World

Kavalan Solist

February 20, 2012

Nose and palate are in very good harmony here, the character is a little gentler than the regular Kavalan despite the cask strength ABV. – Rating: 85/100

Kavalan “King Car”

February 20, 2012

This malt from Taiwan is on eye level with a decent Scotch. The short maturation in hot climate has created a very nice dram, rich in flavour and with a creamy mouthfeel. – Rating: 84/100

Kornog Sant Ivy 2011

February 14, 2012

A terrific whisky. It needs some time to open up, but the richness of flavours is stunning. It can compete with the finest from Islay. – Rating: 92/100

Kornog Taouarc’H Eilvet 11 BC

February 14, 2012

This malt from Brittany has a very intriguing nose, but on the palate it is a bit one-dimensional. – Rating: 76/100

Draymans Solera Blend

October 11, 2011

Unfortunately the rather nice base flavour is covered by a rubberiness that is just a bit too dominant. – Rating: 68/100

Three Ships 10 yo

August 30, 2011
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South Africans can make good whisky too. It’s a bit on the spicy side, but the other flavours are strong enough to counter it. – Rating: 80/100

Nikka Taketsuru 17 yo

August 5, 2011
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Well-balanced and very complex, this is very fine example of a Japanese vatted malt. The general character is rather dry with the fruity notes remaining in the background. – Rating: 87/100

Karuizawa 1990/2009 for Whisky Live

July 30, 2011

A very fine sherry profile is somewhat disturbed by a quite strong spice and alcohol punch. – Rating: 84/100

Amrut Herald

July 21, 2011
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Spices are the main attraction of this malt, underlined by sweetness and fruit. Does the additional island maturation make a difference? I am still not sure. But good whisky it is. – Rating: 84/100

Nikka “Black” Pure Malt

June 21, 2011
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While the nose of this blended malt is quite fruity, its palate is suprisingly savoury. This is a very intriguing whisky composition. – Rating: 87/100

Hanyu “Two of Diamonds” 1991/2008

June 8, 2011
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Despite its age this malt has quite some punch. A gentle carress on the nose is followed by a karate kick right into your mouth. – Score: 82/100

Nikka From The Barrel

April 11, 2011
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This is a very high quality blend with a stunning density of flavours and an emphasis on sherry. The affordable price makes it a very good deal. Rating: 87/100

Yamazaki 18 yo

November 23, 2010
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A very rich sherry monster with a highly complex flavour profile. You can taste the age but the wood influence is only very gentle. – Rating: 90/100

Three Ships Bourbon Finish

November 22, 2010
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Don’t be put off by the weak nose, on the palate this South African blend is amazingly complex and very enjoyable. It easily beats most young Scotch blends. – Rating: 80/100

Karuizawa 15 yo

October 11, 2010

A great balance between smoke and full-flavoured sherry. Very very nice, but the 40% bottling strength makes it a wee bit watery. – Rating: 85/100

Bain’s Single Grain 5 yo

September 20, 2010

At five years of age, this grain whisky has not yet lost all of its harsheness but there is already a quite remarkable variety of enjoyable flavours. With longer maturation it should have the potential to match any fine old Scotch single grain. – Rating: 75/100

Three Ships 5 yo

September 10, 2010

A very interesting blend that does not need to shy back behind proper Scotches. Not a real cracker, but plenty of flavours can be found in this sippable whisky from South Africa. – Rating: 78/100

Mackmyra First Edition

September 8, 2010
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A nice dry fruityness that is underlined by slightly herbal notes. A bit unusual, but after all it’s Swedish and not Scotch – Rating: 83/100

St. George’s Chapter 4

September 7, 2010
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I find this not-yet-whisky amazingly good for only 18 months in the cask. It already has a surprising complexity. – Rating: 81/100

St. George’s Chapter 9

September 7, 2010
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This 3 year old malt has a great nose that is not unlilke one the gentler Islay drams. The palate is nice as well but lacks some of the complexity I found in the Chapter 4. And it’s also a tad edgier. – Rating: 79/100

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