Rozelieures Fume Collection Review

“L’Important c’est la Rose”  

Whisky Review # 851

Country: France

Brand: Rozelieures (Fume Collection)
Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Said to be 8 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex- Fino Sherry Oak
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price: Around US$ 60-70 (January 2020)
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Price/Quality Ratio: Borderline Okay
Buying Advice: 😐It's nice to sample but I wouldn't buy a full bottle.

Colour: Amber (Possibly Original Colour)

Nose:

Please give this Rozelieures sufficient time in the glass before Nosing as it opens quite slowly. It's a quite Young Whisky and there's still a bit New Make feel to it although at the same time it's not overly Fruity. There's a subtle Smoke Aroma around. The Alcohol is quite noticeable though. The Sherry influence is limited and I would assume that Refill casks have been used for maturation. It's not at all bad for a Young Whisky but it is a bit underwhelming.

Main Aromas:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Yeast, Dough, Malted and Toasted Barley, Sweet Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Raisins, Hay, Grapefruit, Sour Berries & Oak Char.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Pancakes with Syrup, Nuts & Nutshells, Lemon, Orange, Pear, Mint, Wet Stones, Espresso and a hint of Plastic/Rubber.

Picture Credit: Rozelieures

Palate:

Young and on the Thin side. A mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. The Alcohol is rather present. Quite Spicy! The Earthy Peat-Smoke is there but remains in the background. It's a nice touch though.

Main Flavours:

Malted and Toasted Barley, Burnt Toast, Yeast, Orange and Lemon, Grapefruit, Red Grapes, Green Apple, Dirty Earth, Nuts and Nutshells, Oak Char, Leather, Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Aniseed and Soot.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Syrup, Hay, Pear, Cognac, Glue, Espresso & Rubber.  

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. Quite Sweet at first but with a few Bitter and Sour notes towards the very Dry end. The Spicy Alcohol kicks around a bit. I find Toasted and Malted Barley, Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Cocoa Powder, Dirty Earth, Orange & Lemon Peel, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Unripe Pear, Oak Char, Menthol, Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Aniseed, Cumin, Cognac, Earthy Smoke and Soot.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and that helps to control the Alcohol a bit on the Nose. Some Fruit coming through (Apricot). Palate and Finish don't improve though. I advise you to sip it neat.

Rating: 82

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The Distillery Grallet-Dupic is located in the village of Rozelieures (Lorraine) and was founded in 1860 by Michel Grallet. This family-owned business has been distilling for more than 150 years and grows its own Barley. It started producing Eau de Vie but since 2002 it also distills Whisky. It's the first French distillery that works with lightly peated Malts. All Whiskies produced are Single Malts and Double-Distilled. The whole process of distilling to bottling is done at the farm.

It's one of the better French Whiskies I have tasted to date. It's a pity that it's bottled at such a relative Young age. I would really love to try a well-matured Whisky from this distillery The potential is there I feel but it's not fully exploited (yet). As it is, the Alcohol is a bit too dominant and spoils part of the fun. I kinda like this Spice mixture though. Not so strange as I am a big fan of Indian food! 

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 10, 2020

Picture Credit: Rozelieures

Tyrconnell 15 Years Reviews

“Last of 2019 But Not Least” 

Whisky Review # 850

Country: Ireland

Brand: Tyrconnell
Distilled at: Cooley
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Irish Whiskey - Cask #3178/92

Age: 15 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex- Bourbon cask
Chill Filtration:No
Price: Around US$ 100 (December 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: Okay.
Buying Advice: 😔It's nice but perhaps a little too expensive for what it offers.

Colour: Pale Gold/Straw (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Light, Sweet, Floral, Fruity and Buttery. The Alcohol is present so be sure not to poke your nose in the middle of the Glass right away. Slowly find your way around the edges. This will certainly enhance your Nosing experience. There's nothing really special going on here but what you get is sufficiently pleasant.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Malted Barley, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Vanilla, Banana-Flavoured Yogurt, Green Apple, Pear, Gooseberry and Fresh Mint.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Toast, Toffee, Raisins, Herbal Tea, Coconut, Lemon, Cinnamon, Toasted Oak, Grass and Orange Juice.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet and Creamy. It's nice but a little more Edgy than the Nose would suggest. Still I find lots of Creamy Barley, Fresh Fruit and a few Spices and Herbs.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Butter Biscuits, Vanilla, Grass, Green Apple, Pear, Toasted Oak, Plum, Cinnamon, Mint Tea and Aniseed.    

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Almonds, Nougat, Straw, Lemon, Gooseberry, Toffee, Banana-Flavoured Yogurt, Resin, Licorice and Pepper.   

Finish:

Middle-Long, Creamy, Oily & Sweet with an increasing Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry/Dry end. The Alcohol certainly remains noticeable throughout. In the Finish it reminds me a bit of Slivovitz, the East-European Plum Liqueur. I find Malted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Butter Biscuits, Hay & Grass, Cocoa Powder, Plum, Lemon, Gooseberry, Green Apple, Banana, Honey, Licorice, Mint and Pepper.  

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and that calms down the Alcohol. But other than that it does not improve this Tyrconnell. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 85 

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

Tyrconnell is the name of an Irish race horse that won the Irish Derby in 1876 at 100-1 odds. The original distillery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Stuart but closed in 1925. The brand name was bought and reintroduced by the Cooley Distillery in 1988.

This is certainly one of the more pleasant Irish Whiskies I've tasted so far. It's pretty straightforward but the overall impression is positive. The Nose is the best part in my opinion. Palate and Finish can't quit maintain the same level but nevertheless this is a solid Tyrconnell. 

I would like to wish all my readers and their families a very Happy, Healthy and Malty 2020 and look forward to welcome you back with Review # 851 in early January!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 27, 2019

Caol Ila 1995 (Douglas Laing) Review

“Have Yourself a Peaty Little Christmas”  

Whisky Review # 849

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay

Brand: Caol Ila 1995 (Distilled in January 1995)
Bottled by: Douglas Laing (Old Particular Series) in August 2015 - 282 Bottles
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Cask # DL 10870

Age: 20 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 51.5%
Maturation: Refill Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: Around US$ 170 (December 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: Okay - 20 Year old Single Malt can't be cheap.
Buying Advice: 😐It's good but there are better Caol Ila options at this price.

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

I love the coastal Aromas of well-matured Islay Malt. This Caol Ila is still quite fresh for a 20 year old Single Malt. I wouldn't say that cask # 10870 was a very active one though. The Nose is slightly underwhelming. There's a bit of Alcohol in the air so don't poke your Nose in the middle of the glass. The Nose is good but not great.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Slightly Burnt Toast, Coastal Peat (Wet Earth), Cold Smoke, Ash, Soot, Iodine, Fish & Shellfish, Gas Station, Vanilla, Banana-Flavoured Yogurt, Tropical Fruit like Pineapple & Papaya and Green Vegetables.     
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Salted Butter, Tar, Wet Grass, Farmyard, Band-Aid, Wet Sand, Apple-Vinegar, Menthol, Rubber, Leather, Olive-Oil and Dried Herbs.

Palate:

Sweet and only ever so slightly Sharp. All the Flavours of mature Islay are there for you to enjoy.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Salted Butter, Wax, Cold Cigar Smoke, Wet Peat, Ashes, Soot, Brine, Toasted Oak, Fish & Shellfish on the BBQ, Lemon, Tobacco, Banana-Flavoured Yogurt, Aniseed and Menthol.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Tar, Iodine, Band-Aid, Caffe Latte, Dried Herbs, Olive Oil, Apple- Vinegar and Pepper.       

Finish:

Quite Long and remarkably Sweet. Medium-Dry. A light Bitterness of the Oak. It invites you to have another sip! I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Soft Wet Peat, Cigar Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Iodine, Brine, Vanilla, Salted Butter, Caffe Latte, Wet Stones, Lemon-Pepper, Leather, Diesel, Aniseed and Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water does not improve this Caol Ila. Better sip it neat.

Rating: 86

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Quite Nice.

Conclusion:

The Caol Ila Distillery was founded in 1846 and is located close to Port Askaig on Islay. It was bought by DCL in 1927 and through some mergers is now part of Diageo. The distillery was rebuilt in 1974 and only one old Warehouse reminds us of former days. Traditionally, Caol Ila is an important component of Blends like Johnnie Walker, Bell's and White Horse. But during the last 15 years Diageo has made great efforts to position the Distillery as a Single Malt as well. Caol Ila is beautifully located alongside the strait between Islay and Jura. The Core range includes the 12, 18 and 25 Years, the Distiller's Edition as well as the NAS Moch. We enjoyed both our visits to the distillery in 2014 and 2017 respectively despite the fact that you're not allowed to take pictures.

Well-Matured Islay Malt is certainly one of my favourite types of Scotch Whisky. Therefore, it won't come as a surprise that I liked this Caol Ila. I liked it but I didn't love it. I believe this could have been a great Single Malt when a First-Fill Bourbon cask would have been used. There are enough of those around so I can't quite follow the reasoning for using a Refill cask to mature a good Islay Spirit for 20 Years. I'm just saying! It' s still a very enjoyable Single Malt but I would choose other Caol Ila options at this price level.

I would like to wish all readers of Best Shot Whisky Reviews a very Merry and Malty Christmas. May the good Spirit always be with you!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 24, 2019

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2014

West Cork Blended Whiskey Review - West Cork 10 Years Review

“West Cork Story”

Whisky Review # 847

Country: Ireland

Brand: West Cork
Distilled at: Probably a mix of own-distilled and sourced Whiskey
Type: Blended Irish Whiskey

Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Mix of First-Fill and Refill Ex-Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 22-34 (December 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐Okay at around $ 20 (For mixing purposes only).
Buying Advice: 👎There are better and cheaper ways to get drunk.

Colour: Light Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Light, Young, Thin and Hot. The Grain Alcohol dominates. It's close to Vodka but for some Sweet Artificial Fruit Aromas.

Main Aromas:

Buttered Toast, Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toffee, Vanilla, Wheat Biscuits, Nuts and Nut Shells, Straw, Charred Refill-Oak, Paint-Thinner and Glue.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Dried Fruit like Apricot or Nectarine, Artificially Flavoured Candies (Pear, Green Apple, Cherry), Grass, Nail Remover, Fuel and Pepper.

Palate:

Young, Light, Thin, Bitter-Sweet and Hot. The Grain Alcohol is overwhelming.

Main Flavours:

Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Caramel, Wheat Biscuits, Nuts and Nutshells, Hay, Refill Oak, Artificially Flavoured Fruit Candies (Green Apple, Pear, Cherry), Char and Pepper.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Toasted Malt, Butterscotch, Toffee, Grass, Apricot-filled Pastry, Nutmeg, Compost Pile, Grapefruit Juice, Lemon, Licorice and Menthol.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long, Sugary Sweet, Hot, Young and Thin. The Alcohol bites a bit towards the end. I find Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Wheat Biscuits, Raisins, Fruit Candies with Artificial Fruit Aromas such as Pear, Cherry & Green Apple, Honey, Paint Thinner, Pepper, Wet Rocks, Refill Oak, Nutmeg, Cloves, Vodka, Gas Station, Nut Shells, Menthol and a little hint of White Chocolate.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water helps to kill the fierce Alcohol somewhat but you're basically left with a Flavoured Vodka. This is for mixing at best.

Rating: 70.5

Nose: 17.5 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5  - Overall: 17.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average.

Conclusion:

West Cork Distillers was founded by John O'Connell, Dennis McCarthy and Ger McCarthy in 2004 in Union Hall. It moved to Skibbereen (County Cork) in 2013. It offers Malt and Grain (Wheat) Whiskey as well as Gin, Vodka and Liqueurs.

The West Cork Blended Whiskey contains 75% Grain Whiskey (Wheat) and 25% Malted Barley. This is slightly below your average Blend. You can notice that at once as the neutral Grain Alcohol dominates even more than usual in Blends. It is very difficult to say anything positive about this West Cork. It's too Young, too Harsh, too Hot and too Thin. It's not suitable for sipping and you will drown it over ice. That leaves mixing but it's so much more flavorful to get drunk on Bourbon and Coca Cola. I honestly can't recommend this Blended West Cork.

Cheers!

=========================================================================================================

Whisky Review # 848

Country: Ireland

Brand: West Cork
Distilled at: Undisclosed. Sourced.
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: Probably not
Price Range: US$ 35-45 (December 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍Okay.
Buying Advice: 😐Not bad but a bit Plain and Thin on the Palate. 

Colour: Light Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

This is much more pleasant on the Nose. Soft, Sweet, Waxy, Grassy, Fruity and without the very irritating sharpness of the Grain Alcohol. Very Clean and Fresh without any off-notes.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Vanilla, Fresh Fruit like Apples, Pears, Bananas, Pineapples and Melons, Grass, Straw, Charred Oak, Nougat, Marzipan, Cinnamon and Mint.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Buttered Toast, Honey, Toffee, White Wine, Yeast, Plum Liqueur, Orange Peel, Lemon, Ginger and White Chocolate.

Palate:

It's a pity that Palate and Finish can't totally bring what the Nose promises. The Palate is Light, Clean and Fresh but misses the nice Fresh Fruit Aromas. The Fruit is still there but there's a more Artificial touch to it. A higher ABV would have been helpful here.

Main Flavours:

Toasted and Malted Barley, Vanilla, Artificial Flavoured Fruit Candies like Apple, Pear, Melon, Cherry and Banana, Tart Lemon, Charred Oak, Cinnamon, Nougat and Aniseed.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Buttered Toast, Caramel, Honey, Plum Liqueur, Orange Peel, Caffe Latte, Bounty Candy Bars, Mint, Pepper and Ginger.

Finish:

Short, Light and on the Thin side. The standard ABV of 40% is simply too low to give this West Cork Malt sufficient body. A light Bitterness pops up towards the end on account of the (Re-fill) Oak. I find Toasted and Malted Barley, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Buttered Toast, Honey, Charred Oak, Artificially Flavoured Fruit Candies like Apple, Pear, Melon & Banana, Caffe Latte, Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Ginger, Aniseed, Almonds and Nougat.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this West Cork so please sip it neat.

Rating: 79.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

The West Cork 10 Years is an honest Single Malt given its price-level. There's nothing special to it but there's nothing that will put you off as well. The Nose is actually quite pleasant but Palate and Finish are a bit on the Thin side because of the standard ABV. I would also have loved to see the Fresh Fruit in the Nose to continue as such on the Palate and in the Finish but it was not to be. Still, at around US$ 35 you can't go wrong with this 10 Year old. Please don't add Water though!

This was my first encounter with the West Cork Brand. The two expressions I tasted today were relatively cheap and therefore my expectations were quite limited. I was quietly surprised by the 10 Years as it presents a decent Price to Quality ratio. I did not like the Blend though. I wouldn't even consider it for mixing as there are better and cheaper options around.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 19, 2019

Writer's Tears Red Head Review

“Red Card”

Whisky Review # 846

Country: Ireland

Brand: Writer's Tears Red Head - Limited Edition 12.000 bottles
Bottled/Distilled/Matured in bond for: Walsh Whiskey Ltd, Carlow (2016)
Distilled at: Undisclosed. Bushmills perhaps.
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Refill Oloroso-Seasoned Sherry Butts.
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 45-65 (December 2019)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😏Borderline okay at around US 45.
Buying Advice: 👎This simply needs more cask time. Too Young and Rough.

Colour: Deep Amber with shades of Red (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young, Thin, slightly Sharp and Metallic. The Sherry casks are hardly noticeable. This almost smells more like a German Fruit Brandy (Obstler) than a Whiskey. A strange mixture of cheap Perfume and Varnish. There's also a sort of artificial Candy Sweetness to it. Make sure you give this Red Head enough time in the glass before Nosing. It does settle down with time and becomes less Sharp.

Main Aromas:

Malt, Grass, Yeast, Artificially Flavoured Candies (Melon, Cherry, Pineapple and Pear), Apple, Sour Berries, Orange, Peach, Refill Oak, Pepper, Aniseed and Cloves.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Buttered Toast, Caramel, Honey, Lemon, Dried Fruit like Plums and Sultanas, Mixed Nuts, Milk Chocolate and Nougat.

Palate:

Young, Thin, Bitter-Sweet and Hot. This is not fully-matured Whiskey. Some light Sherry influence is nevertheless noticeable by now.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit (Raisins, Sultanas, Plums) Mixed Nuts, Artificially Flavoured Candies (Pineapple, Melon, Grapes, Dark Red Fruit), Orange, Refill Oak, Nougat, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Buttered Toast, Lemon, Milk Chocolate, Cinnamon, Licorice, Aniseed & Mint.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Sharp/Hot/Young. Medium-Dry towards the end. I find Malted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts, Orange, Sour Wine, Refill Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Mint and Licorice. After a while the Artificial Fruit Flavour returns.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water relaxes this Whiskey but you will loose most of the Aromas and Flavours. Better sip it neat!

Rating: 77.5

Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Borderline Okay.

Conclusion:

Walsh Whiskey company was founded as Hot Irishman Ltd in 1999 by Bernard & Rosemary Walsh with the idea to blend and bottle the perfect Irish Coffee. In 2006 the company signed a long-term supply agreement with a distillery for the distilling and maturation of Irish Whiskey to their specifications. The Irishman blend was launched in 2007 followed by Writer's Tears in 2009. The latter is a vatting of Single Malt and Single Pot Still Whiskeys. In 2014 the construction of Royal Oak distillery (Carlow) was started in a partnership with Lllva Saronno, the Italian drinks giant. The distillery started production in 2016. Unfortunately the partnership with Lllva Saronno as well as the involvement with the Royal Oak distillery ended this year as the partners differed with respect to the development of the distillery in the future. I would not be surprised if the dispute was about the concept of Craft Distillery Vs. Global Whiskey Producer.

The Red Head, named after its reddish colour, is a Single Malt Whiskey. As can be seen above, the Royal Oak distillery only started producing in 2016. That means of course that this Red Head was distilled by an undisclosed third party. I would not be surprised if it was Bushmills by the way. In any case I got lots of Writer's Tears when Nosing and Tasting this Whiskey. It's simply too Young, too Hot, too Artificial and too Unfinished to convince me. There are interesting Aromas and Flavours but they are simply under-developed. It's a Shame really and the name Red Head almost seems to confirm this 😜.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 13, 2019