Tastes
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This is a re-taste of the same bottle that I reviewed about a year ago when it was freshly opened. It was finally nearing the end, so the time came to put it out of its misery. Nose: Aromatic smoke that is not as oily/bracken-scented as an Islay, nor soft and heathery like an Orkney. It is uniquely maritime and briny, being reminiscent of the smell of a steamship. There are also warm baking spices and nutty fragrances of fresh-baked ginger snaps and an underpinning meaty heft. A faint menthol/camphor note cements everything else together. Palate: An arrival of exquisite, complex smoke wafting over hard salt toffee. Faintly anise rather than caramel heavy but softened with a touch of honey-water, dusky orange and milk chocolate. The trademark Talisker kick of hot ginger and chili powder appears in the mid development but it’s mellow and refined here in comparison to the powerhouse that is the 10 year old. Finish: Medium/long, the salty/sweet/spicy smoke echoes away into the distance. This whisky remained stable throughout its life in the bottle, the final dram being very like the first. I did generously flood the bottle with argon gas after each opening, which most likely helped to reduce oxidization, but even so it was extremely consistent. It’s an amazingly well balanced and assured whisky with great depth. The nose is both assertive and gently finessed - a steel fist in a velvet glove – and the palate is a joy. Talisker’s distillery character is midway between the earthy strength of Campbeltown, the robust smoke of Islay and the hefty, waxy meatiness of the upper-east coastal highlands. This is one of those whiskies that can only be tasted at the end of a flyte or followed by something even more magnificent, as it will eclipse any lesser dram. It swims well and is delicious either neat or with a dash of water, as you prefer. This is an easily obtainable and relatively affordable desert island dram. "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars) ------------------------------------------------------- [Originally reviewed on Distiller April 30, 2017] Nose: Light aromatic smoke, spices, salty maritime aromas and an underpinning meaty heft. Just wonderful. Palate: Exquisite smoke wafting over sweet salt toffee, but not burdened by caramel heaviness. Sweet, but not heavy honey - more like malty milk chocolate and light syrup. Suddenly, the trademark Talisker kick of chili or ground dry red pepper appears. Finish: Medium. The salty/sweet/spicy smoke fades away gracefully leaving a subtle fruity-smoke and brine aftertaste. This is whiskymaking of the highest quality, and one of my top shelf malts. So amazingly well balanced and assured with great depth and poise. Power, but with finesse of expression. Adding a dash of water makes this so enticingly drinkable it is almost dangerous. Marvellous stuff. “Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars) [AUD$155.0 per Bottle in 2017] -------------------------------------------------------175.0 AUD per Bottle
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Plantation Gran Añejo Guatemala & Belize
Aged Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed September 15, 2018 (edited July 17, 2022)Nose: Oak, orange zest, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, apple, coconut. A very faint hint of hogo. The dry glass smells strongly of licorice and soil. Palate: A bold but smooth arrival with a deliciously balanced texture. Honey, spices, orange, oak, almonds, dark chocolate. There's a tobacco and leather note and it is generally dry and blissfully free of extra sugar. Finish: Long, the sweet spicy notes trail away into woodiness. This was the last sample from a pack of six 100ml Plantation samplers I bought recently. Of the six rums in the pack three were good (the XO 20th anniversary, the Barbados 5 year old and the 3 star white), and three were very good (this one, the 2003 Trinidad vintage and the 2002 Jamaican vintage). If you happen to see the "Plantation Artisanal Rum Cigar Pairing" boxed set then it's well worth a try. This is a great rum - flavourful and interesting with real character. It's also very smooth and approachable with a rich overall profile and just a bit of challenge. "Very good" : 85/100 (4 stars)100.0 AUD per Bottle -
Plantation XO 20th Anniversary Rum
Aged Rum — Barbados
Reviewed September 15, 2018 (edited July 17, 2022)Nose: Vanilla, oak, creme brulee, dark fruits, orange, toffee, a touch of hogo, lots of coconut and a refined oaky note. Palate: Soft molasses and vanilla entry. The development brings out brown sugar, molasses, coconut and a little orange oil. The texture is quite viscous and mouth-coating, and a quite syrupy, but in a rather simple one-note way. Finish: Short. Sweet and mild. No spice or bitterness. The nose is pleasant and promises a lot, but when you get to the palate it falls short of expectations. While I'm not particularly partial to sugar-dosed rums I don't strongly object either, so long as the dosage is subtle and well handled. However I felt that there was simply too much added sugar here which makes it too heavy and liqueur-like on the palate. In general I've found Plantation rums to be of high quality, and some of their range is outstanding. This was certainly above average, but it did not live up to the hype and the official score here seems very generous. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)100.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Resinous and tarry. There's an earthy, vegetal hogo funk to the nose that is fascinating and compelling. Behind that a sweet honey presence lurks. A hint of oak, tobacco and leather. Palate: A bold but soft arrival with licorice-tinged raisins in molasses. Baked root vegetables and plantains drenched with leatherwood honey. There's a lot of preserved fruit too, complex and aged, like persimmon chutney or blood orange and grapefruit marmalade. The only fault is a sugary note that seems to slowly but surely build until it becomes intrusive. Finish: Long. The flavours from the palate merge and eventually tail off to leave a sweet licorice and tobacco aftertaste, but the sugar is again too obvious. The nose is very interesting and one for rum geeks. It has a fragrant alluring hogo of the best kind - the sort of thing that makes you think "what IS that?" and keeps you coming back for another sniff. The palate is sweet but although it's complex and earthy it veers too much towards the one-note white sugar syrup flavour that seems to be present in many Plantation rums. I enjoyed this and it's making me crave a cigar something fierce, but I would have liked it even more without the sugar dosage. "Excellent" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)150.0 AUD per Bottle
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Plantation Trinidad 2003
Aged Rum — Trinidad & Tobago
Reviewed September 13, 2018 (edited July 17, 2022)Nose: Light gingery and cakey aromas, dates, raw sugar, panettone, some old oak. Palate: A light and beautifully balanced arrival with some subtle sugars, cinnamon, clove, citrus zest, raisins, vanilla and hazelnut. Delicious and so smooth. There's a slight tobacco note that is really interesting and as the palate develops a little orange and heavier citrus flavours come forward. Finish: Medium. It actually fades quite quickly with a vanilla-molasses presence being the last memory. Stunning. What a delightful light vintage rum. I tasted this from a sample pack of 6 100ml Plantation bottles, and I'm now determined to find a whole bottle of it. There's a facet to it that is almost more like bourbon than rum (I guess that's the aging in first-fill casks coming through). Sweet without being too cloying and with a texture that is light and almost ethereal rather than heavy. If you love heavy rums you'll probably find this too light for your preference, but I think it's one of the nicest rums I've tasted. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)100.0 AUD per Bottle -
Teaninich 2008 (Gordon & Macphail)
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed September 6, 2018 (edited September 9, 2018)Nose: The nose is fresh and grassy with notes of lemon citrus, vanilla, freshly-mown hay, brown sugar, and a little oak. There's the faintest maritime touch, and interestingly the dry-glass aroma is of distant fragrant smoke. Palate: A sweet and light arrival featuring apple and citrus. As it develops, a tannic note appears along with some spicy heat. There's a little licorice, barley sugar and some oak. The tannin builds and has a dryness like a dry sherry. Finish: Medium/Short, peppery spice turning slightly sweet at the end. In summary I'd call this a young and firm malt. It has a certain dry grip to the nose and palate that is almost bracing. It benefits greatly from the addition of just a little water, which tames the brightness of the nose and allows the more subtle notes to emerge. On the palate the addition of water creates a much more creamy mouthfeel, which is very agreeable. Like all Teaninich it brings to mind Johnnie Walker blends, particularly Red Label, this being one of their core malts. I tasted this recently in a flight with Compass Box Asyla, and it's interesting to compare the two. Asyla is a light and subtle whisky that uses Teaninich as a core component to add the particular aromas and flavours that I've described above. When tasted in comparison, this malt seems both brighter and more direct but lacks complexity. Not long ago I rated Teaninich 10 year Flora & Fauna - this is a slightly more intense and interesting version of the same distillate, but I wouldn't recommend it and it's not particularly good value. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)130.0 AUD per Bottle -
BenRiach 10 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed August 28, 2018 (edited February 3, 2021)Nose: Cereal forward and fresh, with barley malt supported by lemon and apricot. There's a pleasant fat oiliness to the aroma, and as it rests and unfolds the fragrance of cinnamon and ginger boiled sweets arises. There's also a prominent sweet musky note. Palate: Oily and creamy, very full and sweet (but not cloying at all) but somewhat unfocused. As it develops there are sweet nutty flavours (hazelnut? almond?), some citrus zest and a dominant honey-malt character. Some mild sweet/spicy cereal notes like seed cake supporting it all. Finish: Short. Slightly spicy and malty with a touch of white pepper in the finale. I liked the nose on this a lot. It's both approachable but also complex and it has an elusive floral character (but it's not what I'd call a "floral whisky"). However with a dash of water the sweet musky character disappears and the nose becomes weak cereal/citrus in nature. The palate is good, but not as notable as the nose, and it lacks a solid foundation. There is a melange of sweet, oily and slightly spicy flavours but it's rather mild and a bit generic. It gave me the impression that it did not know what sort of whisky it was supposed to be. Imagine a mixture of Aberlour A'bunadh and Springbank 10 that was then mixed 50/50 with neutral grain spirit. Any amount of dilution kills the palate stone dead - this is a gentle, delicate whisky - almost fragile - and it drowns at the mere sight of water. I strongly recommend taking it neat. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)85.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Toasted cereal, buttered toast, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, vanilla, panettone, baked banana. There's a tiny ashy hint. Adding a drop of water brings out a little oak aroma but it mutes the nose too much. Palate: Rich, creamy, silken arrival. Milk chocolate, creme caramel, coconut, nutmeg, butter, caramel, savoiardi biscuits and some light oaky notes. The addition of water unleashes several types of honey and more varieties of cereal. Finish: Medium. Mildly spicy with grainy mocha flavours. There is an interesting segue to fruitiness as it fades, and a delightful lingering sweetness. This is a good whisky, and together with the Coffey Grain from Nikka it's a duet that you need to hear. The nose and palate are cereal driven, with hints of every type of grain and baked product you can imagine, and the mouth-feel is very good. The fruit part of the character is subtle and it's not about bright citrus. It's warmer, heavier and oilier and integrated with the cereal profile. Think banana bread, walnut loaf or avocado mashed on whole grain toast. If adding water do so carefully, just a couple of drops at a time. This whisky is fine neat, but water brings out notes that are just as nice. However as much as it loves water, this whisky can't swim to save itself and you can ruin a wonderful experience very easily. Don't even think about putting it anywhere near ice or mixers. Delightful, and arguably the best value Japanese whisky that you can still obtain fairly easily. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)150.0 AUD per Bottle
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Nose: The incense quality of mizunara oak is immediate and defines the nose. There are supporting hints of orchard fruits (apples, pears, peaches, apricots), vanilla and almond but soft aromatic oak dominates everything else. Palate: The arrival is light and soft with a generally fruity profile. It develops a little very gentle ginger and cinnamon spice and some malt as it unfolds. A light honey note is detectable as well. It's a sweet, smooth palate but a little too shy. Finish: Very, very short. Light, crisp and fleeting with a little hint of very mild tannin and anise right at the end. The nose is very pleasant, but as described above rather one-note. There are malty depths below the oak, and it's impossible to hate, but that sandalwood/cedar aroma keeps leaping forward. The palate is also a little disappointing and there's almost no finish at all. It's a real pity it was released at only 40%. Chivas Regal consistently disappoint me and once again they have sunk to the occasion. There is the gleam of a really good blend here but they have been mean with the quantity and quality of the malt component, stingy with the strength, and the precious mizunara casks have been used as little more than top-dressing. It's absurdly expensive for what it is and it does not represent value for money, considering all the excellent single malts that are in the same price bracket, and the many superior blends that are even cheaper. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)125.0 AUD per Bottle
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Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition
Blended — Ireland
Reviewed August 26, 2018 (edited February 27, 2023)Nose: Malt, raisins, brown sugar, cereal, light oak, sherry. Very much like regular Jameson, but with everything turned up one notch. Enhanced maltiness is the most notable characteristic, and a dash of water reveals a little hint of the stout cask aroma. Palate: Soft and silky, a malty arrival with chocolate notes. A sweet cereal hint appears in the development which becomes creamy rather than silky as it unfolds. Good texture overall and a dash of water brings out some hidden sweetness. Finish: Short. Very faintly spicy and dry as it fades out, leaving a final impression as of mocha coffee. A pleasant and successful variant of Jameson where the stout cask finish enhances the malty quality of the distillate considerably, but at the cost of some of the delicate citrus and fruity notes normally found in Jameson. It's a relatively subtle effect and although others have remarked how much it tastes of stout I didn't really get that impression. If anything, the stout cask finish gives this a profile slightly like a Speyside malt rather than an Irish blend. Adding a dash of water makes it very smooth and easy to drink, but sacrifices a tad of the presence - note also that it's very easy to drown so if watering all you need is a few drops. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)54.0 AUD per Bottle
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