Johnnie Walker Green Label

Bought – ASDA, 25th October 2013

Ratings:
95/100 – Whisky Bible 2010 & 2012
89/100 – Ralfy, of www.ralfy.com
Review: – Ralfy – Johnnie Walker Green Label – YouTube

As Ralfy says “arguably the best of the entire Johnnie Walker range” and it’s his personal Johnnie Walker favourite. Well worth watching his review. It was recorded back in 2010 when Green Label was easy to come by but it has now been discontinued (apparently). There’s several comments about this below the video with Ralfy saying 2 months ago that the Green Label is only available in Taiwan. He goes on to say “now last-stock (I’m told) on shop shelves, a proper collectable!”

The only local source I could find for the Green Label was ASDA. Links I found online often lead to whisky shops saying it was “no longer in stock”. One link showed an old price of £40 but when I clicked through to the shop the latest price was £50! Thankfully it was nearly half that in ASDA. It’s tempting not to drink it and put it away for a decade or two and then see how much it’s worth. But I haven’t tasted it yet, so scrub that idea!

Another confirmation about the demise of the Green Label is its omission from the Whisky Bible 2013. In the 2010 and 2012 editions it was awarded ‘Scotch Vatted Malt Of The Year’ with 95/100. It seems a shame that such a good whisky is to become a thing of the past.

Ardmore ‘Traditional Cask’

Bought – ASDA, 25th October 2013

Ratings:
88.5/100 – Whisky Bible 2013
86/100 – Luke Rymarz YouTube Review

I’ve seen the Ardmore ‘Traditional Cask’ teasing me on the shelves of several local supermarkets since I started my whisky collection a few months ago. Ardmore is one of the closest distilleries to my home town of Aberdeen, so I eventually had to buy it. ASDA won me over with a tempting discount. I’ve seen Ardmore being classed as a Speyside distillery because of its location but it proudly says “Highland” on the bottle. Situated just south of Huntly, I’ll have to pay the distillery a visit sometime. I believe it’s possible by prior arrangement.

The cardboard tube that contains the bottle proudly says “non-chill filtered, 46%” which is pleasing to see. The only negative, which both Jim Murray and Luke Rymarz pick up on, is the lurking existence of caramel. Jim even says in his review that he was asked by the people at Ardmore what he’d suggest to help improve the flavour and he said to cut out the caramel. Sadly they didn’t listen. Nevertheless he still rates the distillery in his top 10 and enjoys the dram from this fine Ardmore example.

The Ardmore distillery provides whisky for use in the production of the Teacher’s blend.

COOP ‘Blended Scotch Whisky’

Bought – COOP, 24th October 2013

Ratings:
92.5/100 – Whisky Bible 2013 (COOP ‘Finest Blend’)

I’m hoping Jim Murray’s review relates to this latest crazy, non glamorous addition to my collection. If not then I’ll have to wait for his 2014 bible edition to find out the true score. Speaking of which, I discovered today that the Whisky Bible 2014 is available (with a pre-order discount of £3). Follow the shopping process in the link if you’re interested.

Assuming the 92.5/100 rating is correct for this COOP whisky, here are some of the blends it beats according to the Whisky Bible 2013:

• 89/100 – Famous Grouse
• 87.5/100 – Johnnie Walker Red Label
• 83.5/100 – Chivas Regal
• 92/100 – Whyte & Mackay ‘Thirteen’

Some famous names beaten by a humble corner shop brand. I’ll soon be tasting it to see how it stacks up against them, in my opinion.

Macduff 2005 (Carn Mor c.4-year-old)

Bought – C Gar Ltd, 22nd October 2013

Ratings:
62.5/100 – Whiskybase (average from 4 member votes)

This Macduff is part of the 24 x 20cl bottles that make up the Carn Mor Vintage Collection. Distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2009, it’s from a limited edition of 1563, Cask No: 23. Non-chill filtered,  no added colour and 46%.

This is my 11th and final bottle I’ll be getting from the Carn Mor collection. I was never intending to get all 24. The bottles I have give me a good range of ages and distilleries. The main reason for buying them was to further my collection of distillery examples at the best price possible. 20cl bottles are very handy because they’re a lot cheaper than full bottles and last longer than miniatures. My only complaint is that these quarter bottles seem hard to find. More distilleries should be doing them in my opinion.

This wont be my final bottle from Macduff. The distillery’s flagship malt is the Glen Deveron and the 10yo gets 86/100 in the Whisky Bible 2013. The review goes on to say that it would score in the low 90s if it was 46% and lost the addition of caramel. Perhaps if it ever does that’s the day I’ll buy a bottle. It’s on my wishlist for the future!

Glen Ord 2004 (Carn Mor c.5-year-old)

Bought – C Gar Ltd, 22nd October 2013

Ratings:
76.5/100 – Whiskybase (average from 2 member votes)

This Glen Ord is part of the 24 x 20cl bottles that make up the Carn Mor Vintage Collection. Distilled in 2004 and bottled in 2009, it’s from a limited edition of 1593, Cask No: 55. Non-chill filtered,  no added colour and 46%.

You can understand the thinking behind the Carn Mor collection. 24 bottles covering 24 years and 24 different distilleries is a nice idea. But I would argue these bottles are more for tasting and comparing the differences rather than collecting. My thinking behind this is when we look at the younger bottlings, such as this Glen Ord. The collection makes me imagine I own a distillery and, part of my duty is to taste the whisky as it matures – 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, etc. And in each year I sense the changes of the aging process. But instead of comparing the same whisky the Carn Mor collection has the added bonus (or complexity) of showing the effects of change from 24 distilleries.

With this thinking in mind, it makes me wonder if the younger whiskies in the Carn Mor collection would have seen the light of day at their tender ages if it weren’t for the requirements of the collection? Is this Glen Ord a finished malt or is its value purely to contrast and compare against others in the collection? We will see when the stopper goes POP!

Benrinnes 2002 (Carn Mor c.7-year-old)

Bought – C Gar Ltd, 22^nd October 2013

Ratings:
74/100 – Whiskybase (from 1 member vote)

This Benrinnes is part of the 24 x 20cl bottles that make up the Carn Mor Vintage Collection. Distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2009, it’s from a limited edition of 1473, Cask No: 5.

Because I’m such a glass-half-full person, the lack of reviews on the internet for the Carn Mor collection makes me think I’ve bought something quite unique! Perhaps in 20 years from now I’ll be selling my bottles for a small fortune. Either that or people will be thinking “Carn Mor?! Never heard of it!” You have to wonder. But for now a 20cl bottle was a cheap way to tick Benrinnes distillery off my list.

Bottles of Benrinnes reviewed in the Whisky Bible 2013 vary greatly from 96/100 for an A. D. Rattray bottling, to 67/100 for a bottle by Provenance. The youngest Benrinnes malt Jim Murray reviews is an 11-year-old but at least that gets an 83.5/100 and a comment of “delicious!” What my Carn Mor bottle would score when falling on Mr Murray’s tastebuds is anyone’s guess. Being so young I’m guessing the finish will be short but doesn’t that mean it’s quicker to get to the next sip?! 🙂 Sounds good to me, so long as the mouth taste is a nice one.