A Personal Odyssey into the World of Fine Whisky

This is a list of the whiskies I've personally tasted, and my thoughts on them. Last updated 3/17/99. What's new? Finally, a review of Glenmorangie 18!

You can still find my few notes on blends at this link.

NOTE My thanks to those who alerted me that the artwork here was "borrowed", and the webmasters who graciously took it down. The background, banner and icons of this page are all Copyright © 1996, Masayo Noda. Also, my thanks to her for adding a wonderful look to these many dry words.

The History

I started drinking Single Malt Scotch about 8 years ago. I'm not certain, but I think it started when I had a checkbook but no cash. There was a liquor store nearby, so I bought a bottle of Glenfiddich and wrote out a check for twice as much, getting the change in cash. I still have (half) of that bottle. I call it my cooking Scotch. It offended me when I later discovered that it doesn't list an aging time. I thought for sure it said 12 on it... since then two of my friends have had the same experience. They were certain that Glenfiddich Special Reserve said 12 on it when they bought it... but examining it later (when I challenged them to find it), it wasn't there.

Glenfiddich is a Single Highland Malt most remarkable for its blandness and lack of character. Some like it that way. Try Glenlivet if you want to try a good Single Highland Malt that is readily available, and not too expensive. Glenfiddich is the largest selling Single Malt in the world, though. To be fair, it is a pure, light Highland without coarse qualities.

Buying the next few bottles was a little stressful. There were so many kinds, and I already felt a little stung that the one bottle I pulled out amongst all the twelves was the one without any 12 on it. I was enjoying it enough to want to try others. To my relief, I found the miniatures at a well-stocked store, and began experimenting without needing venture capital backing. I started keeping notes on-line from home, which let me review them from work before stopping by the store on the way home. Those personal notes evolved into this page.

The Ritual

I don't do it very often, maybe once a month or less. One needs a shot of good Scotch, a glass of iced 7up, and a fresh batch of Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookies, right out of the oven. Eat a cookie, sip the Scotch, savour, letting the fumes carry the chocolate flavour into your sinuses. Wait a moment, wash it down with the 7up. Pause and recover for a minute or two before doing it again.

Other Methods

I just discovered the perfect compliment to Islay Scotch. Forgive me if you already know about this... Lox, on a toasted onion bagel with cream cheese. The smoked salmon is such a great compliment to Talisker and Caol Ila. Wow!

Experimenting

Beware of tricky marketing- I saw a bottle with a big 12 on it last week. It was a blend of 12 Scotch Whiskys. It didn't have an age on it. You better believe none of the component malts were 12 years old.

Tasting Impressions and Lingo

The stereotype of whisky drinking is like the M*A*S*H episode where the character sips some, gasps, chokes, and then coughs up the word "smooth". Scotch has it's own lingo for tasting, which I avoid using because most of the words were meaningless to me at first, and still are to most of the people reading this page. I do use smooth, it means that the high alcohol content is not obvious at first taste, and the initial harsh bite is missing. Smoothness can't hide the alcohol content forever, if you let even the best whisky evaporate into your sinuses, you'll know its there! The opposite of smooth is a sharp attack. I think that this is the most important single criteria for new Scotch drinkers. Some experienced tasters will forgive a sharp attack if there are other qualities of taste desired and present. Finish, which is nothing more than the aftertaste, is an important quality to experienced tasters. I only mention it as aftertaste when it is particularly remarkable. Sherry cask aged Scotch usually have nice, enduring finishes, and Islays sometimes have a smoky, burning finish.

Note to passing surfers:

This web site, the Scotch Connoisseur Page seems to be a favorite of international users, who then check out the scotch.com page and the Edinburgh page. When finished, please come back, check out my home page and fill out my Surfer Survey form and tell me how helpful this page is!

More Info

For more info, check out the pretty pictures on the Scotch Web Page. A very comprehensive list is also kept at this site in Edinburgh, though being Scottish I think he believes the histories a little to readily, though he pulls no punches about the tasting. For rare bottlings unavailable elsewhere, try The Scotch Whisky Society.

When reading site histories, take them with a grain of salt. Many distillers trace their heritage back to pre-licensing days and post-licensing moonshiners. If the history says, "distillation first began at the Glen Humbug site 200 years ago," they probably have little more then an arrest record to base it on. Periods of 50 or 100 years, and several owners, may have passed with no product before serious distillation began. Several start-ups in the 50's and 60's bought sites based on their history (e.g., Singleton of Auchroisk, which tastes pretty good BTW) in order to place a claim on antiquity. Part ownership of original families is trumpeted in suddenly-huge advertising budgets when a new majority partner decides to get into the business. Previous distillers on those sites were often no more then small, private-use stills, long-gone moonshiners, or poorly-run stills that couldn't make the single malt grade and sold all their grain or malt production to the cheaper blenders for off-site aging. Only those claims to pedigree that can be backed by continuous production of 10+ year old Single Malt under the same license need be taken seriously.

There was a "baby-boom" of sorts in the 50's and 60's, when small, old distillers began making Single Malts for export. For many, their previous Single Malt fare was reserved for local consumption, or was lesser-aged malts and grains for blending. Before WWII, it was thought that Single Malts were too "strong" for English and Foreign tastes. With the success of a few small distilleries, large companies started buying up small family concerns and redoing them into larger Single Malt distillers. Many had never aged on the premisis before, had been making grain whisky, or bought all ready malted barley. To be fair, they put an emphasis on traditional methods, and some of the best 12's and 21's today are from this class of distilleries. It has also contributed to the success of the older, privately owned primarily Single Malt distilleries, by bringing more people into the tasting habit. The point of all this is, there is really no relationship between the age of a distillery site and the quality of the product.

The List

Aberlour

(10) Rating: 9 A Highland Sherry-cask Scotch. This is much better than any ten-year old has a right to be. Overly sweet, but somewhat smooth and very rich and tasty without much peat or smoke. It's a Sherry-cask scotch but not as winey as Macallan. Very dark for a 10, but that's common for all sherry-cask aged malts. I tried the miniature and came back for the bottle. A good dessert Scotch. This is becoming one of my regulars... but, it ticks me off that they can't bother to put a real cork in it, evaporation is a problem with the useless tinfoil wrap that they try to seal it with. Edinburgh's review.

Balvenie

(15) Rating: 8 A single cask bottling of Single Malt, Cask Strength, 50.4% (101 US proof). It displays the typical trait of a Cask Strength Scotch of clouding when mixed with water. The bottle is hand-numbered with the cask and bottle number, which means that another cask may taste a bit different, as casks of the same year are not married before bottling. Finding a water worthy of this Scotch has been difficult, all the ones I've tried carry their own flavours with them (chlorine, salt, metalic, etc.) (I've since found Evian.) A rich Highland type Scotch, my only criticism is the sharp attack when first sipped, unexpected of a 15 year old. Any Highland drinker should enjoy it though, I do. The bottle may cost a little more but remember you should dilute it some (even if you drink it neat), so you're getting more. A different bottling then the Balvenie Double Wood 12. (I recently saw all 3 in a set of miniatures for US$ 12.00, a good deal).

Caol Ila, Cadenhead bottling

(20) Rating: 10 Single Cask-strength Islay Malt. This is a bit of a departure, up till now this page's reviews have been commonly available Scotches. I will probably end up joining the Scotch Whisky Society and getting all kinds of exotic rare scotches, but reviewing them would do the average reader no good, as they are unlikely to make that kind of commitment. Buying a $40 bottle of 12 y.o. is commitment enough for a beginner! The Cadenhead bottlings bring older vintages of familiar names to store shelves. I have always suspected that a really long aging of an Islay could tame it, and this is my proof. There is no attack upon first sipping it, while it is salty and very smoky there is absolutely no medicinal taste. Very sweet, smoky, warm, and little bit of oak taste too. Not as dark as Lagavulin or Laphroaig, but maybe it is not aged in sherry or bourbon casks? I cannot describe how good this Scotch is, my only tiny criticism is that Cadenhead doesn't provide any background on the distillery.

The Edradour

(10) Rating: 7.5 Another Sherry-cask Scotch, pretty good for a 10 year old. A Highland Single Malt. A baby-boom single malt from a old site.

Glenfiddich

(8-12) Rating: 6. Despite words like Reserve and Select, no age given. I win a lot of bets by challenging people to find the number "12" on their bottle of Glenfiddich. It's just not there. Nice package, though, it has fooled a lot of people. I've heard now from a good authority that it is a "marrying" of 8 to 12 year olds, including some sherry-cask aged stock. While to some this would seem to be a "blending", or a vatted malt, it is still considered a "Single Malt" because it all comes from the same distillery. Some use the term "Pure Single Malt" for this in-house mixing of different-aged Scotch. Sharp, strong attack, characterless. I've heard the 18 y.o. Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve is good but I've never tried it. The world's best selling Scotch Whisky, probably due to good marketing, absolute consistency and a lack of any strong flavours that might offend someone. It's not the best selling within Scotland, though, that's Glenmorangie. (NOTE: Since I wrote this, many people have written and pointed out that their bottle has a 12 on it. Well, mine still doesn't: Bottle, Sheath, Both.

Glenkinchie

(10) Rating: 8. A nice, mild, Lowland, it has so many subtleties I get a different impression every time I drink it. Mellow beyond its young 10 years. Distilled over coal, of all things. Very different from the Islays, fresher tasting, grassy, just slightly dry. This is one of my favourites. Also at scotch.com.

Glenlivet.

(12) Rating: 8. A good 12 year old Speyside Single Malt, 80 US proof. A good place to start, and return. Mellow, smooth, some sherry taste. It really has the "scotch" flavour part of butterscotch. There are many distilleries in Glenlivet, and they are proud to say so, but there is only one "The Glenlivet" distillary. Owned by Seagrams now, but with a genuine pedigree. It's aroma really opens up when mixed with a little water. One of my favourites.

Glenmorangie

(10) Rating: 8. A competent 10 year old Highland. It has one of my favourite motto's, "Crafted by the 16 men of Tain". The ad copy on the box is a bit odd. They make a big deal of aging in "American Mountain Oak". There may be such a species, but I've hiked up enough American mountains to know that before you get very high at all, the hardwoods give way to pine, and a little higher, there are no trees at all. That's true of the East Coast's Appalachian range, which are mere foothills compared to the barren Rockies. Anyway, not a smoky, spicy Scotch like the Islays I like, but a lot more complex and flavourful than Glenfiddich. It has a light, delicate flavor, no obvious flaws, though it is a bit sharp at first. If mixed with water or soda suddenly a whole lot of subtle flavours come out. See their excellent web page at www.glenmorangie.com.

Glenmorangie Port Wine Finish

(12) Rating: 8. I bought this because I liked the 10 y.o. Glenmorangie so much and I thought a 12 should be even better. An interesting concept, the bottle says that the Scotch is "finished" aging for the last few years in a small barrel formerly used for port wine, after the Scotch's usual oak cask aging. The idea is that 12 years would be too much, the port wine would overpower the Scotch in that period of time. Usually Sherry-cask aging is done for the full length of maturation, but that would be unsuitable for the stronger affect of the Port wine cask. When I first tasted this I was left cold, it tasted too much like red wine, and the subtleties where overpowered. It had little of the "chewy" oak wood taste of the older Glenmorangie miniature I had tasted (18 I think). Since then, I have come to terms with it as a totally different kind of Scotch, and a good one, just nothing like the regular Glenmorangie. There are other wine finish concepts, like Madeira and even Tain L'Hermitage, but I haven't found them on the shelf yet. I think the concept is valid but Glenmorangie was a poor choice to experiment with; it is a Scotch of unusual subtlety and the Port wine flavour just overpowers it, even with the shorter period of exposure. This Scotch seems seems at its best mixed with water, not my usual habit (which is to drink it neat). The many flavours of Glenmorangie are more distinquishable with water. Having bought the big bottle, I've got plenty to experiment with. My local proprietor is fanatical about this bottling, so it definitely has its followers. I've also found that it is quite popular with the ladies, and no surprise, goes quite well with cheese. Purists, please don't hit me...

Glenmorangie 18

(18) Rating: 9.5. I took advantage of duty-free on my last vacation and got this for a good US$10 less than at the liquor store (they make sure its not too good of a bargain.) This, like the Port Wine Finish from the same house is also a favourite of the ladies. I tend to drink Highlands neat, but the enourmous subtleties of the 18 demand a little pure water, and extra time smelling it (enjoying the nose) before sipping. Everything that is true of the 12 y.o. and more. The boquet is simply wonderful and should be enjoyed for itself. When a friend it compared less favourably to a good, stronger flavoured scotch, I said, "That Scotch is a good time, but the Glenmorangie 18 is a relationship." Spending some time getting to know it is worthwhile and rewarding. It is so subtle, it is too easy to dismiss it on the first sip.

Highland Park

(12) Rating: 9. A Single Malt Scotch from the Orkney Islands. After being recommended to me by many Islay lovers, I expected a very pungent Islay-type Scotch. Instead it is a rich whiskey, dark and a little bit of sherry, but less sherry than Aberlour or The Macallan, and a bit of smoke and peat, but less than Lagavulin or Laphroaig. If you're not sure you're ready for a strong Islay, but you'd like more flavour then most Speysides, try it. Or, if you have Dalwhinnie or another fine, light Highland, and you want to buy only one other Scotch to round out your licquor cabinet, and it has to be good, try it. It is properly bottled by James Grant & Company with a real cork (other bottlers please take note), not overly showy in decor (like Glenfiddich), but with many fine, tasteful touches. Made at the Northern-most distillery in Scotland, which has its own maltings.

Knockando

(12) Rating: 7. A Single Malt Speyside Highland. A somewhat sharp initial attack but the taste makes up for it. My first taste was from a broken-seal part-empty miniature that probably had lost a good bit of alcohol by evaporation, and led me to a false impression of smoothness. They print the distillation and bottling dates, which I think is very considerate, more distilleries should do this.

Laphroaig

(15) Rating: 10. An excellent, but expensive Islay Single Malt Scotch, available in 10 and 15 year varieties instead of the usual 12 and 21. Considering the harsher environment of the sea-side bonded aging warehouses, perhaps this is a better pair of times to bottle Islay malts. Labeled "The most richly flavoured of all Scotch Whiskys", drinkers of Lagavulin might dispute this. After trying the 10 year miniature, I sprang for the 15 year old bottle, $61.99. It's worth it. I recently bought a second bottle, which considering my very slow consumption of Scotch, is my ultimate compliment. A true pedigree. I prefer it over its perpetual rival Lagavulin, with whom its history is interwoven. Peaty, smoky, sweet... and warm. My bottle of 15 y.o. doesn't have the medicinal taste that some tasters complain of. It is smoky. The 15 is smoother, sweeter, and a little less peppery then the 10 y.o. Currently, my absolute favorite! Be sure and visit their very nice web site.

Lagavulin

(16) Rating: 9. The lowest altitude of the Islay Malts, this is the most character-filled Scotch I've ever had. Not for the tame. Peaty, smoky, mediciney. I recently retasted Lagavulin and don't find it as medicinal as the first bottle (miniature actually). It may have been an inconsistancy in bottling, as my previous impressions didn't match up with many other's opinions. Only available as a 16 year old, it is expensive, but the price is in line with other 15 or 16 year olds. A miniature bottle cost me $6.99! Licensed in 1816, it has a true pedigree. Also at scotch.com.

The Macallan, also US link here

(12) Rating: 8. A baby-boom startup in the Single Malt business from an old family-run distillery that was providing spirits for blending. Going public allowed them to fund a high-quality Single Malt. They only introduced their first 21 year old in the 1980's. I'm almost finished a bottle of 12. It is very dark for a 12. A Sherry-cask Scotch, a bit too much Sherry-winey for my taste, but a good introduction to Scotch. A Speyside Scotch from the Highlands. I still have to figure out that geography. Considered one of the best. Good availability.

Oban

(14) Rating: 8. A Island style "West Highland" malt. A little smoky, but not as smoky as an Islay malt, but rich, peaty, and slightly medicinal. From a distillery right on the coast. I would have given it a ten, if it was not for the medicinal taste. Not for those who prefer light, delicate Highlands (try Glenlivet or Glenmorangie). A genuine pedigree. Also at scotch.com.

Springbank

(21) Rating: 5. I've tried this a few times now, and I've tried hard to like it. It's hard on me to rate such an old Scotch so low. The only excuse I can come up with, is that perhaps the shoddy bottling technique used (no cork, flimsy foil seal that doesn't... well... seal) perhaps spoiled the bottle. It didn't show any evaporation, though (bottle was nearly full when new). It is totally different from other scotches. It's absolutely ridiculous that this expensive scotch isn't properly sealed. I passed up on buying a bottle of 18 y.o. Springbank because it had already suffered from evaporation through a loose foil wrap. I paid extra for the 21, and regret it. Perhaps the 12 is better, or maybe it just needed a cork. I've gotten letters from folks who said that it must have been a mistake, but all the bottles on the shelf were like that; either the distributor, Barrique Wine Company of Chicago IL, or J&A Mitchell & Co. Ltd (the distiller) is to blame. Salty (briney), flat, stale tasting, slightly sour. Note: I've received e-mail from the distributor, who is looking into the problem. They said that their warehouse is temperature-controlled, and they've had no similar complaints. Another distributor said that screw-type bottles of Springbank were unknown in the US. More, as it happens. (OK, its been a year now, nothing more happened.)

Talisker

(10) Rating: 8. The Isle of Skye Single Malt, much like the Islay Malts. The only distillery on the Isle of Skye. A good, rich Islay-style Scotch, smoky, spicy. It comes on a bit strong, I wish I could find a 16 or 21 year old bottling, I think that would be perfect, if it exists. (It does, see next listing!)

Talisker, Cadenhead Cask Strength Sept 95 bottling

(16) Rating: 10. 62.8%! The first taste will really show the mellowing of time, but the after-taste will then build and build and build until your brain explodes. The peppery, beyond smoky taste is the closest thing to enjoying eating a campfire you'll ever do. A few drops of water will only bring it down to regular proof, and still allow full appreciation without seeming watered-down. Not a good compliment to chocolate chip cookies. Maybe nacho's, I'll have to experiment. (I've since found that anchovies in oil with capers are a delightful with it.) My second Cadenhead purchase and I'm very happy. At 125.6 US proof it's easy to be too happy, so be careful out there, campers.

Key to Listings

Scotch Name (WWW link if they have a Web page)

(Age in Years) Rating: from 1 to 10, 10 being best, 7 and up "good stuff", 4 to 6 good for mixed drinks, 0 to 3 for in-laws, unwanted guests and disinfection. Remember that I might rate an excellent Isle Malt better than an excellent Highland just because of personal preference. Also, numbers may change as I re-taste and reconsider. I make a distinction between the smoke taste and the medicinal (wood alcohol) taste, but the marketers would rather have you confuse one for the other. Description 1. Location and bottling info. 2. Whining and kvetching about semi-bogus histories. 3. Description of type of scotch. 4. My impressions. 5. any other WWW links.

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Warning: Alcoholic beverages have been shown to leach lead from led crystal glasses. The higher the lead content (more expensive the glass) and the higher the alcohol content, the more quickly the lead leaches into the drink. Lead causes nervous system deterioration and damage to the reproductive system. Leaching begins immediately upon pouring the drink. Lead also causes developmental disorders, but children should not be allowed to drink Scotch anyway.

Warning: Drinking to excess damages the liver, the heart, and the brain. Drinking causes mental retardation in fetuses. If you are pregnant or suspect you are, don't drink.

Warning: Hangovers are caused by other materials that are propagated into the blood stream by the alcohol. If you want to get drunk, don't use Scotch. You'll have a real head-banger later. Don't use gin, either. It has the highest amount of toxins (it is made from a juniper berries, which are poisonous). If you must kill your brain cells, try vodka, and drink plenty of water, too.

I thought you Born-Again types didn't drink.

I think I'll e-mail Ken about my latest Scotch discovery!

My head feels woozy, I'd better go home.

A quick compendium of Scotch Whisky web links.

A few frequently asked questions I get by mail and my usual answers.

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Artwork Copyright © 1996 by Masayo Noda. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995,1996,1997,1998,1999 Ken Marsh All rights reserved.