Whisky Magazine 26

Independent Bottlers David Stewart Buffalo Trace Japanese Whiskies

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Editor's Word From the Editor

By Marcin Miller

Musings with Michael Jackson The heat of the night Michal Jackson fights the cold with Rod Steiger

By Michael Jackson

A Dram with Dave Broom Dave and Goliath Dave Broom speculate on the fate of the smaller whisky brands faced with today's globalised marketplace

By Dave Broom

Production Independent's day Dave Broom reports on the challenges facing a determined new breed of independent bottle-distillers

By Dave Broom

Distillery Focus Traces of the buffalo (Buffalo Trace) Stuart Maclean Ramsay enjoys a whiskey tasting and tour at the imprssive Buffalo Trace Disteilery in Franklin County, Kentucky

Travel That's the spirit- Mystery visitor goes to Islay

People A rye character Stuart Maclean Ramsay chats to Lincoln Henderson, a whiskey vetern with 37 years of knowledge and experience

By Stuart MacLean Ramsay

People The quiet men Dave Broom talks to Davied Stewart, the unassuming yet innovative force shaping the William Grant's portfolio, and long-term colleague, Whisky...

By Dave Broom

History A class of their own Tom Bruce-Gardyne looks into the story of the Haig empire

By Tom Bruce-Gardyne

Production A drop of the soft stuff Ian Wisniewski assesses the effect of the water used in whisky production and as mixer on the drink we love

By Ian Wisniewski

Food From the horse's mouth It's official Cooking with whisky is very much in vogue. Martine Nouet talks to experts on the subject and discovers...

By Martine Nouet

Whisky & Culture Waugh on war Jefferson Chase examines the love of drinking and 'cultivated comic sarcasm' expressed in the work of an ex-teacher for drunkenness-Evelyn Waugh

By Jefferson Chase

Column Haydock spelling it out Flying in the face of controversy, John Haydock takes on the establishment with his new book

By John Haydock

Dave BroomIndependent's dayDave Broom reports on the challenges facing a determined new breed of independent bottle-distillers

Tom Bruce-GardyneA class of their ownTom Bruce-Gardyne looks into the story of the Haig empire

Jefferson ChaseWaugh on warJefferson Chase examines the love of drinking and 'cultivated comic sarcasm' expressed in the work...

John HaydockHaydock spelling it outFlying in the face of controversy, John Haydock takes on the establishment with his new book

Michael JacksonThe heat of the nightMichal Jackson fights the cold with Rod Steiger

Marcin MillerFrom the Editor

Martine NouetFrom the horse's mouthIt's official Cooking with whisky is very much in vogue. Martine Nouet talks to experts...

Stuart MacLean RamsayA rye characterStuart Maclean Ramsay chats to Lincoln Henderson, a whiskey vetern with 37 years of knowledge...

Ian WisniewskiA drop of the soft stuffIan Wisniewski assesses the effect of the water used in whisky production and as mixer...

Auchentoshan
21 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: Gently restorative. Subtleties gradually become apparent. Not quite as complex as I remember it.

Overall score

7.7

Ballantine's
21 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: My personal taste is more robust, but I am in awe of the precision and refinement of the older Ballantine's.

Overall score

8.3

Ben Nevis
Dew of the Ben 21 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: Fine, pretty classy stuff.

Overall score

7.9

Blackadder
1989

ABV 63.3%

Comments: A solid Bowmore that's lighter than the distillery bottlings.

Overall score

7.9

Blackadder
1973

ABV 56.9%

Comments: A beast of a dram. Another case of Longmorn versus wood which has been won by the latter.

Overall score

7.5

Cadenhead's
Allt-a-Bhainne 1992, 9 Years Old

ABV 59.4%

Comments: A well-made light and clean dram. Will Pernod get rid of this distillery as well?

Overall score

7.3

Cadenhead's
1981, 21 Years Old

ABV 56.2%

Comments: Pleasant, sociable. With mint tea and Moroccan food?

Overall score

7.4

Glen Garioch
Aged 21 Years

ABV 43%

Comments: A reminder that a distillery with its own maltings gains a layer of character. So long as the maltings is working.

Overall score

7.4

Glenfarclas
21 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: A straightforward Speyside classic. Also big enough to benefit from considerable age.

Overall score

8.6

Glengoyne
21 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: If this were a Lowland malt, it would be a star. As a Highlander, it gets lost.

Overall score

7.8

Golden Horse Chichibu
8 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: A fight between a sweet, light, attractive young spirit and firm wood.

Overall score

7.2

Golden Horse Chichibu
12 Years Old

ABV 50%

Comments: A quick-maturing spirit that needs to be watched like a hawk.

Overall score

6.9

Golden Horse Chichibu
10 Years Old

ABV 43%

Comments: Fresh, lively, flirtatious but slightly tart and astringent.

Overall score

7.4

Hart Brothers
1972, 30 Years Old, Port Wood

ABV 50.1%

Comments: A shame as you don't find many wholly port pipe matured whiskies, but this has lain in the cask for too long.

Overall score

7.4

Hart Brothers
1972, 29 Years Old, Sherrywood

ABV 53.6%

Comments: Glen Grant was one of the first malts to be bottled as a single malt, in the days when light-tasting spirits were often filled into heavy sherry casks. I have always felt that this overwhelms the spirit. This example is better balanced than most.

Overall score

7.9

Karuizawa
17 Years Old

ABV 40%

Comments: Pleasant as a 'dessert whisky', but lacks complexity.

Overall score

7.9

Lombard
1989

ABV 50%

Comments: Ethereal. It seems to fill the mouth with perfume.

Overall score

8.1

Lombard
1991

ABV 50%

Comments: Jumps and bites. This is the young Springbank, not yet the mature sophisticate.

Overall score

8.3

Mercian
1987, Aged 14 Years, Single Cask

ABV 58.7%

Comments: Good weight, wood is beginning to show.

Overall score

7.6

Mercian
1991, Aged 10 Years, Single Cask

ABV 62.8%

Comments: Concentrated and tense, a little immature.

Overall score

7.2

Miyagikyo Single Cask
Sendai, 1990

ABV 60.6%

Comments: An intriguing mix of sweet wood, crisp malt and toasted nuttiness.

Overall score

7.8

Old Malt Cask
1978, Aged 24 Years

ABV 50%

Comments: Port Ellen has always struck me as the most Calvinist of Islay's malts.

Overall score

8.4

Rare Malts Selection
Aged 21 Years

ABV 60.4%

Comments: Soft yet savoury. Mortlach's little brother and a forgotten classic.

Overall score

7.9

Rare Malts Selection
Aged 21 Years

ABV 56.9%

Comments: A good example of Brora as a distinctive maritime malt. Very appetising indeed, but quite different from Talisker, for example.

Overall score

8.8

Rare Malts Selection
Aged 21 Years

ABV 61.3%

Comments: Complex, great balance. Hidden malt? Not any more.

Overall score

8.3

Royal Salute
Aged 21 Years

ABV 43%

Comments: A stunningly good blend.

Overall score

8.8

Signatory
1991, Port Wood

ABV 46%

Comments: I would like to try this with lamb.

Overall score

8.0

Speyburn
16 Years Old

ABV 46%

Comments: One of the most assertive, flavoursome examples of Speyburn I have tasted. A pretty whisky from a pretty distillery.

Overall score

7.8

Speyburn
21 Years Old

ABV 58.5%

Comments: Full of flavour and interest, but the sherry and oak verge on being overwhelming.

Overall score

8.1

The Balvenie
Aged 21 Years, PortWood

ABV 40%

Comments: Finishing is all about striking a balance. Here, the port just nudges the spirit into a new space but never dominates. Classy.

Overall score

8.8

The Cask of Yamazaki
1993, Bourbon Cask

ABV 59%

Comments: A fascinating package with unlikely flavour combinations. Barmen will love this.

Overall score

7.9

The Cooper's Choice
1970, 32 Years Old

ABV 46%

Comments: Delicious Dallas Dhu does it again. How long can this go on?

Overall score

8.5

The Cooper's Choice
1990, 12 Years Old, Port Finish

ABV 46%

Comments: Gentle and well-balanced.

Overall score

7.9

The Dalmore
Aged 21 Years

ABV 43%

Comments: Charms on the nose but a bit too oaky.

Overall score

8.1

The Glenlivet
1959 Cellar Collection

ABV 41.7%

Comments: No woodiness at 43 Years Old, instead incredible intensity and freshness. Truly remarkable.

Overall score

8.8

The Glenlivet
Archive, 21 Years Old

ABV 0%

Comments: A first-class malt, but I would like a little more structure and style.

Overall score

8.3

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
116.1 – 16 Years Old

ABV 56.6%

Comments: A sweet cask and a firm spirit more or less in harmony.

Overall score

8.2

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
116.4 – 13 Years Old

ABV 64.9%

Comments: A lot to it. Everything has knitted together well.

Overall score

8.2

The Yamazaki
1982, Sherry Wood

ABV 45%

Comments: Any whisky-lover would be glad of the chance to taste this, even if it is on the woody side.

Overall score

7.8

The Yamazaki
1991, Bourbon Cask

ABV 60%

Comments: An interesting interplay of flavours. Comes to rather an abrupt halt.

Overall score

7.9

The Yamazaki
Aged 12 Years

ABV 43%

Comments: A pioneering malt in Japan, for which Suntory deserve great credit. In its early days, it was rounded and delicate, as though wary of offending anyone. Now it is more intense, confident and elegant.

Overall score

7.8

The Yamazaki
Aged 18 Years

ABV 43%

Comments: Strikes an excellent balance between those spicy high tones and a sweet but nutty palate. A little slick.

Overall score

8.0

The Yamazaki
1979, Oak Cask

ABV 58%

Comments: Scores points for its robust distinctiveness.

Overall score

7.8

The Yamazaki
1984, Sherry Cask

ABV 63%

Comments: A huge whisky but overwhelmingly fruity and alcoholic.

Overall score

7.4

The Yamazaki
Bourbon Cask, 1993

ABV 59%

Comments: Lots happening. Lively. Enjoyable.

Overall score

7.9

Wilson & Morgan
1990 Marsala Finish

ABV 46%

Comments: One way to get people to rediscover Marsala, but what we need is to get them to discover Longmorn. More Sicilian than Speyside.

Overall score

7.8

Yoichi
1986, Single Cask

ABV 61.3%

Comments: The driest and leanest of this flight, but has some complexity.

Overall score

7.8

Yoichi
1990, Single Cask

ABV 61.5%

Comments: A big whisky, with some of the smokiness I remember.

Overall score

7.8

Yoichi
1989, Single Cask

ABV 60.8%

Comments: Again, very fruity, but lacking in other flavours.

Overall score

7.5

Whisky Magazine 26

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