May 2011 - BACK TO BASICS

[pkt77242]

Balvenie 12 DW.

Nose: honey, heather and dry grasses, roasted apples, some very light smokiness
Palate: fruit salad, honey on toast, late summer grass
Finish: lingering sweetness-honey

Do you get any flavors from the sherry? as I don't see any in your notes.

[Ganga]

Nothing classic in terms of first fill sherry. Recall that HP12 is vatting of 1st and 2nd fill sherry. It is very similar to HP12 except not the smokey quality.

[pkt77242]

Nothing classic in terms of first fill sherry. Recall that HP12 is vatting of 1st and 2nd fill sherry. It is very similar to HP12 except not the smokey quality.

agreed but I still get some oranges, nuts etc. that make me think of sherry.

[Ganga]

Nothing classic in terms of first fill sherry. Recall that HP12 is vatting of 1st and 2nd fill sherry. It is very similar to HP12 except not the smokey quality.

agreed but I still get some oranges, nuts etc. that make me think of sherry.

Tonight I really didn't get that.

[johan brugge]

Balvenie 12 DW.

Nose: honey, heather and dry grasses, roasted apples, some very light smokiness
Palate: fruit salad, honey on toast, late summer grass
Finish: lingering sweetness-honey

Do you get any flavors from the sherry? as I don't see any in your notes.

From what I can recall of this Balvenie are not really the sherry notes but more like the honey flavours and most of all that thick, creamy, silky butter scotch taste.

BTW, this thread was a really good idea if you ask me. It's in many ways an eye opener for me to read what people think of these 'basic' whiskies.

[Ganga]

Agreed Johan. Now if we could only get Willie to come out and play.

[Willie JJ]

Sorry guys I was away last weekend. I'll try to catch up.

[Ganga]

One must encourage ones friends. For Willie:

Knockando 12, 1986, 43%

I know that this isn't readily available anymore in the US nor this vintage but hey, maybe the good folks in Europe can give us an update.

Nose: pencil shavings, heather, wild fields with some flowers, wood glue, orange blossoms as I tip the glass to my lips.
Palate: cedar and oak shavings, lemons, barley bin
Finish: long, green barley stalks

[Willie JJ]

And in response:

Strathisla 12yo 43%

Nose: Orange barley water and banana. Draff and a tiny hint of smoke. The orange is really intense with cinnamon sugar.
Palate: Flat start, but the citrus bursts through before the spice crashes in. A little hot.
Finish: Very spicy with more heat. Then a bit drying before the peppercorn break through. Caramel bitterness.
Comment: So much to like, but its a bit hot and the bitter finish is unfortunate.

[Ganga]

Thank you Willie. It's been a long, long time since I've had the Strathisla 12. May have to try it again.

Islay Mist 12

Nose: roasted lemon rinds, cooked sugars, blackwhip licorice, crumbs from the bottom of the toaster, some "dust bunnies"
Palate: lemon zest, burnt molasses, licorice
Finish: rather short, and closer to fresh molasses

[Ganga]

Whoops, meant to edit the previous post not quote it.

[Willie JJ]

Something else:

Glen Spey 12yo F&F 43%

Nose: Toasted grain, almost burnt. Lemon and pineapple with a hint of mango.
Palate: Sweet citrus delivery. Quite juicy, then harsher Lemsip flavours creep in.
Finish: Slow building spice with lashings of sugar.
Comment: Decent enough, although not the best dram in the world.

[johan brugge]

Has anyone written down some notes on the Bailie Nicol Jarvie? I've tried this one a few years ago and I really loved it. In fact, I'm thinking of buying one for my father-in-law's birthday next month.

[Ganga]

Looks interesting if not necessarily that good. We don't see many Glen Speys and those we do tend to be MMcD finished expressions.

[Willie JJ]

Has anyone written down some notes on the Bailie Nicol Jarvie? I've tried this one a few years ago and I really loved it. In fact, I'm thinking of buying one for my father-in-law's birthday next month.

I've got some somewhere Johan. I'll look it out and write a note. I agree its really good.

[Willie JJ]

Looks interesting if not necessarily that good. We don't see many Glen Speys and those we do tend to be MMcD finished expressions.

I'll save you some.

[Willie JJ]

Cutty Sark Black Clipper Blend NAS 40%:

Nose: Surprisingly fresh with a hint of ozone. Very fruity, but its nicely balanced with vanilla, toffee and intense peat. Lots of smoke and bog myrtle.
Palate: Barley sugar and fruit sweets wrapped in wood smoke.
Finish: Becomes ashy and dry with a little smoked meat.
Comment: Very nice NAS peated blend.

[Ganga]

Rittenhouse Rye 100

Nose: walnuts and hazelnuts (salted), straw, vanilla, caramel, hour old glue (partially dried), hidden mint leaves
Palate: wintergreen, whole rye grain, , straw, some mixed nuts
Finish: short and minty

[Willie JJ]

Dalmore 12yo

Nose: Orange, fruitcake, figs and toffee.
Palate: Orange with little sugary sparkles. Toffee, but not in a good way. Feels like a lively malt being suffocated by syrup.
Finish: Flattened & bitter.
Comment: It's hard to tell what the whisky is like, but there's no doubt that the caramel is rubbish.

[Willie JJ]

Bunnahabhain 12yo 46.3%

Nose: Very sulphury. Whoever put this batch together really messed it up. The sulphur makes the usual delightful Bunnahabhain oranges seem dark and bitter. Rich dark chocolate too, then the Islay air comes to the fore with a blast of ozone.
Palate: A real punch up between the delightful orangey malt and struck-matches. It's a very unsatisfying draw. Salty/sugary overtones help to ease the pain.
Finish: Cocoa powder, sulphur and a bitter twist at the end.
Comment: You can sense how good this would (and will) be when they get it together without the sulphur.

[Willie JJ]

Whyte & Mackay Prize 40%

Nose: Vanilla, toffee and mild citrus.
Palate: Soft, grainy and mouth coating.
Finish: Short, but sweet, although a bitter twist suggests a touch of caramel
Comment: Very easy drinking.

[Willie JJ]

Naked Grouse 40% (1st fill sherry apparently)

Nose: Very light but plenty of citrus and a splash of toffee
Palate: The fruit is more powerful here with sweet orange and a spicy bite
Finish: Short. Little to comment on, apart from a toffee revival.
Comment: I preferred the W&M Prize. The NG isn't doing much for me.

[dramtastic]

Has anyone written down some notes on the Bailie Nicol Jarvie? I've tried this one a few years ago and I really loved it. In fact, I'm thinking of buying one for my father-in-law's birthday next month.

I've got some somewhere Johan. I'll look it out and write a note. I agree its really good.

Agreed X 3. I've bought many bottles and turned many of my casual whisky drinking aquaintances onto this one.

[Ganga]

Is this the newer version with the 50/50 sherry/bourbon or the older 40/60.?

Dalmore 12yo

Nose: Orange, fruitcake, figs and toffee.
Palate: Orange with little sugary sparkles. Toffee, but not in a good way. Feels like a lively malt being suffocated by syrup.
Finish: Flattened & bitter.
Comment: It's hard to tell what the whisky is like, but there's no doubt that the caramel is rubbish.

[Ganga]

Chivas 12

Nose: grains, hints of herbs, oakiness, lemons, vanilla, coconut
Palate: toffee, grains, citrus, oak
Finish: rather soft and grainy.

[Willie JJ]

Is this the newer version with the 50/50 sherry/bourbon or the older 40/60.?

Its the new one

[Ganga]

Sounds like there is some heavy variation in the vattings. My bottle is more of a decent dram. Too bad.

BTW, still a couple of days left to add notes on your basic whiskies.

[pkt77242]

Sounds like there is some heavy variation in the vattings. My bottle is more of a decent dram. Too bad.

BTW, still a couple of days left to add notes on your basic whiskies.

I 2nd Wiilie's tasting note except mine was more like overripe oranges.

[Ganga]

overripe doesn't bother me. It's the underripe which makes the whisky on the bitter side.

[pkt77242]

overripe doesn't bother me. It's the underripe which makes the whisky on the bitter side.

By overripe, I mean almost rotten.

[Ganga]

I don't recall getting that. Will try to HTH both the 2008 and the newer bottling of Dalmore 12 tomorrow.

[dramtastic]

overripe doesn't bother me. It's the underripe which makes the whisky on the bitter side.

Which can also be fine IMO if it's balanced by the sweetness of other fruity notes. In other words I'm partial to bitter/sweet notes and flavours.

[Willie JJ]

other words I'm partial to bitter/sweet notes and flavours.

I agree if it's well balanced. I'm suspect its over-caramelisation of the whisky which causes that flattening of the flavours and the bitterness at the end. It does seem to give an initial sweet hit which can be really pleasant but then it falls off.

[Willie JJ]

Highland Park 12yo 40% bottled 2010

Nose: Hmm, the whisky and the glass are very cold. Need some warmth. Aah there it comes, classic HP12 with that heather honey. Getting some smokey toffee, malt concentrate and fresh orange notes now.
Palate: Mmm, initial sweetness is followed by light sooty notes so quickly its hard to separate them. Then its chewy citrus laced toffee with hints of barley sugar.
Finish: Little waves of salty/sweetness that drift into the middle distance.
Comment: Such an easy whisky to like. I always seem to enjoy drinking it but never remember that much about it afterwards. I should probably make a note to myself to have a dram of it every month just to remind myself how inexpensive whisky drinking pleasure can be.

[Willie JJ]

Slightly stretching the parameters of the tasting with this next one, but although Glenfarclas 105 is cask strength it is NAS and is still relatively cheap. Pretty much the definition of an entry-level cask strength whisky along with A'bunadh. So here goes.