Review #13: Aberlour, Double Cask Matured, 12 years old

I picked this one up a few months back to celebrate the completion of a particularly onerous project in work which took over two years to complete. Thank god that's done! It was a big learning experience and I'm better for it and even better still I now have a great reason to relax and enjoy a dram! This is a Speyside single malt scotch even though the label says that it is Highland single malt scotch whisky. I believe that this is because Speyside is a small region within the Highlands geographically speaking and that the river Spey has a large cluster of distilleries around it and as such is considered a distinct whisky region separate from the rest of the Highlands which makes up the majority of Scotland's landmass. Aberlour have a reputation for producing sherry monsters and I've heard great thing about the 10 year old expression which is not available here at the moment outside of whiskey bars - to the best of my knowledge. they also produce a cask strength expression "a'bunadh" of which I have a bottle - lucky me!

Price: I picked this one up for about 65$AU which is reasonably affordable. It's a nice dram, quite enjoyable, not as cheap as some but a lot more so than others for what it is: 5/6

Appearance: Sort of orange-gold probably has colorant added, nice legs are left on the glass on the glass when swirled - apparently this is a good indication of the body of the whisky:  5/6

Available: This is fairly available stuff  here in Melbourne but not in every bottle shop or bar. 4/6

Marketing: The website (link is below) has a little 1 minute video on the whisky with some text and tasting notes, there's some text about the whole process and all the stages involved but no pictures or videos of this and the text is very general and does not really give any interesting detail that might set it apart so not bad but not great. One detail I picked up on is that the sherry butts used for this whisky are seasoned sherry butts as opposed to fresh sherry butts which means that they have likely already been used to age whisky and have been refilled with sherry to re-season the casks to get more life out of the wood. I wonder how that process of re-seasoning works?? Hmmmm! They have a contact us section so I've asked them a few questions about the cask-seasoning, the chill filtration and colorant - watch this space! 4/6

http://www.aberlour.com/range/aberlour-12/

Packaging and Label: The bottle as you can see is clear glass and is squat and has a lovely big cork on it which means I'll be reusing it to soak fruit in booze for some baking in the future. The label tells me that this whisky has been matured in both sherry barrels and traditional (ex bourbon) barrels for a minimum of 12 years and then subsequently been blended together and watered down to 40%. No mention of colorant added or chill filtration so probably this whiskey has been subjected to both: 4/6

Nose: The sherry is very much in evidence for me, lovely sweet rich fruity nose on this one, sultanas, raisins dried fruits, smells like my mothers plum pudding (which curiously does not contain any plums!) 16/20

Taste on entry: Sweet with sherry fruitiness and a little spice and possibly a little citrus nothing too sharp: 15/20

Mouth feel: The legs on the glass tell it true! This whisky has a lovely mouth feel/ body to it which would make me question whether or not it has been subjected to much chill filtration (and I have posed the question): 10/10

Finish: Medium length with sweetness and a little mild spice: 15/20

This whisky is quite good but not amazing, would make for a decent daily dram.

Total score: 78/100

Cheers,
Kev.

Review #12 : Buffalo Trace, Kentuckey Straight Bourbon Whiskey 45% ABV

Here's one of the goodies that I brought back from Hawaii. This bottle when opened was hit hard because it is very drinkable whiskey and I was in a generous sharing sort of mood at the time. I've really enjoyed this bottle and would recommend it as being great value for money.

Price: I paid about $32 US for this in Hawaii and here in Melbourne I can pick up a bottle for $52.90. This is pretty good value until I notice that my bottle from the US is a tasty 45 % ABV but the bottle in Melbourne is only 40% ABV so it might be less flavorsome. That's odd! Maybe this has something to do with Americans opinions of Aussies not being able to handle their drink? Or are they just watering down the product for a different market to stretch the product. Or maybe what I picked up was a more premium version of the product. For what I paid and for how delicious this whiskey is i'm giving it 6/6

Appearance: Dark amber gold, looks great! Natural color by law given that it sold as a straight bourbon in the states (I believe) 6/6

Available: It is available, I can get it in my local bottle shop, online, in whiskey bars but not in every pub. 5/6

Marketing: These guys have possibly the oldest distillery in the US and have the records to back it up. The link for the website is below and at the time of writing there is a virtual distillery tour with videos and a map of the distillery with photographs and 360 degree views which is pretty good. 6/6

http://www.buffalotrace.com/our-bourbon.html

Packaging and Label: The bottle is pleasantly shaped and clear and the label is distinctive. It's straight bourbon so there are legal requirements for what has to be in the bottle and how it has to be made. There's a little of the history and legend of the distillery on the back of the bottle which also talks about the ruggedness of the wilderness or something like that. What I do like is that they have a phone number beneath the line "let us hear your thunder" that's great! - I'm not going to try it to see if it works but nice touch! 6/6

Nose: there's a very pungent spirit forward nose that you definitely don't have to go searching for. molasses, oak, some spice and something musty and after a few minutes t eases off a little and sweetness comes through with caramel and fudge. 15/20

Taste on entry: honey and caramel sweetness, peppery spice, oak wood, leather and some spiciness beyond the pepper, not world beating but not bad by any means either.  15/20

Mouth feel: really good, top marks! This is a really full bodied dram which is just lovely and velvety and delicious. 10/10

Finish: peppery, spice, and some citrus peel bitterness, quite a nice long finish. 17/20

This is a really good value for money dram with big flavors, Really easy to drink and complex enough that you notice differences as you go through the glass.

Total score: 86/100

cheers,
Kev.

Review #11: Glendalough Single Malt Irish Whiskey Aged 7 Years

I've really enjoyed this bottle over the last eight or nine months. It was a gift from my Mom when she visited earlier this year - the first of two visits and the first of two lovely bottles of Irish whiskey that she brought me over - thanks Mom. This was the one that partially prompted me to start me writing these blogs. There was very little information available online and only one review I could find at the time so I thought maybe I should put up my own review. I believe from the research online that I found out that this was a Cooley malt and Glendalough are acting as an independent bottler of whiskey while they wait for their own stuff to mature.

Price: This was a gift but I think I have a fair idea that it was reasonably priced at around Aussie $50 or $60 max although you'd probably pay more for it in Australia if it were available here in the shops: 5/6

Appearance: Looks natural to me, a yellow golden color with a greenish tinge: 6/6

Availability: Sadly this is not available here where I am. If you are reading this may I suggest you go out and buy a bottle if you can. This is not likely to be in the duty free outside of Ireland. I have seen some of their other products available over here but at very highly marked up prices in my opinion: 3/6

Marketing: there is a lovely story about saint Kevin - how could I not like that. There's a video up too which shows a little historic fiction and tells of the legend of St Kevin and nicely weaves in their product list. See the link to the Glendalough website below. They give some tasting notes on the whiskey too and a little detail which is on the label anyway: 6/6
http://www.glendaloughdistillery.com/

Packaging and Label: the bottle is nicely shaped, clear glass with a lovely green label or three on it. The label tells me that the whiskey is 7 year old Irish single malt that is non chill filtered and bottled at 46% - very good. It gives me some tasting notes and a little of the legend of St Kevin himself and some other nonsense about the local water and weather: 5/6

Nose: vanilla, banana, fruits of the forest, maybe some rhubarb, something very dry that I can't quite put my finger on, it's spicey - cinnamon maybe or a little mixed spice it really reminds me of rhubarb crumble also there's a little malty cereal note in the background too. This is a lovely complex nose typical of Cooley Malts in my limited experience. 18/20

Taste on entry: It's not blowing me away! It's mild enough some citrus and a little spice and sweetness - vanilla and maybe a little sherbet (Dibbadab): 15/20

Mouthfeel/ Body: I like it, there's a little heat but I feel this suites the nose, it coats the mouth nicely - velvety. No chill filtering apparently helps make a whiskey feel better in the mouth which makes sense considering chill filtration removes natural oils and fats: 8/10

Finish: I like how this whiskey finishes. There's a fair whack of spice (peppery) and it's nice and long and leaves my mouth watering in expectation of more. I'm getting something vegetal and bitter with the sweetness and some rhubarb crumble in there too or possibly stewed rhubarb: 16/20


Total Score: 82/100


I really liked this one, very tasty stuff. I'm looking forward to trying some of their own stuff in the next few years although I might pick up a bottle of their aged Poitin at some point in the not too distant future.

Cheers,
Kev.

Review#10 Vat 69 blended scotch whiskey

Here's a review of a CHEAP bottom shelf blended scotch whisky that I picked up a while ago because I had finished my bottle of Jameson and I wanted something with which to make hot whiskeys or to pour over ice. A little online research indicated that as cheap scotch blends go this one is or was fairly well received and got some positive reviews.

Price: good and cheap! not much hurt in the pocket with this one! 5/6

Availability: Very! I literally walked to the shop to get this, I don't think I've ever seen it in a pub though 5/6

Label/ Packaging: disappointing! What happened to the famous iconic green bottle! The label doesn't tell me too much and it looks a lot less attractive in a clear bottle. It does have a link to a safe drinking campaign though which is good. However when I went to the shop having done my research it took me a while to find it because of the bottle change - clear glass must be less expensive then green: 2/6

Marketing lovely B.S. story about some rich fellow throwing a party to get the perfect blend hmmm, This whiskey makes an appearance in band of brothers too! here's a link for the clip:

https://youtu.be/r8stuEzpgFE

that stuck with me, love the sound of the rain... 4/6

Appearance, kind of orange gold - more yellow in the glass, likely has colorant added but maybe not too much: 3/6

Nose, cheap! Not the nicest nose but I wouldn't go so far as to say its unpleasant, Caramel or butter scotch, a hint of something citrus, dried fruits and or fruitcake, ethanol - grain spirit: 13/20

Taste on entry

Sweet, slight minty flavor, nothing fantastic: 11/20

Mouthfeel not bad, not too thin, 7/10

Development: some pepper, a little smoke, something a little off not sure what it is - maybe it's cheap whisky!

13/20

Sometimes you get what you pay for and realistically this whisky has met my expectations and has served me nicely for throwing in with ice for a little tasty refreshment from time to time. I have tasted several better cheap scotch blends and I don't think I'll be buying this one again.

Total score 63/100

Cheers,
Kev

Review #9: Laphroaig - "Select Cask"

Here's a review of Laphroaigs' every cask whiskey which they have ironically decided to call "Select Cask"

I've read a few bits online regarding this whiskey that talk about it being a compromise or entry level Laphroaig- I'm not sure I agree. It is a non age statement expression and not priced too differently from what I would think is the actual entry level Laphroaig - the 10 year old. It's not necessarily the peat monster that the 10 year old is however I think this is a very nice whiskey and offers something a little different to the standard 10 year old expression.

Price: I picked it up for 50$US in duty free however for some reason here in the local bottle shops this sells for what I feel is a high price, but it's actually quite tasty and a little different then my experience of Laphroaig in general: 5/6

Appearance: light yellowy gold, the label says it's natural color, can't fault that very good! 6/6

Availability: yes, at bottle shops, good bars and duty free: 5/6

Marketing: a google search brings the Laphroaig website up as the second link so that's good however they present the union jack as a choice of language??? That's odd! Perhaps they're embarrassed as Scotsmen to put up St Georges Cross to represent the English language. There's a nice video that goes on a little about the history of the distillery and inspiration for the whiskey. Apparently the Friends of Laphroaig Group had some involvement with the final recipe which is nice always good to interact and listen to your customers: 5/6

Packaging: nice, practical plain cardboard tube with the typical Laphroaig design, fairly informative in that it tells about the whiskey, the wood used and where the barrel's were aged. There are no stories about about the rugged seaweed island monsters or any of that nonsense. This is bottled at 40% and aged in Olorosso Sherry butts, virgin American white oak casks, Pedro Ximenez (aged sherry) seasoned hogsheads, quarter casks and first fill bourbon casks. The label also states that this is bottled at natural color. The bottle is the usual lovely green one. 6/6

Nose: big initial peat reek - lets you know where it's from! Cigarette ash! - lovely, reminds me of certain Irish pub experiences before the smoking ban came in back in 2004. To me the smoke fades and becomes very subdued after a little while and some sweeter notes start creeping through: 16/20

Entry: sweet-sherry I reckon there was a fair amount of PX seasoning involved - really quite nice though. The peatiness and dry cigarette ash is there too but fades over time, well either that or my senses just become very accustomed to it. 16/20

Mouth feel and body: feels good, a little spice on the tongue, quite nice: 7/10

Finish: sweet with a peatiness and saltiness, picked up a little bit of licorice and citrus too, medium length finish in my opinion flavors hang around for a bit but not overly long: 15/20

Total score: 80/100

Cheers!
Kev.

Review #8 Knockando 12 Yr old single malt Scotch Whisky

I picked up this bottle in duty free on the way back from my last visit to the motherland while stopping over in Singapore for a mini break. I knew nothing about this whiskey when I made the purchase. I've very much enjoyed it over the last six months or so, sharing this with some old close friends and some new ones too.

A little online research tells me that the Knockando distillery is owned by Diageo and is part of their classic malts series. The distillery has 4 stills with a capacity of 1.8 million Liters per annum. It's located in the Speyside region of Scotland. An interesting fact is that they bottle this whisky in seasons which apparently means that every bottle contains only whisky produced from over the course of a single year. My bottle was distilled in 2000 making it Millennium whisky! Nice! The regulations with Scotch are that if they put an age statement on a bottle it means that the youngest whisky incorporated into the mix must adhere to the age statement, however several different whiskys of varying age (older of course) can be added in order to achieve a distinct and consistent recognizable character associated with a particular brand or label. so that would mean that this particular whisky might be subject to greater variation from one year to the next a little like wine vintages.


Price: good! 50 bucks from memory in duty free on the way back from Singapore a few years ago, however looking now online it's available for c. $81 Australian which I think is a little steep - 5/6

Appearance: This looks a very natural light straw colored gold, I doubt anything has been added to this, and the website confirms that fact, but wait written in dutch( I think) is something to the effect of Caramel colorant is added, well at least they are kind of honest about it and it can't be much that they're adding based on the extremely light color - a little strange really - 5/6

Availability: I can get this online but I've never seen it in any bottle shop over here - one of the reasons I picked it up in the duty free. I've seen it on the menu in a very good whiskey bar in Melbourne but never in a regular pub or restaurant - 3/6

Marketing: little to speak of really! There is a web page devoted to the distillery which tells a little bit about it and also states that it's not open to the public which is a shame because the photo up depicts a beautiful woodlands setting. There are no adds for this on YouTube as far as I can tell. It's a little mysterious - again that's one of the reasons I picked up the bottle. Whatever little bit of marketing there is appears to be factual and related to the history, setting and development of the distillery which is good, no B.S.  - 4/6

Packaging and presentation: this whisky comes in a nice plain brown round cardboard container, fairly easy on the eye, and recyclable. The text on the box tells me the age statement and year of distillation, has the distillery managers signature, a royal seal of approval! On the back there's a nice little bit of text telling you all about distillery and how only the purest water and finest ingredients are used. The label is much the same as the box. Oh and yes this whiskey is bottled in clear glass at 43% but curiously in dutch there is a statement about the addition of caramel colorant and no mention of chill filtration. - 5/6

Nose: this is a fairly subtle whisky, I can smell the malt, a very slight hint of peat, yes this is a peated whisky even though it's a Speysider. It smells slightly fresh - slightly floral - like some sort of hint of freshness you'd get from a laundry conditioner, nice but very understated - 13/20

Taste on entry: this is fairly light, pleasant tasting whisky, slightly sweet, i'm getting some fruit - pears.. initially, I really enjoyed drinking this during the summer months I found it refreshing - 14/20

Mouth feel/ body: the whiskey feels good and has a really lovely balance to it - 9/10

Finish: more pleasant light sweetness, some citrus almost like watered down orange and some light stone fruits - like a pale nectarine and a lovely light taste of peat smoke coming in on the end and lingering for a little bit but nottoo long - 15/20

Total score for this is 73/100.

Cheers!
Kev

Duty free shopping Versus Liquor Stores while in Hawaii

One of the reasons I decided to start this blog was because I was trying to find some reviews on a whiskey that my mother had gifted me while visiting from Ireland. I couldn't find a lot of information on it and thought sure why don't I write my own review!  That way anyone else will at least have something to go on, well at least another persons independent opinion any way. I have yet to post a review of that particular whiskey - better get onto it this month!

I ran into a similar problem on my recent holiday to Hawaii although it was in relation to the duty free shopping at Honolulu airport. I was looking online before we left to try and find out what was on offer and whether it was worthwhile purchasing booze at the duty free or to just buy it from liquor stores while over there. I've noticed that duty free shopping isn't always the great value that it should be, particularly here in Melbourne where stuff can often be found cheaper in bottle shops.

One of the things my wife and I both love doing while overseas is visiting supermarkets and regular grocery stores to check out any different exotic products on the shelves and find out how everything is priced. We often do a bit of self catering when we travel too - you tend to get sick of eating out all the time and it's not very healthy on the bank balance either. I always find myself mysteriously drawn to the liquor section and end up spending quite a bit of time perusing the available beers and more to the point whiskies.

The stores we checked out included the following:

Walmart - a huge shopping center where I picked up 2 bottles of Evan Williams for an insanely low 9$. One to take home and one for sipping out on the balcony - NICE!

ABC Stores - All Blocks Covered! These shops are everywhere in built up parts of Hawaii, this is where i picked up most of my bottles in the picture below. American whiskeys are cheap and they have a reasonable selection with a choice of Scotch, Canadian and even some some Irish whiskey too. This is where I picked up everything else pictured below, reviews coming soon :-) these places have all bases covered from tourist point of view - hence the name!

We also checked out Longs Drugs Store which from memory had the widest and cheapest selection of stuff available from the various traditional whisky producing nations - nothing Japanese or Australian on offer but that stuff is all a bit boutique for a drugstore maybe and there was no sign of them elsewhere either.

I'm quite happy that I picked up the grog before going to the airport. Not only did I not have the extra baggage to carry around but when I got to the airport would you believe! I had a look anyway! Surprise surprise - what else does one do at the airport!

The duty free shopping was very limited with offerings from:

Glens Livet, Fiddich & Morangie, the Balvenie & Macallan.

Some blended stuff was available too: Johnnie Walker, Ballantynes ...

as for American whiskies Jim Beam/ Jack Daniels and little else...

Not bad stuff but not very well priced and really for such a tourist destination quite poor and simply not the adventure I was looking for.

I've already got stuck into the Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Buffalo Trace - all very tastey!
My poor liquor cabinet shelf is under pressure!

Cheers
Kevin

Review #7 Sazerac straight rye whiskey, 45%

Yet another review of an american whiskey I enjoyed while on holidays in Hawaii.

I had this while sat at the hotel bar while waiting for our takeaway dinner order. The whiskey was served up in a slightly curved tumbler and was accompanied by a local IPA. This is another whiskey that I've never tried before and rye is a style I'm also unfamiliar with. The barman told me this was a good whiskey, tasty and smooth with just a little smoke!

This juice comes from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky and is a straight rye whiskey, which means it's made up of at least 51% rye grain and aged for at least 2 years in fresh charred virgin american oak barrels. I have been led to believe that it has actually been aged for 6 years and I can confirm that it is bottled at 45% ABV - Nice!

"The Sazerac" is a cocktail - possibly Americas' first branded cocktail - a mixture of rye whiskey or cognac, peychauds' bitters, absinthe and sugar. sounds interesting! I'll have to give it a go sometime. Apparently some politician tried to get legislation passed to make this Louisiana's official state cocktail - wow! What a good use of time and resources - the bill was defeated. SHAME!!!!

Price: I really can't remember what I payed for this at the bar but booze in the states is cheap, and I've searched for this over here in Melbourne and it's pricey in this part of the world! $110 a bottle at my local larger bottle shop. Is this value for money mmmmm maybe not quite: 3/6

Appearance: as you can see the bottle has a unique shape without being overly ostentatious, the stylised writing in my mind fits in with the backstory and the whiskey in the bottle looks like whiskey! nice and golden brown: 6/6

Marketing: there's a web address on the bottle which goes to a dead website - old bottle possibly, maybe the information on the buffalo trace website is what's available. That website tells the story about the New Orleans cocktail thing... nothing that I noticed on YouTube apart from whiskey reviewers vlogs. The whiskey has a genuine, nice backstory that doesn't reek of manure: 5/6

Availability: it is available here, I can walk down the road and have a bottle of this in my hand in 10 minutes time if I wished and seeing as how it's got a fairly famous cocktail named after it I'd say a lot of cocktail bars and decent whiskey bars will be stocking some too. 6/6

Packaging and Label: while the stylised writing is lovely, it doesn't tell everything about the whiskey in the bottle, OK straight rye, 45%, and place of distillation V dead website and no age statement: 4/6

I should point out I drank this by the water and there was a pleasant breeze, it was a hot day! My pizza and coleslaw arrived sooner then expected and I had not eaten in 6 hours I was hungry.

Nose: this whiskey has a fruitiness, a sweetness and some cereal notes, I was getting something rubbery too, a slight chemical note that I couldn't quite place, maybe air fix modelling glue or something of the sort, over time i noted more sweetness and something buttery. 16/20

Taste on Entry: fruity  initially and light, with a good bit of spice, wood and something else maybe nutmeg. 16/20

Mouth feel and body: This whiskey is smooth and has a good body to it, nice mouth feel: 8/10

Finish: sweet, buttery, peppery finish that lasts for a decent bit! 16/20

It's good stuff!

Total score 80/100 

For the record the IPA is a Kona Longboard made locally on the big island and is quite hoppy and fruity to taste and quite fruity in the nose too, I had quite a few of these over the week, it's a good beer!

Cheers,
Kev

Review #6 Michters Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

This is another review of an American whiskey, a Bourbon which I enjoyed recently in Hawaii. The bottle caught my eye from behind the bar (Don the Beachcomber) at the Hotel where we were staying in Kona on the Big Island. On a slight tangent these guys served up some really tasty burgers and made a beautiful coleslaw which I couldn't get enough of while of, looking forward to recreating it during the summer. I'm salivating just thinking about it.  I had this whiskey in the early afternoon on a breezy day from a tumbler right by the ocean as you can see from the picture, while writing postcards to the folks back home!

I had heard of the name Michters before from listening to whisky-cast - a really good whisky related podcast. I had never seen it or had the chance to try it before, up until this point, so I grasped the nettle! Carpe Diem! and all that! and I'm glad I did.

Price: This is an expensive whiskey: I don't think I paid too much for it at the bar but over here in Oz it will set me back $120 a bottle by the looks of it, excluding Postage and packaging. Or I can get it by the half dozen for around $720 - what a steal! It is small batch though and bottled at 45.7% so 3/6.

Appearance: This whiskey looked alright, amber gold I'd say and I was drinking it in a beautiful setting on a beautiful day as you can see from my photo. How could I not love anything in that moment? 6/6

Availability: Well it is small batch so it shouldn't be very available and it isn't! Not here in Melbourne anyway. I've never seen it in an airport, I can't walk to the shops and get it however I can get it online and I suspect if I went into a decent whiskey bar I'd probably be able to order a dram: 3/6

Marketing: Website tells a little about it and goes into the small batch stuff and how no more then 12 barrells typically go into a batch.There are some pretty slick videos on Youtube from the distillery, check out the link below, all good stuff: 6/6.

https://youtu.be/eo4PEkx1yMo

Packaging and Label: Nice and plain yet still eye catching from behind the bar. There's a little bit of historic "B.S" about a pre-war recipe - Americans love wars! Well some do, I'm pretty sure a lot don't, but they've become very good at making films about them: 4/6


Nose: Light nail varnish , solvent smell, a little citrus - orange peel maybe. I would really love to have this from a better glass sometime in the not too distant future but for now and based on how I enjoyed it i'm giving it 14/20

Taste on entry: Lovely light fruity entry with sweet grapefruit - very unusual in my experience but really nice stuff, not bitter, a little sweet wood spice in there too: 16/20 

Mouth feel/ body: Nice and smooth - great for the hot weather. The mouth feel is good, velvety, a little lighter than some of the other bourbons I tried while on holiday: 7/10

Finish: Medium to short and has a little wood spice and some orange - quiet pleasant;  15/20

all up this gets 74/100
If I can do simple addition,

This is a lovely whiskey! I'll have to check out more of their range if and when I get the chance, maybe a visit to some of Melbourne's better whiskey bars is in on the cards,

happy days!

cheers,
Kev 

Review #5 Seagrams 7 blended American whiskey

Hmmm not much on the nose from this one!

I'm drinking it from a mini beer glass while watching the sunset from Dons cocktail bar in Kona.
It's our first night on the "Big Island" having had four lovely nights in Waikiki on Oahu. My lovely Wife is putting the little one to sleep and I'm having a drink and chilling out at the bar or lounge gazing out across the pacific ocean. I think I said it previously but life is good! The sky is red, the sea is calm, there's a gentle and very pleasant breeze, a luau is going on in the distance to my left and there are a bunch of Tiki torches burning to my right - check out the view!

This whiskey is accompanied by a local porter from the Kona brewery which is pretty good.  

I've never heard of this whiskey before and the waitress told me it was scotch which it isn't because it's American! Not specifically from the USA but possibly a blend of US and Canadian whiskeys or one of either of the two if that makes any sense. A little online research reveals that this whiskeys origin is slightly unclear and that it's largely drank with mixers - 7 and 7 apparently is a popular drink... why anyone would want to add 7 UP to whiskey is beyond me but to each their own!

There really isn't much on the nose at all, I got a faint whiff of something bourbony at the start, there's something faintly sweet about it all but nothing much else. 

It's hard to talk about the color in the light but really who cares the setting is beautiful and well it has a gold brown sort appearance which is fine. 

Unsurprisingly it's a hot evening in Hawaii!

This whiskey is smooth, has a pleasant mouth feel which is one of it's most redeeming features.

It's sweet to taste with some wood spice but not too much, fairly mild and muted but quite pleasant to drink given the conditions. 

There's something a little fruity - cherries I think. 

Not sure how easy the little one is going to go to sleep, there's a fair bit of noise - drumming and applause coming off the luau, although it sounds like they may be wrapping things up shortly.

The cherries come in more on the finish with some wood spice but don't hang around for too long but long enough to be enjoyable. 

Not a bad whiskey by any means. I can't find anything online from the producers about this whiskey albeit only following a quick search. It was fairly available and cheap too while in Hawaii. I've never seen it here in Australia or noticed it anywhere else for that matter. It's always nice to try something new.

I'm scoring this one 63/100

Cheers
Kev.

Review #4 Crown royal - Part 1

Night 2 on Oahu

Having this whiskey as a chaser with a pint of "Heff" (Tikis' house heffeweissen) at Tikis' bar in the hotel where we're staying while the little one puts my lovely wife to sleep even though it should be the other way around ;-)

I think this whiskey suits hot suits the hot weather,

It's very easy drinking with a little spice but not much,
It barely smells like a whiskey but I am drinking from a tumbler so that doesn't really help much.

Lovely mouth feel to this, smooth and velvety. 

Doesn't taste much of anything at all, a little sweet and very little aftertaste or development...

Maybe it's the heat??

Maybe it was the very tasty burger I had for dinner???
Who knows...

Again this was drank from a tumbler at a bar.

Very easy going stuff!
I'm scoring this a 62 out of 100 (for the moment).

What was nice is that as soon as I ordered and received the whiskey the guy beside me said cheers! and I got talking to him, the barman and the waiter from the night before. He have me a  recommendation for his own place of work across the road as a top steak bar and also the best whiskey bar in town with a selection of over 20 whiskeys!
I'll have check it out (I didn't - maybe next time)

BBQ Ribs - done (repeatedly mm mm ribs!!)

Burger - done (was fantastic Americans do great burgers!)

Steak - did it  (disappointing - steak is better in Australia and Ireland)

I will review this whiskey again as i bought a miniature to take home with me :-)

cheers,
Kev

Scoring system

So I've been thinking about how to score whiskeys and I've used my recent trip to Hawaii to try a few different drams and write up a few easy reviews and have a think about the different aspects of whiskey and how to rate them. The following is how I'll be scoring my whiskeys in the future. Special thanks to my old school mate and drinking buddy Pat Doran and my Wife for prompting me to do this!

Most points are awarded for sensual enjoyment of the whiskey while consuming. Other points are awarded for other less important things which I've oddly mentioned before everything else, maybe that reflects the whole process of choosing a whiskey before you try it and the different things that might sway your decision one way or another.

Price, appearance, presentation and other stuff like availability and marketing - scored out of 30 points or out of 6 for each aspect.These I think are the things that you look at when buying a whiskey or that may influence you aside obviously from other peoples opinions.

Price is always a big thing -is the whiskey good value for money. You can spend a lot of money on a bottle of whiskey but are you getting bang for your buck!

Appearance of the whiskey: how does the whiskey look does it look suspiciously orange like an umpa lumpa's wee wee - has it had colorant added? or does it look golden to yellow?

Is this whiskey available? Did I have to travel half the world to find this or was I able to pick it up in my local bottle shop/ off licence/ liquor store? I'm not big on exclusivity but i don't mind going to a good whiskey bar to find an unusual dram.

Marketing and other info made available by the producers. Does this whiskey have a lovely fairy tale associated with it featuring highland rogues or pioneering frontiersmen or Priest??? Is this whiskey being sold on its intrinsic qualities or has some BS been made up to appeal to some sense of sentimentality.

Packaging and label, very similar to marketing is the packaging sensible? or is it wasteful and pointless. Does the label on the bottle tell us about what's in the bottle or does it tell us more fairy tails and legends?

Nose: how does the whiskey smell? This is the first real sense that is engaged when drinking the whiskey. Is it complex, is it nice and simple, is it interesting or is there not much really going on? Scored out of 20. I once had the unfortunate experience of putting my nose up to an open bottle of concentrated hydrochloric acid and taking a whiff - It drew tears to my eyes, stung my nostrils and made me recoil very quickly (sex panther anyone?) - any whiskey that produces a similar effect will be earning a low score. Anything inoffensive will be or generally pleasant will be around 10 give or take a few. If something should make me start thinking of past life experiences (pleasant ones) or take me away to a flowery field on the side of a mountain - it will be scoring high! The nose or smell of a whiskey can be greatly effected by the environment and also the glass from which the whiskey is drank. some glasses are designed for capturing the volatile chemicals that give a whiskey it's smell, others aren't. I'll make a note of these factors when reviewing.

Taste (on entry): once I've got my substantial  nose out of the way, the next thing I like to do is take a sip and see how does the whiskey taste? A small sip is usually a good starting point. I'll score the taste out of twenty. Everyone's taste is unique. People like and appreciate different things, the same with smell i suppose really. Like the sense of smell, taste can be affected by the environment and also on what you've recently been eating and drinking. Just like with wine some foods compliment whiskey and others not so much. Whiskeys with good flavor profiles will score highly, If a whiskey tastes like nothing more then whiskey it'll be pleasant stuff but will merit a middling score and if it should happen to taste like the liquid in the bottom of the bin then it will be scoring near the bottom! Taste will be scored out of 20!     

Mouth-feel/ body: does this whiskey feel good in my mouth or is it thin and week? Scored out of 10. this is an odd sort of one but some whiskeys just feel amazing when you drink them, Middleton very rare was one of these whiskeys for me. Some whiskeys feel oddly watery and thin and just don't seem to be the complete package.

Finish: how is the aftertaste of the whiskey, does it linger and develop or does it disappear fairly quickly? This aspect is scored out of 20 with high scoring whiskeys being those which stay with you after you have swallowed a sip with the flavors continuing and developing leaving a lasting satisfaction. 

Total score out of 100

Cheers!

Review #3 Holiday in Hawaii - Jim beam Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey - white label, 40%ABV

First night in Hawaii, at hotel out on the lanai(balcony)

The flight was ok - we flew with jet star very friendly staff cheap flights, food very average,
no entertainment but the little one :-)

Little one slept well

Had BBQ baby back ribs for dinner delish guava BBQ sauce Mmmm....

Very warm and humid here have had a few tasty beers

Tiki bar hefeweizen and also a Kona longboard IPA both very good

Drinking from a tumblr no ice yet,I bought a miniature - 40%

the whiskey is sweet on the nose, reminds me of vanilla fudge

I'm drinking in the darkness occasionally punctuated by a motion sensor light coming on and off - the color (of the whiskey) looks ok - light yellow gold

Tastes sweet, smooth, suits the hot weather, last time I had this was in Bondi beach during winter while at a wedding about 4 & 1/2 years ago, lots of ice then for some reason...

The atmosphere is nice, sounds of the sea, a little noise from planes at the nearby airport, people eating dinner and having drinks, random conversations, occasional car traffic, 

The view from the balcony is onto the beach with some intervening palm trees and tiki torches

Quite a nice evening :-)

My lovely wife the famous comedian is in the room settling the little one

She's drinking a baileys - always good to be supporting home!

Second sip - there's a hint of something fruity on the tip of my tongue

Maybe it's jetlag? Not sure this is quite nice tho...

Wanted to start off with some American basics/classics

This was $2.30 for a miniature good value, booze is certainly cheap here, 

Just bought a miniature because I don't want to have to drink too much of the same thing or commit to something I won't necessarily like. 

The mrs has just come out to say good night

Reclining now...

Life is good...

Getting a little licorice taste maybe...

To tired to think about points just enjoying the moment - easy drinking 

Some guitar music nearby now and waves from the sea

happy days

I'll come back and do a proper review of this as a post script in the not too distant future

Review #2 Jameson Irish Whiskey

Jameson Irish Whiskey: 

Triple Distilled to be sure, to be sure, TO BE SURE! This is the whiskey that I started drinking many years ago when i decided that i had had enough beer! This particular lovely green bottle was gifted to me by one of my best friends when he visited my family house when i was home in Ireland over a year ago on the event of my fathers passing. I brought it back to Melbourne with me and have since shared it with some good friends, drank it neat, over Ice and used it in hot whiskeys!  Jameson is the powerhouse of the Irish Whiskey revival that is going on at the moment which has seen the number of distilleries in the country skyrocket from 4 existing to a current 32 planned distilleries for the island, many of which are already built and producing spirit! Woohoo! Looking forward to the years ahead and considering Irish whiskey takes at least 3 years and 1 day of ageing i'd say that will be the next 5-10 years at least until I can get my hands on something worth having.

So this lovely whiskey comes from the new Middleton distillery in Cork in Ireland which has recently been revamped to increase production from a ridiculously large volume to an even more ridiculously large volume - fantastic I say! Thank you Pernod Ricard. Aside from Jameson they do make many other expressions of Irish Whiskey, many of which I have enjoyed and will be reviewing in the future as I have them in my cupboard waiting patiently ;-)

These notes are from the end of the bottle, which has been open for some time,

On the eye this whiskey is pale straw (in the light of my study anyway),

In the nose it's full of cereals initially with some underlying medicinal tones, maybe some marzipan

In the mouth i'm getting more cereals, some citrus, maybe some ginger with a very sweet finish

all up very pleasant for what it is - a decent blend, not special but very drinkable. I would gladly recommend this whiskey to a friend or gift it, good value for money here. 

I'm scoring it a 73/100.  

For those who want to know a hot whiskey made by me consists of:

a slice or wedge of lemon first squeezed into the glass usually a wine glass then stuck with 3 cloves and dropped in the glass, a teaspoon of honey,a pour of any whiskey of your choosing topped up with some recently boiled water. really good stuff for cold winter nights and for when you're stuffed up with a cold, cough or sore throat.

Cheers,

Kevin

whiskey Review #1 Jim Beam Black - I think

Jim beam black "Triple Aged" 6 yr old Kentucky straight Bourbon Whiskey:

So this is my first blog post, started on a whim, because i couldn't really find any notes on a whiskey (not this one) which i shall review shortly as i have been drinking and very much enjoying it. As for this one it's the last or most recent whiskey I've drank and well you have to start somewhere!

I out it in a localish bar the  Boundary Hotel on date night with my lovely wife attending a local council story telling festival event, so tasting notes are a little rough and I may come back to it in the future for a re-review. I picked this whiskey from the reasonable selection behind the bar because I hadn't tried it before and I always like to try something new and to be honest I haven't tasted too many American Whiskeys.

This whiskey is 40% and aged for six years or "triple aged" and it's described  by the makers as whiskey for mixing with gingerale or for the making of mint juleps whatever they are.... I generally like to drink my whiskey neat or with some ice if i have low or no expectations, if you're adding mixers to a whiskey in my opinion your no longer drinking the whiskey for its own sake, anyway..

Given the lighting of the venue I couldn't really comment too much on the color, no real nose to speak of other than a pleasant sweetness as i was drinking from a big ol wide mouth tumbler, to taste it's sweet upfront which seems typical of american whiskey from my limited experience, and has a sort of funny finish, sawdust / lots of wood, I suppose all that extra time in the barrel creates the woodiness! The mouth feel was nice not too thin as you might expect from a cheaper whiskey (It was reasonably priced at Au$ 7.50) It certainly wasn't bad but didn't overly impress. I'll have to give this one another try in the future from a decent glass, so for now i'll score this one provisionally a 65/100
 
I have a trip to the states coming up soon so maybe i'll look to try some more american whiskey while I'm over there - When in Rome! looking forward to picking up some duty free too!

Woohoo!

Cheers!

Kevin