The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

[Uriel]

Well for some affordable (just over £20) bourbons, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2009 (I based the scoring system on the 2008 version) seems to recommend Knob Creek 9 year old and Jim Beam Black 8 year old. Might be worth a try. If anyone fancies getting a bottle please post your tasting notes when you have time

 

[Uriel]

So...

I grabbed that bottle of Netto's own this evening. Down to the dregs really. It's taken me by surprise. Not nearly as bad as I thought.

McCaulay's Single Highland Malt Whisky (Netto own brand. £9.99) 40%
n. Sweet malt, toffee and a hint of alcohol fumes. A bit boring but not unpleasant. 18
t. A little peat smoke when you sip it. Bigger mouthfuls give priority to other flavours. A little saltiness eventually leads to a peppery bite at the back of the mouth. 20.
f. Warm and slightly smoky. Deep heat slightly deadened by caramel. Can go on a while but the more you drink the less powerful it gets. 20.
b. Is this really what I thought I remembered? Not too shabby to be honest. I was expecting something woeful. 19
Overall 77.

 

[Uriel]

More on the Netto bargain trail. Just picked up a gift pack with 70cl bottle of Jura 10yo single malt with free hip flask for £16.99 . Not had chance to taste it yet but it strikes me as pretty good value.

IIRC the whisky itself isn't outstanding but is pleasant enough.

 

[Uriel]

Just been to Wee Dram Fest. I'll just post a quick roundup before my taste buds wore out. Bear in mind - 80 whiskies (no I didn't try all of them) to sample in less than 5 hours. Treat these as abbreviated...

Wee Dram Lowland 17 yo NB - this is an independent Rosebank bottling.
n. toffee apple 20
t smokey but not peaty 23
f dry fire embers 22
b pretty good. Surprisingly smoky without being peaty 23
Overall 88

Auchentoshan 12 yo
n Floral 19
t Malty and floral with a hint of pepper. 20
f Peppery and surprisingly long. 20
b (no note) 19
Overall 78

Scapa 17 yo
n Heathery 20
T Smoky Heather 21
F Warm. Slight Peatiness 20
B Pretty good 21
Overall 82.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan
n peat and smoke. Wood bonfire 24
t hot peat smoke 24
f warm and peppery 23
B kind of like lagavulin 16yo without the sherry 23
Overall 94 (note - scores added later. I was so busy enjoying it I forgot to score at the time)

Springbank 100° proof
n delicate and fruity 21
t. vanilla, toffee, salty, pepper with alcoholic kick 23
F. warm and peppery Wood resin 21
B (no notes) 22
Overall 87

After this most things started to tast of apple. My taste buds and nose were clearly broken. I re-read my notes and don't really trust anything after this point.

Later highlights include Talisker 18 yo and Highland park 18 yo & 23 YO. I bought a bottle of the first whisky I tasted. It was nice, but admittedly this was because it's from a dead distillery and Rosebank whisky might not be around much longer before it gets stupidly expensive.

Edit: I was disciplined until the last hour. I was spitting between samples and carefully waiting for each whisky to finish. Last hour - forget it All you can drink for a £15 with a £5 glass to take home? I wasn't driving. Made the most of it. Head's still a bit fuzzy a few hours later.

 

[Uriel]

I had some of that this afternoon. Nice, but in a part of the day I didn't trust myself to review things (as above).

 

[Uriel]

Had some of this later on: http://www.whiskyandwines.com/bruichladdich-x4-3-single-malt-whisky-p-2512.html

Just looked it up. 63.5%. No wonder my head's fuzzy.

 

[Uriel]

You can - but it's generally specialist shops rather than your usual off licence.

The Wee Dram that organised the festival I went to always has a few bottles on the counter for tasting. Unfortunately it's a long way from Cambridge (it's in the peak district).

 

[Uriel]

Depends on the shop. I've done it before, but generally not on really expensive bottles. Best experience I had was at the airport. Was early morning and I was drunk before I got on the plane.

That was the good thing about the festival. I got to try several bottles that I'd never normally afford. There were a few open bottles that must have cost in excess of £50 or even £100 and they weren't stingy with the measures either.

 

[Uriel]

I'd be interested to see how Dalwhinnie is rated.

I didn't take detailed notes when I last tried Dalwhinnie 15yo. From memory I'd have it in the low to mid 90s (given scoring system on the first page).

 

[Uriel]

And what did you think to it? I have a soft spot for this distillery (in part because they sent a sample of the Bere barley that's not commercially available).

I liked it, but I sampled it at a stage in the afternoon when my taste buds were broken and I was getting a bit tipsy.

Can't really remember what it tasted like to be honest, apart from a thick, slightly oily mouthfeel. I'd stopped taking notes by then.

 

[Uriel]

Just been given some Glenfiddich standard 12yo. I'm convinced it's been taking a downturn in recent years. The last few drams I've sampled have been wronguns and this bottle's no better. The finish just isn't particularly nice and something in it deadens the taste buds.

If you fancy Glenfiddich, go for at least the 15 yo or get the 12 yo toasted oak.

And I know some don't like it but Monkey Shoulder is worth a punt if you're a Glenfiddich fan. It's mostly Glenfiddich anyway.

 

[Uriel]

I had a whisky once that had a very orange tinge to it, I'm not a whisky drinker, but that stuff went down so well.
t

Orange tinge? Colour or taste?

 

[Uriel]

Went to an Islay tasting last Friday

Quick notes write up:

Bunnahabhain 12yo 40%
n. Butterscotch and sherry. 23
t. Smoky, spicy oak. 20
f. Resiny, hot. Fades to oak. 20
b. Fairly light but pleasant. 20
Overall 83

Bruichladdich Rum Cask 17yo 46%
n. Rum and apple. 22
t. Spicy. Chillies, creamy sweetness. Black pepper. 23
f. Oranges. Spicy heat. 23.
b. Spicy fruity dram. 23
Overall. 91

Bowmore Tempest. 10yo 55.3%
n. Faint hint of peat. Some sweet barley or maybe sherry. 23.
t. Smooth, sweet peat, chewy. A hint of citrus. 24.
f. Hot wood smoke, becoming dry at the end. 24.
b. Lovely sweet peaty Islay. A bit like lagavulin's blonde sister. 23.
Overall. 94 (several others at the tasting rated this their favourite)

Port Ellen (provenance bottling) 25 year old. 46%
n. Peaty but not particularly smoky. Hint of heather. 22
t. Peat and spiced oilyness. 23
f. Hot. Then long dry peat 22
b. Something about this doesn't really hang together for me. Good but not amazing. 21
Overall 88

Caol Ila (The Wee Dram bottling) - 10yo 46%
n. Peaty. Alcoholic sting. A hint of burned rubber. 20
t. Medicinal and rather oily. Some peat. 20
f. Ther rubber returns. 19
b. Interesting - a little raw. Can't say I like the rubberiness. 18
Overall 77

Tried the lagavulin 16yo, which I've reviewed previously. Great. I made notes and rated it 97 this time.

Laphroaig (Signatory bottling) 8yo.
n. Medicinal. Sea breeze. 22
t. Surprisingly malty for a Laphroaig. Peat comes in with the dram still in your mouth. 22
f. Seaweed and that medicinal iodine. Something reminds me of mackerel right at the end. 22
b. It's not as nice as the standard 10yo you can find in the shops. It doesn't seem much like the laproaigs I've had before. Surprisingly little peat. Still - pleasant enough. 22
Overall 88

Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1% (I've put up notes here before, rating it at 94, but spent a little more time with it here)
n. Some peat lingering behind the alcoholic sting. There's some floral heather here. 24
t. Sweet toffee melting into peatiness. Becomes earthy and dry in your mouth. 25
f. Dry ethanol. A medicinal quality. Some smoky peat, lingering a while. 24
b. One of the best tasting whiskies I've come across. Stunning. 24.
Overall 97

 

[Uriel]

Realised I've not reviewed my Glen Moray or Ardbeg 10. Here goes...

Glen Moray (No age statement) 40%
n. Werthers Original wrappers unfolding, revealing sticky toffee and malt with honeyed notes. 22
t. Light ginger from little sips but a mouthful is more malty. There's an oakiness to it before the alcohol takes over. 21
f. Orange Marmalade with a hint of lime. Fades to a chilli-like aftertaste warmth. Citrus notes and pepper remain a long time. 23
b. A fine, light, easy drinking yet surprisingly complex Speyside. 22.
Overall 88.

Ardbeg 10yo 46%
n. Sea breeze over meadows with a maltiness but move the glass closer then peat and smoke kick in. Some hints of oranges and apples in there. 23
t. Salty, then powerful peat smoke. Hints of kreosote. White pepper and the tiniest hints of sweet barley. 24
f. Hot and oily. Fishermen's friends. Fading, drying, becoming earthy and then settling with peat. Drys the mouth for a while after drinking. 24
b. Very complex. Changes with each mouthful. I get the feeling I could rate this down or up on a given day. 24
Overall 95

I had a whisky once that had a very orange tinge to it, I'm not a whisky drinker, but that stuff went down so well.

Glenmorangie?

 

[Uriel]

Overall;
63, nothing to write home about, but nothing to be offended by either.

Really? According to the scoring system on the first post, that would make it 'nasty and well worth avoiding'.

0-50: Nothing short of absolutely diabolical
51-64: Nasty and well worth avoiding
65-69: Very unimpressive indeed
70-74: Usually drinkable but don't expect the earth to move
75-79: Average and usually pleasant though sometimes flawed
80-84: Good whisky worth trying
85-89: Very good to excellent whiskies, definitely worth buying
90-93: Brilliant
94-97: Superstar whiskies that give us all a reason to live
98-100: Better than anything I've ever tasted

It's why I saw fit to define the scores using an existing system; without definition assigning a numerical value to something like whisky is pretty meaningless.

 

[Uriel]

Handy reference guide to whisky tasting by Whisky Magazine. http://www.whiskymag.com/nosing_course/part1.php

I think I'll edit the OP to add it.

 

[Uriel]

The Glenlivet 18 is a very pleasant dram. I think it was reviewed very early on in this thread. Long time since I've had one though. Glenlivet generally seems great value at the moment with the 15 and 18 yo both under £30 at Waitrose and the 18 yo at Asda.

Thinking back, it may have been a Duty Free bottle of Glenlivet 12 that got me started on this hobby.

Edit: Yep...

Okay here goes with one of my favorites and I have a large and varied collection

The Glenlivet 18Yo Single Malt, Speyside 43%
n: quite sweet and with subtle floral layers, hint of peatiness and a slight hint of the sherry oak 22
t: slightly flowery with a hint of sweetness but then developing smoothly 19
f: good long lasting after taste switching between sweet and bitter flavours 21
b: delightfull embodies everything their should be in a good whisky of this region and age overall a good package of all aspects. 22

84 overall shall we post pics?

 

[Uriel]

Personally i wondered if there was a difference.

Not fundamentally no. There are differences in production techniques between Blended, Vatted, Single Malt, Bourbon, Tenessee, Rhye etc.

Traditionally Irish whiskey used a combination of malted and unmalted barley. A Scottish whisky uses only malted barley (although it may be mixed with grain whisky in a blend).

However, you can have a single malt Irish or American whiskey. Scottish grain whisky (made using corn not malted barley) is produced in a somewhat similar way to bourbon and tastes quite similar but it's still called whisky.

Just tradition I guess.

 

[Uriel]

Been looking at the Glenlivet 18 offer in Waitrose, might pick a bottle up now. The 12 is a pretty good, non-offensive, every day whisky so I guess the 18 can only be better?

Yes in the case of Glenlivet, but older doesn't necessarily mean better for all whisky.

For example, peatier whiskies often lose some of their more powerful flavours as they get older. A whisky that's left in a barrel or butt for too long can lose some of its character and become very woody tasting.

Another thing is that the age just means the youngest whisky in the bottle. For example I'm aware that the current Ardbeg 10yo has quite a bit of 17yo whisky in it. 'Single malt' just means it's from one distillery and each destillery often blends their own products to give some consistency. 'Single cask' means it came from one barrel and hasn't been blended at all.

 

[Uriel]

Anyone going to give the St George Distillery a go?

£30 a bottle for the new 3yr old.

Even been pimped by the BBC today - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8405142.stm

I'm interested but their website isn't currently taking orders. Reviews of the pre-3yo spirit have been very positive.