Category: Reviews

Reviews of whiskies

Johnnie Walker Select Casks – Rye Cask Finish

Keen to learn more about Johnnie Walker’s Select Casks range and the new Rye Cask Finish?  Read on…

Keen observers of the malt whisky industry will have noted the kaleidoscope of ever-expanding and diversifying product portfolios amongst the various brands.   The days of a distillery featuring just a 12yo and an 18yo bottling are long gone…today it is de rigueur for serious distilleries to offer an entry-level NAS, a peated NAS, a 10yo with a wood finish, a 12yo, a 14yo port wood, a 15yo cask-strength, an 18yo sherry wood, a 21yo, a 25yo that no one can afford, and finally a release with a fancy gaelic name that will be mispronounced around the world.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is subjective, and there are pros and cons on both sides of the argument.  The marketing departments argue that they need more bottles on the shelf of liquor stores and bars so that the brand stands out.  It also gives the warehouses and blenders flexibility with stock.  And, for the consumer, the range of choice, variance, and price points forever increases.  My personal view is that the industry is self-generating a consumer base that becomes increasingly fickle and with a shorter and shorter attention span, but that’s a piece for another day.

In the meantime, it’s been interesting to observe that the same pressures and marketing ideals have extended to the blends.  Even the most traditional blends are having to come out with variations and new expressions to maintain interest and keep up with the Joneses.  Or, in this case, the Johnnies.

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Westland Whiskey – an American game changer?

It’s no secret that America is in the grip of a craft distillery boom right now.   According to the American Craft Spirits Association, there are over 770 craft distilleries in action across the US!  Of course, many of these distilleries are producing brandies, eau de vies, vodkas and so forth, and so we shouldn’t instantly assume that it’s all whisky/whiskey.  However, the number of distilleries that are actually profitable and creating more than a blip on the radar with consistent product is much, much smaller.   Look at the distilleries making a whisk(e)y, much less a malt whisky, and the number is smaller still.  Enter Westland whiskey…

When it comes to craft distilleries that are making a malt whisky on a scale that is garnering international attention, few rise above the pack more than Westland Distillery.  Located in Seattle, Washington (right up in the very north-west corner of the USA), the distillery has been in production since June 2011.

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Teeling “The Revival” 15yo

Teeling Whiskey, the new Irish brand (and new Irish distillery!) continues to make waves and inroads since announcing itself on the world stage.  Whisky & Wisdom has written much about this in the past, but rather than repeating the history in this little piece, you can read our previous article here. With the Teeling Distillery opening in Dublin in 2015, there is a true sense of revival, and so what better name than Revival to give the first of the updated Vintage Reserve Collection.   (Revival – a 15yo release – will be followed by a 24yo and 33yo release).

The new Teeling 15yo Revival – limited to 10,000 bottles – consists of whiskey distilled in 1999 and matured exclusively in ex-rum casks.  Bottled at 46% and non-chillfiltered, it’s a juicy whiskey that provides an interesting mix of both spirit and wood-driven characteristics.

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Amrut Spectrum

Previously whilst writing a feature article on Indian whisky and reviewing the excellent Paul John whiskies, I – perhaps a little flippantly – introduced the piece by explaining and asserting that Indian single malt whisky had not previously impressed me.   Prior to tasting Paul John, I had tried many expressions of Amrut over the years (my first back in 2009) and on a reasonably regular basis since.  The simple truth is that I have not tasted an Amrut that made me think, “Wow, this is a great whisky.”

Of course, whilst those comments set the scene for the subsequent article on Paul John, they also simultaneously raised a few eyebrows amongst Amrut fans, not to mention the wonderful folks at Alba Whisky, who are the local Amrut distributors within Australia.

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Lagavulin 8yo and the 200th Anniversary release

This article looks in detail at the Lagavulin 8yo expression, which is quite the story.  Over the years, I’ve had countless discussions with whisky enthusiasts from all backgrounds about that magic moment in their life:  When did they first try a single malt, and which one was it?   It astounds me how often people tell me their first single malt was Lagavulin.   And, for the record, it was my first single malt, too.

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Hyde Irish Whiskey & the 10yo President’s Cask

Irish whiskey is continuing its rapid climb and resurgence. Just as we hear all about new distilleries opening in Scotland, so too are new ventures commencing in Ireland.  In addition to new distilleries, we are also seeing new Irish bottlers and brands appearing hand-in-hand with the resurrected industry.  Hyde whiskey forms part of that narrative.

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Ardbeg Dark Cove

If you’re here just to read the review on the Dark Cove release, scroll further down.

Ardbeg Day is just around the corner again, which means it’s time to shake off the Autumn blues (or dust off your Spring hat if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and gear up for all the fun and excitement of Ardbeggian delights.

I’ve written much about Ardbeg’s history, the Ardbeg Committee and Ardbeg Day in the past.  So rather than fill up space by repeating it all on this page, you can re-visit those pieces here (Ardbeg Day 2015 report), here (Perpetuum review) and here (Ardbeg Day 2014 & Auriverdes review) if you need to fill in any blanks.   For the purposes of a concise read, let’s cut straight to the chase and get stuck into Ardbeg Day and the annual release for 2016.

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Glenmorangie Milsean

Glenmorangie Milsean.  If there’s one thing you can say about the whisky scene right now, it’s never dull or boring. Each week there is a new release, or a new launch, or another event, or another tasting, or yet another whisky being sold for an outrageous price.   So, regardless of where you fit into the whisky audience, there’s always something to keep an eye out for.

In the rapid-fire and seemingly peak randomness of the above happenings, it’s nice to know that we can at least look forward to some annual constants.  Things like an annual whisky show.  (Whisky Show, Whisky Fair, Whisky Live, etc).   Things like a brand’s big annual celebration.  (Ardbeg Day).  And, for our tastebuds, things like an annual release – such as Glenmorangie’s annual release of their latest Private Edition offering.

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Now & Then: Comparing old bottlings with today’s counterparts

Now and then.  Ah, the joys of nostalgia.

If there’s a topic guaranteed to start an argument around the table, it’s when sports enthusiasts try to pick or assert that a particular sporting team from one era was superior to the team from another era.  For example, is the Hawthorn team from the 1980’s better than the Hawthorn team from 2013-2015?  Was Don Bradman’s 1948 “Invincibles” side a better cricket team than the all-conquering Steve Waugh side of 1999-2001? If the two teams were to compete against one another, who would win?

Sadly (or happily?) in the case of such arguments, it is all speculation and conjecture.  For, quite simply, we will never know.  And how do you compare teams across different eras when rules were different, playing conditions differed, and the level of athleticism and professionalism was different.  The discussion is nothing more than hypothetical amusement.

Increasingly of late, similar discussions and assertions are translating across into whisky circles.  For example, a commonly-seen thread in many online whisky groups or forums is the assertion that the whiskies of today are not as good as what they were 20 years ago.  Or that whiskies have changed over the years.

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Armorik single malt – the whisky of Brittany

Armorik whisky…oui, it’s a French whisky.  So what’s it all about? Let’s dive in…

With interest in “new world” whiskies exploding everywhere, not to mention a burgeoning craft whisky scene in almost every country around the world, it’s easy to look at a whisky brand you’ve not heard of before and think “Okay, that’s new”. You might also be forgiven for assuming the whisky is young.

This is the challenge for some of the non-Scottish whisky producers that have actually been around the traps for a while and are trying to cement a foothold in the international scene. Such is the challenge for Armorik – the first Breton single malt whisky.

Armorik single malt whisky is distilled at Distillerie Warenghem, an independent, family-owned distillery that was established in 1900.   After 83 years of making all manner of liqueurs, the distillery turned its hand to whisky in 1983.  Whilst their first bottled release in 1987 was a blended whisky, Armorik Single Malt was launched back 1998.  So Armorik is hardly the new kid on the block, despite what many assume.

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