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“Because you can't buy happiness... but you can buy whisky and that's pretty much the same thing”

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Stories from December, 2012

Camus Josephine Cognac: Delicious!

By Miguel in Tasting , Camus

“Most interesting taste on this Camus Cognac. Why can I only find the miniature?”

86
Camus Josephine Cognac
A beautifully-presented half-bottle of Camus Josephine - a cognac designed by this famous producer specifically to appeal to feminine tastes.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (86): more than average. nuts, citrus, lemon zest, grapes. Smells more like a Jerez brandy than a cognac. And that's a good thing for me.

Palate (88): powerful. nuts, lemon, citrus, spices, pepper, cinnamon, floral. Interesting.

Finish (85): average. honey, nuts.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Camus Josephine Cognac with 86 points over 100.

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Johnnie Walker Double Black: Double what?!

By Miguel in Tasting , Johnnie Walker

“I was hoping and crossing my fingers for this to be more peated. Unfortunately it is barely smoked”

86
Johnny Walker Double Black
The whisky was created taking Black Label as a blueprint and adding heavily-peated malts and some aged in deeply charred oak casks. It is a "limited" release.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (85): average. honey, floral, vanilla. Young! WTF! The same smell that Red Label has!

Palate (86): light. honey, floral, citrus, smoke.

Finish (86): average. honey, smoke.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Johnny Walker Double Black with 86 points over 100.

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Yamazaki 12 years old: So good it doesn't feel real

By Miguel in Tasting , Yamazaki

“Awesome japanese whisky on the budget range. Really love how complex it is and its fruity character. There are not many Scotch whiskies so good at this price”

91
Suntory Yamazaki 12 year
'A pioneering malt in Japan, for which Suntory deserve great credit. In its early days, it was rounded and delicate...now it is more intense, confident and elegant. 8/10' Michael Jackson, Whisky Magazine, Oct 2002

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): strong. honey, floral, wood, fruity, pears, spices, cinnamon, vanilla. Simply amazing! It's hard to believe it is only 12 years old.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, spices, vanilla, wood, cinnamon, cocoa, pepper.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, floral, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Suntory Yamazaki 12 year with 91 points over 100.

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Tasting an awesome Bunnahabhain 40 years old

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“Mindblowing subtlely good! This is bottled perfection. I need this”

93
Bunnahabhain 40 year
A long awaited 40 year old whisky from Bunnahabhain, a bit hit at The Whisky Show 2012.

It's limited to just 750 hand numbered bottles and features an intricately designed label showing off the history of the distillery that's signed by the illustrator. The tube is made from heavy wood and features a hidden compartment in the bottom...

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (94): more than average. floral, lavender, honey, cinnamon, candies.

Palate (93): dry, powerful, oily. floral, honey, pepper, wood, candies. Marvelous! One of the best old whiskies I have ever had.

Finish (93): longer than average. honey, floral, flowers.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 40 year with 93 points over 100.

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St. George Chapter 11: Reducing the gap between Islay and Norfolk

By Miguel in Tasting , St George

“Lovely peated English whisky. My favorite from St. George Distillery so far”

89
St. George Chapter 11
The first ever heavily peated whisky from the English Whisky Company - the only distillery in England, based in the town of Norfolk.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, honey, citrus.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. peat, citrus, honey, floral. Very nice taste. Love the way peat plays in this whisky.

Finish (89): longer than average. peat, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this St. George Chapter 11 with 89 points over 100.

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Glenfiddich 19 years old Age of Discovery: A whisky to explore and fascinate

By Miguel in Tasting , Glenfiddich

“Tasted this one in a rea hurry but it is a very good whisky. I like it”

90
Glenfiddich 19 Year Old - Age of Discovery
70cl / 40% / Distillery Bottling - Originally a travel retail exclusive, Glenfiddich have now released Age of Discovery on the general market. Their first 19 year old whisky, finished in Madeira casks in honour of the Portugese explorers of the 15th century.
TODO: Check if size is 70cl or 0cl
TODO: Check if strength is 40% or 0%

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, malt, fruity, sherry, nuts.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, fruity, smoke, malt, pastry.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, smoke.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenfiddich 19 Year Old - Age of Discovery with 90 points over 100.

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Yamazaki 18 years old: Suntory sherry monster

By Miguel in Tasting , Yamazaki

“Superb sherried stuff. Perfect cask with a delightful note of sulphur, and no, I am not drunk! I love this whisky!”

91
Suntory Yamazaki 18 year
A wonderful example of what Japanese whisky is capable of. We absolutely love this. Extremely smooth, with great complexity and a lovely balance of fruit, silky malt and a touch of smoke.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. nuts, honey, varnish, citrus, floral. Stunning nose! A legendary sherry monster!

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, nuts, a little sulphur, leather, citrus, wood, floral. In this whisky the sulphur note is even a positive thing. I like how it works there.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, nuts, pepper.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Suntory Yamazaki 18 year with 91 points over 100.

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Tasting Balvenie 14 years old Caribbean Cask

By Miguel in Tasting , The Balvenie

“Nice Balvenie whisky. Really sweet with a good amont of vanilla and candies. I like it”

90
Balvenie 14 Year Old / Caribbean Cask Speyside Whisky
A 14 year old whisky distilled at Balvenie distillery, matured in casks which previously held Caribbean Rum. Expect vanilla and toffee notes.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): average. honey, vanilla, pepper, candies.

Palate (90): smooth, oily. honey, vanilla, anise, smoke, pepper, candies, citrus.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, floral, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Balvenie 14 Year Old / Caribbean Cask Speyside Whisky with 90 points over 100.

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Tasting Hennessy Fine De Cognac

By Miguel in Tasting , Hennessy

“Lots of sugar inside this one, but it works well on the beverage”

86
Hennessy Fine de Cognac
A VSOP style blend of around sixty eaux-de-vie aged between four and ten years, this is a stylish cognac equally at home in a quality cocktail or as a digestif. Excellent value for money.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (87): average. sweet, lemon zest, citrus, spices, ginger. Very interesting

Palate (86): powerful. lemon zest, caramel, spices, floral, grapes, pepper. Tastes very much like a rum.

Finish (86): longer than average. honey, burnt sugar, lemon zest.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Hennessy Fine de Cognac with 86 points over 100.

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Hakushu 12 years old: Suntory peated Single Malt Whisky

By Miguel in Tasting , Hakushu

“Nice but a hell more subtle than Yamazaki. Although Hakushu single malt is supposed to be peated I get no peat on this one”

89
Hakushu 12 year
A perennial favourite and a must-try for anyone interested in discovering Japanese whisky. Hakushu is owned by Suntory, founders of the first Japanese distillery, Yamazaki. The original Hakushu distillery was built in 1973, with another distillery building called Hakushu Higashi (west) added in 1981.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, floral, citrus, peat, wax. Interesting but more subtle than Yamazaki.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. honey, floral, wood, spices, pepper, vanilla, smoke, citrus. Nice. Really complex taste.

Finish (89): longer than average. honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Hakushu 12 year with 89 points over 100.

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Chivas Regal 25 years old: simply fantastic

By Miguel in Tasting , Chivas

“Maybe the best Chivas whisky I have ever had! No, I am serious... this stuff is really awesome”

91
Chivas Regal 25 year
The exclusive new Chivas Regal 25 pays homage to the first ever Chivas Regal blend.

This first Chivas whisky was also a 25 Year Old whisky, which was shipped from Aberdeen, Scotland to New York in 1909 to satisfy the sophisticated palate of American high society. It quickly became the most talked about tipple of distinguished Americans and developed into a global icon.

You are paying a hell more than the whisky is worth just to the beautiful bottle and the awesome box but who can say no to this?!

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, citrus, floral, smoke, vanilla.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, oranges, citrus, floral, vanilla, smoke, pepper.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, peat, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Chivas Regal 25 year with 91 points over 100.

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Bunnahabhain 25 years old: Tasting perfection

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

I tasted this Single Malt whisky from Bunnahabhain The Whisky Show 2012 in London just after tasting a nice 18 years old sherry monster and close before tasting the amazing new Bunnahabhain 40 years old.

“Marvelous! One of the best Bunnahabhain single malts I have had”

92
Bunnahabhain 25 Year Old
Bunnahabhain 25 year old is delivered in the smoked oak glass bottle but its labelling is on aged parchment and it finds its bed in an Alder wooden box lined with Hessian and closed with solid brass fittings.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. honey, smoke, citrus, floral, spices, vanilla.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, peat, fruity, citrus, salt, wood, cinnamon.

Finish (92): longer than average. honey, salt, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 25 Year Old with 92 points over 100.

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Teerenpeli 8 years old: Promising whisky from frozen North

By Miguel in Tasting , Teerenpeli

“Interesting and promising single malt from Finland. It tastes a bit young but it is already a good whisky.”

86
Teerenpeli
Teerenpeli distillery was founded in 2002 at the brewery of the same name in Lahti, Finland, and the name means 'flirtation' or 'dalliance'. We tried this 8yo at Whisky Live and were knocked out at how balanced and tasty it was - this is a very well-made whisky and is destined to be a huge hit.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (86): more than average. honey, herbs, pepper, citrus. Slightly newmake but still nice.

Palate (87): powerful. honey, pepper, ripe fruits, floral, mineral.

Finish (85): average. honey, mineral, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Teerenpeli with 86 points over 100.

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Ballantine 30 years old: Subtle maturity

By Miguel in Tasting , Ballantine's

“Some persons would say this whisky is subtle... I say unimpressive. If I spend £180 in a whisky I expect much more”

89
Ballantines 30 Year Old
75cl / 43% - This is the oldest in the Ballantine's range of quality aged Scotch Whiskies and is available only in very limited quantities.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, vanilla, citrus, pepper. This Ballantine's doesn't smell like 30 years old

Palate (89): smooth. honey, pepper, citrus, vanilla, liquorice, wood.

Finish (89): average. honey, pepper, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantines 30 Year Old with 89 points over 100.

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Caperdonich 17 years old The Rare Cask Series

By Miguel in Tasting , Caperdonich

A few weeks ago Abbey Whisky, a family run business founded in 2008 specialises in exclusive, rare and old whiskies, sent me a sample of Caperdonich 17 years old of their Rare Casks series.

This Caperdonich was distilled in 1995, just a few years was mothballed in 2002 by Pernod Ricard close after being sold by Seagram to them one year before. Will we see once again Caperdonich distilling whisky? Johannes from Malt Madness explain why it isn’t likely to happen:

“Pernod Ricard closed the distillery one year later in 2002, together with three of its sister distilleries; Alt A’ Bhainne, Braeval (Braes of Glenlivet) and Benriach. At the end of the decennium Caperdonich was the only distillery from this group that hadn’t been reopened yet. The longer a whisky distillery remains inactive, the higher the costs of making it operational again. This sad fact makes it
ever more unlikely that the Caperdonich distillery will ever be reopened again.

Another reason that the resurrection of Caperdonich is unlikely, is the reputation of the whisky that is distilled there. Like the original name ‘Glen Grant Number Two’ and the famous ‘whisky pipe’ that ran between Capedonich and Glen Grant suggest, Caperdonich was intended more like a production expansion for Glen Grant, and not so much as a brand new malt whisky distillery.”

Anyway, while there are stills, there is hope! Enough history for today, let’s taste this whisky.

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Tasting Rosebank 21 years old bottled by The Whisky Exchange

By Miguel in Rosebank

“Very good whisky. Tastes really complex with a great malt. I will get a bottle of this as soon as I have money again”

91
Rosebank 21 The Whisky Exchange
A single cask Rosebank 21yo bottled by The Whisky Exchange with one of our stylish retro labels inspired by classic whisky designs from days gone by. This one is from an ex-bourbon cask and is delightfully sweet and elegant, even if we do say so ourselves.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, vanilla, floral, malt.

Palate (92): powerful. honey, oranges, citrus, fruity, pepper. Awesomely nice.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, pepper, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Rosebank 21 The Whisky Exchange with 91 points over 100.

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Tasting Karuizawa Spirit of Asama

By Miguel in Tasting , Karuizawa

This one is another crack that I tasted in my last visit to London and it was also my first Karuizawa. Keep in mind that there is three different bottles of this one around: an Asama 46%, Asama 48% and an Asama 55%. I tasted the 48% abv bottling.

So the whisky. This one is a vatting of several Karuizawa casks distilled between 1999 and 2000, so 12 years old Karuizawa for £60… it could be worse.

“Impressive sherried Japanese legend. The cask strength version must be scary!”

89
Karuizawa Spirit of Asama / 48% Japanese Single Malt Whisky
A TWE exclusive release of Karuizawa, a vatting of about 70 casks bottled at 48% to produce a well rounded and affordable example of the distillery's character.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, nuts, citrus.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. honey, nuts, cocoa, raisins, chocolate, leather. Massive sherried whisky

Finish (90): longer than average. nuts, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Karuizawa Spirit of Asama / 48% Japanese Single Malt Whisky with 89 points over 100.

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Carsebridge 45 years old Clan Denny: Bottled Scotland's history

By Miguel in Tasting , Carsebridge

I tasted this single grain whisky with Fred Laing at The Whisky Show 2012 in London and so transcendental the experience was that I had to buy a bottle for myself.

If you have never tasted any Clan Denny Single grain you really should. It is still fairly priced and shows awesome complexity of very old whisky.

“Mindblowing! Best whisky so far that I have tasted at TWE Whisky Show. Just ordered one”

93
Carsebridge 1965 / 45 Year Old / Clan Denny Single Grain Scotch Whisky
70cl / 44.7% / Clan Denny - A 1965 vintage grain whisky bottled by the grain lovers at Clan Denny. This matured for 45 years and lasted longer than the Carsebridge distillery, which was one of the many distilleries mothballed in 1983 and was dismantled in the early 1990s.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (92): strong. honey, corn, vanilla, wood, flowers, parma violets.

Palate (93): dry, powerful. honey, flowers, candies, vanilla, wood.

Finish (93): longer than average. honey, corn, flowers.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Carsebridge 1965 / 45 Year Old / Clan Denny Single Grain Scotch Whisky with 93 points over 100.

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Big Peat Christmas Edition 2012: Ardbeg, Port Ellen, Caol Ila and Bowmore inside

By Miguel in Tasting , Douglas Laing

“Oh my! Oh my! This is true! This is Big Peat! I love it! Just ordered one. Winter is coming!”

91
Big Peat Blended Malt / Christmas Edition 2012 Blended Whisky
A special Christmas edition of Big Peat Islay blended malt whisky. Big Peat is made by vatting whisky from only Islay distilleries: Ardbeg, Bowmore and Port Ellen inside this one.

This special edition has been bottled at Cask Strength and has had its label and presentation tube festively redesigned.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (91): strong. peat, honey, citrus, vanilla, earth, coffee.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, earth, coffee.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, pepper, honey.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Big Peat Blended Malt / Christmas Edition 2012 Blended Whisky with 91 points over 100.

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Milroy's Tweet Tasting: Single Casks with Love

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Cooley , Zuidan , Longmorn

I was at London just a few months ago for TWE Whisky Show and as I arrived too late for entering the show I decided to grab my camera and walk a bit around. Talking with some friends they told me not to miss Milroy’s of Soho and so there I was.

While I was on the shop I noticed, between the hundred of awesome whisky bottles, a few single cask bottlings by Milroy’s. To buy or not to buy. That was the question. Nevermind Ryanair replied it for me as I was traveling with hand luggage only ( stupid security rules! ) and I would be force to either drop or drink the bottle at the airport.

So you can understand my joy when Steve Rush announced a Milroy’s Tweet Tasting ( Who of you prefers twasting? ) for Dec, 12th and I was told I were to join fellow bloggers in it.

The tasting was driven by Steve and 17 more chaps has joined to enjoy it. Lots of known faces at the tasting like @rodbodtoo @fr1day @whiskyrepublic @TIA568B @ifotou and @steveprentice

milroys-tweet-tasting-single-cask-whisky

So Gentlemen! ( and Ma’am! ) Pour your drams!

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Jameson 2007 Rarest Vintage Reserve

By Miguel in Tasting , Jameson

“Overall floral. Pure Irish character with just a small note of newmake. Nice Jameson”

88
Jameson 2007 Rarest Vintage Reserve Blended Irish Whiskey
70cl / 46% - The ne plus ultra from Jameson, this has been blended with some of the oldest and rarest whiskeys from Jameson's maturing stock - one of which was a pot-still whiskey matured in a port pipe, which adds an extra fruitiness to the final assemblage. More than justifies the price tag - this is one of the greatest Irish whiskies ever bottled, we feel.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (87): strong. honey, floral, vanilla.

Palate (89): powerful. honey, floral, spices, vanilla, citrus.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Jameson 2007 Rarest Vintage Reserve Blended Irish Whiskey with 88 points over 100.

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Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured: Impressive sherried whisky

By Miguel in Tasting , Amrut

When I was visiting London for The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show I tasted this whisky with Surrinder Kumar.

And I tasted it after 40 whiskies, Talisker 35 years old, Carsebridge 45 years old and some of the best Karuizawa I have tasted! Imagine how good it has to be to stand after all that.

“Awesome! Delicious Amrut whisky. Maybe one of the best I have had”

91
Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured
Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured is uniquely different from the usual sherry finished or sherry matured whiskies. It is the first “intermediate sherry matured” whisky – with the malt aged in sherry casks between periods maturing in either bourbon or virgin casks at Amrut’s Bangalore distillery.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, malt, citrus, nuts, vanilla.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, malt, citrus, nuts, cocoa, vanilla.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, nuts, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured with 91 points over 100.

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Ardbeg Galileo: stratospheric Islay whisky

By Miguel in Tasting , Ardbeg

“Very nice. Think of Ardbeg 10 years old at cask strength with a fruity twist”

91
Ardbeg Galileo
In April 2012 Ardbeg sent some of their new-make spirit up into space to make Ardbeg the first inter-stellar whisky, so it came as little surprise that in September 2012, at the British Space Centre, the Ardbeg Galileo was launched.

It's a pretty damn good, unlike recent Ardbegs the Galileo features an age statement (1999-2012) and contains whisky matured in both ex-Marsala and ex-Bourbon barrels.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, honey, citrus, fruits. Very Ardbeg nose

Palate (91): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, spices, earth, fruity, pastry.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, honey, citrus, fruits.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ardbeg Galileo with 91 points over 100.

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Tasting Bunnahabhain 1991 20 years old Director's Cut

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“A nice Bunnahabhain but doesn't taste like 20 years old”

88
Bunnahabhain 1991 / 20 Year Old / Directors' Cut Islay Whisky Douglas Laing
A 20 year old single cask Bunnahabhain bottled by Douglas Laing as part of their shiny Directors' Cut range. Distilled in December 1991 and bottled in December 2011 after sitting in a refill hogshead.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. peat, honey, citrus.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, fruits, wood, spices, liquorice, coffee.

Finish (88): longer than average. peat, pepper, liquorice.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 1991 / 20 Year Old / Directors' Cut Islay Whisky Douglas Laing with 88 points over 100.

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Principe Brandy: So good and so cheap?

By Miguel in Tasting , Principe

“So near greatness! This brandy has lots of character and a delicious sweet sherry aroma”

87
Principe Brandy Reserva Especial
Amber color. Aroma of wood, with notes of pastry. In the mouth, sweet tones, slightly hot.

This dram has a mahogany-like color.

Nose (86): more than average. lemon zest, raisins, burnt sugar, spices.

Palate (87): powerful. nuts, fruits, cocoa, raisins, oloroso, lemon zest.

Finish (87): longer than average. nuts, cocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Principe Brandy Reserva Especial with 87 points over 100.

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St. George English whiskies: Chapter 6, Chapter 9 and Chapter 11

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , St George

I tasted a very nice St. George English Whisky, well, not a whisky yet in fact, a few years ago when doing a vertical tasting of Ardbeg whiskies. I was really ashtonished by the awesomeness of that spirit and I have been since then willing to taste new whiskies from this distillery.

english-whisky-small-cask

My chance appeared at The Whisky Show 2012 in London, where English Whisky Co has a shared stand with Amrut showcasing some of their whiskies.

So concentrated drinking I was that I forgot about taking pictures of the stand. Where we were? Ah, right… the whiskies…

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Malt Maniacs Awards 2012 results

By Miguel in Recommended , Whisky

With a few days of delay here they are! Malt Maniacs Awards 2012.

They hold our 10th edition of Malt Maniacs Awards and as they say: “it is with great pleasure we now present to you the results of our labours over the last two months as 10 strictly amateur judges from our collective have tasted, nosed, sampled and re-sampled all the entries and submitted their final scores.”

Ten judges, almost two hundred numbered samples, two months, only ten Gold medals.

What I like most of Malt Maniacs Awards is the fact that everything is run blindly. It is really a great way of awarding the best whiskies and forget about the PR. As usual, hurry up if you want to buy any of the awarded whiskies for their original prices ( that’s the downside :( )

So here they are the whiskies awarded…

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Pl1 Elements of Islay: Sherried Port Charlotte

By Miguel in Tasting , Bruichladdich

In case you didn’t notice, Pl1 got a Gold Medal at Malt Maniacs Awards 2012. I think it is the first time I see such an affordable whisky with a Gold in these awards.

“Slightly sherried, massive peat! This Port Charlotte bottled by Speciality Drinks for their range of Elements of Islay is a most interesting whisky”

89
Pl1 - Elements of Islay Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
This was the very first bottling of Speciality Drinks of Port Charlotte whisky.

This super peated whisky distilled at Bruichladdich distillery is fully matured in an awesome sherry cask. For sure this whisky isn't old but it does its job extremly well.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. peat, honey, wood, citrus.

Palate (89): dry, powerful. peat, honey, citrus, earth, floral.

Finish (89): longer than average. peat, nuts.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Pl1 - Elements of Islay Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 89 points over 100.

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Embrujo de Granada: How whisky is crafted under the Spanish Sun

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Destilerias Liber

During the last WhiskyLive Madrid, Fran Peregrina invited me to visit Destilerías Liber, a small malt whisky distillery that are responsible for the first single malt spanish whisky that it is born just under Sierra Nevada in Granada, Andalucía.

alhambra-granada

A few weeks ago I found a free work day and I decided to visit Granada and visit the distillery that it is just ten minutes far from Granada. They accept visits with a booking at info@destileriasliber.com.

So this was my experience there.

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Bunnahabhain: Tasting the softest Islay whiskies at 12, 18, 25 and 40 years old

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Bunnahabhain

Bunnahabhain is the most subtle whisky of Islay, with is unpeated malt it really departs from the peated consensus that rules the island. But don’t let this turn you down. Bunnahabhain single malts are among the best I have had and at the The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show I had a chance of tasting some very exclusive ones.

As I was in a real hurry that day, I have now added at home a few Bunnahabhain whiskies more that I really wanted to taste but I wasn’t able.

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