Review #20: Dewars White Label Blended Scotch Whisky

Here's a cheap scotch blend, the cheapest available at the time of purchase and Oh Dear!!!!

I've prematurely deleted my lovely photos :-(

Oh Well! 

Price: $32Au very cheap stuff but is it worth buying? Yes. It is. 6/6

Availability: The first time I tried this was on a plane! This is available the world over I'd say. Apparently this is the top selling scotch in the US! This stuff is everywhere, pubs, good bottle-shops, bad bottle-shops, planes, probably trains.... 6/6

Marketing: Something is wrong with the audio on the videos they have on their website or I need new speakers for my PC!... no my speakers are fine! There's a bunch of videos but I don't know what they are about because I can't hear what's being said! These guys have been around for a long time and they know it but they don't bang on about it too much as far as I can tell... 3/6

Bottle/Label: Attractive label, plain not too flashy. It has a serial number to let you know it's the real thing! It has a royal warrant to Queen Elizabeth II. It lets me know that it's bottled at 40% - the legal minimum for scotch whisky. The label tells me this is made from a selection of up to 40 different whiskies, malt and grain, aged in oak and blended together. There's something about medals and gold and some interesting designs on the glass with a triscellion (a celtic symbol - I think) and some medals from the late 1800's. It's a cheap blend without any BS? Not pretending to be anything that it isn't - ok! There is no explanation anywhere of the medals or gold, no age statement, it's probably three years old - again the legal minimum for scotch whisky, it probably has caramel added but doesn't say so... 3/6

Looks: light yellow gold, very little caramel added here, legs are forming on the glass far apart and lingering a little longer than I would have expected hmmm: 6/6

Nose: honey, caramel sweetness with cheap scotch smell probably corn whiskey... fading to reveal some grain and cereal notes, not offensive but not particularly interesting, there's a hint of marzipan in there too: 13/20

Taste on entry: not much! light sweetness, hint of green grapes, touch of anise 13/20

Mouthfeel: not bad actually! Better than I expected, it coats the mouth nicely, gently and has a pleasant velvety feel to it: 7/10

Finish: sweet citrus coming through with some gentle spice and wood, touch of mint, dry, medium to long and pleasant enough: 15/20

This whiskey is not bad for a budget daily dram, pleasant to drink, nothing off in the nose or taste but nothing exciting happening, easy going stuff, quite drinkable actually.

Total score 72/100

Cheers,

Kev

Review #19: Black velvet Canadian blended whiskey

Here's something I picked up in Hawaii that I had never tried before and I'm not too upset that I've never seen it here( in Australia) before and I wont be upset if I don't ever try it again. In fact the rest of the bottle is being put to experimental use in a fun project which I will write a future post on! 

Packaging: plastic hip flask or naggin in my native slang. Not terribly attractive but practical and cheap. Label  tells me its 3 years old, 40% ABV and is made in Canada under government supervision. You would think the Canadian government would have better things to do than supervise whiskey production. Sure aren't governments full of politicians? Sure aren't all politicians corrupt lying assholes? Or worse! 3/6

Price: CHEAP!!!!: 6/6

Availability: I bought it in Hawaii because I'd never seen it or heard of it before and to be honest I can't be bothered looking to see if I can get it here or anywhere else so I'm just going to assume that it's not available - yeah a little lazy: 2/6

Appearance: light gold color. Probably natural but who knows? Some legs form but don't hang around for very long at all - interesting that. 6/6

Marketing: there is a very basic and lame website. There are is an official video on you tube with a blond lady in a black velvet dress which is laughable, and then there are what appear to be a few spoof videos which are quite good and highly critical of Johnnie Walker, points are mostly scored for the spoof video: 3/6

Nose: sweet and light with candy cheap chewy stuff, maple syrup and coconut, butter cream icing. Not offensive at all but maybe a little overly sweet makes me think of all that cheap icing/frosting I scrape off bought cakes that are brought into the office. The sweetness becomes less enjoyable the more I drink. 13/20

Mouthfeel: thin but maybe a little buttery. 6/10

Taste on entry: sweet buttery very light spice. A little boring but not unpleasant: 12/20

Finish: short to medium sweet with a little spice pepper and a hint of anise - unimpressive 11/20

Total score: 62/100

This whiskey makes me want to call it a night and go to bed. Too sweet for me. Its not bad but....it comes pretty close.

I will be putting this into an experimental concoction along with some cheap blended scotch i came by recently and maybe a few drops of something else with a little bit of this and a few of those.

Cheers
Kev

Whiskey Review #17: Jameson caskmates stout edition

Price: this bottle was a gift from my mother the second of 2 lovely bottles of Irish whiskey that she gave me last year.  I'm not sure how much she paid for it back home however it has since become available here in Oz and is priced at $55 AU. I think that's reasonably OK for a good blended whiskey with a cask finish. 5/6

Availability: I can pick this up in my local bottle shop, at specialist whiskey bars, probably in duty free and in Irish bars too but probably not in every bar: 5/6

Marketing: Good story of guys talking in the pub and doing a swap deal and making it work without the knowledge of their marketing department it also promotes rather nicely the Franciscan Well craft brewery with whom they did the swap. Of course there is a website which is alright to look at, provides a video of the story behind the whiskey and also a little blurb about it too all done quite nicely without an excess of nonsense - the link is below check it out if you like!: 6/6 

https://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/us/ourwhiskeys/jameson-caskmates

Packaging and label: Nice typical green glass bottle from Jameson with an attractive label which tells me about the brewery and gives some vague tasting notes around the neck of the bottle and states that the whiskey is triple distilled and bottled at 40%. No mention of chill filtration or caramel colorant addition which probably means both have happened. There is mention of the bow st distillery in Dublin which is a museum but no mention of the Middleton distillery where this was likely produced. 3/6

Appearance: A little darker than regular Jameson I think, yellow gold with a hint of green and amber. Not too much caramel added maybe. Nice legs on the glass but I'm starting to wonder if any whiskey doesn't have that quality?  6/6

Nose: hint of chocolate and coffee typical of stout- yummy! Can get the typical Jameson potstill nose in the background with some cereal and something green with sweet soft buttery fudge: 14/20

Taste on entry: buttery fudge and bananas with spice developing into the finish: 14/20

Mouthfeel: this is a lovely soft whiskey, nice and buttery: 8/10

Finish: medium to long with lingering spice - ginger i think and a little annise too. also after a few minutes it definitely tastes as though I've had stout in my mouth - in a good way!: 15/20

Total score: 76/100

This is a very enjoyable dram
Thanks again Mom.

Cheers

Kev

Review #18: Templeton rye

Here's another interesting gift that I picked up for myself from Hawaii - I really am so Good! This was a really good whiskey and I and everyone I shared it with really enjoyed it too.

This is a whiskey which has courted controversy recently having been the subject of a class action lawsuit in the U.S. over claims made on it's label which you can see in my photos. The issues related to claims on the label about where the whiskey was produced, it claiming to be "small batch" and the "prohibition era recipe". The class action lawsuit was successful and the guys who produce the whiskey or who bottle this whiskey have since had to change their label to state that it is produced in Indiana by a different company and have had to remove small batch and prohibition era recipe from their label.

The legend on the label would have you believe that this was Al Capone's favorite whiskey and that it was referred to by him or others as the good stuff! I wasn't around back then so I don't know if that's true or not and how closely this product actually reflects whiskey produced in Iowa during prohibition is anyone's guess? I have heard that the guys who make the whiskey may have tried to produce their own whiskey instead of buying it in from the people in Indiana but apparently the stuff from Indiana was much better than anything they were able to make themselves so they kept buying it in. The legend behind this whiskey also states that originally the "good stuff" was made by farmers in Iowa as a source of income and that I would say is probably the truth. Whiskey is an agricultural product produced traditionally by farmers to make use of excess grain. It's a very useful product alcohol, it can and has been used for preserving, many medicinal purposes, fuel and for pleasure. Some people call it liquid sunshine!

Ultimately the producer had to pay damages to the princely sum of 6$ to anyone who could prove that they bought a bottle for up to 6 bottles.. doesn't sound like much, they should add it to the bootlegging stories! 

Price: pretty good for what I paid which was just over $30US, however a little search online in Australia indicates that when this whiskey was available it would have set me back $199AU - FFFFFFar out! that's expensive! quite a difference! It's no longer available anyway!!! For what I payed: 6/6

Availability: pretty bad - have not seen this for sale anywhere else, no sign of this for sale online either and I've never seen it in a pub: 1/6

Marketing: Well Stretching the truth to the point where you loose a class action lawsuit and have to refund customers and change your label - I think these guys took the Michael with their bullshit stories and overlooked facts. The website focuses on the history of the area and stories and legends pfff: 0/6

Packaging/label: LEGEND!!! LIES!  too much BS not enough fact. No age statement, no mention of what additives are added, Prohibition era whiskey had all sorts of nasty crap thrown in by some accounts. Lovely looking bottle and label though: 3/6

Appearance: golden with a tinge of amber and nice legs on the glass: 6/6

Nose: fruity and something green - fresh cut grass with grapes, lychees and musk sweets and maybe some sherbet - really nice. Something a little earthy in the background. Limes and avocados coming in too: 18/20

Taste on entry: sweet and spicy - peppery and ginger and a little citrus - lemon: 15/20

Mouth feel/Body: quite good actually - cant fault it: 10/10

Finish: long, peppery and spicy ginger and some citrus in the finish too nice stuff: 17/20

Total score: 76/100

So this whiskey may have additives and flavorings but it was a really good whiskey and I really enjoyed drinking it, just too much B.S.

Review #16: Evan Williams Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey 43%

I picked this little gem up in Walmart when we got to "the big island" on our trip to Hawaii last year. 9$ is what this whiskey cost me.... Yes I picked up this bottle of whiskey for 9$!!!! Yes 9$!!!! and would you believe it, it's actually quite good! Very drinkable, lovely tasty whiskey. Well worth the 9$ gamble on an unknown quantity! 

Price: 9$ for 43% straight bourbon the cheapest best value whiskey I'm ever likely to find. Nothing more to say. 6/6

Appearance: Golden brown. Legs present but I'm beginning to think I wont ever find a whiskey that wont have nice looking legs. Apparently at international whiskey competitions the appearance of a whiskey when being judged as a rule gets scored 0 points. So I'll only deduct points in future if something looks really wrong with a whiskey which is not likely to happen as I probably wouldn't drink it in that case. Still though nice to look at and describe what I'm drinking. 6/6

Availability: I can pick this up in a bottle shop albeit for significantly more than I paid for it in the states ($45 aus). I think I've seen it in a few pubs but generally not behind the bar in most pubs also I've never noticed this in duty free: 4/6

Marketing: check out the website link below, they provide some tasting notes and cocktail recipes, not bad but nothing special: 4/6

http://evanwilliams.com/bourbons.php?page=black-label

Packaging: No age statement. Straight bourbon so its at least 4 years old with no additives, either flavorings or colorants. There is a silly story which might be stretching the truth about the man for whom the whiskey is named and some other waffle which doesn't really tell us much about what's in the bottle.  4/6

Nose: Not too much going on. Slight solvent smell and maraschino cherries. Oakwood, sweet caramel, crystalised ginger and you can smell the mash or wort in the background too. 14/20

Taste: sweet cherries, oak, pepper: 15/20

Finish: medium to short finish some licorice: 14/20

Mouthfeel: Has a nice body to it, nice and smooth, not amazing but not bad: 6/10

Total score for this most budget of budget whiskies: 73/100

I was really chuffed with myself for having taken a punt on this while on holidays and I remember tucking into a dram of it on several nights while in Hawaii, happy days!

cheers,
Kev

Review#15: The Glenrothes Select Reserve

I picked this one up recently as part of a gift or sample pack while on holiday in northern NSW. It came with the 1995 and 1998 vintage bottling's and also three mini Glencairn nosing glasses which was really cool. I'll review the vintage bottling's at some point in the future but I was really quite happy to pick these up as they seem to be hard to come by and thanks to my wife who spotted it behind the counter and suggested I pick it up - Nice one lovey!

The Select Reserve is the house style of the Glenrothes, an entry level NAS whisky which I for one am very impressed with. Apparently whisky from this distillery is aged in bourbon and sherry barrels - nothing unusual there. This malt is apparently used in well known blends including "The Famous Grouse" and "Cutty Sark". The Glenrothes single malt is owned by Berri Brothers and Rudd but the distillery is owned by the Edrington Group - an unusual situation.

Price: I'm really happy with the package I picked up given that it had 3 different whiskies within containing 100ml each, 2 of which being vintages are likely to be rare and hard to come across. 6/6

Availability: This is an available whisky, I can walk to my local bottle shop and pick it up, I can get it in good whiskey bars but not all bars: 5/6

Marketing: check out the link to the website for some good videos that give a virtual distillery tour and tasting notes!: 6/6

http://www.theglenrothes.com/ 

Packaging and Label: Nice and distinctive cardboard box very recyclable. Three bonus glasses included - very good! The bottle is also nice and distinct - quite round. The label is not offensive and states 43% ABV, Brief tasting notes are provided, NAS (No Age Statement) whiskey, No statement on chill filtering or addition of colorant either: 4/6 

Appearance: Legs are present on the glass when rolled gently and look nice and thick, the whisky looks a pale straw yellow I couldn't imagine any colorant was added to this, full marks: 6/6

Nose is sweet malty, a little spicey, as in its tickling my nose, some oak and walnut in there too, something buttery and fudgey and a little something fruity  - quite nice, as I'm drinking it I'm starting to pick up a little marzipan, hay and more malt - very nice and interesting, a hint of coconut, a little citrus and fresh grass. This has a really lovely nose I have spent quite a bit of time just enjoying putting my nose to the glass: 20/20

Taste on entry: Light sweet lemony citrus like sweet lemon drop lollies, A little spice which develops on the finish: 18/20

Mouthfeel: Quite good actually nice and buttery: 9/10

Finish: Citrus giving way to spice - medium length. Lovely sweet lemon zesty spiciness. Something a little hotter then ginger although possibly close to how I experienced ginger as a child maybe something a little more peppery though I'm thinking mace or nut meg quite a dry finish to the whiskey: 18/20

Wow! I'm very impressed with this one. I had no expectations of it when I opened the bottle and I'm really quite pleased. This is a lovely Speyside whiskey, light fruity malty with an intriguing nose and lovely to drink, very nice for a summer dram. Very happy - will buy a full bottle and would recommend.

Total score: 92/100

Cheers,
Kev.

Review #14: Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 10 yr old. 45.8% ABV

Talisker is the only distillery on the Isle of Skye located in the village of Talisker which interestingly for those of us are fans of the Highlander Films and TV series was formerly owned Clan McCleod!

This particular bottle had been in the office for a while, one of the boys brought it in shortly after joining us fully embracing Friday dram tradition that we have going on. It has been open for about a year so in all probability it has lost some of it's potency and peatiness, however I have drank this before and on occasion over the last year from this bottle and have also tried it again recently from a fresher bottle. This is a dram that I do quite enjoy however my wife hates me drinking smokey whisky so for diplomatic reasons I tend to go easy on them and maybe buy 1 in 10 bottles or just partake on a boys night out. 

Peated whiskeys aren't everyone's cup of tea however having grown up with turf as a fuel and having spent a bit of time on bogs, even having worked for Bord na Mona in Ireland which actually translates from the Gaelic to Board of Bogs/Peat! I have many fond memories of the smell of burning peat/ turf. I often find when drinking peated whiskies that my mind drifts back to past life experiences, like sitting in front of the fire as a kid or the fire in my best friends house when i was 13 and how his dad was an interesting character to say the least - odd stuff, walking home from town in the rain on a cold autumn night and occasionally getting the pleasant distinct waft of a turf fire.

Price: quite reasonable - 60$ on sale in the local shops, I picked it up for 50$ in duty free once: 6/6

Appearance: looks a little orange might have the caramel added??? label tells me nothing. Nice legs in the glass: 5/6

Availability: widely available, duty free, supermarkets this whiskey is fairly common might even make an appearance in non whiskey specialist pubs: 6/6

Marketing: Talisker is part of Diageos' "classic malts" series and there's a bit of flavor profiling on their "Malts" website and also the opportunity to sign up for a free distillery tour pass to about ten of their distilleries which is really cool. on the Talisker page there's a virtual distillery tour via google maps which is pretty good - check out the link below. there's a nice historic timeline with some lovely photos of the distillery and surrounds. Interestingly Talisker used to triple distill! I wonder what that would taste like? I cant fault the marketing really, it's nicely done: 6/6

https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/talisker/  

Packaging And Label: Clear glass, nicely shaped bottle, pretty label that tells me the latitude and longitude of the isle of Skye but not too much about the whiskey, says it's made by the sea, could be up for a class action lawsuit there! I'm pretty sure this whiskey was made by a bunch of blokes in the distillery on Skye using stills and such!! This comes in at just under 46% could be non chill filtered but doesn't say it:  4/6

Nose: peated smokey, not as strong as a laphroaig, as I mentioned above this whiskey takes me places, theres also a lovely sweetness there too and zesty lemon citrus: 17/20

Taste: smokey heavier sort of smoke still peaty but not light peat, closer to coal and oil - not in a bad way, the sweetness and citrus are there too: 17/20

Mouthfeel: ok, nothing amazing but not bad either, maybe a little thin: 7/10

Finish: There's a big hit of pepper spice which comes and goes fairly quickly and there's something medicinal in there too, some sweetness and citrus in the finish too: 16/20

This is a really good interesting whiskey which I will definitely be coming back to as I've been drinking lots of peated whiskey as of late and I want to have another dram of this to see howe it compares with several Islay whiskies, a peated Arran and a Highland Park from Orkney that I've enjoyed lately.

Total score: 84/100