Tastes
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Benriach 2009 12 years old cask edition (La Maison Du Whisky)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 20, 2022 (edited July 1, 2022)I see Benriach as a Glendronach smaller brother. It doesn't have the level of "'dronach" but definitively is better than the youngest brother, Glenglassaugh. If you don't know what i am talking about, this three distilleries belong to the same owner. Having said that, in my scottish trip i found a great offering: a 2009 Benriach, a peated single malt, matured in a port pipe, drawn from a single cask #4835, and bottled at 59.7%abv. Pretty interesting stuff. Aged for 12 years old. On the nose, it is incredibly complex. Coffee and cigarrettes. Peaches and red fruits. A honey note so fine that it feels like it has crystalized. Ashtray, Peach halves. There are maritime hints somewhere. On the palate, it is so powerfully sweet that can be cloying. Peaches, thick honey, and cough syrup. A little sulphuric, Peach syrup and a sugar overload. Aftertaste is out of this planet. Starts with cigarrettes, then it turns into an ashtray. Bonfire, it is like a log on fire that smokes your whole palate in a very beautiful way. Perfection. Overall, this is such an amazing whisky, that is limited to 753 bottles, but is definitively a worthy search, because if you are able to find one of this "juices", you are going to have a great time. My score for this beauty is 92 over 100. -
Cardhu Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive, batch 2021-001
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 20, 2022My final review of the distillery tasting tour i did in Cardhu, is the second bottling you can actually only buy at the distillery premises. I am talking about the Cardhu Hand Filled: a 11yo, 56.3%abv dram, drawn from the batch 2021-001. By now, you should know that Cardhu is not my cup of tea, but not because i have something against it; the thing is, that they haven't made anything that has blown my mind yet... an i have tried a lot of expressions from them. Om the nose, it manages to pass the test. Almonds, candied almonds; Chocolate. Brownies with a slight touch of impalpable sugar. Honey. On the palate, very simple, but nice. Honey, toffee and chocolate. Aftertaste is still very simple, but good. Chocolate, brownies and almonds. Not too complex, well delivered.. Overall, this is the best Cardhu can offer me. I have grown to believe that by now. Having said that, this is a mediocre dram at best. Sweet, easy to drink and not complex at all, it can be used as an everyday whisky, which i don't believe any "hand filled distillery exclusive" is intended to be when it was made. My score for it is 86 over 100. -
After 4 drams of Cardhu, in the tasting tour in the distillery, we finally arrived to the ones they want you to buy in the shop afterwards, that means, this one might be better than the other core range expressions that didn't do much for me. This review is for the Cardhu Distillery Exclusive, a 48%abv dram, that claims to have been matured in 3 different casks including a red wine cask from California. Very interesting statement that we are about to rate properly. On the nose, it is good. It starts like a wet cake that is about to go rancid in 24 hours. Bee honey, prunes, the vanilla cream is super sympathic. Candied almonds and green apples. Lemon peel. On the palate, it is firey and rough!: Almonds and very oaky. The second sip fell miserably, it became plain water. Aftertaste is not very enjoyable. New wood, like licking a Ping Pong table. Mostly oaky, with a slight charred wood feeling. Overall, this was an unbalanced, unappealing dram, that managed to score some points here and there to achieve a score that is low but not overly shaming. A nice nose, was followed by a forgettable palate and the finish was just boring. Move along, nothing to see here, my score for it is 77 over 100
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Cardhu 16yo Cask Strength "Four Corners of Scotland"
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 19, 2022 (edited June 20, 2022)Cardhu, the home of the king of blends, Johnnie Walker, is not one of the single malts i would have in top of my mind. The reason for that is low abv bottlings, with no complexity, that often lacks of interesting flavors and aromas. Having said that, i truly believe that cask strength whiskies are the best of any distillery. Their higher abv can display the complete palette of flavors and aromas that a distillery can achieve. That is why i was a little excited about having a Cask Strength Cardhu, which is also a 16yo, so it is not a young expression. Bottled at 58.2%abv, this seems like finally i will have the best Cardhu ever. On the nose, beautiful sweetness. Candied almonds; Thick honey, recently baked brownies. Malted barley and a spongy cake. Rice. The brownie note is amazing. Great aroma. The palate was enjoyable, but way too simple. It has this honey note mixed with hay and salt. That is it. Well delivered but too simple. Aftertaste is ok, i guess... ; Chocolate brownies, Salt. Very mineral; actually rocky. Overall, another dissapointing expression from Cardhu. I really had high hopes for this one, but even if this and the 18yo one have a very good nose, the palate and aftertaste fail to at least be near as good as the aroma. My score for this "ok" whisky is 88 over 100. -
The second expression we had at Cardhu Distillery, was the18yo. A fancier whisky than the amber rock and the 12yo, this one still feels like something is missing out to be a great single malt. It feels like the whole core range is not mind blowing, and we can talk only about "good" or "very good" whiskies. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose; it is near perfection. Plums, new wood, blackberries and raisins. Scottish toffee. Very appealing. On the palate, it is weak. Raisins; alittle watery. Vanilla. Plums, actually very watery but nice. Slight pepper and honey. Light. Dim. Aftertaste barely passes the test. A ghostly raisin and blackberry note. New wood, Pepper and sawdust Overall, this is an 85 dollar 18yo whisky, and tells a lot about it. I am not saying that you should expend big money to have wonderful whiskies; that will actually be a lie. What i am saying is that for a product that has been resting 18 years for you to buy it, it is suspiciously cheap. The reason: it is not that good. It is not bad, nor hideous. It is just "normal". You can have a lot better, younger, whiskies for that price. My score for it is 85 over 100.
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After The Glenlivet, in our Scotland tour, we went to Cardhu, famous distillery of Helen Cummings, a true whisky legend. It is also the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker, and it has been refurbished completely after the pandemic. After a very pompous distillery tour, we ended at the tasting table to grab 6 expressions, but we were left alone by the distillery tour guide, who wasn't too eager to teach us about the whiskies that they were offering us. Well, leaving that aside, the first whisky we had was the Cardhu "Amber Rock", bottled at 40%abv and finished in ex bourbon casks. On the nose, pretty fruity. Pears, honey, vanilla. Sider. Apple juice, pear juice. Honey aroma has intensified after a couple of sips On the palate, it starts with a pear peel. Pepper, salt and honey. It is like a pear bathed in vanilla syrup. Aftertaste is very, very simple but truly enjoyable. It has two notes, but they are delivered wonderfully. Hay and tobaccco. Simple but good. Overall, for a 50 dollar whisky, this one is fairly good. I am not a super fond fan of Cardhu, but this one passes the test. Not overly complex and really fruity. My score for it is 86 over 100.
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Glenlivet 2000 18 Year The Distillery Reserve Collection (Cask #6106)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 18, 2022 (edited June 19, 2022)My final single malt from the amazing tasting tour i did in the Glenlivet Distillery, was a very fancy 18yo single cask strength expression, drawn from the cask #6106, a second fill sherry butt, bottled at 60.8%abv. The Glenlivet is not only the first legal single malt of Scotland, but also the first one to obtain an intelectual property for a Whisky. Glenlivet as a name was so popular in the early 1800s, that it was used commonly as a synonym for the term "whisky" itself. On the nose, it is almost perfect. Bananas, and peaches. Actually is like an aroma of old bananas and mint liquor. Chocolate, cream. After a first sip, the aroma revealed coconut and Rafaelo bombons from Ferrero Rocher. Almonds and chocolate. Palate is good but super simple. Peaches, milk chocolate and old bananas. Aftertaste is excelent. Sawdust, a little scorching spiciness like ginger. Black tea; but also chocolate cream. Butter cookies and red chilli. It is quite the experience. Overall, this is a great closure for a tasting experience in a distillery with so much history and experience in the whisky making business. A traditional dram if you may, in its most original state possible: a single cask strength. About the "juice" itself, it lost some points on the simplicity of the palate. It still is an outstanding dram, that is why my score for it is 91 over 100. -
Glenlivet 2003 16 Year The Distillery Reserve Collection (Cask #87042)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 18, 2022The Third expression we tasted in our distillery tour in The Glenlivet, was another single cask collection, but this time a 16yo fully matured in a first fill sherry butt, bottled at a wonderfully strong 62.1%abv. A true cask strength. On the nose, it starts with a red fruit syrup caramel. Hazelnut and a power acetone note, which was expected at such a high abv. Recently squeezed Lime juice, very citric. Humidity aroma and Leather. After a couple of sips the aroma changed into banana notes and cherry mana (brigadeiro sweets). On the palate, wonderfully sweet. Chocolate and oloroso sherry madness. Orange, and a tongue scorching pepper. Aftertaste has notes of Cherry syrup, Pepper and salt. Everything is tingling in your throat. Overall, this is a little too spicy and powerful due to the abv to actually be elegant, which is something you would expect after a great 12 and 14yo Single Casks from the same tasting event. Having said that, this is still a superb dram with some complex flavors and aromas that last very long. My score for this special single malt is 93 over 100. -
Glenlivet 2005 14 Year The Distillery Reserve Collection (Cask #100302)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 17, 2022 (edited June 18, 2022)I really feel respect for Master Distillers who manage to use bourbon casks and deliver a wonderful whisky. And i said that, because a bourbon maturation is the most standard in the world of whisky and i happen to find it sometimes a little boring. Sherried whiskies and Peaty profiles are more interesting in my opinion, but i got to say this cask strength ex bourbon cask matured single malt is one great dram. Bottled at 52.1%abv, drawn from the barrel #100302. On the nose, full vanilla, banana and coconut. White chocolate and marzipan are very well delivered. Butter. Super perfumed, Ice cream banana notes; Super appealing actually. On the palate, it is a buttery madness. Butter cookies, danish cookies. Banana, coconut and very creamy. After a first sip, it gave me dulce de leche, flavors have tamed. Toffee. Aftertaste follows the bourbonish profile in a great way: Vanilla, Shortbread, cookie dough and a ghostly pepper. Overall, this is a wonderfully crafted whisky. Delicious and super easy to enjoy. The sweetness and buttery of the flavor and aroma notes here are really amazing. My score for it is a solid 93 over 100. -
Glenlivet 2007 12 Year The Distillery Reserve Collection (Cask # 238202)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed June 16, 2022Visiting The Glenlivet is always something marvelous. Specially if they have refurbished the whole visitor centre, as they have. The "First Legal Single Malt" have take advantage of the pandemic to work in their distillery, to enhance the experience of the people who visit the premises. There, i booked a Single Cask Strength Tasting; and they gave us some really awesome whiskies that you can only access by buying them in the distillery, nowhere else (except maybe a second hand bottle in auctions). I will start my series of reviews with a Beautiful Glenlivet 12yo Cask Strength, drawn from a single 1st fill sherry butt, Cask Number #238202, bottled at 58%abv. On the nose, it is very Sweet. Coffee, banana, vanilla, candied cherries. A second sip gave me oranges, hazelnuts and aromas like a waffer with cream. The palate was pure perfection. Prunes, gooseberries, oloroso sherry, red fruits. Very sulphuric and powerful, red wine and black pepper. A second sip gave me tiramisú dessert and sherry. Aftertaste is wonderfully sweet. Chocolate, shortbread, vanilla, cream and christmas cake. Overall, we have started this whisky flight with an amazing whisky. Glenlivet has an amazing spirit that at a higher strength, with a perfectly picked barrel should always develop into a great single Malt. Full of flavor and very enjoyable, my score for this beauty is 96 over 100.
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