February 2011

Glengoyne 1996/2008 Single Cask #2606

February 28, 2011

This Glengoyne gives very coherent impressions on nose and palate. It is amazingly complex for its rather young age. – Rating: 86/100

Bowmore 1985/2009 Signatory For Manufactum

February 25, 2011

A very fine fruity Bowmore with a lot of flavours to discover. The wood influence after the long maturation time is only very gentle. – Rating: 87/100

An Cnoc 1996

February 24, 2011
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This malt is very full-bodied and displays a nice balance of fruit, nuts and spices. Quite complex and easily sippable at the same time – Rating: 85/100

An Cnoc 16 yo

February 24, 2011
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A pretty dry and spicy malt with a slight fruity touch. I’d have preferred a little less spice, though. – Rating: 81/100

Whisky Myths Debunked #6 – Scotland Has Lots Of Distilleries

February 23, 2011

This debunking is a bit unusual, I have to admit. It is not about whisky itself at all but rather about the perception of the Scotch whisky industry in relation to other spirit producing nations.

Talisker – The Ageless Distillery

February 21, 2011
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Distillery manager Charlie Smith in person hosted a masterclass at the Munich festival. I was delighted to see that their two top bottlings (25yo and 30yo) were poured, along with the 12yo FOCM bottling and the 18yo.

Finest Spirits Munich 2011

February 20, 2011
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Having a major whisky festival more or less around the corner is a rare privilege, so it’s virtually mandatory for a whisky blogger to attend it.

Aberlour a’Bunadh Batch 32

February 18, 2011
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A typical a’Bunadh with a very good balance of fruit and spice as well as youth and maturity. – Rating: 87/100

Highland Park 1998/2010 James MacArthur

February 17, 2011
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This Highland Park is unusually smoky but it clearly shows its provenance. Very complex and a pleasure to enjoy. Remarkably smooth without water. – Rating: 87/100

Glenfarclas 15 yo

February 10, 2011
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Quite a dry sherry dram with rich aromas and a full body. The barrel char smokiness of the finish is almost a little too strong, though. – Rating: 85/100

Recipe: Whisky Fudge

February 9, 2011
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Most people like sweets to so some degree, and I am no exception. A classic treat that can be made rather easily is fudge. And a classic variety of fudge is the one that has whisky added to it. Needless to say that this is my favourite.

Blair Athol 12 yo Flora & Fauna

February 8, 2011
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Quite a nice malt with some sherry influence, but not in an overwhelming way. It’s not the most complex of drams but it provides genuine sipping pleasure. – Rating: 82/100

Mortlach 1996/2010 James MacArthur

February 7, 2011
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This malt was aged in a refill cask that didn’t have much strength anymore to contribute to the flavour. No real flaws but rather unimpressive. – Rating: 76/100

New Poll: Whisky Festivals

February 7, 2011

There are two basic philosphies of setting up a whisky festival. I have met fierce supporters of either type but I can’t say if one is more popular than the other across the board. To shed some light on this, I have launched this poll.

Old Pulteney WK499 Isabella Fortuna

February 6, 2011

This duty free only bottling is not nearly as maritime as the standard Pulteney expressions. It’s not overly complex but very enjoyable anyway. – Rating: 82/100

Caol Ila Distillers Edition 1996/2003

February 5, 2011
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A very nice dialogue of the dry Caol Ila peat and the sweet moscatel sherry where none is dominating the other. – Rating: 86/100

Dalmore 15 yo

February 4, 2011
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This is a rich sherried dram as could be expected of Dalmore, but for my taste it’s a bit too much on the dry side to be fully enjoyable. – Rating: 81/100

Fun With Whisky Marketing

February 4, 2011
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Just a mixed bag of assorted whisky wierdness I came across.

Auchentoshan 12 yo

February 3, 2011
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A smooth Lowland malt that is quite pleasant on the palate, but the finish is over much too soon. – Rating: 78/100

Poll Result: Caramel and Chill-Filtration on the Whisky Label

February 2, 2011

A record number of 173 readers have voted on the latest poll. Such a high number definitely reflects the “hotness” of the topic. And the results speak for themselves.

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