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Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits
"I'm not an alcoholic, I'm an alcohologist"
Four single malts from "Aberdeen Distillers" (i.e. Blackadder) | 9 May 2012 | ||
"Aberdeen Distillers" is a range of single cask whiskies from the bottler Blackadder. These are bottled at 43% or 46% ABV in contrast to their better known cask strength series called "Raw Cask". I tasted these four bottlings at the Whisky Fair in Limburg:
Braeval 1998 13 y.o. (46%):
Fresh, fruity, slightly sour nose, like white wine (Riesling). Notes of green fruits and oak. Very nice! Fruity, oaky, peppery palate.
A little too oaky and peppery, in fact but it gets milder and nicer with a drop of water. With water it's sweet, fruity and more-ish.
Oaky, peppery, rather nice finish. A lovely apéritif!
(87 p)
Clynelish 1995 15 y.o. (46%):
Very nice nose with notes of cream, coconut and custard, also a little oak. Sweet, malty palate.
Rum-like with a note of arrack. Oaky and fairly peppery finish, also slightly peaty.
(Similar to the brilliant 14 y.o. OB but not quite as nice.)
(87 p)
Linkwood 1993 18 y.o. (46%):
The nose is fruity (citrus candy) and oaky with a strange note of pickled cucumber.
Rich, fruity, quite oaky palate. Drying. Dry, oaky, dull finish. Disappointing.
(82 p)
Tobermory 1995 15 y.o. (46%):
Nice nose with notes of peat, citrus and malt. Sweet, more-ish palate with malt and honey.
Also slightly peaty and slightly minty. Malty, spicy, peppery finish. All in all nice and entertaining yet a little rough.
(86 p)
Related links:
Blackadder's web site
All my tasting notes on whiskies from Blackadder
Six | 10 Mar 2012 | ||
As of November 23, 2011 whisky producers are no longer allowed to use the labellings "pure malt" or "vatted malt". Instead, the term "blended malt" should be used for whiskies that are, eh, blended from different single malts. When this change was first proposed by the SWA I thought it was sensible. Blended malt whisky is simply a blend of malts. But then I read a surprising amount of opposition against this change, for instance from noted whisky writer Dave Broom.
I wondered what all the fuss was about. After all, blended malt is a tiny category, compared to "blended whisky" (which is the biggest whisky category, by far) and "single malt whisky" (the most prestigious category).
Think about it - how many blended malts do you have in your cabinet? How many brands of blended malt do you know? For my own part, prior to writing this article I had only tried half a dozen blended malts, compared to over 700 single malts and over 80 blended whiskies.
The focus of the criticism of the term "blended malt" was that whisky drinkers would confuse blended malt with blended whisky (as if blended whisky were an inferior product). Let's look at two of the most common (if not *the* most common) blended malts: Johnnie Walker Green Label and Famous Grouse 12 year old. I asked a bunch of my whisky drinking friends about them and they already believed (or just assumed) they were blended Scotch whiskies. So much for that theory...
Ok, enough rambling. On to the tasting notes:
Famous Grouse 12 y.o.:
Subtle, complex, rather nice nose: spicy and oaky with notes of vanilla, dried fruits and peppermint.
The palate is quite mild and smooth at first but develops spices and heat. Nutty with quite a bit of oak.
All in all pleasant and well-mannered. A little heavy on the oak, though, but apart from the oak
there's not much going on. (That said, it is balanced and quite drinkable)
(84 p)
Johnnie Walker Green Label, 15 y.o.:
Very nice, promising nose. Balanced, malty, oaky and a little fruity with notes of liquorice and peat. Medium-bodied
palate with oak, caramelized sugar and a nice note of peat. A little rough, however. The finish is quite oaky and a bit hot,
with notes of smoke and mint. The oak is dull and disappointing, unfortunately. All in all it has a nice nose
but goes downhill from there.
(84 p)
Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt, 47.3%:
The replica of "Shackleton's Whisky". Wood smoke, oak and malt on the nose, also honey and green fruits. Rather nice and
surprisingly smoky! Rich, powerful palate. Smoky and malty with honey and citrus. The alcohol heat makes it crisp and dry.
The finish is initially nice with mostly oak and smoke but in the end only dull, disappointing oak remains. All in all complex and
powerful yet nicely balanced. Overpriced, in my opinion, but beautifully presented. Best without water.
(Thanks to Richard Paterson for the sample!)
(86 p)
Macdonald's Glencoe 58%:
The nose has oak shavings, floral notes and honey. It's also earthy and a little peaty. Rough yet rather nice! Sweet,
fruity palate with citrus and orange candy. Also slightly floral. Chewy and yummy, grows fairly oaky. Oak, fruits and
citrus on the finish. All in all fresh with lots of flavour. More-ish. Youthful in the sense that it's zesty and lively but
it seems older than 8 years. The notes of honey and peat remind me of Highland Park 12 from about 10 years ago.
(Reputedly a vatting of Ben Nevis, Oban and Dalwhinnie - Ben Nevis is a given but I wonder about the other two)
(86 p)
The Six Isles:
Peaty, malty, youthful nose with honey and green fruits. The palate is light, sweet and smooth at first, then develops malt
and fresh notes of mint and citrus. Grows quite peaty. Peaty finish with a youngish cereal note. All in all a little on the
young side but charming and more-ish. A wonderful concept and actually a very nice whisky.
Younger and less balanced but in fact nicer than the first bottling I tried (from 2004).
The youngest whisky in the flight but it beats a couple of older ones.
(86 p)
Compass Box Oak Cross:
Nice, fragrant nose with lots of oak, vanilla and malt. Behind that there are fresh notes of green fruits. The palate is at
first sweet, mild and smooth, fresh, zesty with citrus. Drying, develops oak and spicy notes. The finish is herbal and quite oaky
(the new French oak comes to the fore). All in all balanced, very nice and quite more-ish. Very well crafted.
(87 p)
Conclusion: Like blended Scotch, blended malts tend to be subtle and complex but naturally they have a richer, fuller character. I find that many of them lack the freshness that grain whiskies provide in a good blended Scotch. Character-wise, blended malts fall somewhere between the single malts and the blends - more subtle and complex than a single malt but not as light and fresh as a blended Scotch.
Footnote: Apparently, the regulation change has also had an effect on Irish whiskey: Redbreast "Pure Pot Still" has been renamed to "Single Pot Still".
Related links:
That's the end of vat... on Whisky Advocate Blog
All my tasting notes on blended malt whisky
Five single malt whiskies from the "New World" | 11 Feb 2012 | ||
Teerenpeli 2003, 8 y.o. (Finland):
Fragrant, quite oaky nose (fresh oak, I believe) with white pepper, malt, citrus, honey and vanilla. Youngish but quite nice.
Smooth, fresh and fairly sweet palate with a note of citrus. Develops mint. The minty note carries over into the finish
and is joined by vanilla and a flowery note. Above all, however, the finish is quite oaky and spicy. Disappointing.
All in all it's a little unbalanced and has too much oak which makes it a bit vulgar.
(I think this whisky needs more time, but in less active casks.)
(81 p)
Säntis Malt (Switzerland):
The nose is fruity (citrus flavoured candy, orange peel) and oaky with notes of aged rum, allspice and gunpowder.
A little quiet yet complex and nice. Nice, fruity palate with notes of vanilla, caramelized sugar, black tea and white
pepper. At first mild and sweet then drying and grows more intense. The finish is fruity and peppery (but in a nice
balance) with a note of rum. All in all unusual, quite rum-like, nice but a bit too mild.
(Thanks to Bruno for the sample!)
(82 p)
Armorik (France):
Fragrant, youthful yet rather nice nose - malty and oaky with vanilla and custard. Also slightly floral with a note of peat.
Light, smooth, fresh palate with malt, citrus and peppermint. The finish is oaky and a little peppery, also fruity (apricot).
All in all youthful, colourful, rowdy even, yet charming, entertaining and quite drinkable.
(85 p)
Spirit of Hven "Urania" 2008, 3 y.o. (Sweden):
Interesting, herbal nose with oak, vanilla and orange peel. Also hints of dried fruits and gingerbread. Nice and promising.
The palate is rich, oaky and powerful. Herbal and aromatic with a note of orange. Oaky, spicy finish with citrus and
peppermint, also a little bitter and a bit too oaky. All in all it's amazingly mature for its age but on the other hand quite oaky
and a little lacking in balance.
(85 p)
Slyrs 2006, 3 y.o. (Germany):
Fragrant, bourbon-like nose with vanilla, oak, apricot, peach and almonds. Nice! Sweet but slightly bitter palate with
oak and vanilla. Oak, white pepper and marzipan on the finish. Fairly dry from the oak yet rather nice. All in all oak and
vanilla dominates, like in a bourbon (but like a rather good bourbon). Unusual but very nice!
(Thanks to Magnus for lending me his bottle!)
(86 p)
Related link:
All my tasting notes on whisky from the "new world"
Penderyn - Welsh Gold | 31 Dec 2011 | ||
Penderyn Sherrywood 46%:
Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Malty, cereally, youngish nose
but with nice notes of dried fruits (prunes, raisins) and oak. Rich, sweet, chewy palate
with custard and very nice fresh notes of clementine and apricot. Develops oak and spices (black pepper).
Grows quite spicy (but can be tamed with a drop of water). Oaky, spicy, peppery finish. Hot and warming.
(86 p)
Penderyn Madeira Finish 46%:
The classic expression, aged in ex-bourbon and finished in ex-Madeira casks.
Fruity nose with apricot, lemon and sponge cake. Also oak and mint. Quiet but nice. Sweet, chewy, fairly rich
palate. Drying, develops oak and lovely fruity notes of apricot, peach and lime. Very nice! Fruity, oaky, nice finish.
(87 p)
Penderyn Peated 46%:
Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-peated Scotch casks. Oaky, peaty nose with notes of citrus, vanilla and malt.
Sweet, chewy palate with oak, peat and fresh notes of lemon, lime and peppermint, also malt. Smooth,
nicely balanced and very nice. Very nice finish with mint and citrus. Oak and peat at the end. All in all
balanced and more-ish. Rather mild for its 46% ABV (might be even nicer at 50%).
(87 p)
The "Madeira" bottling is the most mature, balanced and complex of the three. The "Sherrywood" still has a note of cereal new-make character so I think it would benefit from a few more years in wood. The "Peated" is the least mature of the three, probably because the bourbon maturation has left more of the spirit's character. (Wine casks are generally better at masking youthful flavours.) Although they are all bottled at 46% ABV, I found the Sherrywood a bit hot, the Madeira spot on and the Peated a little weak. I'd love to see the peated Penderyn aged a few more years and bottled at 50%. That could be sensational!
Note: The "AC" on the bottle stands for "Ayr Cymru" which means "Welsh Gold".
Related link:
Penderyn distillery home page
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