Bailie Nicol Jarvie was very popular at the beginning of the 20th Century. After that, it went downhill but nowadays it seems to gain popularity again.

Bailie Nicol Jarvie (40%, OB 2011)

Nose: fresh, sweet and balanced. Apples and pears, vanilla and lemon. Some Highlands heather as well. Soft hints of butter. Warm grassy notes (dried hay) with soft floral notes. Mouth: crisp barley sweetness, powder sugar and some citrus. Lemon icing on cake. Vanilla. Grains. Soft spices and nutty flavours (hazelnuts and almonds). Delicate hints of peat in the background. Finish: warm, quite nutty with lingering spices and a hint of smoke.

Bailie Nicol Jarvie is not a commonly found blend, but it’s worth looking out for if you want bang for your buck. Even though it’s fairly simple and a little on the sweet side, it can be found for less than € 20. Probably the best you can find for that amount of money.

Score: 80/100

Ballantine’s Finest, the basic version of the range, was not worth writing about when I tried it at a party last year. In the same Whisky Bible, that one picked up the award for best blended Scotch NAS, so let’s hope for a better experience this time.

Ballantine’s 17 yo (43%, OB 2010)

Nose: smooth start with pancake aromas, vanilla and creamy milk chocolate. Soft fruity aromas (lemon / lime), almonds and cinnamon. Hints of smoke. Cedar wood and a touch of leather. Mouth: honeyed and spicy start, slightly peppery and gingery. Elegant peat smoke again. Oak and toffee notes. Developing on fruit cake. Not complex but well balanced. Finish: circling around the same core of chocolate, delicate smoke and spices.

Indeed an enjoyable dram and a big step up from Ballantines Finest. It’s still quite a stretch to call this the whisky of the year, but it’s a valid choice if you’re looking for a Christmas present for your dad. Good notes for a blend. € 60 around here.

Score: 81/100

In the same series, there’s also an Islay Reserve and undisclosed rum and cognacs. They are “created as an introduction to the world of Berry’s spirits, each one carefully chosen and blended”.

Berry’s Speyside Reserve 
(46%, Berry Bros & Rudd 2009)

Nose: a nice toffee / citrus / malt character. But there’s also a fresher, more floral side to it, with pear drops, banana and a little heather honey. Some hay. Mouth: sweet and creamy. A bit of caramel. Again quite fruity but after a few seconds, the spiciness grows stronger (ginger, nutmeg). Quite malty. There are hazelnuts as well. Finish: medium length, with spices and soft liquorice.

A very smooth whisky. I really appreciate this kind of “minimal” blending with just two components. The result has more character than a regular blend while at the same time having a very attractive pricing: around € 40.

Score: 81/100

Note that Big Peat is such a success that they’re now somewhere around batch number 7 or 8, probably with (small) differences between them. As far as I know, there’s no way to recognize which batch you’re buying.

Big Peat (46%, Douglas Laing 2010)

Nose: a summary of Islay, with salty peat, some vanilla and a great aniseed note. Some mocha. Overall rather sweet with a big emphasis on tarry notes. On top of this, I get some youngish fruit like pear and peach, which reminds me of Ardbeg Rollercoaster in a way. Nice ambiguity of younger and older elements. Mouth: very smokey and ashy. Quite explosive with a rubbery edge. Big peat indeed. Sweet liquorice and again some vanilla. Not much fruit here. Finish: peat and smoke. Slowly drying.

A benchmark Islay vatting. You get heavy peat but a charming vanilla sweetness as well to round it off. A bottle should cost around € 40 which is very good value.

Score: 87/100

Black Bull 30 yo (50%, OB 2009)

Nose: nicely integrated oloroso sherry with figs, chocolate and orange marmalade. Lots of raisins. Some cocoa and espresso. Cake. Hints of leather. The whole works very well with the grain, it really balances. Mouth: nice mouth-feel, nice spices (cinnamon, ginger) which give it the flavours of a christmas cake. Hints of “Mon chérie” (chocolate filled with a cherry and liqueur). Finish: roasted coffee beans, milk chocolate ganache, cinnamon and cherries again. A bit of tobacco.

This certainly is a blend that will appeal to many malt lovers (give it to them blind). Very smooth and gentle. It’s probably the best blend I’ve ever had. Around € 90.

Score: 88/100

Black Bull 40 yo (40,2%, 
Duncan Taylor 2010, batch #1)

Nose: starts fresh on vanilla and grapefruit. A complete fruit basket unfolds: zesty orange, pineapple, apple. Quite a lot of beeswax and honey. Lovely hints of peppermint / eucalyptus which really lift this dram. Nice integration of oak. Incredibly refined. Mouth: a creamy texture with loads of vanilla again. More hints of dried fruits now (raisins, dry apricots). More spicy oak as well, but perfectly acceptable. Hints of liquorice. Feeling very mild, even slightly weak maybe, it doesn’t seem to linger long. Finish: medium length. There’s a faint grassiness mixed with vanilla and coconut. Returns to grapefruit. Very clean.

This is a delicious piece of blending art at an amazingly low price compared to 40 year-old single malts or other premium blends such as White & Mackay 40yo. Still I had the feeling it’s a bit on the tame side. I prefer the 30 year old version for having more punch and more sherry influence. Around € 170.

Score: 85/100

Now there’s a limited Special Reserve. It doesn’t mention an age.

Black Bull ‘Special Reserve No. 1’
(46,6%, Duncan Taylor 2011, 978 btl.)

Nose: quite rich with hay and a light bread crust, mixed with a nice coconut / vanilla / banana combination that is so typical for grain whisky. Some nutty aromas (sweet almonds). Oranges. Cinnamon. Honey. Everything is wrapped in elegant old oak. Great balance with an emphasis on the malt contents. Mouth: dry start, joined by slightly bitter notes before moving towards sweeter, fruitier notes. Honey, yellow raisins, a little toffee. Vanilla again. But there’s always a slightly bitter edge of cereals, oak and orange zest. Finish: quite long, with mocha and honey as well as drier spices.

Another great Black Bull, with plenty of elements that are more typical to (old) malts than to regular blends. Probably a “compact” blend of only a few casks, usually they are very good. Probably around € 120, expected in stores soon.

Score: 86/100

Chivas Century of Malts
(43%, OB 1995)

Nose: sweet and biscuity. Citrus. Honey. Vanilla. Hints of nougat and cake. Disappointingly similar to regular (cheaper) blends. Mouth: sweet and biscuity again with big vanilla. White grapes. Orange cake. Then it moves to heather, with very soft hints of peat and a nice toffee coating. Finish: sweet, showing subtle spices and faint hints of smoke. Quite lovely with nice roasted nuts and moccha.

It may sound crazy to blend 100 malts, you’d never be able to detect them all. It’s true that the result lacks some uniqueness, but it shows decent depth and it’s not a bad vatting.

Score: 80/100

The original whisky was a ”triple malt”, a blend of just three single malts: Clynelish, Dailuaine and Teaninich, all 12 years old. After 18 additional months in the different casks, they were bottled at cask strength (52-55%). It’s interesting to see that only new oak was used, which is rather unusual for scotch whisky. The one I’m reviewing here was matured in an American oak cask, toasted to level 5 on a scale of 10.

Canto Cask 36 (54,3%, Compass Box for Bresser & Timmer, 2007, 257 btl.)

The nose starts on vanilla, apples and a bit of wax and varnish. Some spicy notes as well (nutmeg and cloves). Smooth oakiness. Mouth: really powerful, gets quite hot and toasty but stays elegant and sweet at the same time. Seems older than it actually is. The same spices return, oak and toffee as well. Warm finish with some bitter notes (cloves, walnuts, liquorice). The slightest hint of smoke. Score: 85/100.

I like this a lot, it’s complex yet accessible and I support the idea of experimenting, especially when we’re invited to evaluate the different results. I have a Canto Cask 15 (bought in Spain) as well, matured in French oak with a higher toasting level. I’m hoping to open it soon and do a head-to-head.

• Caol Ila 29yo 1980 cask #8165
• Caol Ila 25yo 1984 cask #5384
• Imperial 14yo 1995 cask #100049

Lady Luck (46%, Compass Box 2009,
754 btl.)

Nose: elegant and gently ashy, like a fireplace that is cleaned the morning after. Some toffee, vanilla custard and sweet orange. Hints of cinnamon and cardamom. Coal and yellow apple. Nice to have the restrained Islay character together with the candied, fruity Imperial. Works really well. Mouth: oily mouthfeel. Peatier now with big tobacco notes. Again a nice sweetness but it’s mostly the Coal Ila talking. Quite briney and coastal with subtle lemon. Finish: long and dry on liquorice and olive juice.

After experiments such as Canto Cask, Compass Box is again proving that whisky doesn’t have to be single malt to be great. A bit expensive, but you do get old Coal Ila of course: about € 150.

Score: 86/100

Cutty Sark

Cutty Sark 18y (43%, OB, blend)

Nose: fruity (peach, orange) and honeyed. A bit of sherry, vanilla, cereals and very light hints of smoke. Mouth: soft and sweet. Toffee, caramel, lots of oranges (Cointreau) and other fruit. Spicy edge and something vaguely chemical. Rather weak attack, but it grows bolder, to a sweet, warm and smokey finish.

It’s quite elegant and smooth, very drinkable and more complex than you would expect from a blend. But for its price (€ 50-60), you could also buy a good single malt.

Score: 76/100.

Duncan Taylor & Co

The company was founded in 1938 and two years ago, they celebrated their 70th Anniversary with a special Anniversary Malt. It’s a vatting of 1967 whisky distilled at Glenfarclas and Highland Park, the personal favourites of the company.

Duncan Taylor 70th Anniversary Malt 41 yo 1967 (46,3%, Duncan Taylor 2008, 375 btl.)

Nose: it starts like a fruity old Speysider but it soon gets pretty special. There are hints of camphor and clear notes of old wax and dusty churches. I guess this is where the HP starts talking. Lots of heather, some honey and (shy) peat. Quite a lot of mint mixed with other spices (pepper and nutmeg). Then it goes back to fruity notes, with apricot marmalade, oranges and apples. Lovely pastry and almonds come out when you warm it up a little. What a wonderful marriage of two distinctive distilleries. Mouth: very dry and slightly mineral, with camphor, cloves, a bit of pine resin… Hints of lemon balm and stone fruit but I’m missing a bit of a sweet coating to round it off at the edges. More HP than Glenfarclas on the palate I guess. Finish: warm and dry with woody notes and ginger.

What an excellent birthday present! Be sure to try this one if you have a chance. Still available in some places – around € 140.

Score: 92/100

As the letters are not pronounced individually, think twice before ordering this in English!

DYC (40%, OB 2010)

Nose: fresh and fragrant, with a simple, malty character. Very youngish. Vanilla and melon. Soft oak. A bit synthetic but certainly not disgusting. In typical Spanish weather, this works fine. Mouth: very sweet start on powder sugar. Vanilla again, some fruity notes with a very soft peppery edge. Then it grows too synthetic and the flavours are overblown by industrial alcohol (think cheap vodka). Ice cubes help in this respect. Finish: very short, very sweet with a slightly nasty aftertaste.

This DYC is supposed to be mixed or at least chilled with ice, so I didn’t expect anything. It costs € 8 in Spain (with a free bottle of Coca-Cola taped to it when you’re lucky) yet I never felt the urge to pour it away. That’s an achievement already. When you’re in the mood for Spanish whisky, I’d rather recommend the DYC Pure Malt (€ 15) or the 10yo ‘Collección Barricas’ – a single malt version, which is much more interesting and still very cheap (around € 25).

Score: 60/100

Haig Gold Label (40%, OB, 1940’s)

Quite a ‘dirty’ colour, hazelnut with a slight green hue. Nose: lots of roasted and burnt notes: really dark caramel, coffee, truffle, ‘beurre noisette’, buttered toast… you get it. Lots of toffee notes and a slight whiff of smoke. It gets ‘darker’ up to the point where a few off-notes become noticeable, like sulphur, dirt bin and some yeast. Special and interesting in its own way, but still a bit weird. Rather weak on the palate, with the same types of flavours. Coffee, burnt caramel, sweet almonds. Some bitter notes, like cloves. The aftertaste is short.

This dram had to grow on me. At first, I was overpowered by the burnt notes and it took me some time to appreciate its profile. Still, I’m grateful for having tasted a part of whisky history.

It would be unfair to score this one. I don’t have any references for this kind of whisky and it wouldn’t matter anyway because this whisky is almost gone. TWE is selling a few bottles (€ 200 – 250).

Jameson 12 yo ‘Special Reserve’ 
(40%, OB 2009)

Nose: quite closed and not very expressive. Some oranges, caramel and hints of sherry. Notes of ripe melon. Mouth: bittersweet start, slightly grainy. Soft and smooth delivery. Hints of spices. A beautiful wave of peaches with honey and cinnamon towards the end, which I detected as pot still influence – probably the best aspect of this whiskey. Finish: rather short, with a bit more sherry and hints of chocolate.

Not bad but it lacks some character and punch. I’m afraid I expected too much from this. Around € 32.

Score: 77/100

As a vatted malt, the Shackleton Replica contains malt whisky from several distilleries in Speyside, the Highlands and the Islands. The oldest is Glen Mhor distilled in 1983, their final year of distillation.

Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland malt whisky ‘Shackleton’s Replica’ (47,3%, White & MacKay 2011, 50.000 btl.)

Nose: nice example of a rather light and slightly dusty Highlands profile, albeit in a modern disguise. Some grassy notes with grains, vanilla and walnuts. Slightly shy fruits (apple and pear). Some buttery notes and leather. Hints of spices, mainly ginger and nutmeg. Earthy / leafy notes in the background. Echoes of the old-style. Mouth: delicate balance of sweetness (oranges, honey, caramel) and a bitter grassiness, accompanied by mineral notes. Dry and sweet at the same time really. Again some earthy notes with an elegant hint of smoke. Zesty citrus. Ginger. Finish: medium long and dry, growing more smoky and gingery with a caramel sweetness in the background.

It’s getting difficult to find traces of this Highlands profile (old-style à la Coleburn, Glen Mhor, Millburn, Teaninich) and the end result is quite enjoyable. Of course you’re paying a premium for the packaging and marketing, but at least it’s good whisky. Around € 125.

Score: 85/100

Monkey Shoulder is said to be around 6 years old. It is released in batches which may differ slightly, but overall the profile should remain quite constant.

Monkey Shoulder (40%, OB 2008)

Nose: Fresh, very fruity, candied and slightly youngish. Notes of apple sweets and honey. Some apricot and banana. There’s a flowery side to it (violets maybe?). Mouth: suddenly it becomes clear that this is not a single malt. The attack is very weak and the first flavours are quite generic (grains and caramel). It misses some punch. Is that vanilla? Or mint maybe, in the end? Finish: rather short, grainy and nutty in the very end.

Monkey Shoulder is very smooth, easy-going but also quite harmless. Probably a great base for a Manhattan, but for € 30 there are better options in the single malt shelf.

Score: 74/100

For this Nikka All Malt, the Japanese group Nikka used only malted barley but distilled in both types of stills at their Yoichi and Miyagikyou distilleries. It’s quite unusual to distill malt whisky in a column still and the end result is a unique product.

In the Battle of the Stunners hosted in January, Nikka All Malt had a lot of fans and was even named the overall winner by some.

Nikka All Malt (40%, OB 2009)

Nose: a very candied profile with marshmallow and vanilla. Some lemon sweets. Ripe apples and cinnamon. Honey. A bit of creamy toffee as well (hints of Baileys). Some tobacco, leather and the lightest hint of smoke. Mouth: a shy attack, very mellow and again very creamy. Barley sugar. Notes of raisins. A bit too sweet maybe. Oily aftertaste. Finish: rather short with some honeysuckle, wood and coconut.

This Nikka All Malt is less simple than you would expect. It’s filled with flavour and highly drinkable. Check it out if you like sweeter malts or Irish whiskey. Around € 25 which means it’s definitely a stunner and a nice introduction to Japanese whisky.

Score: 82/100

Old Rarity (86.8 proof, Bulloch Lade & Co. ca. 1940, 4/5 quart)

Nose: very buttery with hints of coal smoke and peat (don’t expect modern Coal Ila peat though). Quite some beefy notes, raisins and not-so-clean hints of organics and distant sulphur. Don’t let this put you off, the roughness really works well here. It’s clear that this is old-fashioned, manually crafted spirit. A few fruity notes shine through (peaches). Mouth: starts rather weak. Sherried notes. Some nuts. A lot of caramel. Metallic notes (OBE?). Again faint hints of peat and smoke. Finish: dark sugar and kind of a funny salt & pepper edge.

On the nose this Old Rarity blend has a lovely dirtiness mixed with sherry notes. On the palate it is slightly weak (compared to modern standards) and a little high on caramel. A true rarity but certainly worth looking out for. Thanks a lot Dirk!

Score: 84/100

ps/ Don’t forget the Lindores Whisky Fest in Oostende, where this kind of old whisky can be found. It’s less than two weeks from now!

Ootori 15 yo (40%, OB, 66 cl.)

Nose: creamy and biscuity. Plenty of vanilla cake. Peach and green banana. Coconut. Some hay. Sweet with big grain notes but also a volcanic / spicy hint of Karuizawa malt. Mouth: a bit strange, sweet and mineral, creamy and slightly harsh at the same time. Shows malty notes and some fruits (oranges and the coconut / banana combo again). Finish: quite short with vanilla and chocolate.

Certainly enjoyable, but at times the grain and malt components seem to fight each other rather than… well… blend. Interesting but too expensive for what it is. Around € 75.

Score: 80/100