by Oliver Klimek on March 3, 2010
The Scotch whisky market is dominated by blended whisky with a market share of roughly 90%. But most whisky magazines and websites focus mainly on single malt. And this site is no exception. Currently, I have rated over 130 Scotch whiskies, and only 4 of them are blends.
I would be very interested in your position on blends. Do you avoid them like the devil avoids holy water? Or do you actually like blended whisky?
Please cast your vote in the box at the right sidebar and feel free to share your thoughts about this topic.
by Oliver Klimek on March 3, 2010
To be honest, I had almost forgot this poll because so few people answered it. The 14 votes cast are not really good to do any statistics, but still they show a trend:
- Online shop: 7 votes
- Specialist whisky retailer offline: 3 votes
- Wine/spirits retailer offline: 3 votes
- Online auctions: 1 vote
Conclusion: Online shopping seems to be very attractive to whisky blog readers which is not really a surprise, but the strongly prefer online shops. Buying whisky on eBay or other auction sites obvioulsy is seen too risky.
by Oliver Klimek on March 2, 2010
Bourbon Hogshead 1683 – 46%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Pale straw
Nose: Dry smoke, even a bit medicinal, lemon.
Palate: Quite smoky and phenolic, citrus fruit, vanilla, a touch of honey
Finish: Very long, sweet and smoky
Overall: An amazing peated Speysider. I think it can be best described as “clean peat”. Without the maritime character of the Islay malts but with a distinctive medicinal character that comes close to that of a Laphroaig. And yet it is surprisingly smooth. What a great whisky!
Score: 90/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on March 1, 2010
Bourbon cask – 49.5%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Straw
Nose: Needs very long to develop, give it at least 20 minutes. Then very pleasant with pineapple, and apples, slightly grassy, and slightly floral.
Palate: Various tropical fruit, vanilla, a bit herbal with a whith of smoke.
Finish: Long and fruity with just a minimal amount of smoke involved.
Overall: This rare dram needs a lot of time but rewards you with an interesting fruity taste experience. The minimal smokiness gives it a bit of an old-fashioned character. Very enjoyable but not a canditate for the bang-for-yor-buck list
Score: 86/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 28, 2010
Buy at the Whisky Exchange
57%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Bright amber
Nose: Burnt down bonfire, spicy sea breeze, just a very faint fruitiness.
Palate: Peat and pepper, but also a bit of salt and slightly herbal note.
Finish: Very long, smoky and spicy, some sweetness is noticeable later
Overall: An excellent dram, I like it a tad better than the standard 10yo. Fruiter nose but peatier and spicier palate.
Score: 88/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 27, 2010
First Fil Dark Sherry – 49.4%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Dark brown
Nose: Slightly smoky and maritime, cherries, cocoa
Palate: Cherries, dark chocolate, a hint of tea, minimal peat, quite dry
Finish: Long, fruity smoke, a surprising herbal touch right at the end.
Overall: Very complex and concentrated, the lightly peated sherry fruitiness reminds me a bit of Bowmore. Wood tannins are surely there after 35 years, but not overwhelmingly strong.
Score: 88/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 26, 2010
59.7 %
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Gold
Nose: Honey, vanilla, apples.
Palate: Honey, vanilla, caramel, a bit less fruity han the nose suggests, quite spicy with ginger and a hint of aniseed.
Finish: Long and spicy
Overall: A very nice and complex malt that should be enjoyed slowly. Needs quite a bit of water to soften the alcohol bite.
Score: 84/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 25, 2010
Bourbon Hogshead – 58.3%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Gold
Nose: Honey, caramel, citrus fruit. Needs a bit of water to open up.
Palate: Surprisingly herbal, a hint of mint, caramel, vanilla, lemon, later some pepper
Finish: Long and spicy
Overall: I’m not a big fan of herbal malts, but this one is really nice. The complex aromas need some time to develop, though.
Score: 85/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 25, 2010
Buy at the Whisky Exchange
40%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Bright gold
Nose: Peaches, lemons, vanilla and a hint of malt
Palate: Peaches, caramel, vanilla, somewhat sweet, lemon zest
Finish: Long and fruity
Overall: Smooth and very fruity, not very complex but quite enjoyable.
Score: 81/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 6.3/10 (3 votes cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 24, 2010
Buy at the Whisky Exchange
Blended Scotch Whisky – 40%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Straw
Nose: Fresh and a bit spirity, citrus, grain, vanilla
Palate: A hint of caramel and nuts joins the aromas from the nose
Finish: Short taste, long spirit
Overall: You can tell that this is very young. Much too young for my taste. It tastes almost like a German Korn. But at least it does not seem to be coloured.
Score: 58/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 5.0/10 (2 votes cast)
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