DEWAR

Lately, all I seem to purchase are single malt scotch whiskies. What about a good blended scotch whisky? I like Johnnie Walker Black Label. Green Label is very good. Chivas Regal 12 years works too. What about Dewar's 12 years? Me thinks I need to try it. So, a bottle was procured from my local liquor store by yours truly, and so here we are.

Nose (undiluted)
Muted dandelions and malt notes. No strong aromas here. Very gentle scents.




Palate (undiluted)
Very sweet entry onto the palate followed by some feeble attempt to dry or evaporate, but this is mostly a failed attempt. Instead of drying there is a warm graininess. As for flavors, you will be greeted by sugary, cloyingly so, honey, followed by some malty notes and dark chocolate. There is a slight barnyard funkiness, something spoiled going on here. Not easy to put my finger on it. Think of the taste of rinds of tangerines left in the fruit bowl too long by the kitchen window, as the sun beams down day after day.

Finish (undiluted)
Artificially sweetened cereal. Think Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms in a bowl of chocolate milk with saccharine liberally sprinkled on top. That’s the very brief lingering taste. The saccharine really is a distinct and unfortunate (like a car accident) flavor on the finish. Yuck!

Nose (diluted)
Add a teaspoon of water and the pleasing undiluted nose disappears. In its place is the scent of damp leaves.

Palate (diluted)
The disappointment continues. The addition of water just punches up the NutraSweet levels to near diabetic coma conditions. Flavors? I dunno. I guess you could call it honey, Dollar Store honey, way past expiry date that was safe for human consumption.

Finish (diluted)
Graphite, cheap and short like Madonna's mini skirts from early '80's music videos. This is junk scotch.

General Impressions
Please avoid at all costs. Drinking Dewar’s 12 years evokes childhood memories of bouts of car sickness on the long drive to Grandma’s house.

If I were to sum it up in a few words, I would say: grainy sweet with some malt notes on the finish. The taste is cheap. Reminds me of something rummies would drink. I am surprised it is a 12 year old blend. Also reminds me of J&B, which is not a good thing. I am still emotionally scarred from the last J&B tasting. Both are ridiculously sweet with simple, unadulterated flavors of artificial sweetener, honey and some malty cereal. Probably the best feature of this blended scotch whisky was the undiluted nose. It was subtle and pleasing and consequently provided no warning of the huge pedestrian crosswalk disappointment that awaits the unsuspecting and trusting fool.



Value for Money?
Me thinks not. The price is within $1 of Johnnie Walker Black Label, another 12 yr old blended scotch, and it is the same price as Chivas Regal 12 years. Dewar's tastes more like an economy blended scotch and they (ie. Johnnie Walker Red Label, Ballantines) are better. Dewar's 12 years old is too expensive for what you get. It is similar to J & B Rare, another terribly sweet blended scotch that is better consumed as part of a mixed drink. Dewar's may work as mix, but the trouble is one should not have to spend that much for mix!

I still have about half a bottle. I am not going to finish it. I will give it to someone, but the questions is: Who do I dislike that much?

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Posted in: best wine,DEWAR,red wine,white wine

BALLANTINE

Every seasons comes or each year, in late November and early December, whisky and scotch bloggers across the internet start posting their 'awards.' 'This whisky is the best or that one is the best.' Often the 'winners' are very expensive, limited release bottlings that are not obtainable by the average Joe or Jane (in case you are a lady whisky fan).




Anyhow, I have no such list, awards, ribbons or medals to decorate certain bottles that I am mighty passionate about. Why? Laziness mostly. It takes time and a lot of thought (and maybe a wee little arrogance too) to declare that this or that whisky is the best.

People do like lists. They are helpful, a guide of sorts. Especially during the holiday season. I must receive a minimum of five emails a month asking me what are the best whiskies. I always respond by first asking: what do you like? Smokey, peaty whisky? If so, I have my Islay recommendations ready for you. If you are a honey, cinammon nut with a flourish of smoke, I have a list of Speyside, Highland and other suggestions. Maybe I should post my suggestions. I'll get to work on that . . .

Nose (undiluted)
Soft peat, Oriental tea, wet cedar.

Palate (undiluted)
Sweet at first. Peat, limes, green tea, turning to slight tangerine entwined with very sticky honey. The effervesence of lime Perrier and other citrus notes will delight the palate. Grain is sweet and very good. The palate is easy, rounded and displays a classic blended scotch style. Very mellow.

Finish (undiluted)
The lasting flavors change up from mellow to give a little kick of interest. Malty, oak laden and tangy sea salt hang and dries a little, which is an interesting twist on a common theme.

General Impressions
This is a very good blended scotch whisky. Frankly, one of the better blends. Ranking among blends I would put it a little ahead of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, but behind Royal Salute. In my mind, Royal Salute is simply the best blended scotch whisky. Ballantine's 17 years is a very close and respectable second place.




Ballantine's 17 years will meet all the basic attributes that the mainstream consumer requires from their scotch whisky. It is smooth yet interesting. Pleasing to the senses (ie. eye, nose, taste). No bite or offensive qualities. Makes a super holiday gift for the casual drinker seeking a pleasurable whisky without taking any risks in terms of flavor. You cannot go wrong buying this for someone you know who likes other premium blends like Johnnie Walker Blue, Chivas Regal 18, etc.

So, with respect to Jim Murray's remark that Ballantine's 17 "marks the epitome of great blending . . ." I agree. This is one of the finer blended scotch whiskies available. Well, maybe not the 'epitome,' but yeah it is a very good blend. However, it is by no means the "nectar of the gods." That would imply that this blend is superior to all other whiskies, including single malts. This is the point where I and Jim part ways. Of course you might think: "Jason, you are not reviewing the same bottle release as he. You are not comparing apples and oranges." I hear ya, and I can appreciate that there can be deviation in taste in blended scotch (rare as that may be, but not so unusual in single malt), but Mr. Jim makes claims that go beyond this. Jim is of the opinion that this blended scotch is superior to all single malts this year!

Whisky Intelligence (click here) is a website which posts all the press releases of the whisky industry, and so naturally it had also announced Mr. Murray's selection of Ballantine's 17 years as the "Whisky of the Year" for 2011 (click here). Perusal of the press release indicates that Jim is of the opinion that Ballantine's 17 outshines all other whiskies. I would refer you to the last two sentences of his tasting note:

"One of the most beautiful, complex and stunningly structured whiskies ever created. To the extent that for the last year, I have simply been unable to find a better whisky anywhere in the world."

Complexity?
Mr. Murray describes Ballantine's 17 as one of the most complex whiskies ever created.

To my mind, 'complexity' refers to the ability of a whiskey, when upon the palate, to display numerous distinct flavors simultaneously. This is where a good single malt leaves blended scotch in the dust. Think of Clyenlish 14, Cragganmore 12, Glenlivet 18, Glenfiddich 15 years and others. These are whiskies that have complexity: delicate flavors that you can count and pick out with considerable clarity, as if each flavor was the footstep of a tiny dancer on your tongue. The flavors are fresh and easy to delineate.

Now, think of blended whisky, whether premium or not. Start with Johnnie Walker Red Label, Teacher's Highland Cream, Ballantine's Finest and then step up to the premium blends like Chivas Regal 18yrs, Famous Grouse 12, Ballantine's 17 and even the mighty Johnnie Walker Blue. Here all the flavors are what I term 'rounded' or 'generalized.' These spirits deliver a melding or melting pot of flavors where none dominate, and all share a slice of some generalized flavor pie diagram. Rarely can a blended scotch escape from such mainstream mellow mediocrity when compared to single malts. Nor do they want to. Blended scotch exhibits the flavor profile I have described for good reason: this is what the vast majority of casual whisky consumers prefer. But, for Mr. Murray to say that Ballantine's 17 is "the most beautiful, complex and stunningly structured whiskies ever created" simply defies logic.

And so, I also have to disagree with his statement: "To the extent that for the last year, I have simply been unable to find a better whisky anywhere in the world." What he must be drinking cannot be even remotely in the same flavor profile as what I am drinking.

Talk about hyperbole! Can't find a better whisky anywhere in the world he says? There are several single malts that are, in my opinion, stunningly complex, beautiful and awesome:

Highland Park 15 year old Earl Magnus

Highland Park 25 years

Laphroaig Cairdeas (2010)

Or how about an awesome blended whisky:

Royal Salute

Hibiki 17years

. . . and frankly, Johnnie Walker Black Label 12yrs. I prefer Johhnnie Black to Ballantines' 17. Maybe some will disagree, but if so, I think a sip of Hibiki will settle any argument that that fine Japanese whisky out classes Ballantine's 17 any day.

Bottom Line
I fail to understand how Jim Murray can declare Ballantine's 17 years to be the overall whisky of 2011. Truly baffling. This whisky is an excellent blend. Pleasing, enjoyable, a tad expensive but not disappointing so long as you do not compare it to some stellar single malts or the fine Japanese blend mentioned above. Now, I am drinking the Ballantine's 17 from the year before, so it is possible that there is a huge improvement in taste, but somehow I doubt that is the case. But even with a huge improvement, the claim he is making is incredulous.

With the upcoming holiday season, you will read many 'must buy' lists and award winning whiskies, but a healthy dose of scepticism is useful too. Remember in the end, only your opinion truly counts!

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Posted in: BALLANTINE,red wine,white wine

THE GLENLIVET

The Glenlivet range of single malt whiskies starts at 12 yrs, followed by 15 and then 18. There are other expressions from time to time that appear in duty free shops at airports. In any case, today I am trying the 18 yr old.




Glenlivet scotch is the second best selling single malt scotch in the world. With that kind of world wide market share and popularity, one has to wonder if it is any good. I am here to report that this distillery makes a pretty good 18 yr old single malt.

Nose
Floral (peony, roses) notes mixed with tendrils of sherry.

Undiluted Palate
Slightly sweet, rich sherry initially followed by red fruit, caramelized pears, malty backbone, all accompanied by modest spiciness and a little oak.

The Glenlivet 18yr old is a product of the blending of this single malt from some casks that previously held bourbon while others held sherry. The result is a single malt that is memorable and the sherry seems to come out on top in the overall flavor profile.

Add Water
Add a little water (ie. a teaspoon or two) and the sherry and spiciness is toned down. At the same time, it becomes sweeter and with a greater malty presence mid-palate. On the ‘finish’ the heather flavor is elevated and visited by a newcomer, mint.

Finish (undiluted)
Warming heather and restrained peat flavors drying across the palate accompanied by some light spiciness.

Finish (diluted)
Sweeter than without water and a little richer taste as the warming heather and gentler peat evaporates in your mouth. A gentle spiciness also lingers to finish this out.

General Impressions
I definitely prefer this with two teaspoons of water to a shot of the single malt. The water transforms an otherwise middle of the road single malt into a strong performer. For those readers who like their scotch with ice, this is a single malt that will dance with the ice cube. A marriage made in heaven for those who like ice.




Consumed neat, it is pleasing, concentrated, but a little simple or one dimensional. It’s good, but not what I would regard among the greats like Highland Park 18 yrs or Talisker. As mentioned previously, the addition of water takes it to a higher level. Strangely, it acquires some complexity with the addition of water.

Price Point
The price of this single malt is among the lowest in the market place for an 18 year old. As a result, making this purchase is clearly going to deliver value for money given the above satisfactory tasting note. It’s not the best 18 year old single malt on the market, but it certainly is far from the worst.

Bottom Line
An above average single malt scotch that benefits from the addition of a bit of water.

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Posted in: delicious,GLENLIVET,red wine,white wine

GLENFIDDICH

Heres a short review about GLENFIDDICH. William Grant & Sons Ltd. is the company that makes Grant's Family Reserve, a blended scotch whisky which I consider a very poor entry level blended scotch whisky. It is weak in flavor, grainy and instantly forgettable.




William Grant & Sons Ltd. also make Glenfiddich single malt scotch at the distillery of the same name in Dufftown, Scotland. The Glenfiddich brand is a good one. The iconic triangular bottle that was introduced into the market place in the 1960's steadily grew in popularity until it appeared and continues to appear in virtually every bar in the world. So, can something so common be any good? Well, we know that Grant's Family Reserve is common, like chicken pox, but is not good. Meanwhile, Glenfiddich single malt scotch, regardless of how common it may be, actually is good!

The Glenfiddich product line starts with the 12 year old single malt, a citrus, honey, oak dram that is rounded and pleasing. Next up is the 15 year old, the subject of today's review. The 18 and 21 year olds are special also but will have to wait for another day. I gotta keep you coming back somehow!

When I indulge in the 15 year old, I am immediately struck by how much distance there is in quality between it and the 12 year old. While the 12 year old is a decent and pleasing introduction to Speyside single malts, it is the 15 year old that will reveal why single malts enjoy cult like affection from their admirers.




Color
Amber.

Nose (undiluted)
The aromas drifting upwards from your glass are heaven sent. Rich, fragrant spices with oak and a little peat swirl. Rarely does a single malt have aromas that can be termed complex, but this is one. A real treat to nose. The only other scotch with a possibly superior aroma is Johnnie Walker Gold Label. Is it better? I am unsure. They are both great.

Palate (undiluted)
The complexity promised by the aromas is fulfilled on the palate. Take a sip and you will enjoy honeyed, coffee crisp candy bar center, with an intricate spiciness. All of this takes place against a tapestry of oak and white chocolate.

Finish (undiluted)
Puckering dryness with intensifying spices moving eventually to mild peppercorns.

General Impressions
This is a light bodied single malt which showcases the best that Speyside has to offer. It is smooth, yet interesting. The honey and vanilla are there, coupled with oak and some toffee. You will enjoy a concentrated flavor profile. The honey flavors have a wild taste, some heather mixed in, making for a complex dram.

Good price! They could raise this price by $10 and it would not affect market share in my opinion.

If you like Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, Chivas Regal 18 year old and in general anything from Speyside, then Glenfiddich 15 year Solera Reserve will not disappoint!

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Posted in: GLENFIDDICH,good taste,red wine,white wine

JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL

As the name gold the price also gold. . .lol! I'll discuss a short review about this golden wine.

The Johnnie Walker product line is easy to understand. Certain labels denote the level of quality of the relevant blended whisky. Red Label is the entry level offering, drunk by itself is a pleasant endeavour, and so, very suitable for adding soda or making mixed drinks. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Blue Label, a blend of scotch whiskies up to 40 yrs of age, sourcing single malts of distilleries that are no longer in operation. In between these two extremes are: Black, Green and Gold labels. As you can see, the Gold Label falls just before the zenith of scotch blends, Johnnie Walker Blue Label. So, the question that arises: Is Gold Label that good? And the answer is . . . yes, it is. Very good indeed.




It was introduced into the market place in 1995. Little advertising on TV and in magazines in the US. Advertising is considerable in the Far East where Johnnie Walker enjoys a huge following. China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand are filled with ads of this scotch.
In North America, the price of Gold Label, I think causes consumers to opt for single malt over it. In any case, despite the lack of profile and advertising in North America, it is well worth discovering.
Gold Label Composition
The Gold Label is made up of a combination of grain and single malt whiskies having a minimum age of 18yrs in casks, prior to actual bottling. Remember scotch, unlike wine, does not improve with age once bottled. At the core of this blend are a number of single malts that are purported to be quite scarce. Specifically, Clynelish which is distilled from spring water that supposedly runs through veins of gold. I am frankly a little sceptical, and do not think that water passing by or through veins of gold will actually impart a distinctive flavor. Anyway, the bottom line is tha this blend is made up of high quality and obscure single malts. Diageo (the company that owns Johnnie Walker) is very guarded as to the contents of this blend. In my humble opinon, there are two reasons: first, they want to minimize competition; and secondly, there may be more grain whisky than people would expect, that if divulged might negatively impact sales.
Nose
I could nose this scotch for hours. There is so much there and you just know they spent a bloody fortune trying to get the scents just right. I am a guy who is not particularly concerned with interior decor or the color of my socks in relation to my suit, but this scotch, I am fascinated by the scents it gives. Its like sniffing a rose, and coming back over and over. Even my wife sniffed it and was shocked it was scotch. There is a lot going on, specifically, the scent of fresh bread, roses, and other flowers that frankly smell nice, but don't have a clue to identify. If this is a gift, your recipient will be impressed upon nosing this blend.
Suggested Serving
This is not to be drank with anything more than a drop or two of distilled water or a single ice cube. If you consult the Johnnie Walker US website, you will be advised to try the Gold Label by freezing a shot in a glass in your freezer for 24 hours. Dont worry, due to the alcohol content, it doesnt freeze, but it does thicken. A sip of this scotch that has been subjected to your freezer for 24 hrs results is a scotch that upon sipping, in a chilled tumbler, provides a concentrated dram of honey and heather. I tried freezing a shot in a tumbler and then sipping and must say I was impressed. I chased a sip with some milk chocolate and was in awe. It transforms from a scotch to a dessert liqueur almost.




Palate
This is a gentle, soft introduction to a sophisticated honeyed dram. The honey is presented libereally on the palate, but mixed in with notes of heather, rich cream, spicy cinnamon, zing of candy cane, faint reverberations of peat and whisps of smoke. A wrapping of flavors that can be truly called complex. There is no burn or roughness here. You know upon your first sip that you are experiencing a high quality blend of spice, honey, smoke and peat in a flavor wrapping like no other.

Finish
If you tried it after being in the freezer for 24hrs, the flavors will linger much longer than if served neat at room temperature. Frozen, you will swallow, and minutes later you will still be able to taste the honey, heather, peat and smoke in that unique envelope of single malts and blends. The warming affect of your mouth upon the chilled scotch is truly very pleasing and unique.
Served neat, the flavor remains upon being swallowed, but does not linger as long as when served frozen and in a chilled tumbler. I realize that it is outrageous to serve scotch after having been in a freezer for 24 hours but it does work in this case.
General Impressions
Johnnie Walker Gold Label is to be served on special occasions for people who will appreciate a complex, honeyed, refined and very smooth dram. If you graduate from university and your parents choosing to serve this, they are on the mark. If you are in the bar at 2 am and contemplating taking a leak in the dumpster outside with your college buddies, you have missed the mark by a wide margin.'Smooth' and 'honey' in a complex wrapping of flavor is what I think of when considering this scotch. The only negative comment I have is with respect to the tail end of the tasting or finish. I pick up some heather or mint that is a little off. It annoys me a bit, but I am being very fussy and only a couple of my connosieur friends agree with me on this point.

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Posted in: JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL,red wine,white wine

CHIVAS REGAL

I'm gonna share my first encounter with Chivas Regal 12 year old blended scotch whisky. It was during my high school days.

One time following a Christmas time exam that finished at noon, I and a couple of classmates piled into a taxi and dropped by a local bar on the ground floor of a hotel, Sheraton, at that time. The dimly lit bar would be mostly empty except for the odd business types eating club sandwhiches and maybe cougars travelling in packs of two, who were feasting on salads. Myself, a mature student, who left a career as an insurance adjuster to return to school, Gordon, a failed businessman who thought law would lead to days of wine and roses, John, a top student suffering soul searching angst about whether he should go to med school instead (wish I had that problem) and Brian, not really a friend, but like a bad penny, we just couldn’t shake, would tumble into the bar and attract stares of consternation from the aforementioned patrons and bar staff. Brian, I might add, was cruelly nicknamed Barney after the character on the “Simpsons” because he was disheveled, smelled bad and looked like a drunk who just woke up on a park bench or under a bridge.




In any case, we would drop into red leather wingback chairs, dark burnished wood panel walls behind us and stare out the massive windows at the winter river that was mostly frozen. To warm ourselves up, and defrost our minds from the frantic study leading up to the exam, we would order Rusty Nails. This drink was composed of 60/40 mix of Drambuie and Chivas Regal 12 years old plus a couple of ice cubes. What a nice drink! The Drambuie and Chivas melded into an incredible drink.

In those days, I did not enjoy scotch neat, matter of fact, I had no appreciation of scotch whatsoever. Two weeks ago, I found myself in the liquor store scanning a wall of scotch, thinking what will I review next? Chivas Regal 12 years old appeared and I remembered I liked it as an active ingredient in a Rusty Nail, but would it work on its own?

Nose (undiluted)
Citrus, apples, maybe damp leaves.

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth, sweet honey, applesauce and hazelnut. Mid-palate: creamy vanilla, ocean spray of sea salt and heather.

Finish (undiluted)
A little Oloroso sherry? I think so. Some peat/smoke, heather and sea salt linger nicely and dry across the palate in an expansive manner.

General Impressions
The taste starts out sweet but finishes dry. I am impressed!

Frankly, I had very low expectations. Anything so widely available can’t be that good I thought to myself. I was wrong. This blended scotch exhibits no bite, bitterness or rough edges. It is designed to be smooth and totally inoffensive. It succeeds in this aim.

I am also pleased by the lack of a certain graininess that is very common in many blended scotch whisky. By graininess, I mean an unadulterated alcohol/bitter flavor that I associated with cheap blends.




It is a 12 year old blended scotch whisky, and compared to other 12 year old blended scotches, it does very well. Matter of fact, it can hold its own against the gold standard of 12 year olds, Johnnie Walker Black Label. Chivas Regal 12 years is priced competitively too so you are getting good value for money. Unfortunately, when you upgrade to the 18 year old bottling of Chivas, you could buy many superior single malt blends for less.

The limitations to this scotch are if you compare it to single malt scotch whisky. Of course it will come up a bit short in such a comparison, but you are not making a fair comparison. General Motors manufactures Chevrolet and Cadillac, but comparisons are not helpful as you are not comparing apples to apples.

Nevertheless, I do prefer this to some single malts. Depending on my mood, I could enjoy this blend just as much as Glenfiddich 12yrs or Glenlivet 12 yrs. But, there are certainly single malts that are superior like Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie and others!

Chivas Regal 12 years old serves up a rich, smooth blended scotch that most certainly is dominated by Speyside single malts. At the core of this blend is Strathisla single malt. You probably never heard of Strathisla and that is due to the fact that the Chivas and Glenlivet Group (the corporate owners of Chivas Regal) do not promote the brand. The principal purpose of owning Strathisla is to cement a steady supply of the main single malt ingredient making up the Chivas Regal blends.

I am so impressed with Chivas Regal 12 years old that I will have to reconsider my review of the 18 year old bottling. The 18 is very good, it just fails on the price point. Too much money for a blended scotch whisky. Anyway, I will return to the 18yr old at another date.

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Posted in: CHIVAS REGAL,red wine,white wine