Jameson Special Reserve 12 Year Old


Rating:
★★★★★☆
Score:
94/100
ABV:
40% 
Region:
Ireland 
Body:
Full  
Intensity:
Medium (high on the entry) 
Texture:
Medium and mellow 
Balance:
Heavenly 
Best served:
Neat 
Theme(s):
Glazed cherries, sherry, spicy oak, buttery creaminess, raisins  
In a nutshell:
A burst of spicy oak is washed away by a wave of sweet sherry and glazed cherry encased in a luscious buttery creaminess and sprinkes of dark chocolate and raisin that layer the tongue, ending with bitter herbaceous notes much like wet tea leaves with some ground coffee and creamy sweetness 
Likes:
Punchy yet mellow, sweet yet bitter and sour, creamy and luscious
Dislikes:
The sherry can be a little too dominant 
Price:
$63

Aged for 12 years, this Jameson boasts a sweet sherry and Pot Still charm that sparkles within a creaminess that oozes complex oak and spice, in particular dark chocolate and mud cake layered with raisins and various herbs. This whiskey is is dense in the glass and seriously mellow on the palate, and yet it has a forceful Irish punch!

 Nose

Powerful in the glass, this whiskey pulsates the sweetness of glazed cherries in a creamy setting of milk chocolate as an array of complex herbs develop with the dominance of freshly crushed mint leaves with some sprigs of jasmine. Stone fruits develop, both fresh and dried. Fresh plum develops into prune and then sultana/raisin.

Taste 

 The sweet glazed cherries identified on the nose move to the palate, but the milk chocolate becomes mush denser and transforms into dark chocolate as the bitter and spicy oak whips the tongue with lashes of black tea leaves. There is a distinct buttery creaminess in this whisky that layers the tongue, as the beautiful sherry balances against the spicy oak leaving a gentle tide of Pot Still character splashing against the palate. The Jameson 12 Year Old is full bodied and it delivers a sharp whip on the palate that is delightfully refreshing among the general silken and creamy lusciousness of this whiskey. The creaminess is more buttery than milky on the palate.

Finish 

 The tongue throbs from the sharp whips of flavour that radiate strongly off it, as bitter oak and black damp tea leaves dominate with dense sour cherry and helpings of ground coffee with splashes of cream. The bright glow of sweet sherry is a constant within the symphony of character projected by the oak, wonderful!
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Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 45


Rating:
★★★★★☆
Score:
95/100
ABV:
60.2% 
Region:
Speyside, Scotland  
Body:
Full 
Intensity:
High 
Texture:
Medium  
Balance:
Heavenly  
Best served:
Neat, with water  
Theme(s):
Dry oak and sherry, dark chocolate cocoa, Christmas cake, red grapefruit (With water: Orchard fruits, red berries, jam, milk chocolate (dark)) 
In a nutshell:
The piercing thunderbolt of dry sherry and oak that leave burning embers of fruit and dark chocolate as a wave of luscious creaminess washes it away 
Likes:
Complex and piercing dryness when serves neat and soft creaminess when served with water 
Dislikes:
- 
Price:
$110 


Aberlour A'Bunadh ("The Origin" in Gaelic) is a whisky that whips the senses - sight, smell and taste - with a piercing vibrancy that engulfs the palate with flames of dry sherry and spice as the burning embers leave a complex array of fruit cake and dark chocolate layered with helpings of orchard fruit and berries. With water the magic softens, as ripe red berries mingle with dark chocolate to leave a creamy chocolate milk finish that coats the tongue.

Nose 

Neat: Piercing dry oak and sherry cuts through dense prune and raisin packed Christmas cake layered with vanilla bean whipped cream and topped with shavings of dark chocolate, sprinkles of cocoa powder and mint leaves.

With water: The piercing oak and sherry mellows, as the pulsating diversity of orchard fruits - blood plum, ripe apricot and yellow peaches - wafts up with sprinklings of nutmeg, cinnamon and rose petals. The cocoa also softens into milk chocolate while strawberries and cream deliver a more subdued aroma of sweet sherry spilled over a bed of lush green. The sweetness develops in the glass, as the fresh very ripe strawberries develop into jam, as shimmers of sugary sweetness weave in and out of soft oak and an orange chocolate sponge cake.

Taste 

Neat: The dry surge of oak and sherry is met with the a crisp bite of alcohol that has been clearly distilled with utmost love and care. Dry fruit cake loaded with raisins and dried cranberries is layered with pure cocoa, orange peel and burnt toffee as energetic gusts of cinnamon and anise seed bring spiciness.

With water: Soft pulses of sweet sherry and red berries - fresh strawberry, cranberry and raspberry - hit the tongue in waves. It is replaced with mild bitter dark chocolate that leaves a coating of creaminess, and a lingering milk chocolate consumed to the bottom as the chocolate powder brings bitter-dry sweetness.

Finish 

Neat: The dry oak and sherry is a constant theme, that on this finish develops into the bitter-dry burst of red grapefruit that leaves the palate salivating for more!

With water: The bright burst of red grapefruit and dark chocolate only develops moderately with some dry oak, as the character softens to milk chocolate with dashes of preserved strawberry and jam.
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Caol Ila 12 Year Old


Whisky:
Rating:
 Caol Ila 12 Year Old
★★★★★
Score:
89/100 
ABV:
43% 
Region:
Islay, Scotland
Body:
Medium
Intensity:
Medium
Texture:
Medium
Balance:
Superb
Best served:
Neat, with ice
Theme(s):
Strong blunt peat, sea salt, dried saltiness, sea shells
In a nutshell:
Super sweet sugary entry floods the palate with caramel and raisins as the burst of bitter-dry oak develops into toasted waffles and burnt toffee that bring a lovely bitter finish.
Likes:
Complex bitterness on the finish
Dislikes:
Sweet entry is a little too sugary
 
Caol Ila 12 Year Old is a single malt whisky that encapsulates the legendary character of Islay: peat, smoke, sea salt and the ocean breeze.

Nose

 A dense and luscious peat hits my nose with bravado and smoothness, without the slightest harshness or roughness. Encased in a glowing sweet strawberry jam, the peat weaves in and out of an ocean theme including sea salt and sea shells. 

Taste

 A wave of sea salt strikes my palate as a lighter ocean mist sprays peat and smoke onto the base of my tongue. The strawberry jam identified on the nose develops into stewed apricots that simmer gently in a coastal melting pot of brine and oyster shells with big bursts of salty earthiness.  

Finish

The finish on this whisky is long and offers a mild bitterness almost like wet Jasmine tea leaves on the tongue; a bitterness that then recedes to a gust of ocean spray that strikes with a blunt hammering of peat and dry salt that remains from evapourated sea water on the lips.
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Talisker Storm

Whisky:
Rating:
 Talisker Storm
★★★
Score:
68/100 
ABV:
45.8% 
Region:
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Body:
Medium 
Intensity:
Medium
Texture:
Watery-medium
Balance:
OK
Best served:
Neat
Theme(s):
New spirit, wet dough, peat, sea salt, diluted 
In a nutshell:
Brittle and unexciting on the nose, this whisky was dominated by the stench of new spirit as peat and a salty ocean breeze struggles to surpass it. On the palate it seemed a little watery with bursts of peat alongside sea salt and earthy jagged rocks. The oak plays a minor role, as this whisky portrayed a youthful theme that seems out of touch for a Scotch whisky.  
Likes:
  -
Dislikes:
Youthful theme, new spirit smell, brittle, watery
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Elijah Craig 12 Year Old

Whisky:
Rating:
Elijah Craig 12 Year Old
★★★★★
Score:
89/100 
ABV:
47% 
Region:
Kentucky United States
Body:
Medium 
Intensity:
Medium-high
Texture:
Medium
Balance:
Superb
Best served:
Neat, with ice
Theme(s):
Toasted waffled, burn toffee, dry oak, caramel 
In a nutshell:
Super sweet sugary entry floods the palate with caramel and raisins as the burst of bitter-dry oak develops into toasted waffles and burnt toffee that bring a lovely bitter finish.
Likes:
Complex bitterness on the finish
Dislikes:
Sweet entry is a little too sugary
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Armorik Double Matured, Amorik Classic, Breizh Whisky


From Brittany in France comes whisky from the Warenghem distillery: Armorik Classic, Armorik Double Maturation and Breizh whisky. These whiskies share a youthful raw theme that is all too common among whiskies from the European mainland, as they radiate the distinctive character of a new spirit that dominates and overpowers the oak influence.

Whisky:
Rating:
 Armorik Classic 
★★★☆ 
Score:
72/100 
ABV:
46% 
Region:
France 
Body:
Medium 
Intensity:
Light-medium 
Texture:
Light 
Balance:
Good 
Best served:
Neat 
Theme(s):
Musty, wet dough, Parmesan cheese, mushroom boxes, apricot in syrup 
In a nutshell:
Wet dough wafts up, dull and unexciting, with a musty old box of mushrooms and Parmesan cheese morphing on the palate into bitter/sour fruits with the lovely sweetness of apricots in syrup 
Likes:
Shining sweetness 
Dislikes:
Not my thing  


Whisky:
Rating:
Breizh Whisky
★★★★
Score:
78/100
ABV:
42%
Region:
France 
Body:
Medium
Intensity:
Light-medium
Texture:
Medium
Balance:
Good
Best served:
Neat
Theme(s):
Floral, green grapes, pepper, oak
In a nutshell:
Fresh and light floral notes meet the nose with lush grass and under ripe green grapes, then on the palate comes papaya with its mild pepper and spice alongside lime and sharp bursts of lemon and bitter oak. It all ends with cutting pepper and a fiery and spicy finish with the bitter furriness of a persimmon skin. 
Likes:
Diverse flavour profile
Dislikes:
A little dull 

Whisky:
Rating:
Armorik Double Maturation 
★★★
Score:
65/100
ABV:
46%
Region:
France 
Body:
Light-medium
Intensity:
Medium 
Texture:
Medium 
Balance:
OK
Best served:
Neat
Theme(s):
Sourdough, musty, mushroom boxes
In a nutshell:
Sourdough and musty new spirit pierces the nose with the smell of old mushroom boxes and a note on the palate I cannot quite put my finger on, and which I do not much enjoy. Not my thing. 
Likes:
-
Dislikes:
Youthful character lacking complexity and depth

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Three Capes Whisky - William McHenry & Sons


Rating:
 ★★★★★
Score:
 88/100
ABV:
 43.5%
Region:
 Tasmania, Australia
Body:
 Light-medium
Intensity:
 Light-medium
Texture:
 Medium
Balance:
 Superb
Best served:
 Neat 
Theme(s):
 Dry wood and spice, sour fruit, menthol/eucalyptus 
In a nutshell:
This whisky is light and fresh with a character that quietly whispers with bitter fruit and sour lolly/candy as complex spice (nutmeg) and wood SLAP the palate and just as things risk getting boring the glow on menthol/eucalyptus shines 
Likes:
Complex character progressively amplified on the palate  
Dislikes:
Light start, needs lots of unpacking and attention  
Price:
 $150

William McHenry & Sons distillery is located in the southern parts of Tasmania, and while it is called a "distillery" its Three Capes signature brand is comprised of whisky from the Tasmania Distillery that has been aged in American Oak bourbon barrels for at least 10 years. The whisky is then cut down to 43.5% alcohol volume and bottled as "Three Capes Single Malt Tasmanian Whisky".

The whisky in this review is bottle 250 taken from barrel 5.

Three Capes Whisky - Tasting Notes

This whisky is seriously good. It is a sensationally smooth whisky that is dangerously "more-ish" and yet deceptively quiet, because it bursts with dry spicy character in the middle to the end as the unexpected shine of menthol/eucalyptus radiates on the finish.

Nose

 Creamy, light and elegant the aroma of sour berries wafts up with wet bark and wood sap as sweet honey mingles with the solid buzz of spice, nutmeg and anise seed in particular. The sweetness is complex, with green under ripe strawberries and layered over some light cream and sour lollies.

Taste 

 Light jabs of bitter berries morph into green grape as a tart sourness is washed away by dry wood and yellow plum sprinkled with nutmeg and raisins. The bitter-dry character is almost like a thick cloud that has the shine of sweet bourbon flickering in the darkness.

 Finish

 The finish is long and lingering, as the very Australian taste of menthol and eucalyptus glows on the tip of the tongue within that bitter-dry cloud of wood, bark and green grape.
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