Amrut is an Indian distillery that has been producing some very interesting stuff and keeps getting better (check the Amrut Fusion which uses a mixture of unpeated Indian and peated Scottish barleys – review coming up), even more so if you take into account their incredibly young ages (Amrut is generally 3-5 years old).

Amrut NAS (46%, Blackadder 2009,
cask BA 5/2009, 295 btl.)

Nose: very sweet and fruity (pink grapefruit, peach, pear, banana). Hints of bees wax and honey. A touch of mint as well. After a while, more influence of wood and spices (cinnamon, faint pepper). Fruit cake. Very very nice. Mouth: more of the same basically. Fruit marmalade, citrus. More wood influence (slightly tannic), more spices as well (cloves, nutmeg, white pepper). Grapefruit again. Finish: medium length, warm and quite spicy.

The nose could really make you think this was a 20 year old Speysider (although the alcoholic side is a bit too present for that to be true). Balance and evolution are very nice, it starts fruity and develops on the spices. Top quality at this age. And only € 40!

Score: 87/100

Crombé

Amrut 4 yo 2004 (52%, OB 2009 for Crombé,
bourbon cask #2930, 221 btl.)

Nose: full of apple pie and cinnamon. Warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Lovely really. On a second level: spicy honey, pears, yellow flowers. Heather as well. Less candied than you would expect from Amrut. This is more like gingerbread than plain vanilla cake, if you know what I mean. It already shows the complexity of a much older Speysider (yes, at nearly 5 years old). Mouth: starts on Amrut’s trademark mix of vanilla and fruits (apricot and pear, melon maybe). It’s quite oily and slightly waxy. Again some ginger, cinnamon and white pepper, but the superiority over other Amruts is a little less evident here. Still very good. Finish: clean, sweet and spicy with added hints of liquorice.

Outstanding at this age, and the best Amrut I’ve had so far (although I’m eager to try the new Amrut Double Cask). I still don’t get why it didn’t win against the Compass Box Spice Tree in the Battle of the Stunners.

A few bottles left, I’m told. Around € 50.

Score: 88/100

While it may seem young, Amrut says it’s unlikely that they will be able to produce such an aged whisky again in the Indian climate. The casks were filled with 360 liters of spirit and the end result was a mere 159 liters. Moreover, the strength went up from 62,5% to 69,8%. That’s the kind of evaporation they have to deal with.

Amrut ‘Double Cask’ (46%, OB 2010, cask #2874 + 2273, 306 btl.)

Nose: a rich, honeyed profile with loads of vanilla pods and creamy cake. Also quite floral, mainly buttercups. There’s plenty of fruits: pineapple candy, pink grapefruit, banana, caramelized apples… Apple pie. Hints of sweet oak and barley sugar. Just excellent – it’s like a Speyside grandpa with the vivacity of a youngster. Mouth: more of the same (yay). A liquid fruit salad with papaya, kiwi, mango and pineapple, lifted by notes of lime. So much fruit, so much body, so much roundness. Again a coating of vanilla and powdered sugar. Subtle spices. Finish: long and fruity. Delicate oak with cinnamon and very light pepper.

The best Amrut so far for me, no doubt about that. But I’m afraid this is also where it stops: it’s probably impossible to gain more complexity in a natural way. In the end the effect of time can’t be beaten, even when your spirit is as perfect as this one. Sold in Europe and Canada only as far as I know, but now sold out in most places. Around € 75.

Score: 91/100

One remark: the packaging looks okay but feels like it’s made in a sweatshop. The folding of the box is anything but accurate, the glue doesn’t hold the sides together, the white cardboard is completely smudged on the inside, etc. I know the packaging is not the most important element, but please, some quality control would be appropriate for such a special bottling. After looking around, it’s clear that my own flimsy box is not a one-off.

Amrut Fusion is a mixture of 25% peated Scottish barley and 75% unpeated Indian malt, both mashed and distilled independently. The result was matured in old and new American oak barrels at the distillery in Bangalore.

Amrut Fusion (50%, OB 2009, batch #01)

Nose: very all-round with clean barley, fruity notes (blood oranges), brown sugar, vanilla and very gentle peat. It has a biscuity quality and the peat gives it an extra dimension. Mouth: mostly oranges and vanilla at first. Reminds me of turkish delights and some kinds of bubblegum. Good oakiness. Some mocha. The peat is on a second level but it complements the profile quite well and grows stronger over time. Finish: long, rich, orangey. Very good balance between sweet, spicy and peaty.

After the independent Amrut 5/2009 by Blackadder and this official Amrut Fusion, it’s clear that India is a serious player with a bright future. They produce very enjoyable all-round whisky. Amrut Fusion is a steal at around € 35.

Score: 85/100

Note the enormous 74% alcohol. It’s probably the strongest drink I’ve ever had. By the way, are there rules about maximum strength or can you just distill 99% of alcohol and claim it’s whisky as well?

Belgian Owl 53 months
(74,1%, OB 2010, cask #4275986)

Nose: freshly cut oak and hay, lots of mint and lemon. Some vanilla custard. Spiced honey. Hints of apricot sweets and dried banana. Water brings out a slightly dusty muesli aroma. Mouth: sharp, grainy / grassy attack. Develops a bubblegummy flavour after the alcohol fades. Difficult to taste straight of course, so let’s add water. Much more creamy, but still quite grassy and gingery, with a bitterness that I find a little disturbing. Citrus again. Oak and nutmeg, other spices as well. Pears and vanilla. Not the fruity spirit I expected. Finish: long, half fruity, half bitter. And grainy.

Not bad, but no highflyer either (not yet?). Around € 65 but very limited so it’s hard to find.

Score: 71/100

This second release comes from two ex-bourbon barrels and one Sauternes cask and is brought down to 46%. It’s again very limited and virtually impossible to find.

Glann ar Mor ‘Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet’ (46%, OB 2009, second release)

Nose: not as fresh as the previous release. The citrus is almost gone and replaced by hints of very ripe (rotten?) fruits. After a few moments this fades out and the whole evolves back to the profile of the previous version. Light smoke. Less bubblegummy but also less of the marvellous vanilla cake of its older brother. More grassy, slightly more maritime and bigger medicinal notes. Overall less complex and a tad less appealing. Mouth: basically the same remarks. The fruitiness is not as fresh and the lower strength seems to take away some of the complexity as well. First a creamy wave of peat, then sweeter notes (pears, peaches), then back to fat peat and hints of tar. Nice coffee in the end. Finish: medium length with hints of moccha and spices.

For me, this Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet is a small step back from the first release. I guess this is due to the Sauternes influence which I usually like (as a finish) but doesn’t seem to work that well here (as a vatting). There’s a noticeable increase in maturity but also a decrease in complexity (even after the previous release was brought to the same strength).

Score: 80/100

This is the first cask ever bottled of the peated spirit. Their (Scottish) malt has been peated to 35 ppm and matured in ex-bourbon barrels for three years. It’s very limited and hard to find with prices ranging from € 35 to € 75 for the same bottle!

Glann ar Mor ‘Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan’ (57,1%, OB 2008, first release)

Nose: very fresh, citrusy peat with light smoke and big notes of marzipan. A nice fruitiness as well (pears on syrup, pineapple sweets), slightly bubblegummy but very nicely so. There’s also a noticeable medicinal side (iodine, bandages) which gives it kind of a young Ardbeg profile. Hints of seaweed, rather faint but I hope this will become stronger after a couple of extra years in the maritime Breton climate. Give this dram some time and you’ll even notice some farmy notes and some garage smells. Mouth: interesting flavours of marzipan again, with some pear and kiwi. Definitely more smokey than on the nose. Lemon. Hints of vanilla. Growing saltier towards the end. Finish: very ashy with a big woody kick. Lots of peat.

Compared to other young peat bottlings like Kilchoman 3yo, this is more balanced (read: less peaty), more complex and surprisingly mature. Very enjoyable.

Score: 84/100

Taol Esa (which means “the try-out”) was first released in 2008, but I’ve tried the 2009 release. All of the Glann Ar Mor releases are limited and unfortunately hard to find.

Glann Ar Mor ‘Taol Esa’ – 1ãn Gwech (46%, OB 2009, second release December 09)

Nose: malty and very fruity, albeit a candied and slightly artificial kind of fruitiness (due to the young age I guess). Full of tinned pineapple, citrus, fragrant peaches and orange blossom. Guimauves. A lot of vanilla as well and hints of cinnamon and mint. Marzipan to round off, and a faint waxiness. Reminds me of the Our Angel bottling (Irish whiskey) Mouth: quite a sweet start again (banana, peach, apple) although it’s a little more spicy now (soft ginger, more cinnamon). Almonds. A little too grainy for my taste. Growing grassier towards the end. Finish: quite long, less sweet. Waxy and slightly resinous finale.

A curious young whisky which combines profiles of certain Irish whiskey and some young Clynelish. Promising. Difficult to find.

Score: 83/100

Let’s be honest, most of the Belgian whiskies are curiosities hardly worth buying, but a couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Bert Bruyneel telling me I would be surprised by this one!

Limousin is a French region around the city of Limoges. It’s not a great wine producing area but Limousin is well known for their oak barrels, used in other regions for maturing white wine.

Goldlys 1994 ‘Single cask Limousin’ 
(55%, OB 2009, 440 btl.)

Nose: starts on white wood glue but it gets better. The oak stays very present, but it is balanced by fruity notes (yellow apples, unripe banana). Burnt sugar. Vanilla. Some waxy notes. Nice but there’s something artificial that kind of spoils it for me. Mouth: certainly not as sweet as I would have expected. Very very resinous, is this liquid pine tree? Similar to some bourbons in that respect (Pappy Van Winkle 20 years old pops to mind). Herbal notes. Lots of spices (nutmeg, ginger and pepper). Some notes of burnt caramel as well. The fruit seems to be buried somewhere. Finish: rather short and dry, mostly the wood that’s talking.

My fellow reviewers really like this and there’s not a single bottle left in stores. Still I don’t really get the hype. Sure, it’s different and probably the best Belgian whisky to date, but when tasted blind I would say this is closer to a mediocre bourbon than to a quality Scotch. € 30.

Score: 77/100

Thanks for the sample, Bert!

Have a look at the previously reviewed Goldlys Limousin cask.

Goldlys 21 yo 1989 Sherry wood
(46%, OB 2010, 680 btl.)

Nose: the first thing I pick up – and quite strongly so – is Nivea cream. You know, the white, fat cream that our grandmothers use to moisturize their skin. Not bad, but rather unexpected. This fades after a while and makes place for notes of rye, oak polish and dried banana. A whiff of mint. There’s a sweet, fruitier side to it from the sherry, but overall it’s not really my kind of profile. Mouth: quite oaky and peppery with a big emphasis on the rye, so it seems. Green banana skin. Some eucalyptus and cloves. Not much sherry influence here. Finish: smooth but it drops very quickly.

This single cask Goldlys should arrive in stores as we speak, just in time for Father’s Day. If your dad likes rye whiskey (or some bourbons like Woodford Reserve), this could be an interesting gift with a nice wooden box. If he’s into single malts, then you’re taking quite a risk. Around € 30.

Score: 71/100

While the first batches (like the 2009 release) were made in column stills, they’re now reconstructing an old genever distillery which features pot stills from Forsyths (at a mere 200 meters from the place where I’m about to build a house, what a coincidence). It’s the first dedicated pot still distillery in our country and we can expect the new single malt somewhere around 2013.

Gouden Carolus ‘2009 release’
(40%, OB 2009)

Nose: indeed very reminiscent of the Gouden Carolus Triple beer. Big banana aromas (slightly synthetic though) with coriander seeds. Rather flowery. Hints of lemon and lemon grass, on the edge of becoming soapy. Faint yeast. Mouth: artificial citrus and pear. Tinned lychee. Coriander seeds and orange peel. Gumball. Now also lavender soap I’m afraid. A shame. Finish: short, with plain alcohol and banana skin.

At first I was charmed by the distinct smell of beer mash, which I found unusual and interesting. But once tasted, the same beer associations become a big disadvantage. A curiosum at this point, but I’m sure the pot stills have a bright future ahead.

Score: 60/100

Mackmyra Special:01 is matured in oak barrels from Spain’s sherry district. The casks have been seasoned to achieve a certain character. This modern practice is usually done by pouring a few liters of sherry into the cask and putting it under pressure – the sherry will be literally blown into the wood. Using this kind of newish, quickly impregnated wood allows young distilleries to release a sherried product after a shorter period of time. Nonetheless this “fast-forwarding” doesn’t always work that well.

Mackmyra Special:01 ‘Eminent sherry’ (51,6%, OB 2008, 8000 btl.)

Nose: it may be more sherried than other Mackmyra, but it’s not very eminently sherried in my opinion. There’s a spicy / gingery kick. Vanilla. Some butter caramel and marzipan. A little mint. Some fruits as well – those of a younger whisky. Nothing mind-blowing so far, but not a bad start. Mouth: much more fruit now (pear), with a sugary coating and some caramel / toffee flavours. There’s still a mint / eucalyptus thing going on. A faint smoky edge. Finish: sweetness of dried fruits and the same spicy element.

A slightly half-harted whisky, hesitating between spices, simple fruit and plain sugar. Although highly limited, it’s still available. Relatively expensive: around € 65.

Score: 80/100

For the first 6 years of this expression, they used Jack Daniels barrels. After that, it was finished for 2 extra years in new French Oak.

Millstone 8 yo 2000
(40%, OB 2009, French oak finish)

Nose: fruity, soft and quite elegant. Apricot notes and apples. Fresh wood as well with plenty of spices. Interesting, on the one hand the fruit makes it really summery, on the other hand the spices make me think of Christmas. Mouth: less full than I had hoped for and a little flat. Like a spicy lemonade. Oranges and cinnamon. Nutmeg and vanilla. Some honey. Hints of mint. Finish: not too long, spicy and oaky.

Pleasantly fruity whisky with nice spicy notes in the tradition of a Glenlivet 15yo French Oak. It doesn’t come near to the original though and you’re paying almost twice the price. Around € 60.

Score: 75/100

At the moment there are three core expressions. This standard Penderyn is matured in bourbon barrels and finished in madeira casks. There’s also a sherried and a peated version, together with a few limited editions such as a “rich madeira” bottling.

Penderyn ‘Madeira finished’ (46%, OB 2008)

Nose: fruity and mildly perfumed. Big notes of white wine and oak. Some juicy vanilla as well. Slight apple and peach. Not bad. Stranger, dusty notes as well, mixed with hints of new-make (artificial banana). Let’s say it’s different. Mouth: malty with a few young bourbon notes: pine wood, sweet vanilla. Blood oranges. Also lokum (turkish delight) with rose water. Hints of bubble gum that are not really integrated. Gets spicier towards the finish. Finish: honeyed and sweet. Creamy toffee.

Well, I think this Penderyn would have been a lot worse without the Madeira finish, because underneath is basically rather immature whisky (probably around 4 or 5 years). With the wine, it’s more interesting but really focused on sweet notes and a bit mono-dimensional. Young whisky is already sweet and a Madeira cask exaggerates this. I’m sure a sherried version (reviewed tomorrow) will offer more flavour variation. Around € 40.

Score: 74/100

Please note that there seems to be a significant batch variation in Penderyn releases. Even though the bottles look identical (apart from a bottling code), Jim Murray scores the April 2007 batch 76/100 and the June 2007 batch 95/100 with everything in between. Maybe I had one of the lesser batches (my 5cl sample didn’t mention a batch code).

Penderyn Sherrywood
(46%, OB 2008, June 08 sample)

Nose: interestingly different. All sorts of fruits, from fresh mirabelle / damson and oranges to dried prunes. There’s also an artificial fruitiness to it, but it’s nicely integrated. Some green apples. Hints of freshly cut herbs and peppermint. Also a distinct butter-nuttiness (almond butter, praline, hazelnut). Pleasant. Mouth: sweet attack (banana and quite a lot of Spanish ‘membrillo’), but not very powerful. Slightly Irish in that respect. The oloroso sherry is not really noticeable as such. Quickly growing spicier (ginger, nutmeg, a little pepper). Finish: rather short on damp wood, powder sugar and honey.

Much more balanced than the standard version. Sweet and soft. Still youngish but the sherry helps to mask its age and adds depth. It would be difficult to compare this to Scotch whisky, because Penderyn has a profile of its own. Let’s see how this evolves in the following years. Around € 50.

Score: 82/100

Sullivan’s Cove Double Cask
(40%, OB 2010)

Nose: once it opens up, lovely sweet fruit appears (grapes, apple pie, gooseberry). Quite oily, with hints of scented candle wax and even hints of motor oil. Some cinnamon and subtle vanilla. White chocolate. Fresh wood chips and dusty cereals. Mouth: still quite an oily mouthfeel. Round, malty and fruity although the oak is a little heavy, with faint hints of varnish. A hint of leather. Not too complex. Finish: medium length, still heavy oak.

Sullivan’s Cove Double cask is a smooth single malt, but in today’s market it’s not exceptional. While the distillery claims this is their best so far, most reviewers seem to give higher scores to the other versions. The distillery definitely shows some promise. Around € 60.

Score: 76/100