Blog Archives
BenRiach Heart of Speyside
Whisky: The BenRiach Heart of Speyside NAS, 40%
± £25 ≈ R310 (Unavailable in SA)
This entry level whisky in The BenRiach’s core range was first released in 2004 after the distillery changed ownership in the same year. It’s approximately a 7yo, matured mostly in fresh and refill bourbon casks. The name is derived from the distillery’s location in Elgin in the “heart of Speyside”, Scotland.
Nose: A light fragrant nose with drops of honey, fresh heather and dry grass. Dusty cut timber, and diluted pear and apple juice. It has the typical farmyard notes but also has a periodic gust of fresh air that creates an enjoyable interplay.
Taste: Biscuits and malt, with a spike of sugar and jam sweetness followed by another spike of pepper and spice. Juicy barley and butterscotch.
Finish: A little hot wood spice that translates nicely into a longer finish. An unexpected breathe of soft peat smoke.
My Score: 78
A simple and honest whisky without any obvious flaws that offers good flavours. There are signs of it’s youth, primarily on the palette, but the overall effect is a positive one adding some sprightliness. Very good value for money.
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
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
Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt (Shackleton’s Replica)
Whisky: Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt NAS, 47.3%
Producer: Whyte & Mackay, Scotland
R1300 ≈ £101
This blended malt whisky is a replica of the Mackinlay’s whisky, discovered in 2007 buried beneath Ernest Shackleton’s hut near Antarctica since 1909. (See my earlier post for more details.) Included in the blend are malts from Speyside, the Highlands and the Islands, with the oldest malt from the closed Glen Mhor distillery, distilled in their final year of operation in 1983. “Limited” to 50,000 bottles.
Nose: Quite light and sweet to start with unprocessed honey and farm notes. Then it develops into more of an industrial nose with a petrol, paraffin, wood shavings and dust. Also burnt butter and crushed nuts.
Taste: Very creamy. Very soft. Lots of contrast to this with herbal notes, a mix of spices (ginger most evident), sweetness in the form of pears and honey again and a small breeze of smoke. A refined maturity on the palette. Sweet, dry white wine. The entire affair with its range of flavours brings to mind some sort of medieval, medicinal ointment.
Finish: A tad bitter, with some lemon coming through and red apple skin . Dry and long.
My Score: 84
This whisky has a remarkable range of flavours with each being a reflecting point instead of being lost in the blending of it’s constituent parts. Overall its a light and refined blended malt unlike any other I’ve tried. Although very good, remember the price includes the fancy packaging and overall hype of this recreated, once-lost whisky.
Other Scores: DR 92
