The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

Finally, Port Askaig 19yo. Supposedly from a "mystery" Islay distillery (commonly believed to be Caol Ila).

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Nose:
Not as pungent as some but unmistakably an Islay malt. Peat smoke and hospital ward with a bit of fruit in the background.

Palate:
Almost certainly Caol Ila. Sweeter than I expected with smoke and TCP. Slight hint of citrus. Adding water brings out a bit of spicy heat and calms the TCP a bit. Like the Dailuaine, water changes the taste profile with either being more than acceptable - like drinking two different whiskies.

Finish:
Long and sweet with a bit of dark chocolate and a hint of cinnamon.

This one comes in at 50.4% ABV and is fine either with or without water. At £79.95, I feel it is well priced - about right for what you get.
 
All in all, I'm very happy with all three whiskies. I think they are all tasty and well priced (although I'm not sure about the Dailuaine at full price) and good value. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks working my way through these :)
 
thanks stan. they look interesting although probably out of my budget. i recently purchased the 16 year old jura which was very nice at £40 from duty free. i got the chadhu 12 as well which is also a nice drop, better on my palet with water. i can't really give smells as my sense of smell is useless! both taste lovely.

tried the caribean cask belvenie and it's devine - even my dad liked it neat! the rum flavour really comes through and the finish is lovely and smooth.
 
Stan:

I have an extremely large soft spot for an Cnoc, if I was to borrow a musical analogy they are the independent indie band which everyone loves before they get big. But somehow, an Cnoc haven't got big and mainstream. Consistently put out great whisky for great money but people overlook them for the more well known and, dare I say it, easily pronounced drams!

I saw the Askaig picture before I read anything that you wrote about it, and it was the first time that I'd seen it, and immediately thought that it was a Caol Ila. Got that 'look'.
 
Aberlour 10yo, £23 from Tesco so thought it would be rude not to. Can't see much about it online anywhere, has it been discontinued?

Not a bad dram though, maybe not up to the standards I'm used to from Balvenie but still perfectly enjoyable.
 
my latest

19 years old ..last 40 months in red wine casks

only 2200 produced

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Delivery from the Whisky Exchange today so it's tasting time :D

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I've reviewed the Lagavulin before so I won't tonight. Nor will I do the vodka as this is the whisky thread :p

I haven't had the Benrinnes or the Auchentoshan Virgin Oak before. I have had the 15yo Glengoyne before but I'll review it anyway. I've also had the Bailie Nicol Jarvie before and I'll start with that.

I'm also now the proud owner of a Lagavulin coffee mug :cool:

Baili Nicol Jarvie is an 8yo blend from the Glenmorangie distillery.

OMFG STAN BOUGHT A BLEND!!!! :eek::eek:

It's actually one of the few blends I enjoy and, although I don't buy it that often, I do like an occasional bottle for a change. At a shade under £20, it's far from the cheapest blend on the go but it's only £3 more than B..B.... more than Be.... I can't bring myself to type the name - you know what I mean :p It's also a fiver less than Johnnie Walker Black Label and considerably better in my opinion. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's as good as, if not better than Johnnie Walker Green Label (and that's £80 a bottle).

On the nose, there's a slight hint of citrus and a grassy note.
On the palate, there's a caramel sweetness - verging on burnt sugar (I mean that in a good way) and a hint of peat. Very smooth and easily drinkable.
The finish is lingering and sweet with a hint of vanilla poking through.

A very smooth and pleasant blend for not a ridiculous amount of money.

One thing, don't put water in it, you'll ruin it. Doesn't need it anyway.
 
Next up is the Auchentoshan Virgin Oak.

On the nose it's almost all vanilla oak with maybe a hint of spice.
Palate: Again, overpowering Vanilla oak with a hint of spice and maybe a slight hint of banana.
Finish is shortish and, as expected, oaky.

This doesn't taste bad - I like oak. It's just a pity it overpowers everything else. Auchentoshan make some excellent whiskies, sadly, this isn't one of them.
 
Next whisky is Benrinnes. I've never even heard of the distillery before. They're owned by Diageo (there's a surprise) and the 15y0 is released as part of their "Flora and Fauna" range. Interestingly, it's partially triple distilled - I can't remember having heard of a triple distilled Speyside before.

Anyway. On the nose, it's a bit difficult trying to pick out individual aromas. I get a bit of chocolate caramel and dried fruit. On the palate, more of the dried fruit comes out and the caramel is still there but the chocolate has disappeared. It's quite a smooth dram.
The finish is fairly short and a slight bitterness starts to creep in right at the end. Thankfully, not enough to spoil it.

Overall, quite a nice whisky. Not outstanding but interesting and smooth.
 
Finally the 15yo Glengoyne. I got the miniature free with the bottle of Benrinnes.

On the nose: Citrus with a hint of toffee.
Palate: Slightly oaky with the citrus peeking through. A touch of sweet fruitiness and spice.
Finish: Quite decent with a lingering fruitcake taste.

A nice whisky. Glengoynes get better with age and the 15yo is when it starts to get interesting. Anything 15yo and above and you're in for a treat.

That's the official tasting over with now. I think I'll chill with a glass of the Lagavulin. Fantastic whisky and one of my staples.

Sláinte mhaith.
 
I got a bottle of Glengoyne 10 free from work last Christmas and wasn't impressed at all. In fact I just gave it my dad as he found it ok. Is the 15+ stuff really that much better?
 
Just got a bottle of Majesty 30yr old whiskey for my birthday this week.

The dilemma I face is do I drink it, or do I keep it for years to come as it's a nice gift, one of 2000 bottles and in a nice presentation box.

Feels a shame to drink it but that's what it's made for I guess!
 
Stan_Lite said:
Next up is the Auchentoshan Virgin Oak.

On the nose it's almost all vanilla oak with maybe a hint of spice.
Palate: Again, overpowering Vanilla oak with a hint of spice and maybe a slight hint of banana.
Finish is shortish and, as expected, oaky.

This doesn't taste bad - I like oak. It's just a pity it overpowers everything else. Auchentoshan make some excellent whiskies, sadly, this isn't one of them.
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Sounds like that needs to sit a while and let the oak sort itself out.. having done oak'd beers, extra maturing time was the answer.. but does whisky mature.. even oak? I'm not going to say because that would require scientific proof..
 
xibinim said:
Ooooo that's music to my ears as I dislike peaty ones; assumed it was because she leans that way. I can help her enjoy it :D. 18 year it is then. Thanks for your help.
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Bruichladdich Ten is non peaty.

I've had two bottles, the first was quite cigarette, not nice but the second had a completely different taste - honeyed with a heavy grain taste, actually I'm going to get myself a wee dram now :D

Tasker, not really peaty.. Bowmore was nicely balanced and Ardbeg was oily thick heavy peat. liked the Bowmore and Ardbeg.
 
So, just started out with a few bottles recently & really started to develop a taste for it.

So far I've tried.

Aberlour (10 yo) - great gentle & fruity flavour.
Aberlour (12 yo) - similar to the above but a stronger, sweet spices - very smooth
Lagavulin (16 yo) - A very strong peat & almost smoky flavoured drink, not quite to my preference but I'm sure great if you like that style.

Want to try a few different styles but unsure which - any recommendation based on the above?.
 
elmarko said:
So, just started out with a few bottles recently & really started to develop a taste for it.

So far I've tried.

Aberlour (10 yo) - great gentle & fruity flavour.
Aberlour (12 yo) - similar to the above but a stronger, sweet spices - very smooth
Lagavulin (16 yo) - A very strong peat & almost smoky flavoured drink, not quite to my preference but I'm sure great if you like that style.

Want to try a few different styles but unsure which - any recommendation based on the above?.
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Seems from the above you enjoyed the Aberlour, which is a Speyside malt but didn't enjoy the Lagavulin (Islay malt) as much. If I was you I'd stick to Speyside and Lowland malts. A few Speysides to try which are almost universally liked are: Balvenie - any one of them really (my personal favourite is the 15yo single cask) - Doublewood and Signature are usually available in supermarkets; Ardmore; Dalwhinnie; Glenlivet (I'm not a fan of the 12yo but the 15yo is nice) and Glenrothes. There are many more to choose from. Have a look on the Whisky Exchange website, you can browse by region, distillery, price, age - anything you want really.

Some Lowland distilleries to look at would be (in my opinion): Auchentoshan; Bladnoch; Glenkinchie; Ladyburn and Rosebank.

I would avoid Islay and Island malts if you don't enjoy the peaty, smoky ones - they're almost all in that style. Pity really as Lagavulin is one of my personal favourites (you can send it to me if you don't want it :p).
 
Stan_Lite said:
Seems from the above you enjoyed the Aberlour, which is a Speyside malt but didn't enjoy the Lagavulin (Islay malt) as much. If I was you I'd stick to Speyside and Lowland malts. A few Speysides to try which are almost universally liked are: Balvenie - any one of them really (my personal favourite is the 15yo single cask) - Doublewood and Signature are usually available in supermarkets; Ardmore; Dalwhinnie; Glenlivet (I'm not a fan of the 12yo but the 15yo is nice) and Glenrothes. There are many more to choose from. Have a look on the Whisky Exchange website, you can browse by region, distillery, price, age - anything you want really.

Some Lowland distilleries to look at would be (in my opinion): Auchentoshan; Bladnoch; Glenkinchie; Ladyburn and Rosebank.
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Hmm, nice - some good tips there - thank you.

Balvenie & Glenlivet 15 yo sounds like a good place to start. Still familiarising myself with the different regions & the differences - want to make guided choices based then span out slowly.

Now I just need to convince the g/f I'm actually a connoisseur of mixed & varied flavours & not an alcoholic... as the bottles start flying though the door (and out empty over the coming weeks :D)

Stan_Lite said:
Pity really as Lagavulin is one of my personal favourites (you can send it to me if you don't want it :p).
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Haha :), I went to my brother as that's one of his favourites also!.
 
I'm currently working my way through a lovely bourbon. It's a William Larue Weller 2011 bottling, 66.75% ABV. I got it for Christmas not last year but the year before, and I have only just go around to opening it. It is absolutely lovely, smooth but packs a massive punch. I was saving it for the warmer time of year to enjoy over ice and it has definitely been worthwhile :)
 
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