Macallan Whisky Maker’s Edition
Whisky: The Macallan Whisky Maker’s Edition NAS, 42.8%
± £70 ≈ R865 (Unavailable in SA)
The Macallan 1824 Collection is exclusive to travel retail and consists of four whiskies, each telling a story of the distillery’s history. This expression has apparently been crafted by The Macallan whisky maker for his personal enjoyment and uses both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. Judging from the colour there’s a lot more sherry influence here, and since that’s what The Macallan are famous for, I’m looking forward to this.
Nose: Plenty of the typical sherry fruit along with apple and oranges, as well as the usual sherry spices including nutmeg and clove. A very moreish ginger and nut biscuit among the rich oak lined with sweet toffee and honey. The depth indicates some well aged casks, but although the flavours are here, the integration isn’t.
Taste: Lots more fruit, nutmeg and ginger among the aged smoothness with the subtler sweet notes persisting. A serious kick of pepper at the end of the palette. Unfortunately I’m still finding it disjointed.
Finish: A medium finish with the spice resonating well after the liquid is gone. Notes of charred oak and a slight hint of dark chocolate. Some serious heat burning-up here.
My Score: 78
I’m disappointed. Although there are nuances here akin to the highly regarded sherried Macallans (like the 18yo), it’s unbalanced and not the usual refined experience I expect from the distillery. I even found the less-sherried Select Oak expression from the same series moderately better. Macallan can do sherry better than this without doubt.
Other Scores: JH 83
Johnnie Walker Double Black
Whisky: Johnnie Walker Double Black NAS, 43%
Producer: Johnnie Walker & Sons, Scotland
R290 ≈ £23
Initially released in early 2010 to only several international duty-free stores, this more peaty/smoky version of the standard Black Label subsequently made its way into a wider range of duty-free locations after successful tests, and now looks to have found it’s permanent place among it’s Johnnie Walker siblings in any well-stocked bottle store.
Nose: At first a robust grain and oak sweetness. There is peat smoke here but not what one would expect given the positioning of this whisky- very light. Lots of BBQ sauce (the authentic American kind) cooked to a sticky coating over a rack of meaty ribs – well, it was right here, where’d it go? Grilled fruit kebabs now. I want that BBQ again!
Taste: As you have to expect from JW this is smooth and very palatable (read: drinkable). The smoke is more concentrated now but still no where near a peat monster. Wood spice, the toasted wood kind. A bit of zing near the end but overall very well composed.
Finish: Smoking pineapple with a weak chili powder and spice rub. Sticky BBQ returns but more sweetness and less meat. Definitely more smoke here than previously experienced, but always tamed.
My Score: 83
The finish is my favourite part of this whisky with the sticky pineapple and BBQ a delectable duo. If the BBQ sauce on the nose was less elusive I’d up the score by at least another two points. If you like peat this will be easy and enjoyable drinking. Well balanced, and a strong contender for the star of the JW range.
Other Scores: Couldn’t find any
Talisker Distillers Edition 1993
Whisky: Talisker 1993/2006 Distillers Edition (TD-S: 5IU), 45.8%
± £54 ≈ R600 (Unavailable in SA)
As per all Diageo’s Distillers Editions (DEs), this whisky has been double-matured, with the additional maturation in ex-sherry casks. For all Talisker DEs, Amoroso (a sweetened Oloroso) sherry butts from Jerez are used.
Nose: Ripe and juicy, red grapes along with back currant, cherries and an intimation of soft, worn leather. Also notes of muscovado sugar and a gaily, leaf smoke with a faint sea-air backdrop.
Taste: At first it’s rich and lush, and more powerful than the palette eluded to, with soft spices, including cloves and the typically Talisker pepper notes (although more toned down than usual). It then becomes slightly drying, but all the way crisp with the sweet, dark, ripe fruits from the nose finding a solid footing to repeatedly punch flavour from.
Finish: Reassuringly long with lingering, peppery tannins. The smoke and spice become stronger near the end for a final cheer. Although there is a spicy heat, the intensity of the palette has calmed.
My Score: 89
A carefully complex, yet very exciting, balance between the lavish fruits and the older and refined leather, spice and smoke. Don’t expect it to taste like your usual Talisker 10yo- there is a resemblance, but the sherry cask influence brings a completely new dimension to the Talisker profile. Although this is the 1993 release and may be hard to find (if at all), I believe more recent releases are similarly worth trying. A truly excellent whisky.
Other Scores: Couldn’t find any
2012: A New Year Dawns
The more years that pass the quicker they seem to go, and we find ourselves, once again, standing at the dawn of a new year filled with endless promise. I sincerely wish each of you a successful year. At the very least may 2012 be filled with moments that become cherished memories- perhaps ones that you will associate with a particular whisky in successive years.
Personally, my plans for the year are simple, but I shan’t bore you with them. I do hope, however, to continue the growth of this blog and the WhiskyBrother name/brand, and with that I need to thank each of you for your continued readership; an unread blog is as useful, if not less so, than moldy bread! The traffic to the site has, on average, continued to grow month-on-month since creation, with this past month (December 2011) the best month yet with over 1,800 page views. Compared to some whisky sites this is lilliputian, but I couldn’t be more pleased and I truly am appreciative.
In order for the blog to be as useful as possible to you (within reason- no free whisky here sorry folks!), I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you for your input. I’ve refrained from using polls until now, as I find very little more pitiful than seeing a poll on a website/blog with only a handful of responses, but since numbers are looking good WhiskyBrother is stepping out of it’s comfort zone.* The poll allows two options per respondent, if you have any other suggestions or would like to elaborate, kindly leave a comment at the bottom of the post. Looking forward to your responses:
I’d also like to humbly request (if you’ll excuse my impertinence) that as a reader of this blog you comment more. It’s great to hear your thoughts on my posts: have you tried the whisky, what are your thoughts, is my score generous/harsh, etc.? Additional reader comments will help to provide your fellow readers with further insight and other points of view, all things needed to be a well-informed, whisky juicer.
Again, I’d like to wish you and yours, all the very best for the year ahead.
Your brother in whisky,
* If there are only a handful of replies I can’t promise I won’t delete the poll to avoid looking like a failed blogger! 
Bunnahabhain Darach Ùr
Whisky: Bunnahabhain Darach Ùr NAS, Batch No. 5, 46.3%
± £53 ≈ R668 (Unavailable in SA)
This exclusive duty-free Bunnahabhain has been available since around 2008. Darach Ùr means new oak in Scots Gaelic, as only new oak casks have been used for maturing the spirit- well that’s what the bottle says anyway. Although there is no age statement the whisky is rumoured to contain whisky up to 20 years old.
Nose: Voluptuous vanilla with toffee, butter and toasted oak shavings. Although the vanilla isn’t overpowering (contrary to what you may expect from only new oak), there isn’t much else to balance it and the wood notes are surprisingly sedate.
Taste: Now here’s the oak! Wow. Very woody and spicy with big oak notes, ginger and cinnamon. Has a fizzy, salty mouthfeel to it but the weight of the liquid is spot-on. The amount of spice borders on too much.
Finish: A good length, but with the spiciness I’d almost prefer it to be a bit shorter. Oak remains with a sweet drizzle of vanilla.
My Score: 78
Not my favourite Bunnahabhain and not very typical of the distillery with the house profile barely distinguishable. It’s still a good whisky though and some may enjoy the strong oak and spice on the palette, but for me it’s a bit too lopsided. Interesting approach, although I still doubt only virgin oak casks have been used. The website specifies that it’s the first time the casks “have been used for maturing single malt Scotch whisky”, which leaves leeway for the casks to have been used for bourbon previously, thus only being first-fill, ex-bourbon casks and not solely new oak. But perhaps I’m thinking about this too hard! 
Still enjoyable and still worth buying if you come across it.
Other Scores: SV 78, JM’11 87
