Deanston 12

Name: Deanston 12

Color: Dark Yellow

Nose: Malt, orange, flowers, light oak

Taste: Malt, orange, honey-vanilla, white fruits

Review:

21 Days until Christmas! Do you have all your gifts and bottles ready?!?

The Deanston Distillery is located on the River Teith, about eight miles from Sterling, Scotland (near Edinburgh) and was founded in 1965. The Distell Group Limited owns Deanston and also owns Bunnahabhain, Isle of Islay, Tobermory, and Isle of Mull whisky. The name “Deanston” is named after the Dean of Dunblane. Dean was connected to the Gaelic term “toun” meaning farm/settlement to make the name “Deanston”.

The Deanston 12 is un-chilled filtered, natural colored, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and bottled at 46.3%. It has a medium body but with lighter fresh fruit notes on the finish. This expression is better tasting and more balanced than stated Deanston Virgin Oak (nas), BUT, not as good as some the other expressions I have reviewed. 

I have reviewed the following Deanston expressions: Virgin Oak, 15 year Organic, 15 Year Sauternes, 12 Year Palo Cortado Finish, and Decennary.

Deanston Single Malts are a great gift or a change of scenery if you only drink the “Glen’s” that come from Scotland and there are a few of them. I am hopeful that travel will to the United Kingdom will re-open in later 2021. I look forward to seeing my family in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Sterling, and a trip to Deanston Distillery.

Priced around $55 and Deanston is always worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisDeanston 12
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Johnnie Walker 4 Pack Sampler

Johnnie Walker produces a four pack of 200 ml bottles of Black, Gold, Platinum and Blue (375ml) Scotch for around $200. You might not find it as easy in a store but it is online at various distributors and I have seen it in Duty Free in Heathrow Airport.

I received this one as a Christmas gift and I am down to the Blue only. I am saving it for a special occasion.

If you want to do a tasting with friends and make up your own minds while saving some money I would definitely recommend this box set in lieu of full bottles. I would strongly suggest you treat it like a tasting with measured pours of whisky in different glasses, note taking, trying it with a splash of water etc. After that, you can decide on the value of the higher labels and see if it is your cup of tea (or whisky!)

Note: Specific Johnnie Walker Labels may vary in 4 pack box. Confirm with supplier prior to purchasing. I have seen red and black then two other higher labels as opposed to what I have described.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisJohnnie Walker 4 Pack Sampler
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Highland Park – 16 Year Twisted Tattoo

Name: Highland Park – 16 Year Twisted Tattoo

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malted barley, citrus, flowers

Taste: Malted barley, orange, smoke/pepper, red wine

Review:

Highland Park 16 Year Twisted Tattoo is another expression in the Viking series by the Highland Park Distillery (aka the marketing team). I have previously reviewed the Valkyrie expression and I was not very impressed and there now seems to be a pattern developing in my reviews of this series.The scotch is a single malt bottled at 46.7% abv, naturally colored, and aged in Spanish Rioja wine casks and first fill bourbon casks. The Spanish Rioja is a nice twist, but I have it on good authority that Spaniards keep their good Rioja in house and ship the crap stuff to the rest of the world.  I question the quality of the wine that imparted the flavor on this scotch. I found the nose and taste to be very similar which in my experience is not a good sign and the wine taste to be nothing special. Basically, this stuff is “ok” at best.

The art on the bottle is by a Danish Tattoo artists Colin Dale and it represents the Midgard Serpent. The seperant is the classic “snake eating its tail” which represents an unending circle. This circle is believed by some to represent the continuous circle of life. I believe, and this is just my opinion, Highland Park must have lost out to Johnnie Walker in obtaining the marketing rights to “Game of Thrones”. So instead they created this dual edged bullshit marketing campaign. You get little history of the Scottish with the Viking origins info and a little feel of the G.O.T. Have I mentioned before that I am half Scottish? We are descendants of Vikings but it is not brought up much because it would piss off the people from Iceland.

I can just hear it now……”Paging Mr. Draper to the Highland Park Distillery main conference room……you marketing presentation is about to begin…..”

 

Priced around $90 and it is ok but over priced for marketing reasons and the age. Maybe Odin’s adopted son Loki made this stuff? He is the God of Trickery. Thanks to Frankie for letting me try this one without paying!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisHighland Park – 16 Year Twisted Tattoo
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Glengoyne –12 Year Old

Name: Glengoyne 12 Year Old

Color: Light gold

Nose: Toffee sweetness, citrus, and “other”

Taste: Sweet, lemon, vanilla, and slight coconut (aka “other”)

Review:

Glengoyne 12 year old is aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The scotch is light, fresh, and definitely more of a summer than a winter in body and taste. That lingering taste of lemon and coconut threw me a little. It is a nice taste, but as the cooler weather arrives in NYC I want to move into my peaty/smoky whisky’s. The Islay whiskies taste so good in the cooler weather. Glengoyne 12 is naturally colored which is a nice touch. If you are not aware, Scotch production laws allow adding caramel coloring to maintain consistency in appearance of the spirit.

I purchased Glengoyne 12 because I do not recall trying it before and the price was right. Personally, I like to try the 12-year-old whiskies from distilleries to get a baseline understanding of the flavor profile. If you go right to older whiskies from a distillery I feel you miss the growth and development of the whisky. You just get the best of the product line if you go right to the top. What are you going to learn? Some people prefer to jump into the older ones because they assume they are better. This is usually true, but sometimes it is the journey, not the destination.

The distillery is approximately 20 miles north of Glasgow, Scotland. Next time I am in Glasgow I will do a full review of the whisky’s and the distillery.

Price around $50 and a good value. The flavor and quality is nice, but light and sweet for my taste this season.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

 

ChrisGlengoyne –12 Year Old
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The Macallan Edition No. 3

Name: The Macallan Edition No. 3

Color: Brown

Nose: Oak, vanilla, orange

Taste: Fruits, sweetness, vanilla

Review:

The Macallan Edition No. 3 is one of the three releases from Macallan’s Special Editions Collection. This scotch was created in partnership with professional perfumer Roja Dove who used his skills to match smells that work with each other.

No. 3 is wood focused with the nose being a big part of the profile. The nose being a significant part of the creative process is no surprise with a perfumer consulting on its creation. But how will it taste?

No. 3 is a blend of 6 casks which are the following;

    1. 1st Fill American Oak Hudosa Butts
    2. 2nd Fill American/European Oak Refill Butts
    3. 1st Fill European Oak Tevasa Butts
    4. 1st Fill American Oak Bourbon
    5. 1st Fill European Oak Tevasa Hogheads
    6. 1st Fill American Bourbon Barrels

Each cask has a different flavor profile. I will spare you the details but the vanilla taste is clearly nose forward on this whisky. As you may already know, that comes from the bourbon barrels. Vanilla is a big thing with perfumers so I am not surprised by this but there was not much else in the flavor profile.

Over the last few years there have been various partnerships between distilleries and other people. Distilleries are partnering with chefs, musicians, movies, actors, artists, etc. to create new whisky’s. I want to believe it is a good thing but sometimes I feel it is marketing bullshit. It is like the distillery ran out of ideas and someone said, “Ummm why don’t we bring in {fill in the blank} to help us? Then we can market the shit out of this whisky!”

Ya, ok….fuck off with that.

I get distinct feeling that some whisky producers, even the big ones, are getting a bit desperate with the potential, and eventual slowdown in whisky interest. It has been 10 years since Mad Men aired and whisky became cool again. Now, in 2018 distilleries need to create new products that do not have a historical romantic story so a partnership with someone cool helps them sell.

It should be noted that Macallan has two other “Editions”. No.1 is made from eight casks and not partnered with anyone cool. No. 2 is sherry styled and created with some famous Spanish Chefs. Sherry influenced whisky from Spain….no shit?

Priced around $100 it is good, but I am not a huge fan for the flavor or the price. Let’s see how long it lasts on the store shelves.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisThe Macallan Edition No. 3
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Talisker Skye Single Malt

Name: Talisker Skye Single Malt

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malted Barley, honey, vanilla, heather

Taste: Oak, toasted, honey, white fruit

Review:

Talisker Skye Single Malt is an expression from the Talisker Distillery created in 2015. Talisker was founded in 1830 and is a well-known and classic scotch from the Isle of Skye in Scotland located in Carbost. Since the distillery is so close the ocean it is stated the whisky is “Made by the Sea”. I get the sea flavor in the scotch, but I also get it from Old Putney which is located even more North in Wick, Scotland. Marketing, fun play on words, got to love it!

Other expressions from Talisker are; 10, 18, 25, 30-year-old, Storm, Dark Storm, Distiller Edition, 75 North, Port Ruighe, and Neist Pint. I have had the 18-year old and I will be doing reviews on the 10-Year-old and Storm over the next few months.

I received a 3-pack sampler when I was in Scotland from my Aunt and I enjoyed each of them while I was spending a few days in a hotel in Edinburgh. Talisker Skye is a softer version of Talisker 10 and is good and a little cheaper.

Price around $55 and good but I prefer the 10-year-old.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisTalisker Skye Single Malt
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Chivas Regal 12

Name: Chivas Regal 12-Year-Old

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, wood, heather, orange

Taste: Wood, orange, light pepper, light vanilla

Review: 

Chivas Regal 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch that comes from the Strathisla Distillery which was founded in 1786. It is located at Keith Moray in Speyside, Scotland and the Chivas Regal expression was created in 1801. I wonder how whiskey really tasted back in 1801. I bet it is was a rough and harsh as was life back then, plus there was no ice cubes unless it was winter. Due to the age of Chivas there is a lot of history but it is too long to summarize. If you like whiskey history I suggest you read up on it.

Chivas Regal is a very popular scotch and is on almost every bar in America, if not the world. Its popularity is up there with Johnnie Walker Black or Jack Daniels and it ranked in the top 5 blended scotches in the world.

It is bottled at 40% abv and is a blend so it is ok on the strength and decent on the taste. The 12 is a baseline scotch, but Chivas does have better expressions at higher prices. 

Other expressions: Extra, 18, 25 Brother’s Blend, Regal Ultis, Regal Mizunara, Regal the Icon, Royal Salute, and Regal XV. I have a bottle of the Royal Salute 21 and I am waiting to for a special occasion to crack it open. With respect to the Chivas Regal 12 you are getting a basic blend at a basic cost.

Priced around $35 and good to bring to a party as a gift or for slugging down with friends.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

 

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisChivas Regal 12
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Black Zebra Scotch

Name: Black Zebra Scotch

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Marine, malt, citrus

Taste: Marine, malt, citrus, salty

Review:

Black Zebra Scotch is a type of scotch that I can not review, but I can give you a “heads up” when it comes to drinking it. Do not drink it.

I went to Sandals for a few days of rest and relaxation in Antigua just after I got married back in December 2019. Black Zebra Scotch is the only scotch in the room along with some other cheap vodka, gins, and rum. It should be noted that at Sandals the highest quality whiskey is Crown Royal, Glenlivet 12, and Johnnie Walker Black.The cruise I took to Bermuda a few years ago had better scotch but I just can’t sit around in the sun and drink scotch. I am also not a fan of all inclusive resorts or cruises, I prefer walking around in other countries and really experiencing the country and culture. 

Black Zebra Scotch is rough, awful and tastes like someone pissed leftover cheap scotch into a green bottle.

Priced around “who gives a shit”. If you are going to Sandals, bring your own scotch and cigars as needed.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

 

ChrisBlack Zebra Scotch
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1986 Glenturret Glasgow 2014 Edition

Name: 1986 Glenturret Glasgow 2014 Edition

Color: Amber

Nose: Malt, grass, flowers, dry wood

Taste: Light wood, floral, lemon, spices

Review:

The 1986 Glenturret Glasgow 2014 Edition is a special edition scotch released to honor the Commonwealth Games that were held in Glasgow in 2014. It originates from the Glenturret Distillery in Perthshire, Scotland and is the key ingredient in the Famous Grouse scotch that is contained in the bottle. The various blends in the bottle are aged for 28 years (I doubt all of them are 28 years old) and the age coincides with the last time the Commonwealth Games were in Edinburgh in 1986. 

The scotch was bottled in 2014 at 46.4% abv and only 1800 bottles at 700ml have been produced and released. If you are interested in trying instead of buy, maybe, Copper & Oak or the Brandy Library might have a bottle. If they do, you are going to pay full fare for a dram due to the limit run and allocation. I do not think you will find this easily in the NYC area.

On my last visit to Glasgow my uncle told his friend, Mr. Murphy (owner of The Potstill) that I am a scotch drinker. Mr. Murphy and I chatted over a few pints at The Smiddy and he told me had a very good scotch for me to try. The next day my cousin’s husband I am I went over The Potstill to give it a try and it was excellent. I was graciously allowed to purchase a bottle and I lugged it home to NYC and saved it for a special occasion.

Priced around $225+ online and I paid less, but I paid less in British Pounds. It was a great scotch and worth a try and taste!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

 

If you like it, drink it!

Chris1986 Glenturret Glasgow 2014 Edition
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Glenmorangie 10

Name: Glenmorangie 10

Color: Yellow

Nose: Malt, heather, lemon, green grass, red fruit, vanilla

Taste: Barley, light oak, citrus, vanilla

Review:

Glenmorangie 10 is the baseline Highland Scotch from the Glenmorangie Distillery. It is a medium bodied whisky and not too strong on the palate. The name is derived from “vale of tranquility or big meadows”, however the exact history of the name is not known for sure.

The origin of Glenmorangie dates back to 1703 when it was a farm. Then in the 1730’s it became a brewery and finally a distillery in 1843. So, like Connor MacLeod from the Highlander Movie (1986) it has been around for a few centuries. Until Endgame where his kinsman Duncan MacLeod is forced to cut his head of at his request. Spoiler alert! I only mention the movie because he drinks Glenmorangie in the movies.

Glenmorangie has other expressions which are the following;

  • Core Range:Original, Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, and Nectar D’Or.
  • Prestige Range:18, 19, 25, Signet, Pride 1981, Pride 1978, Pride 1974, and Grand Vintage Malt 1990.
  • Private Edition Range: Sonnalta PX; Finealta, Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tùsail, Milsean, Bacalta, Spios, and Allta.
  • Legend Collection:Tarlogan, Tayne, Duthac, Dornoc, and Cadboll.
  • Limited Edition Range:Astar and A Midwinter Night’s Dram.
  • Cask Masters Selections:Taghta 2014.

Glenmorangie 10 is a good tasting, nicely balanced scotch that you should try and/or keep at home. I believe this was the first scotch I ever tasted, granted I was 10 years old when I tried it.

Priced around $60 and a good baseline for all things Glenmorangie.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

ChrisGlenmorangie 10
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