Glen Scotia 18 Years Review

“Dust in the Wind”

Whisky Review # 835

Country: Scotland
Region: Campbeltown

Brand: Glen Scotia

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with Oloroso Sherry Finish
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 70-85 (September 2019)
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many thanks!
Price/Quality Ratio: Good
Buying Advice: 😀It's good but I like the 15 Years and its P/Q ratio even more!

Colour:

Copper with shades of Orange (Natural Colour)

Nose:

A Mix of Sweet and Sour notes. A little Dirty and Musty though far less than its neighbour Springbank.  Still, it does not smell quite as "Mainstream" as lots of modern Malts do. I get a bit of Salt and Dust as well. The Alcohol is noticeable.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley,  Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Apricot, Citrus Peel, Apple, Grass and Straw, Yeast, Dirty Earth, Cherry/Menthol Cough Pastilles, Soot, Grapefruit, Sour Grapes and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Buttered Toast, Toffee, Treacle, Heather-Honey, Charred Oak, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Herbal Tea, Mixed Nuts, Perfumed Soap, Tobacco and Cured Ham.

Palate:

A mix of Bitter, Sweet & Sour notes. A Bit Dusty and Waxy as well. The delivery is a bit on the Thin side which is remarkable given the good ABV. Quite Dry. The Alcohol is not completely integrated.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Cereals,  Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Grass & Straw, Dough, Charred Oak, Dirty Earth, Dried Fruit and Nuts like Apricots, Dates and Hazelnuts, Seville Orange, Grapefruit, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg and Menthol.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Treacle, Toffee, Soot, Apple, Herbal Tea, Cured Ham, Licorice, Iron, Tobacco, Espresso, Leather, Cinnamon and Cloves.

Finish:

Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with lots of Dry Oak towards the end. It's a bit Thinner as expected given the adequate ABV. I find Toasted Barley, Grass and Straw, Salted Caramel, Treacle, Seville Orange, Dried Fruit and Nuts like Raisins and Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Dirty Earth, Soot, Herbal Tea, Grapefruit, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Menthol, Iron and Espresso.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and the Alcohol retreats. I get more Fruit on the Nose, especially Peach and Apricot. This Fruit returns on the Palate but Wood & Spices control the Finish. This Glen Scotia improves with a few drops of Water.

Rating: 84

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The Glen Scotia Distillery was founded in 1832 and is located in Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsular. It's one of the only three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown along with Springbank and Glengyle. The current owner is a Glasgow based Blending House called Loch Lomond Distillery. A new range was launched in 2015. It consists of the 15 Years and two NAS Expressions, the Double Cask and the Victoriana. The 18 Years I review today was launched in 2017. We visited the distillery in May 2017. We were lucky and got a private Tour and Tasting.

The Glen Scotia 18 Years is a Medium-Dirty Campbeltown Single Malt with an acceptable Price/Quality ratio. It's not quite as Dirty and Musty as its neighbour Springbank but it has more than sufficient character to distinguish itself from today's mainstream boring Malt Whiskies. It's a bit Thin though like Dust in the Wind and less Fruity than its younger brother the 15 Years. So my advise would be to go for the latter that also presents an even better P/Q ratio!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 30, 2019

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2017

Beatles - Revolver - Review

Album : Revolver  

Artist: Beatles

Released: 1966

Producer: George Martin

Label: Parlophone/Apple

Songs:  Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, I´m Only Sleeping, Love You Too, Here There and Everywhere, Yellow Submarine, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Doctor Robert, I Want to Tell You, Got to Get You into My life, Tomorrow Never Knows.

Type of Music: Mid Sixties Quality Pop with Psychedelic Influences.

Comments:

Fans can spend months trying to decide what would be their favourite Beatles Album. And I´m sure that lots of them would give that price to Revolver. It´s true that Rubber Soul has more great songs on an individual basis. But Revolver is the most consistent Album so far and forms a perfect marriage between first rate pop songs and a new, often adventurous, production. 

There are 14 songs on Revolver and I only consider Doctor Robert to be a weak track. John & Paul wrote most of the songs while George delivers 3 of them. One of them, the opener Taxman is great while the Indian Chant Love You Too and I Want to Tell You are good. 

Psychedelic Drug induced influences are all over the place in songs like I´m Only Sleeping, She Said She Said, Tomorrow Never Knows and the already mentioned Love You Too. 

Paul is great in more conventional ballads like Here There and Everywhere and For No One. I simply love this perfect description of a love lost forever:

And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of life behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years 

The Album also contains one of the most happy Beatles moments Good Day Sunshine next to one of their most sad sounding songs, the superb Eleanor Rigby. 

I almost forgot to mention Yellow Submarine sung by Ringo. There are a lot of people who consider this to be a childish sounding song. Sorry Ringo!!!! Maybe so. But let me tell you that it is probably the most intelligent childish sounding song ever written. 

And that's Revolver. A record you want to hear over and over again. 

Sure it's influenced by Drugs and Gurus. But here that works out just fine. 

Rating: Maximum Points                          

Average  Song Quality                          6,60               10

Production/Sound Quality                     6,00               10

Do I want to hear it again soon?           7,50                10    

Who should buy this Record:  Everyone . Be sure to get a Remastered Version. 

Highland Park Spirit of the Bear Review

“Teddy Bear”

Whisky Review # 834

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands - Islands - Orkney

Brand: Highland Park Spirit of the Bear

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Mix of Bourbon Casks and Sherry Seasoned American Oak Casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 45-60 (September 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: Okay if you can find it at around US$ 45
Buying Advice: 😔It's not bad but better stick with the HP 10 or 12 Years

Colour:

Golden Straw (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young, Light, Thin, slightly Musty, Mineral and Sweet but not in an unpleasant way. Smoke and Peat (Dry Earth) are quite present and so is the Alcohol. There is some Sherry Wood influence but the 40% waters that down considerably.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Apple-Filled Puff Pastry, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Mixed Dried Fruit like Raisins and Prunes, Orange Peel, Cinnamon and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Salted Caramel, Nuts and Nutshells, Wax, Lemon, Pear, Coconut, Gooseberry, Wet Stones, Iron, Caffe Latte, Wood Pellets, Nutmeg, Pepper, Banana-Flavoured Yogurt, Menthol and Leather.

Palate:

Young, Thin, Watery, Bitter-Sweet and Medium Dry. It doesn't taste bad but it's so Watered Down it looses all energy. The Alcohol is not really integrated.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Ashes, Grass and Straw, Nuts & Nutshells, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pepper, Ginger and Herbal Tea.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Salted Caramel, Heather-Honey, Iron, Wet Stones, Lemon, Tart Apple Juice,  Bacon, Caffe Latte, Cocoa Powder and Tobacco.

Finish:

Short/Middle Long and Bitter-Sweet. This is the most forgettable part without any doubt. Really Thin. I find Toasted Malt, slightly Burnt Toast, Smoke, Earthy Peat, Ashes, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Grass and Straw, Seville Orange, Nuts and Nutshells, Lemon, Herbal Tea, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Tobacco, Cocoa Powder and Toasted Oak.

Drinking Advice:

This Bear does not need added Water. It's Thin enough as it is.

Rating: 80.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/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: Many Viking warriors believed they could channel the Spirit of the Great Forrest Bear by assuming its form wrapping themselves in Bear skins. Bears were admired for being resilient and self sufficient with a highly developed instinct for survival.

The Spirit of the Bear was released in 2018 as a part of the revived Travel Retail range. I'm not gonna start raving again about Highland Park's Viking obsession as my opinion on the subject is well-known. But I can't help noticing that this Spirit of the Bear is another one of this endless stream of Highland Park malts that are not better and usually more expensive than the core range. It's not a bad Single malt but it smells and tastes so utterly watered down that you will loose interest quite quickly. I don't see much similarities with Great Forrest Bears either. This is a Teddy Bear at best!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 26, 2019

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

Ardnamurchan 2018 AD 03 Review

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Whisky Review # 833

Country: Scotland
Region: Western Highlands

Brand: Ardnamurchan 2018 AD - Limited Release # 03 - 4916 Bottles

Type: Spirit - Bottled: 2018
Age: NAS (Around 1 Year)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 55.3%
Maturation: Vatting of 29 1st Fill Ex-Sherry Oloroso and PX Casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 65-85 (September 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: Negative. Way too expensive for such a young Spirit.
Buying Advice: 😐Interesting but very young Spirit. Buy a sample first! 

Colour:

Dark Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young, Edgy, Fruity and slightly Thin Spirit. The Alcohol is certainly noticeable. I must admit though that it's hard to believe we are nosing a 1 Year old Spirit. The First-Fill casks did a really good job here. On the Nose this Ardnamurchan presents mainly Sweet- but also a few Sour notes. On the whole a very positive surprise considering its short maturation.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Toffee, Mixed Fruits and Nuts including Raisins, Dates, Hazelnuts and Peanuts, Seville Oranges, Yeast, Factory Smoke, Dirty Earth, Leather, Wet Rocks & Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Cake, Caramel, Sour Berries, Tinned Pineapple, Apple-Vinegar, Mango-Flavoured Yogurt, Varnish, Iron, Pepper and Nutmeg.

Palate:

Young, Sharp, Dry & Smoky. It not unlike a Young Islay actually. On the Palate you will find an array of Sweet, Sour and Bitter notes. The Alcohol is very much present.

Main Flavours:

Toffee, Salted Caramel, Factory Smoke, Dirty Earth, Ashes, Soot, Wet Rocks, Red Apple, Seville Oranges, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Syrup, Gooseberries, Wax and Pepper.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Sweet Barley, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Plums, Apple-Vinegar, Cheap Red Wine, Wood Pellets, Tinned Pineapple, Pork on the BBQ, Licorice and Menthol.

Finish:

Short to Middle Long with Sweet, Sour and Bitter notes. Its Youth is clear now and the Alcohol is quite Strong. Quite Dry in the end as well. Peat and Factory Smoke are more pronounced than on the Nose. I also find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Wood Pellets, Apple-Vinegar, Gooseberries, Cherry-Flavoured Cough-Syrup, Bitter Orange Juice, Varnish, Iron, Ashes, Soot, Menthol, Pepper and Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and that tames the Alcohol of course which by itself is a good thing. You're left with a sort of Fruity Peat-Water mixed with Porridge. Palate and Finish relax a bit with the added Water although the overall Aroma and Flavour profile does not change dramatically. There's room to experiment with a few drops.

Rating: 81.5

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay. Good when you consider the terribly short maturation.

Conclusion:

Ardnamurchan was founded recently in 2014 in Glenbeg, Ardnamurchan, Argyll, just north of Mull. It is owned by the independent bottler Adelphi Distillery Ltd. Production started in July 2014. Annual production will amount to around 420.000 litres. Half of the year the distillery produces unpeated Spirit while during the other half peated Spirit is produced (30-35 PPM). Adelphi plans to release a mature Spirit each year until 2021 when the first Single Malt will be bottled. Today we are tasting the 2018 Edition # 3 that included both unpeated and peated Barley in the mash-bill.

I was really surprised with the Aroma/Flavour level of this Spirit given its ultra-short maturation. These Sherry-Flavoured casks have really done a good job. I am impressed. Nevertheless it's still a young Spirit and you can't and shouldn't compare it to a fully matured Single Malt. But it's sufficiently interesting to look forward to the first fully matured Ardnamurchan Single Malt. I have a feeling it will be quite good if and when the distillery continues to work with good quality casks. In any case I wish the team of Ardnamurchan the best of luck!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                            September 23, 2019

Queen I Review

“A Queen is Born”

Album: Queen I 

Artist:  Queen

Released: 1973

Producer: John Anthony, Roy Baker and Queen

Label: EMI

The Band:

Freddie Mercury Vocals, Piano

Brian May Guitars, Vocals, Piano

John Deacon Bass

Roger Taylor Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Songs: Keep Yourself Alive, Doing All Right, Great King Rat, My Fairy King, Liar, The Night Comes Down, Modern Times Rock & Roll, Son and Daughter, Jesus, Seven Seas of Rhye. 

Type of Music: Hard Rock/Metal/Glam Rock

Comments:

If you don’t own this album, it’s quite likely that you will only know one track. All Classic Rock stations play Keep Yourself Alive regularly. I also doubt if Metal fans of bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or even Judas Priest have ever considered listening to Queen’s debut album. In short, few people will know this album in a thorough way. 

We shall therefore try and reveal the first public performance of our beloved Queen.

In fact they were already touring for a couple of years before releasing their first album. The album took about two years to make as they could only afford to hire the studio at night at lower costs.

When I first listened to this album I was quite surprised. On the surface it appears to be a straight (Hard) Rock Album that must have inspired bands like the Scorpions, the Michael Schenker Group and others. Few songs are really bad but none of them is really great as well. 

After a second and a third listen you will appreciate however that all the ingredients that will eventually lead to A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races are already there: Brian’s guitar, Freddie’s Drama, the solid rhythm section, the complex melodies, often with Spanish and Arabic influences and the somewhat theatrically styled lyrics. And always a balance between rockers and ballads.   

So the ingredients are there to produce a great album. And the band would do so in the future. Queen’s debut album however can be compared with a rough diamond. It glitters but it still needs a lot of polishing and craftsmanship to really shine. 

On the other hand, the album has a rough enthusiasm that would disappear on future records. And that makes it an interesting listen for sure. Best songs are the ballad Doing All Right that reminds me of Yes, and My Fairy King and Liar. These last two songs clearly point in the direction of a certain Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Conclusion:  Queen’s debut album is a Hard Rocking effort with all the ingredients of future success but lacking strong melodies and hooks. And the production is extremely muddy. Be sure to get the Re-Mastered version.

Rating: Maximum Points                          

Average Song Quality                          5,50 10

Production/Sound Quality                     6,00 10

Do I want to hear it again soon?           5,50 10

Who should buy this Record: Only For Queen Fanatics and Hard Rock/Metal freaks.