Woodford Reserve Classic Malt

”Malt and Barley Blues”

Whisky Review # 914

Country: USA

Region: Kentucky
Brand: Woodford Reserve Classic Malt - Master's Collection (2013)
Distilled at: Woodford Reserve/Brown-Forman Distillery, Versailles, Kentucky
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (said to be 6-9 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45.2%
Maturation: Refill Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: No
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!

Price Range: US$ 110-140 (May 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Way too expensive for what it offers.
Buying Advice: 👎 I love experiments but this one did not work out very well 

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Color)

Nose:

Young and Buttery. The Varnish note reminds me of West-European Single Malts. The Nose is a mix of Sweet and Sour notes and it's quite different when compared to your standard Scottish entry Single Malt. The Nose is okay I guess but no more than that. This is only made with Malted Barley but nevertheless there is a Cereal feel to it.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Cereals, Vanilla, Buttered Cake, Varnish, Saw Dust, Grass & Straw, Dough, Yeast, slightly Sour Red Berries, Orange and Lemon Peel, Cinnamon and Mint.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Honey, Glue, Charred Oak, Nectarine, Pear, Cheap Marzipan, Dusty Track, Green Coffee Beans, Green Vegetables, Artificially Flavored Pear & Banana Candies, Pepper and Cardboard Boxes.

 

Palate:

Young, Thin & Edgy. Cereal-driven. A rough mix of Sugary Sweet, Sour and slightly Bitter notes. Unexpectedly Dry. Don't wake me up for this one!

Main Flavours:

Sweet Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Buttered Cake, Vanilla, slightly Sour Red Berries, Grass and Straw, Saw Dust, Dusty Track, Lemon Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper & Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toffee, Woodglue, Ovomaltine, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate, Artificially Flavored Candies (Apple, Pear, Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry), Charred Oak, Nutmeg, Rum and Cardboard.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long and slightly Hot. Sugary Sweet at first but with developing Sour and a few Bitter notes towards the Dry end. The Alcohol is rather noticeable at this point. I find Sweet Cereals, Buttered Cake, Banana Ice Cream, Vanilla, Toffee, Dough, slightly Sour Red Berries, Lemon Peel, Artificially Flavored Candies, Varnish, Grass, Grapefruit, Dusty Earth, Cardboard, Cinnamon, Pepper, Licorice & Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

With added Water it becomes something that reminds me of Soy Milk. It's not good enough as a sipping Whisky so this is probably best enjoyed on the rocks.

Rating: 74

Nose: 19 - Taste: 18.5 - Finish: 18  - Overall: 18.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Just Okay.

Conclusion:

Elijah Pepper started distilling whiskey on the picturesque  banks of Glenn’s Creek in the year 1812. Nowadays, the facility is the oldest operational Distillery in Kentucky. All the Whisk(e)y produced here is triple distilled in copper pot stills imported from Scotland.

Dear Woodford, I'm a fan of your Bourbon but this attempt at making a Single Malt did not work out for me. Is it the Malt? Is it the Water? Is it the Yeast? The Casks? A combination of all this? Probably. In any case the end result does not stand its ground when compared to Scottish entry Single Malts. It reminds me slightly of some French, German, Irish and Austrian Single Malts that I've tasted in the past. But these were all matured in new Wood while this Woodford matured in Refill Bourbon casks. I'm a bit puzzled where this went wrong but I urge Woodford to have a look at the whole process again and see where improvements can be made. I would certainly add a few years to the maturation process and find me some first class casks. The way it's presented today I can't recommend this US Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                           May 12, 2021

Bruichladdich Octomore 08.2

”Mixed Emotions”

Whisky Review # 913

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay

Brand: Bruichladdich Octomore 08.2 (167 PPM) - Masterclass

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Age: 8 Years (2008-2017)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 58.4% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: A Mix of 2nd Fill Ex-Wine Casks with Amarone Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Price Range: US$ 180-210 (May 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for such a Young Whisky.

Buying Advice: 😐 Well-made but not quite my kinda thing!

Colour:

Light Brown with shades of Red (Natural Color)

Nose:

Be sure to give this Octomore some time in the glass before Nosing and avoid the middle of the glass as there's plenty of Alcohol there. The Nose is a mix of Sweet Red Fruit and Peat Smoke. A few light Sour notes as well. It's pretty straightforward and not very complex but certainly not unpleasant. There's no Wow factor though.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Bonfire Smoke, Dusty Earth, Red Berries, Sour Grapes, Mix of Straw and Cow Manure, Pork & Fish on the BBQ, Orange Peel, Nectarine, Old Leather, Metal, Ginger and Nutmeg.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Yeast, Nougat, Nuts, Slivovitz, Charred Oak, Diesel, Ashes, Tar, Iodine, Herbal Tea, Tobacco, Cinnamon, Pepper, Cloves, Aniseed and Mint.

Palate:

Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour and Salty notes. The Alcohol is noticeable at this point and so is the relative youth of this Octomore. The balance between Spirit and Wine casks is quite good actually. It's just not my favorite style of Whisky.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Fruit Flavored Candies (Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry), Sour Grapes, Orange Peel, Bonfire Smoke, Dirty Earth, Tar, Cigar Ashes, Leather, Tobacco, Pork & Fish on the BBQ, Pepper, Nutmeg & Ginger.

  
Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Buttered Toast, Christmas Pudding, Sour Green Apple, Lemon, Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, Charred Oak, Herbal Tea, Wet Rocks and Sand, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mint, Licorice and Iron.

 

Finish:

Middle-Long/Long & Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour and Salty notes. Rather Dry. The Alcohol is quite noticeable at this point. I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Resin, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Nougat, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Orange Peel,  Fish and Pork on the BBQ sprinkled with Lemon-Pepper and Herbs, Bonfire Smoke, Dirty Earth, Dark Red Berries, Sour Grapes, Green Apple, Leather, Tobacco, Cigar Ashes, Soot, Iron, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, Mint, Licorice and Aniseed.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and that helps to calm down the Alcohol of course. It doesn't really change the overall profile but it does set little accents on the Fruit, the Herbs, the Barley and the Spices. In this case I recommend to add a little Water.

Rating: 86.5

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

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 by Barnett Harvey. During its history it was mothballed various times, the last time in 1998. In 2012 the Islay distillery was bought by Remy Cointreau (France). Since, Bruichladdich is showing a healthy growth again. The distillery produces 3 types of Single Malt, i.e. the unpeated Bruichladdich & the heavily peated Port Charlotte & Octomore. The basic core range includes Classic Laddie and a 10-year old Port Charlotte. The annual production amounts to around one million litres. About 10% of that is Octomore. Octomore by the way means " The Big Eighth". This is a medieval division of common ground.

The Octomore 08.2 was distilled in 2008 and was made with 100% Scottish Barley from the 2007 harvest. The spirit for this Octomore matured for six years in a mix of French Mourvedre Red Wine casks, Austrian Sweet Wine casks and French Sweet Sauternes White Wine casks before being married and finished for 2 Years in fresh Italian Amarone casks from Valpolicella.

Difficult. On the one hand, this is a well-made Octomore and the Multi Wine cask experiment certainly worked well. Thanks to the 2nd Refill casks the influence of the Wine is not over the top. So if you like the Wine-Whisky combo you should try it out although it's quite expensive. Personally I love Whisky & Wine but in general I prefer to keep them separated. Sometimes it works quite well like in this case but it's just not my favorite style of Whisky.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                              May 5, 2021

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2014

Highland Park The Light

”I Saw The Light (I Think!)”

Whisky Review # 912

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands - Islands - Orkney

Brand: Highland Park The Light

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Limited Edition - 28.000 bottles
Age: 17 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 52.9%
Maturation: Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 190-260 (April 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎Way too expensive for what it offers.
Buying Advice: 😐I'm too confused to give a buying advice.

Colour:

Light Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Be sure to give this Highland Park a little time in the glass before Nosing and take care not to stick your Nose in the middle of your glass as there is some Alcohol to be found there. I also get a bit of this "West-European" New Oak Varnish and that is strange as The Light matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks. And not the most active ones by the way. The Nose is slightly on the Thin side and I'm starting to wonder if the sample I bought really contains The Light. There's hardly any Smoke around as well. My supplier is very reliable (Whiskysite Netherlands) and I must assume I got the correct sample though. Perhaps I'm confused by the fact that Highland Park usually uses Sherried Wood for maturation. In any case I wouldn't give it 17 Years!

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Grass and Straw, Pears and Green Apples, Dried and Fresh Herbs, (New) Oak, Sour Fruit (Gooseberries, Plums, Grapefruit, Lemon), Cinnamon and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather Honey, Yeast, Campfire Smoke, Earth, Wet Rocks, Seville Orange, Floral Soap, Nectarine, Mango and Ginger.

Palate:

On the Palate, The Light shows a bit of character with a mix of Sweet, Sour & Bitter notes. Again, it doesn't feel at all as a fully matured 17 Year-old Single Malt. I'm Going Slightly Mad as Freddie Mercury used to sing. Am I drinking too much Whisky or what! Well it is what it is or at least I hope it is. The Alcohol is quite strong.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Sour Fruit like Gooseberries, Lemon, Green Apple, Grapefruit and Lemon, Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves and Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Buttered Toast, Banana, Dusty Track, Toasted Nuts, Dry Earth, Campfire Smoke, Leather, Soot, Licorice, Dried & Fresh Herbs, Pear and Nectarine.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Sweet, Spicy and slightly Hot. The Alcohol is certainly present. Some Sour notes as well and a light Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. I find Toasted & Malted Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Resin, Toasted Nuts, Lemon, Seville Orange, Grapefruit, Gooseberries, Burnt Heather, Dusty Track, Candle Wax, Campfire Smoke, Peat, Green Apple, Oak, Fresh and Dried Herbs, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Menthol and Soot.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water does not improve The Light.

Rating: 83

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

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 & the distillery has increasingly used this past as a rather successful marketing tool. Highland Park currently produces around 2.5 million litres of Alcohol & is owned since 1997 by the Edrington Group. The core range basically consists of the 10 (Viking Scars), the 12 (Viking Honour), the 18 (Viking Pride), the 21, 25, 30 and 40 years, Dragon Legend and Viking Pride.

We visited Highland Park in May 2019 and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit despite the terrible weather. Orkney is a special place and I understand the tradition and the bond with the Viking ancestors. It's such a pity that the distillery regularly distorts this picture with mediocre, expensive "Cult" Single Malts based on that theme.

The Light, representing Spring & Summer was launched in 2017 together with The Dark, representing Autumn and Winter. The latter matured in Ex-Sherry Wood.

I can't remember having ever been so confused when tasting a Single Malt for Best Shot. Usually I know what to expect more or less based on experience. But not in this case. For the very first time I really doubted the contents of my little sample bottle. Is this really a 17 Year-old Single Malt Highland Park? If so I'm disappointed. The principal reason is the lack of quality of the refill casks that didn't give a lot of additional character to the Spirit. The low level of Peat/Smoke and the ever present Alcohol did not help as well. It didn't feel like a 17 Year old Malt. It's the first time I review a HP that matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks so that might be the problem as well. I simply did not get what I expected. In any case I must assume that the sample indeed contained The Light and that being so this Single Malt simply does not work for me. I didn't see The Light at the end of the tunnel!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                            April 28,2021

All pictures were taken during our visit in May 2019

Mortlach 14 Years Alexander's Way

”Ballad of a Thin Man”

Whisky Review # 911

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Mortlach Alexander's Way

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 14 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43.4%
Maturation: Mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon and Refill Ex-Sherry Casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 60-80 (April 2021)

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many thanks!

Price/Quality Ratio: Okay
Buying Advice: 👎 Too Thin and not representative for this distillery. 

Colour:

Amber (Probably Artificially Colored as the dark color of this Malt does not really combine with the weak Refill Cask impressions that I get).

Nose:

This is really Thin and almost Watery for a Mortlach. I wasn't expecting that at all! I suspect there were lots of 3rd Refill casks in the mix. There is some Fruit but there is an artificial ring to it. The Nose is mainly Sweet but there are Sour notes around as well. A slight Bitterness in the background. The Alcohol is noticeable. It actually smells younger than its 14 Years.

Main Aromas:

Musty Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Sour Cherries and Berries, Orange, Lemon, Artificially-Flavoured Candies (Apple, Pear, Banana), Slivovitz, Farm-Yard, Sawmill, Refill Oak, Ginger, Pepper and Cloves.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Demerara Sugar, Vanilla, Honey, Wax, Sultanas, Unripe Mango, Fresh Herbs (Mint), Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Leather, Tobacco and faint hints of Smoke & Munster Cheese.

Palate:

A good Springbank or Ledaig can be quite Dirty but they usually got the substance along with it. This Mortlach is slightly Dirty on the Palate as well but it's so Thin and Watery that it doesn't really work. The Palate is a mix of Bitter, Sweet & Sour notes. Medium-Dry. The Alcohol is noticeable. I find it totally disappointing.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Yeast, Refill Oak, Apple-Vinegar, Seville Orange, Lemon Tea, Sour Berries, Tobacco, Mint, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Iron.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Dusty Earth, Wax, Grapefruit, Unripe Mango, Leather, Gooseberry Jam, Nutmeg, Cloves and hints of Licorice and Dairy.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long, rather Thin, slightly Hot & presenting a rather high Acidity that I don't really care for. A mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. I find Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Grass and Straw, Refill Oak, Resin, Candle Wax, Seville Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tobacco, Leather, Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Dried Fruit and a whisper of Smoke.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Mortlach. It's Thin enough as it is.

Rating: 81

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience: Okay

Conclusion:

Mortlach was founded in 1823 by James Findlater and is located in Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire. It is owned by Diageo. The distillery had a cult status mainly because of the 16 Years Flora & Fauna. This expression was discontinued in 2014 however and replaced by a new range that consisted of the Rare Old, Special Strength, 18 Years & 25 years. All four were mainly matured in Ex-Bourbon Barrels and were launched in 50 cl bottles at rather high prices. This move was not appreciated by the fans and in 2018 Diageo launched a new core range that consists of the 12 Year old Wee Witchie, the 16 Year old Distiller's Dram and the 20 Year old Cowie's Blue Seal. The 14 Years Alexander's Way was added initially for Travel Retail only.

This Mortlach has been nicknamed Alexander's Way in honor of the former owner of the distillery Alexander Cowie. Thanks to him, Mortlach distills its spirit 2,81 times, a rather unique process called The Way.

I've had some good old Mortlach Malt in the past like this one from 1994. But the one I'm tasting today is a far cry from that one. Alexander's Way is presented in a very nice way but in reality it's a typical Travel Retail expression that can't count on good casks. It's not too expensive at least and that's a plus. But other than that it's a forgettable Mortlach expression that does not do justice at all to this otherwise fine distillery.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                          April 21, 2021

 

Tormore 1988 (Sansibar)

”Country Comfort”

Whisky Review # 910

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside

Brand: Tormore 1988

Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Distilled in 1988

Bottled: In 2016 by/for Sansibar Spirits Shop' Selection - Chinese Theater Mask
Age: 28 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 51.6% (Cask-Strength)
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon cask - 228 Bottles
Chill Filtration: No

Price Range: Around US$ 250 (April 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍Okay. At this age a Single Malt can't be cheap of course.
Buying Advice: 👍 A well-matured Speyside Malt. Bit on the Woody side though!

Colour:

Golden (Natural Color)

Nose:

A nice, slightly dusty, mature Nose with the Oak nicely lingering in the background. A bit of an old English country club image with Polished Old Furniture inviting you to have a Single Malt. I think you get the picture. The Nose is a mix of Sweet, Fruity, Sour and Floral notes. Quite Buttery as well. You wouldn't give it 28 years as there are still some Fresh Aromas around. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. It's a rather plesant combination!

Main Aromas:

Malted and Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Grass and Straw, Bounty Candy Bars, Charred Oak, Peach or Nectarine, Stewed Apples richly sprinkled with fresh Cinnamon, Polished Leather Upholstery, Tobacco, Orange-Milk Chocolate, Mint and Nutmeg.

  
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Salted Caramel, Honey, Marshmallow, Floral Soap, Dried Herbs, Grapefruit, Lemon, Hazelnuts, Dusty Road, Pepper and Meat-Extract.

Palate:

Thick and Buttery. It's been a while I found so much Butter in a Single Malt. On the Palate this Tormore presents a mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes. The Years in the cask are telling now and the Alcohol is a bit more noticeable as well.

Main Flavours:

Malted and Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Bounty Candy Bars, Polished Old Leather, Tobacco, Seville-Orange, Charred Oak, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Pepper, Ginger, Aniseed, Mint, Meat-Extract and Licorice.

   
Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Grass and Straw, Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate, Marzipan, Fresh & Dried Herbs, Grapefruit, Lemon, Stewed Apples, Espresso, Nutmeg and Cloves.

Finish:

Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with increasing Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. You can certainly tell its age by now. Wood, Spices and Herbs are firmly in control at this point. I find Toasted Barley, Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Marzipan, Grapefruit, Lemon, Seville-Orange, Tea, Fresh & Dried Herbs, Bounty Candy Bars, Stewed Apples, Leather, Tobacco, Charred Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, Cardamom, Ginger, Mint, Licorice, Aniseed and Meat-Extract.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and you will get additional ripe Fruit on the Nose (Nectarine, Peach). The Palate does not improve in my view and the Finish gets very Spicy and Hot. You can carefully add a few drops but don't overdo it. I prefer it Neat.

Rating: 86.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21.5  - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience Neat:

Good

Conclusion:

Tormore is certainly a relatively new distillery and was founded in 1958 by Schenley Int. Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) acquired the distillery in 2005 when it took over Allied Domecq. It is located in Grantown-on-Spey (Morayshire). The distillery has a production capacity of 4.8 million litres. Most of the Tormore Spirit is used in Blends like Ballentine's, Long John, Cream of the Barley and Chivas. The core range merely consists of the 14 and 16 Years.

Sansibar Whisky is a German Indie bottler founded by Jens Drewitz and others who taste and hand-select almost all casks they buy at the distilleries.

I've had a few other old Tormore Indies in the past and they are all quite good in my opinion. This Sansibar is a bit on the Woody side and might have overstayed its time in the cask somewhat. But it's still a very nice almost farm-made Single Malt that really reminds me of the warmth of Good Old British Country Comfort. The sort of hotel or club that Mr. Bean would have liked!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                           April 14, 2021