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Showing posts with label Whisky Review. Show all posts

Longrow Red 13 Year Old Malbec Cask Impressions

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Longrow Red 13 Year Old Malbec Cask Impressions


What is it?

Distillery: Longrow
Name: Red, Malbec Cask Matured, Aged 13 Years
Make: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Extra Info: Malbec (sometimes called Côt and Auxxerois) is a purple grape variety used in making red wine and is grown predominantly in Argentina. Malbec is known for its blackberry, plum and black cherry flavours and a sweet tobacco finish – a perfect match for a peated whisky perhaps?

Why did I buy it?

I have been chasing a Longrow Red for a long time and snapped up this expression when it became available locally. Longrow Red is a limited release from Longrow and each batch uses casks seasoned with different red wine varieties. For this batch the spirit was aged for 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished for 15 months in fresh Malbec casks sourced from Stellenbosch in South Africa. This particular batch is limited to 9,000 bottles worldwide and Longrow Red expressions are usually only available in very limited quantities outside of European markets.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Keeps with the current Longrow white labelling with the use of red helping to denote this as a Longrow Red expression.

Appearance: Dark orange in the glass, amber in the bottle. Naturally coloured and turned cloudy in the glass for me; a product of being non-chill filtered, not a fault. Bottled at 51.3% ABV.

Aroma: Clear tobacco notes with a restrained, not overpowering smokiness. A little fizz in the nostrils, red orchard stone fruits and rasins soaked in alcohol. 

Flavour: A delicious full mouthfeel, sweet fruits at first with building spice as the liquid warms in the mouth. A slight bitterness like coffee beans, balancing the initial sweetness before the prickly spice takes over.

Finish: Long powerful finish, dark chocolate aftertaste, the slightest tingle left on the tongue with a mild warming in the chest and a lasting smoky kiss.

Would I buy it again?

My chances of finding this particular expression again are slim, but I would definitely buy other Longrow Red expressions when available. Use of ex-wine casks is quickly becoming a signature of the Australian whisky industry and Longrow Red is a great example of what the Scots can achieve matching ex-red wine casks with a peaty Campbeltown spirit.



Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Baldwin Premium Rye Whiskey Impressions

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Baldwin Premium Rye Whiskey Impressions

What is it?

Distillery: Baldwin Distilling Company
Name: Premium Rye Whiskey
Make: Australian Rye Whiskey
Extra Info: Baldwin Distilling Company is based in Mitchell, ACT and produces a range of US bourbon-style 51% corn mashbill 'premium whiskey' and moonshine including a premix whisky & cola using their own in-house cola. Baldwin spirits are produced in a single distilling run using a column still. 

Why did I buy it?

This bottle was given to me as a gift but it was my pick of the Baldwin Distilling Company range. I am quite partial to Rye whisky and while it may taste quite different to malt whisky or bourbon at first it's the differences that make it worth trying to improve your own whisky knowledge and appreciation.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: I personally love the Baldwin Distilling Company logo, it looks fantastic printed directly onto the 700ml short and stubby bottle. The Baldwin Rye is bottled at US 100 Proof or 50% ABV.

Appearance: Naturally amber gold in colour and chill filtered for clarity.

Aroma: Takes a little work to isolate the aromas in the glass but presents notes of fresh green grass, mint, vanilla and just a slight reminder of the harshness I noticed in the high alcohol (90% ABV) newmake spirit from which it began.

Flavour: Light mouthfeel with strong peppery spice popping through flavours of ginger and grapefruit with some sweeter melon flavours developing with the addition of water.

Finish: Long lingering spice on the tongue with a slight drying bitter aftertaste.

Would I buy it again?

Probably not, but there are few whiskies that I would. When there are so many whiskies out there to try, it takes something truly special to make my repeat buy list. Having only been around since 2015, it's safe to say that Baldwin Distilling Company has some room to improve and with time, I have no doubt they will. Right now Anthony Baldwin is tackling the lucrative premium spirits market head-on, which in itself is a point of difference to other Australian craft distilleries. If this approach pays off, Baldwin Distilling Company could become one of the biggest names in Australian distilling.


Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.

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Bruichladdich PC12 Impressions

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Bruichladdich PC12 Impressions

What is it?

Distillery: Bruichladdich
Name: Port Charlotte 12 Year Old PC12 "Oileanach Furachail"
Make: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Extra Info: Bruichladdich was established in 1881 on the Scottish island of Islay. It was closed in 1994 before being refurbished in 2001 and reopened in 2013, with much of the original Victorian-era machinery still in use to this day.

Why did I buy it?

This particular expression from Bruichladdich is only available via travel retail outlets. I happened to be travelling overseas so I took the opportunity to purchase this bottle duty-free on my return.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Most Bruichladdich expressions are bottled in the same stout bottle with modern looking sans serif typeface lettering. The exception being the heavily peated Octomore range which use distinctive taller bottles. I quite like the Bruichladdich design language and it is definitely one of the more modern looking whiskies available. The PC12 is bottled at 58.7% ABV.

Appearance: Dark gold approaching amber in colour, this whisky is bottled at 58.7%ABV in non-chill filtered and has no added colouring.

Aroma: On first nose, it smelt like it could get you drunk on fumes alone. There was some smoke and alcohol at first and not much else. Some whiskies have more of those nose-burning volatile compounds than others and I have tasted higher ABV whiskies that do not smell as alcoholic as this. Perhaps surprisingly then, the PC12 got the 'Wife of WhiskDad Tick of Approval' i.e. she did not hate the smell of it.

 With a subtle change in nosing technique, the quite pleasant aroma of alcohol soaked sultanas is revealed more easily. The addition of water cuts the alcohol fumes and allows the dried fruit notes to come forward.

Flavour: Very smoky but with a distinct sweetness. Plenty of heat that may present a challenge for a palate not accustomed to cask strength whisky. The burn can be tempered with water without diluting the dominant smoke flavour, although it leaves the whisky tasting a little flat. The flavour benefits from the high ABV but it creates a more prickly mouthfeel rather than being smooth on the palate.

Finish: Long bitter smoke finish leaving a slight warming in the chest. Lingering aftertaste of smoke that stays in the mouth long after the drink is finished. Better brush your teeth after this one if you don't want your breath to smell like a log fire.

Would I buy it again?

There's a certain segment of whisky fans (and I think I used to be one) who believe that for whisky to be good it has to slap you in the face and your ability to take it makes you a 'real' whisky drinker. This is one of those face slapping whiskies, but I am not one of those believers anymore.

Bruichladdich PC12 is not a bad whisky; in fact, it would no doubt be highly regarded by the segment of whisky fans I mentioned above. But, I can't help thinking it lacks finesse. It's a little rough around the edges and perhaps that brashness is exactly the charm this whisky will have to some. Personally, I think I would rather try another Bruichladdich expression next time, rather than buy the PC12 again. The Bowmore 15 Year Old Darkest is a more balanced example of the marriage of sweet sherry and smoky flavours.


Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Paul John Peated Select Cask

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Paul John Peated Select Cask

Original photo provided by Tim Grant and used with permission.

What is it?

Distillery: Paul John
Name: Peated Select Cask
Make: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Extra Info: The Paul John distillery is situated in Goa, on the west coast of India. This is my last review of the standard Paul John range which consists of the expressions: Brilliance, Classic Select Cask, Edited, Bold and the subject of this review, Paul John Peated Select Cask.

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. This is a review of a sample bottle kindly provided by Paul John. I usually only review full-size bottles since I can take my time and drink as much as I need to finalise my impressions. That is more difficult to do with a sample bottle, but I have done my best.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Paul John whisky has an unusually uniform design language across their entire range. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between expressions from a distance, since the label differences are very subtle and the colour of the whisky look very similar. Bottled at 55.5% ABV.

Appearance: All the whisky in the Paul John range looks the same golden hue to me, but Paul John proudly claim their whisky contains no artificial colouring and are non-chill filtered. I can only assume that some form of distillery wizardry must take place to achieve such a consistent colour across the range.

Aroma: A beautiful combination of sweet fruits, caramel and faint smoke; less smokey than you would expect an expression with 'Peated' in the name to be.

Flavour: Powerfully spicy, not for the faint hearted. Beneath a strong cooling menthol hides a sweetness that reveals itself if you hold off swallowing. Chocolate coated liquorice, black coffee and woodchip smoke.

Finish: A long lasting smoky slap on the tongue.

Would I buy it again?

Yes, Paul John Peated Select Cask is a great single malt but it may scare off drinkers not used to a particularly lively cask strength whisky. It has a pleasant nose, a dramatic flavour, a nice long smokey finish. I would pick a bottle of this up for myself or recommend it to a sceptical peat whisky fan. So which Paul John expression is my favourite?

 My pick would have to be the Classic Select Cask, it is a little more balanced than the Peated Select Cask but both higher alcohol expressions from Paul John are excellent. A special thanks to Paul John Whisky for providing the samples for these reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Paul John Bold Impressions

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Paul John Bold Impressions

Original photo provided by Tim Grant and used with permission.

What is it?

Distillery: Paul John
Name: Bold
Make: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Extra Info: The Paul John distillery is situated in Goa, on the west coast of India. In the hot and humid weather of Goa, whisky ages three or four times faster than in your typical Scottish storehouse. This means a young Indian single malt can look, smell and taste comparable to a much older Scotch single malt. Unfortunately, the rapid ageing also means that far more whisky is lost to the “Angel’s Share” in India; in the case of Paul John, around 6% to 8% of the volume of a cask is lost per year of ageing. In comparison, an ageing Scotch whisky cask usually reduces in volume at a rate of less than 2% per year.

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. This is a review of a sample bottle kindly provided by Paul John. I usually only review full-size bottles since I can take my time and drink as much as I need to finalise my impressions. That is more difficult to do with a sample bottle, but I have done my best.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Paul John whisky has an unusually uniform design language across their entire range. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between expressions from a distance, since the label differences are very subtle and the colour of the whisky look very similar. Bottled at 46% ABV.

Appearance: All the whisky in the Paul John range looks the same golden hue to me, but Paul John proudly claim their whisky contains no artificial colouring and are non-chill filtered. I can only assume that some form of distillery wizardry must take place to achieve such a consistent colour across the range.

Aroma: Quite a restrained nose, faint clove spice, not smokey at all, a little fruity.

Flavour: A very pleasant smooth and balanced spicy mix with a smokiness that builds as the whisky warms in your mouth.

Finish: A bit of a nothing finish, a brief spicy pop that fades quickly.

Would I buy it again?

No, in my opinion, Paul John Bold is a little one dimensional; by saying that I mean Paul John Bold definitely stars on the palate but fails to impress on the nose and in the finish. I am sure that a lot of people would like this whisky since it excels in flavour without overpowering the drinker but personally, I like a little more going on regardless of how tasty it may be. Paul John Bold is an inoffensive single malt that tastes great but is just not as involving as I would have liked. It would make an excellent introduction to Indian single malt whisky or as an example of a lightly peated malt for someone new to a peated style. Perhaps it could have been better if it was bottled at a slightly higher ABV.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Paul John Edited Impressions

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Paul John Edited Impressions

Original photo provided by Tim Grant and used with permission.

What is it?

Distillery: Paul John
Name: Edited
Make: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Extra Info: The Paul John distillery is situated in Goa, on the west coast of India. Paul John Edited is distilled from a mix of unpeated Indian malt and malt dried with fires fuelled by peat imported from Islay and Aberdeen in Scotland. Approximately 15% of the final whisky uses the peated malt, producing a lightly peated profile for this ex-bourbon cask matured Indian single malt whisky.

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. This is a review of a sample bottle kindly provided by Paul John. I usually only review full-size bottles since I can take my time and drink as much as I need to finalise my impressions. That is more difficult to do with a sample bottle, but I have done my best.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Paul John whisky has an unusually uniform design language across their entire range. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between expressions from a distance, since the label differences are very subtle and the colour of the whisky look very similar. Bottled at 46% ABV.

Appearance: All the whisky in the Paul John range looks the same golden hue to me, but Paul John proudly claim their whisky contains no artificial colouring and are non-chill filtered. I can only assume that some form of distillery wizardry must take place to achieve such a consistent colour across the range.

Aroma: Big leather notes, perhaps some lanolin and charcoal.

Flavour: Thin mouthfeel with a clearly medicinal taste and a little spice.

Finish: Smooth, medium length with a lasting tingle on the tongue.

Would I buy it again?

No, it is not my favourite expression in the Paul John range. I stand by my own impressions but my tasting notes differ quite a lot from some other opinions I have read. Although I found the strong leather nose to be pleasant, it was also rather overpowering, leaving the whisky's aroma a little unbalanced. The flavour tasted like what I would imagine a lightly peated Laphroaig to taste like, so if you like your peated malts with a more medicinal flavour, you will most likely find a lot to enjoy in the Paul John Edited. 

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Paul John Classic Select Cask Impressions

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Paul John Classic Select Cask Impressions

Original photo provided by Tim Grant and used with permission.

What is it?

Distillery: Paul John
Name: Classic Select Cask
Make: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Extra Info: The Paul John distillery is situated in Goa, on the west coast of India. Indian single malt whisky is produced primarily for the export market. An Indian 'whisky' is produced and sold locally made from blending a molasses-based spirit similar to Rum with either grain whisky or blended Scotch whisky. This cannot be sold as 'whisky' in most of the world and is often referred to as a 'spirit drink.' However, according to Forbes, in 2014 one such 'spirit drink,' Officer’s Choice sold 28.4 million 9-liter cases - about 255 million litres and enough to fill over 100 Olympic-size swimming pools. By comparison, that is over 14 times the volume of global Johnnie Walker sales!

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. This is a review of a sample bottle kindly provided by Paul John. I usually only review full-size bottles since I can take my time and drink as much as I need to finalise my impressions. That is more difficult to do with a sample bottle, but I have done my best.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Paul John whisky has an unusually uniform design language across their entire range. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between expressions from a distance, since the label differences are very subtle and the colour of the whisky look very similar. Bottled at 55.2% ABV.

Appearance: All the whisky in the Paul John range looks the same golden hue to me, but Paul John proudly claim their whisky contains no artificial colouring and are non-chill filtered. I can only assume that some form of distillery wizardry must take place to achieve such a consistent colour across the range.

Aroma: A delectable blend of nutmeg spice, sweet honey and faint vanilla notes.

Flavour: Oily mouthfeel, sweet and peppery.

Finish: Smooth, medium length, late spicy pop with some bitterness at the last moment.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. Paul John Classic Select Cask is an ideal whisky for when you want to just wile away the hours savouring the aroma and taking the occasional sip. Depending on your tastes, you may want to add a little water due to the relatively high alcohol content, but I found it to be great neat. Paul John Classic Select Cask is the kind of whisky you can nose incessantly and where a single dram can last an age. I really enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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Paul John Brilliance Impressions

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Paul John Brilliance Impressions

Original photo provided by Tim Grant and used with permission.

What is it?

Distillery: Paul John
Name: Brilliance
Make: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Extra Info: The Paul John distillery is situated in Goa, on the west coast of India. A popular tourist location with temperatures ranging from an average of 25°C in winter to an average of 30°C in summer. Pair this with a tropical monsoon climate at you have all the makings for rapidly ageing (and evaporating) whisky. Paul John tries to slow this process by ageing their whisky in underground temperature-controlled bond stores, but don't expect to India whisky boasting of double-figure age statements like those of Scotch; similarly to Taiwan and Australia, whisky just ages and is lost to the "Angel's Share" much faster in these climates.

Why did I buy it?

I didn't. This is a review of a sample bottle kindly provided by Paul John. I usually only review full-size bottles since I can take my time and drink as much as I need to finalise my impressions. That is more difficult to do with a sample bottle, but I have done my best.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Paul John whisky has an unusually uniform design language across their entire range. In fact, it can be difficult to distinguish between expressions from a distance, since the label differences are very subtle and the colour of the whisky look very similar. Bottled at 46% ABV.

Appearance: All the whisky in the Paul John range looks the same golden hue to me, but Paul John proudly claim their whisky contains no artificial colouring and are non-chill filtered. I can only assume that some form of distillery wizardry must take place to achieve such a consistent colour across the range.

Aroma: Pleasantly oaky, citrus notes and vanilla cream sponge cake.

Flavour: Tingling spices on the tongue, saliva-inducing dry with fennel and pepper.

Finish: Medium length, fading spice with a bitter aftertaste.

Would I buy it again?

If I had tried it in isolation, Yes; but I tried it alongside other expressions from Paul John and to be honest, Brilliance wasn't my favourite. Paul John Brilliance is a perfectly fine example of Indian single malt and I bet if you haven't tried Indian whisky before, it tastes better than you would expect. In fact, Brilliance was awarded 'Best Overseas Whisky' at the 2017 Òran Mór Whisky Awards in Scotland. But in my opinion, Brilliance is the tamest of the Paul John whisky range and is not the one I will be coming back to.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.
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