Whisky review : Tsingtao 17 years old - 40%

Whisky review : Tsingtao 17 years old - 40%

-1st and only time I was able to actually find ''real'' Chinese whisky !
-Bought in a Food Fair in 2011 and was not able to find it ever since.
-Very pricey
-Hardcore packaging
-Only had one glass...the bottle is dying on the shelf....

Colour:  nice yellow gold, pure. I would say no caramel. But then again, if it's not written it's hard to say.

Nose : a bit too spirity, very rough (indicating that it is a very young spirit and perhaps even a grainy whisky, not a single malt, apples, wood. This whisky needs to lay in the glass for a while before it settles down. After ten minutes or so, you get, behind the wood, a touch of medecinal oil. Still very spirity.

Mouth : spirity at first but cools down quick. Woody, Oak, not quite fresh, nutty...some corn, grass and a touch of ether !

Finish: Very short, sweet, nothing to be remembered. 

E for the taste. A very rough and young spirit. On the taste at least...considering it's a 17y matured spirit...it looses even more points ! If I were to guess, I'd say it's not even 3 years old. And then again why water this down to 40% since the it's so vague.
D- for the price. I paid 198RMB (33$) for this spirit. Simply way above a cheap blend.....in terms of price only.
A+ for presentation. The packaging (with magnet in the front) is cool. The frosted bottle is also very original. 

Whisky review: Connemara Irish peated Whiskey bottled @ 40%

Whisky review: Connemara Irish peated Whiskey bottled @ 40%.

-Very nice packaging

-1st peated Irish !

-very decent price

Colour: strong gold, medium bodied, I would assume, from the yellow colour that there is no Caramel here...

Nose: Peat, more peat, car tire, permanent marker but with some caramel sweetness to it, very Islay-grainy nose. I would say, considering the freshness, it's getting close to a Laphroaig Quarter cask (for the nose).

Mouth: Sweet green peat fire, bitter roasted grains, then fruity juicy peat, followed by a few dried fruits notes. Water accentuates the peat and some of the hidden spicy notes. but the bitter roasted grains remind of the Chinese bitter tea named ''Ku Ding''. It's not unpleasant but....it's the kind of green taste that should not be at the forefront.

Finish: Bitter grains, peat, lingering peat smoke, car tire, wet rubber. A great whisky for any Islay lovers who want to try something different but yet peaty !

A- for the taste, the bitter notes are sometimes not great.

A for the price, at 53$ SAQ (53,7$ LCBO), it's a great buy. Not sure I would buy the cask strength version (99$). I feel it's smooth and peaty.

A for the presentation. Lovely small bottle and great looking packaging.  

whisky review : Isle of Jura Prophecy bottled @ 46%

whisky review : Isle of Jura Prophecy bottled @ 46%

-1st reviewed Jura

-Very peaty

-A bit pricey

-Oloroso finish

-Limited annual release

Colour: Coppery gold.medium bodied

Nose: Peat, sweet fruity peat, spirity but not harsh, very round and gives the feeling of a high quality malt, iodine, spices,

Mouth: Direct sweet peaty arrival, more peat, fruity peat, a lot of spices, cinnamon. Influence of the Oloroso. Very fresh taste. Excellent malt, the most peated of the Jura range, but not as strong as the Laphroiag or even Ardbeg. Fresh peat but not medicinal tones or Iodine. However, very strong peat for an out of Islay Malt. A must try.

Finish: Sticky peat, lingering bitter and peaty, the tickling of the spices remains....quite good indeed.

A for the taste. Spicy and peaty is a great combination.My favourite of the Jura range so far.

B for the price. At 83$ at the SAQ and 89$ at the LCBO, it's a ok price. I would figure 75$ would do. However if you get the chance to sip a dram....do it. Wonderful malt.

A Nice bottling and the eye makes it mysterious. 

Retaste  20 nov. 2012

Colour: dark copper, medium bodied

Nose: Caramel, peat, iodine, spices, sweet spices, raw sugar

Mouth: peat, sweet, smoke of cigar, small fruits, wet straw, salt water, coastal breeze, light peat, algae, spice cake.

Finish: tingly, apricot, caramelized apples, light peat, smoke, lingering caramel and iodine. 

Retaste  June 13 2014

Colour: dark gold, light bodied

Nose: Sweet white smoke, light, a tad oily, peat associated to Benriach, light sweet salted notes.

Mouth: soft arrival, distant smoked meat, fake caramel taste, chili, salt, soft peat, tamed peat, touches of iodine and salted-sweet fruits.

Finish: lingering marine notes, sweet and distant yet present peat and white ashes.

Whisky review : Still Waters 1+11 Blended Canadian Whisky Batch No.1201 bottled @ 40%.

Whisky review : Still Waters 1+11 Blended Canadian Whisky Batch No.1201 bottled @ 40%.

-A new independent bottler

-Good price

-Looking forward for the next release.

Colour: light gold, oily, looks very thick in the glass. Very rare for a Canadian whisky not to have colouring or even a dark colour. If it's the case, the bottler should indicate the absence of caramel...

Nose: typical Canadian here, Corn, mashed corn, light coconut, not a very aggressive nose, like a quiet rum even. Pine cones, eucalyptus. Very similar to the Alberta premium but in a more relaxed way. Not as sweet as other Canadians....

Mouth: Soft arrival, vague sweet notes (quick to disappear) wood notes, white pepper, sweet-bitter notes like honey and bitter melon combined, Soft pine notes, it's a very gentle Canadian whisky, nothing like the others. It's round and gentle. However, it fades quickly in the palate. Good thing this you can feel, unlike other Canadians, the high quality of the spirit and how it was put together...no burn....nothing too harsh.

Finish: does not stay long.....leaves this bitter notes and eucalyptus.

B for the taste. It's not there yet, but very promising start. A must buy to drink or to collect. I can predict the next release will be amazing.

A+ for the price, at 29,65$ (LCBO), it's a great purchase.

C a big let down on the presentation here. I would pay 5$ more to get this bottle in a tubing or a box. Cork also seems very cheap. Advice : do not try to look high class if you can't, put a screw top or even a twist cap instead, not fake plastic ''cork''....

whisky review : Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 years old

whisky review : Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 years old, Batch No.1011A, bottled @ 48%

-Non-chill filtered

-1st Glenlivet to be reviewed

-Great quality product

-Sadly, previous versions were bottled at cask strength

Colour: Bright straw gold, natural brightness. Good points for Glenlivet for not having filtered this one.

Nose: Sweet, juicy, lilacs, floral notes, broken raw sugar, some hints of eucalyptus as well, apples, apple sappy wood, green wood,  Oatmeal vanilla-coconut cookies. Well it is 1st fill American oak ! From the nose, I would say they went easy on the chard. Very refined nose.

Mouth: creamy, sweet, very fruity, a slight burn as well. Candies, vanilla, you can taste the green wood here, it's fresh, it's vibrant wood. But only in terms sweetness, not in terms of wood notes. Apples, green apples, sappy wood. Some floral notes as well. A very interesting Whisky to say the least. Water takes some of the chilly heat off. It becomes more floral and turn more into the green wood influence. Quite good.

Finish: leaves a bitter white tea note, nothing too harsh. Sweetness, honey, apples. Some acidic notes as well, but might be from the 48%. Those bitter notes are most interesting, like the aftertaste of chewing sappy wood....

A for taste. Super Glenlivet here. Very rich and interesting. A must try

A+ for presentation, it's wrap in the box...

B++ for the price. At 80-82$ it's ok. A pit pricey but a good purchase still.Weirdly I saw the Nàdurra bottled at Cask Strength today (SAQ)...how come mine was only at 48%...weird...

Whisky review : Monkey Shoulder, Blended whisky bottled @ 40%

Whisky review : Monkey Shoulder, Blended whisky bottled @ 40%

-Very interesting blend
-Good retail price
-Catchy name

Colour: Light bright gold, pale for a blend.

Nose: Fresh cold apples, fruity, juicy, sweet candied fruit, like green apple paste. Nose reflects a certain sherry influence here, hence I would think some sherry matured whiskies are involved in this blend.

Mouth: Gentle, full bodied, sweet fruity, soft sweet but does not peak into the mouth. From its delicate taste, I would suggest that mostly lowland and highland malt are involved here. Water drowns the malt here...not a good idea. This blend has an original nose and a very fruity, sweet and a bit spicy arrival. A definite must-try blend for the money. It's one to be tried and retried.

A for the presentation, the monkeys on the bottle add a je ne sais quoi to it. looks great.
B+ for the taste, but still considering B. This blend has a nice arrival, but fades a bit too quickly for my taste.
A for the price. It's marketed at 35$ (in US). I would gladly pay 35$ for it.

Whisky review : Auchentoshan 18 years old, bottled @ 43%

Whisky review : Auchentoshan 18 years old, bottled @ 43%

-4th Auchentoshan
-bottled at 43%
-Last of my Auchentoshan mini-series

Colour: brighter than the 12 years old. strawy-gold.

Nose: soft caramel, toffee, smells more like a well sat malt, but it's still less interesting than the 12 years old. Some leather notes, like an old brandy. When water is added, it turns into a more bourbon sweet spirity nose, sweet cereal, like cooked corn.

Mouth: Smooth, spicy, chilli, but not too rough, then turns into sweet tingly white peppery notes that lingers on the tongue. When water is added, it delivers some delicate sweet notes, like the Arran Bourdon cask, baked apples on the teeth, a more gentle yet spicy apricot jam malt.

Finish: leaves a wood sap, green wood flavour, yet spicy.

B+ for the taste
A for the presentation
E for the price.It can find in Edmonton for 109,99$. It's way above the price point for this malt. I know it's 18 years old but still, there's room for improvement. Does not quite feel like a real mature malt. I would say, considering the age, 70$. Not a penny more. (The MRP for this one is around 89$). This is one those malt that, like the Glenfiddich, that reaches its potential at lower ages.