[Page 84] Whisky Reviews | Find the Best Whiskies

Greenore 15 years old Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,08 in Tasting , Cooley

This is the longest aged Irish single grain every released. Greenore 15 is a limited edition, with a light, gentle sweetness.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, corn, wood, grapes, a little floral. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, corn, vanilla, honey, floral, grapes, wood, cream. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. . Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Greenore 15 year with 89 points over 100.

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Cambus 18 years old 1991 Signatory Cask Strength Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,07 in Tasting , Recommended , Cambus

“ Really complex and interesting cask strength single cask grain whisky. You see? As complex as that. Good one.”

A very rare single grain whisky!

This was distilled at Cambus on the 24th July 1991 and matured in refill butt number 55884 for 18 years before bottling on the 18th January 2010.

A rare release of just 507 bottles at cask strength. Bottled by Signatory for their Cask Strength Collection series.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, fruits, melon, floral, vanilla, spices, sherry, wood. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, tobacco, wood, corn, vanilla, oysters, honey. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. corn, spices, vanilla, wood. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Cambus 18 year 1991 with 91 points over 100.

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North British 12 years old 1997 Signatory Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,06 in Tasting , North British

A Signatory bottle of single grain whisky, this 1997 vintage was distilled at North British. The distillery was established in 1885 and is now Edinburgh's last working distillery.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, alcohol, floral, corn, vanilla. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, corn, honey, vanilla, corn, wood. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. corn, honey. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this North British 1997 with 88 points over 100.

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Blanton's Original Single Barrel Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,05 in Tasting , Blanton's

Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon is expertly crafted in a unique time-honored tradition. Blanton's was the first Single Barrel Bourbon, setting the standard for others to follow. It is aged in one barrel, and unlike most others, never blended with any other bourbon.

When a barrel is believed to have reached its optimum age, it is evaluated by the Master Distiller and a panel of professional tasters. They compare its bourbon taste to the standard for which Blanton's has become known. There is no margin for error, because there is no way to compensate for flavor by mixing it with any other liquid. The barrels are then dumped, bottled and packaged by hand, including Blanton's signature stopper and wax.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (92): inexistent. corn, sweet, vanilla, spices, floral. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (88): . corn, sweet, vanilla, wood, floral. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. corn, honey, spicy. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Blanton's Bourbon with 89 points over 100.

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Laphroaig 10 years old Original Cask Strength Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,04 in Tasting , Recommended , Laphroaig

“Awesome Laphroaig! Heaven tastes like this whisky!”

Laphroaig 10 year Original Cask Strength

Original cask strength Laphroaig is bottled at natural distillery strength with all the depth of genuine taste and texture normally associated with sampling whisky at source.

Matured in seasoned oak barrels, charred before filling to impart a slight sweet vanilla nuttiness. Original Cask Strength Laphroaig is barrier-filtered only, to remove the small char particles present. However cask strength is non chilled filtered. This means you will enjoy Laphroaig exactly as we made it.

This whisky has been replaced by a new small batch version.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, citrus, honey, iodine, seaweed, floral.

Palate (93): powerful. peat, honey, citrus, iodine, vanilla, iodine, apples, coffee, earth.

Finish (92): longer than average. peat, honey, citrus, iodine, coffee.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Laphroaig 10 year Original Cask Strength with 92 points over 100.

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Monkey Shoulder Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,03 in Tasting , Monkey Shoulder , Glenfiddich , The Balvenie , Kininvie

A blended Scotch from William Grant, Monkey Shoulder features a proportion of whisky from Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, spices, vanilla, mango, wood, sherry. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, spicy, tobacco, honey, vanilla, wood. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (84): no finish. honey, spicy, wood. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt with 88 points over 100.

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,02 in Yoichi , Nikka , Drink & Arts

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai

The picture

An example of ukiyo-e art, it was published sometime between 1830 and 1833, during the Edo Period, as the first in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and is his most famous work.

This particular woodblock is one of the most recognized works of Japanese art in the world.

It depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture’s title notes, more likely to be a large okinami lit. “wave of the open sea.”
As in all the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background.

The dram: Nikka Yoichi 10 years old

A Nikka Yoichi 10 years old fits best. Yoichi is a peated sweet and spicy Japanese whisky. This bold and distinctive single malt whisky was distilled and matured at the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, birthplace of Nikka Whisky. The Yoichi distillery continues to adhere to techniques such as the use of coal-fired pot stills, and otherwise remains loyal to the whisky-making traditions dating back to its foundation.

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Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Apr,01 in Tasting , Recommended , Kilchoman

“ This is the closest thing to run along Islay fields and fall on a peat bog .”

This is the very first general release from Kilchoman that is matured entirely in fresh and re-fill bourbon barrels. The bottling took a bow at Whisky Fringe and is as good as if not better than anything we've tasted from this brilliant little place out west.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, peat, earthy, floral, a little vanilla hidden behind the wall of peat. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (96): . earth, peat, sweet, vanilla. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. earth and peat. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Kilchoman Summer Release 2010 with 92 points over 100.

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Kilchoman Inaugural Release Tasting note

By Miguel at 2011 Mar,31 in Tasting , Kilchoman

Aged 2.5-3 years on bourbon casks and then finished in sherry casks for 6 months. Wow, this is quite stunning! Old-fashioned in many respects: oily texture, with rooty, layered peat smoke, coal tar, shoe polish, and hints of wet sheep as the foundation for a complex array of additional flavors: toffee apple, caramel fudge, blackberry jam, golden raisin, grist, bourbon barrel char, and licorice root. Long, smoldering ember, dried herb, light toffee finish. It’s all balanced perfectly, and very mature for its age.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, peat, citrus, more peat, floral, earth. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (96): . hot, peat, earth, sweet. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. peaty, earthy finish. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Kilchoman Inaugural Release 3 year with 92 points over 100.

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Kilchoman: Latest Islay Whisky Distillery

By Miguel at 2011 Mar,30 in Featured , Kilchoman

True artisan hand made farm whisky. Like whisky used to be done.

Kilchoman established in 2005, is a farm distillery and the first to be built on Islay for 124 years. Kilchoman gives everyone the opportunity to see all that is best in the grass-roots traditions of malt whisky distilling – from barley to bottle.

The distillery

Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of 100,000 litres of alcohol. It is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings, but the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown on the farm at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country or even from other countries, as it is not a requisite that scotch whisky to be done with scotch barley.

John Mac Lellan, the Manager

John Mac Lellan, General Manager, has over 21 years experience working in the distilling industry and prior to joining Kilchoman he worked for almost 21 years at Bunnahabhain Distillery. He started at Bunnahabhain as a mashman in 1989 and became distillery brewer in 1993 before taking over as distillery manager in 1997.

The barley

100 tonnes of malting barley is grown and malted at the distillery. This represents 30% of Kilchoman annual production. The balance of malt is purchased from the Port Ellen Maltings on the island.
The two malts are kept separate through the production process and when mature they will release two expressions of Kilchoman Single Malt.

The Malting

Kilchoman is one of only six distilleries in Scotland (three of these are on Islay – Bowmore and Laphroaig are the others) that still malts its barley on its own floor at the distillery.The majority of distilleries purchase their malt requirements from a commercial maltings.

The Ageing

80% of Kilchoman annual production is filled into a combination of fresh bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky and refill casks and 20% into fresh oloroso sherry butts.