Strathclyde 2005 10-year-old Old Particular

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
72/100 – Whisky Bible 2017
86/100 – Whiskybase (average from 10 member votes)

The Strathclyde grain distillery began life in 1927 and is located in Glasgow in the central belt of Scotland. It’s owned by Pernod Ricard, who own numerous single malt distilleries including Glenlivet, Scapa and Aberlour. Strathclyde grain whisky is used in the production of blends such as Ballantine’s and Teacher’s.

Whiskybase members have loaded up the details of 46 different bottlings of Strathclyde but only 2 of those have come from the distillery owners. 44 have been from independent bottlers such as my ‘Old Particular’ by Douglas Laing. Scoring 86/100 from 10 votes is an excellent score. One member who rates it 87/100 kindly leaves these tasting notes:

Nose: Cherry, cranberry, toffee, orange and lemon. The latter gets stronger, bringing that typical freshness of young grains. A small whiff of smoke and later a little tree resin.
Taste: Cranberry, toffee, lemon, orange, spice and a little marshmallow.
Finish: Cherry, toffee and cranberry.

Wow, that’s a lot of fruit flavours, with toffee, spice and a hint of smoke. It seems to me that single grain is a secret pleasure of a minority of whisky drinkers when it should have wider appeal. Good examples are there to be found. I’m beginning to wish I’d bought a 70cl bottle rather than a 3cl sample!

Update – added the score of 72/100 from the new Whisky Bible 2017, which classifies this whisky as “usually drinkable but don’t expect the earth to move”. This is because the author detects some sulphur on the nose and finish but summaries with “some attractive silkiness at least”.

Here’s ‘The Good Dram Show’ on You Tube with their thoughts on this 10yo as part of a review of 6 different bottlings of Strathclyde (November 2016):

North British 2000 12-year-old

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
82.67/100 – Whiskybase (average from 5 member votes)

According to Whiskybase, Berry Bros & Rudd have bottled 6 versions of North British single grain and my example comes third in the five to be rated. Top of the list is a 50-year-old released in 2012 that scores 91/100. You often see old single grains getting extremely high marks but 82.67/100 for my 12yo is a very good score. Although one member describes it as “hollow” and not far off the Haig Club, another member says “super nice aperitif whisky” and leaves these tasting notes:

Nose: fruity, orange, floral, grass and hay, vanilla, nutty and peppery (black)
Taste: dry, spicy, peppery
Finish: medium long dry

It’s nice to add a new single grain distillery to my collection. Most of my existing examples are from closed distilleries. It seems the Scottish whisky industry have reduced the number of grain distilleries over the years and increased the output at those that remain. All in the name of efficiency and maximising revenue. North British distillery produces 65,000,000 litres per year, second only to Cameronbridge, which churns out 120,000,000 litres.

In 2015 the North British distillery hit a milestone of 2.5 billion litres of spirit since being established in 1885. That’s about 25% of Blagdon Lake, a reservoir south of Bristol in Somerset. No, I’ve never heard of it either but it was the first thing I could find on Google to try and give a sense of scale. Basically it’s a lot of alcohol, which is more than can be said for my 3cl sample!

Cameron Brig

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
4.5/5 Stars – Master of Malt (average from 11 ratings)
71.97/100 – Whiskybase (average from 34 member votes)

If you think of ‘Master of Malts’ score as representing the average (or new) whisky drinker and the Whiskybase score representing the more dedicated dramsters you realise where Cameron Brig falls. As you can tell from the tasting notes below, this is a simple, no nonsense whisky. As a single grain it’s hardly going to be complex but very few alcoholic drinks are (or drunk as if they are). Sometimes it’s nice to kick back with a whisky that doesn’t need to be left for 10 minutes to ‘open up’ and then requires 30 minutes with a notebook as you jot down every taste bud experience. Comments on ‘Master of Malt’ include “beautifully clean and soft”, “slides over the taste buds like double cream” and “this is not whisky, this is nectar”.

For an established single malt drinker, trying Cameron Brig is more like a science experiment as neatly summed up in this comment on Whiskybase “recommended for educational purpose on blended whiskies. Taste and learn.” And I admit that’s why I bought a sample rather than a full bottle. When I finally get more serious about drinking blends I’ll try this Cameron Brig to educate my pallet on detecting the grain notes. Other comments on Whiskybase include “best way to introduce a newcomer to whisky…very palatable. easy drink” and “way better than Haig Club and less than 1/2 the price”.

Tasting notes from Master of Malt:

Nose: Light, subtle. Honey, spice.
Palate: Caramel, mixed peels, a touch of sherry, sultanas.
Finish: Medium length, oak and honey, more peels.

Here’s Jo of Whisky Wednesday with his You Tube review where he scores Cameron Brig 7/10 and suggests using it in a Highball cocktail (August 2013):

Talisker ‘Friends of the Classic Malts’ NAS

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
87.08/100 – Whiskybase (average from 81 member votes)

As a fan of Talisker I’ve wanted the ‘Friends of the Classic Malts’ (FotCM) for a while but I felt the cost was too high for yet another NAS (non-age statement). Thankfully ‘Master of Malt’ do a 3ml sample, which is good enough for a small taster. To Talisker’s credit this version of FotCM, released in 2013, is 48%, which is a bit stronger than their standard 45.8%. The previous version of the FotCM, releases in 2007, was a 12yo but it too was 45.8%. Age or NAS? Whiskybase members rate the 12yo 85/100 and my more potent NAS two points more at 87/100.

So what do people think of this Talisker? Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun.com thinks it tastes like aged gin and prefers the Talisker Storms. Nevertheless he scores it a respectable 80/100. Whiskybase comments include “a truly unusual whisky! Spicy wood, that indefinable acidic flavour and an unusual freshness in taste make this interesting drops into something special. A thoroughly delicious whisky and a new experience for me.” But also “it’s almost a liqueur. If you like utterly sweet drams, than you may want to purchase this. I find it somewhat uninteresting.”

The main reason I didn’t track down a full bottle for £80 is because, as someone says on Whiskybase, “compared to the Ten: Stick with the Ten.” I love the Talisker 10yo so much there’s a good chance I’d be disappointed. I certainly was when I tried the 18yo and found I preferred the 10yo. Perhaps the 10yo is my perfect Talisker? A side-by-side comparison with this latest FotCM is on the cards!

Mellow Corn

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
83/100 – Whisky Bible 2016
69.22/100 – Whiskybase (average from 34 member votes)

The first book I got about whisky was Ian Buxton’s “101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die”. In it he mentions Mellow Corn, a simple and cheap corn-based whiskey from America. The reason it’s taken me so long to get a sample is because even Ian Buxton thinks it’s poor whiskey. He says it’s worth trying “if only to understand the beneficial influences of malted barley and ageing”. It’s also an example of America’s whiskey history – before bourbon there was straight corn whiskey, a form of moonshine deeply routed in American tradition. So you can see how Mellow Corn lends itself perfectly to Ian Buxton’s book.

Nearly 70/100 on Whiskybase isn’t a good score with comments ranging from “God awful. Just God awful.” to “I like this one. It’s not sophisticated. In fact, the alcohol bites you in both the nose and the mouth. There’s hardly any finish, but hey, it’s perfect for watching old episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard. American muscle cars, Daisy Duke and corn whiskey sort of belong together, and that’s what makes this one special for me.”

Scoring 83/100 in the Whisky Bible classifies this corn experience as ‘good whiskey worth trying’. The author, Jim Murray, says “dull and oily on the nose, though the pallet compensates with a scintillating array of sweet and spicy notes.”

Ian Buxton’s tasting notes are:

Nose: Waxy (it should be), with light floral notes and vanilla
Taste: Surprisingly complex, with mouth-coating oiliness, some fruit and toffee
Finish: Quite lively; the fruit, wood and caramel notes hang on in there

Here’s Big Red Liquors with his review on You Tube (August 2014):

The Whisky of 1990

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 19^th June 2015

Ratings:
71/100 – Whiskybase (from 1 member vote)

I like finding whisky bottlings at auction that have a bit of history, or capture a moment in time. This is the case with ‘The Whisky of 1990’. To quote details I found online: “to celebrate Glasgow as the Cultural Capital of Europe 1990, Whyte & Mackay distillers Ltd have created this unique limited edition whisky. The specially commissioned painting on the label of The Whisky of 1990 is by distinguished Glasgow artist Archie Forrest. Born in 1950, he is a graduate of the Glasgow school of Art and a regular exhibitor in major exhibitions.”

If you’re interested in art (perhaps even the Glasgow Boys) as well as whisky then you might like to track this bottle down at an auction. The good news is that a full 70cl bottle can still be spotted selling for £30 or less. During my research I found one that had gone for as little as £18. Perhaps that’s because, art or no art, it was never that good a whisky. I will try my 3cl bottle to find out and keep the 5cl for posterity.

 

Blair Athol 8-year-old

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 24th February 2015

Ratings:
82.57/100 – Whiskybase (average from 9 member votes)

I bought these two miniatures (5cl and 3cl) of the Blair Athol at auction, mainly because nobody else was going to, and I needed a few more bottles to justify the cost of postage. Having seen the Blair Athol 8yo sell at auction before, I knew I wouldn’t have much, or any competition. Sadly, it’s never been a single malt to set the world on fire or attract much interest.

I had to take a guess on Whiskybase as to which Blair Athol 8yo my purchases are. I believe the bottles date back to the 1980s. There is no mention of an 8yo Blair Athol in the Whisky Bible, even as far back as 2006. Clearly the distillery realised they were flogging a dead horse and decided to change to a different version.

I have quite a soft spot for Blair Athol, even if I have no great experience of the whisky produced there. The distillery is based in the heart of Pitlochry, where I visited family, and enjoyed many a happy holiday there in the 1970s and 80s. I intend to visit the distillery one day, and take a trip down memory lane with a tour of the town. If the whisky is as delightful as the surrounding countryside, I’ll be in for a treat!