Masters and Apprentices of the Midleton Distillery in Cork in order to experiment with innovation, creativity and anything else out of the ordinary. This Batch 2 was finished in casks made of Chestnut wood from the Isere region in France.

Pot Still Whiskey is different as it consists of both Malted and Un-malted Barley. This usually creates a very Spicy Whiskey and that's certainly the case here. I found that a few drops of water really benefit this Method and Madness. It seems to bring everything into place and provides more balance. It's a pity that this is a relatively Young Spirit. A few years extra maturation before finishing would have done a world of good. The Virgin Chestnut Oak Finish is certainly interesting although new Oak will always give you this Varnish/Wood Polish note that might not be to every one's liking. I'm not really a huge fan of the smooth Irish Whiskies. This rocky Pot Still Madness caught my attention though after adding a little bit of Water. Slainte!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 29, 2019

Jura The Road Review

“Road To Nowhere” 

Whisky Review # 821

Country: Scotland
Region: Islands - Jura

Brand: Jura The Road (Sherry Cask Collection)

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43.6%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with PX 20 Sherry Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 55-75 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😞 Simple mainstream Barley Juice. P/Q ratio: 👎 

Colour:

Old Gold (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

There's the Baby-Vomit again. There's no denying this is Jura. Be sure to give The Road enough time in the glass as this off-note fades away with time. It's a simple nose again just like The Sound. Young and basically Sweet with a few Sour notes as well. This is as mainstream as it gets. I do get a little more Sherry influence this time. The Alcohol is noticeable as well.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Yeast, Dough, Salted Caramel, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts, Orange, Mandarin, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte and Cinnamon.
  
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Pancakes with Simple Syrup, Cooked Vegetables, Grapefruit, Sour Berries, Dry Earth, Wood Shavings, Tobacco and the tiniest bit of Smoke.

Palate:

Young, Light, Thin and a little Dusty. Bitter-Sweet. Some Sour notes as well.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, Mandarin, Orange, Wood Shavings, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Sour Berries, Wet Cardboard, Dry and Dirty Earth, Dried Herbs, Tobacco, Cooked Vegetables and a tiny hint of Smoke.

Finish:

Short to Medium Long. Sweet with Bitter and Sour notes as well. Medium Dry. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Hazelnuts and Walnuts, Wood Shavings, Orange, Mandarin, Maraschino Cherries, Caffe Latte, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Wet Cardboard, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Pepper.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes quite Malty. Almost like Barley Juice. I get some Tinned Pineapple as well. The Smoke is a bit more noticeable now. Dried Apricot appears. The Palate becomes spicier with White Pepper & Ginger in the lead. The Finish becomes dangerously Short though. You can certainly try out a few drops here.

Rating: 80

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion:

Jura means Deer Island. The Distillery is located in the small village of Craighouse the island's "capital". Craighouse lies on the A 846, some eight miles from the Ferry Terminal to Islay. It was founded in 1810 and since 1993 it belongs to Whyte & Mackay Ltd. Jura is mostly known as a Single Malt but it's also a very important part of the Whyte & Mackay Special Blend. The Distillery possesses 1 Stainless Steel Semi Lauter Mash Tun, six stainless steel Wash Backs and two Pairs of Stills. In 2018 their total production amounted to around 2,33 million litres.

The Road is part of the new Jura Travel Retail Range called the Sherry Cask Collection. All of these matured in Bourbon casks before being finished in casks that previously held Pedro Ximenez Sherry of various ages. Fifteen Year old PX for The Sound, 20 Year old PX for The Road, 30 Year old for The Loch and 40 Year old for the 19 Years old The Paps. The name refers of course to the one road that exists on the isle of Jura. It all sounds very interesting but so do most stories related to Travel Retail expressions. As always I merely concentrated on the quality and taste of the Whisky.

Will Jura ever truly conquer my Whisky heart? I really hope so but The Road won't do that Trick. It's Young and presents a complete lack of personality. Mainstream Malt Juice! It's a little Dirty and Unfinished as well. It's only slightly better than The Sound and I gave it a few more points as it's actually quite smooth over Ice. But it doesn't at all convince as a sipping Malt. I wish there were other roads on Jura!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 24, 2019

Tipperary The Rising Review

“It’s Still a Long Way For Tipperary”

Whisky Review # 820

Country: Ireland

Brand: Tipperary The Rising - Boutique Selection - Small Batch - 1916 Bottles
Distilled at: Undisclosed - Bottled in 2016 at Tipperary Boutique Distillery

Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Age: 11 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 47%
Maturation: First Fill and Refill Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 170-220 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😒 It's really expensive at the moment for what it offers!

Colour:

Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Light and Fresh but not unpleasant. The main drivers are slightly unripe Fruit, Floral notes and Grass. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not really interfere with the Nosing procedures.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Grains, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Straw, Grass, Nectarine, Pineapple, Papaya, Green Apple, Pear and Milk Chocolate.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Melon, Banana, Lemon, Ginger Bread and a touch of White Pepper.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and slightly Sour. Its relative Youth is noticeable and so is the Alcohol. There are some indifferent casks in the mix.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Grains, Roasted Nuts, Vanilla, Nectarine, Pineapple, Green Apple, Pear, Grass, Hay, Milk Chocolate, Pepper and Toasted Oak.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Sour Grapes, Lemon, Unripe Banana, Wet Rocks, Herbal Tea, Menthol and Ginger.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. A mix of Sweet, Sour and some really Bitter notes that are slightly overdone. The Alcohol stings a little. This is certainly the weakest part of this Tipperary. I find Toasted Grains, Vanilla, Roasted Nuts, Toasted Oak, Sour Apples and Grapes, Pear, Grass, Honey, Pepper, Menthol and Ginger.

Drinking Advice:

The Tipperary does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 84

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

The Tipperary Boutique Distillery Project in Clonmel started in 2016. The idea is to distill a Single Malt Whiskey with their own Barley grown on the Ballindoney farm in the Tipperary County. As long as their own whiskey is not available, the distillery bottles Small Batch Whiskey that was produced at undisclosed Irish distilleries. These batches accurately reflect the type of Whiskey that Tipperary wants to produce in the future.

The Tipperary The Rising is not really a bad Irish Single Malt but I have to admit I'm totally indifferent to it. It's a rather Young and Edgy Whiskey that carries a Bitterness that is frankly unpleasant, especially in the Finish. The Fruit Aromas and Flavours are quite unripe and the Alcohol is noticeable throughout. This Tipperary could have done with a few extra years in good casks. If this is the desired future Whiskey of the new distillery I would advise to carefully look at the Wood Management. Good Spirit without good casks will lead to nothing. I do wish the distillery all the best for the future and I'm looking forward to review their first own Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 15 , 2019

Moon Harbour Pier 1 Review

“Das Blend”

Whisky Review # 819

Country: France/Scotland

Brand: Moon Harbour Pier 1

Type: Blended Scottish Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45.8%
Maturation: Refill Bourbon. Perhaps some Sherry. Finished in Sauternes Casks.
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 45-55 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😏Interesting story. Price Quality ratio: A bit too expensive.

Colour:

Golden Amber(Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Young, Sweet and a little Edgy. The Grain Alcohol is noticeable. There's a bit of Fruit but I can't find a significant influence of the Sauternes finish. The Nose is rather closed at first so give it enough time in the glass.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Grains, Buttered Toast, Alcohol, Apricot, Nectarine, Papaya, Pepper and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Demerara Sugar, Caramel, Toasted Oak, Herbal Tea, Bounty Bars, Orange Marmalade, Lemon Curd and Cinnamon.

Palate:


Sweet, Young, Edgy, Spicy and a little Hot. The Alcohol really starts to irritate a little.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Grains, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Apricot, Nectarine, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toasted Oak, Bounty Bars, Menthol and Orange.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Sweet and quite Spicy. A few Sour Wine notes as well. The Alcohol stings a little. I find Sweet Grains, Vanilla, Caramel, Refill Oak, Apricot filled Puff Pastry, Nectarine, Orange, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cloves, Ginger and Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and I get a little Peach and Vanilla custard on the Nose. The Alcohol retreats and that's a good thing. Palate and Finish become more Spicy. It's a a matter of Taste but you can carefully add a few drops of Water.

Rating: 79

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion:

Moon Harbour is a project initiated in 2014 by Yves Medina & Philippe Ballanger from Bordeaux, France. In 2016 they started to build a distillery in a bunker in Bordeaux that hosted a German submarine base in World War II. To realise this ambitious project the local craftsman Jean Louis Stupfler, a stills designer, was hired and cooperation was achieved with various Chateaux and barrel suppliers that will provide the casks. In the future the cereals used by the distillery will come from the Bordeaux region. No less than 250 hectares of Barley have already been planted.

In order to promote the project (and to get a little cash) the partners decided to launch a few Blended Whiskies in cooperation with the famous Scotch Master-Distiller John McDougall who worked for quite a large number of Scottish Malt distilleries. John procures the Malt - and Grain Whiskies in Scotland. These are shipped to Bordeaux and finished there for 3-6 months in Ex-Sauternes casks. The Pier 1 is part of a series of 2 Blends. The Pier 2 is a lightly peated Blend that is finished in Red Wine casks. The Moon Harbour distillery is already operative and also sells Gin, Rum and Moon Spirit. I'm really curious to taste the first Single Malt produced there but unfortunately we will have to wait until 2020 for that to happen.

Moon Harbour is named after the famous crescent moon outlined by the river Garonne at the entrance of Bordeaux.

Pier 1 is an interesting experiment although it's not new. Scotch Whisky is often shipped in bulk to France where it is further elaborated and bottled. France is a huge Whisky Market of course. I can't get excited about the Pier 1 though. The Grain Alcohol really dominates and the Malt content suffers from indifferent cask management. The Sauternes finish is hardly noticeable, if at all. It's just one of those reasonable Blended Whiskies that you will find all over the place. This one differs in so far that it's got an interesting story to tell. Packaging and Bottle are nice as well. But it's not interesting enough as a sipping Whisky and it's merely okay over ice. I wish the project the best of luck though and look forward to their 1st homemade Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 12, 2019