Isle of Skye 8 year old & 12 year old

Isle of Skye 8 Year Old

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: This is a blend I picked up on the spur of the moment. I was looking for something to take along on a road trip vacation. My daughter was about to finish a semester interning at a family resort best known for it's large rodent mascot, and my wife and I were going to spend a week down there on vacation before bringing her back home. I needed something with a secure top, that would travel well on a long road trip. I was browsing the racks at a local wine and sprits store and found this, bargain priced at under $25, and decided it was worth a chance. Not only did it survive a trip to Florida and back, but it was so good that it's become a regular staple in my home bar. 

Isle of Skye is a blend from Ian MacLeod Distillers Limited, owners of Glengoyone and Tamdhu distilleries, and a very diverse portfolio of independent bottlings and blends, including Smokehead Single Malt and the well known Chieftain's Range, just to name a few. 

Isle of Skye 8 year old Blended Scotch Whisky, is a whisky that reminds me of older bottling's of Johnnie Walker! It's got a kick of oily and peppery peat, likely coming from Caol Ila, and Talisker (the only distillery on the Ilse of Skye). It's also got some nice Speyside and/or Highland malts in the mix, with a strong profile of Bourbon cask Scotch whiskies in the blend, giving off notes of honey and vanilla. This is a really tasty blend, with decent complexity and a strong malt heavy character! 

Nose: This first thing you notice, is the Bourbon notes of honey and vanilla, then the peat and a hint of pepper follow. 

Taste: This is where the complexity comes though, with dark chocolate and vanilla, some almond, peat and spice all competing for attention, without distracting or overpowering each other. 

Finish: The almond ultimately wins, with a medium long finish, with a whiff of smoke and vanilla lingering on. 

My Personal Ranking 1-100: 84/100 (Blend Score)

Isle of Skye 12 Year Old

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: The 12 year old version of Isle of Skye has a very similar profile to the 8 year old, so the blend components are very similar, if not the same. The additional age seems to bring out some sherry notes that I didn't notice in the younger version. Maybe some sherry aged Glengoyne has been added to the blend? While I hate the overuse of the word smooth in whisky reviews, the additional 4 years of aging does bring that word to mind. This is a reasonably complex, smooth and integrated, malt heavy blend, at a very reasonable price. 

Nose: Notes of honey and vanilla again, some citrus notes, and the peat you would expect from a whisky carrying this name. 

Taste: A wonderful explosion of flavors, including dark chocolate, vanilla and carmel, ripe orange, smokey peat, and a hint of spice. 

Finish: A pleasant finish where the citrus and peat flavors linger. 

My Personal Ranking 1-100: 86/100 (Blend Score)

Bowmore 12 Year Old

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Islay 

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Notes:After my first exposure to peated whisky, with Talisker 10 went so well, I decided to try one from the isle of peated whiskies, Islay. My first pick was this Bowmore 12, and frankly, it was a bit of a disapointment. It had the peat I was looking for, but it was less integrated, with none of the harmony of flavors the Talisker had. It was complex enough, with many different tastes and smells to enjoy, but it didn't please the palate (at least my palate) like the Talsiker did, and the low ABV (40%) didn't help it at all! As I later learned, at this price range the younger 10 year olds from Ardbeg and Laphroaig are much more enjoyable! Coming back to this one again hasn't changed that opinion. I would recommend both of the aforementioned 10 year olds, over Bowmore 12, as a proper introduction to Islay's peated whiskies. Don't completely discount Bowmore though! More recently, I've tried other expressions in the Bowmore Range, with much better results!

Note: Both of the examples of Bowmore 12 I've tried, were pre Rachel Barrie taking over as Master Distiller. Now that she has had some time to oversee Bowmore's operation, this part of the Bowmore range might have improved from the two older bottlings I've tasted. When I see a bottle with the new packaging, I'll have to try this expression again.

Nose:Pretty standard ex-Bourbon cask honey, a lemony citrus, and bonfire smoke.

Taste: Smokey peat, baked apple, a little salty bite, then some allspice, pineapple and dark chocolate. 

Finish: The finish is long, with the chocolate and peat lingering.

My Personal Ranking: 80/100

Edradour 10 Year Old

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Highland

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: What can you say about Edradour that hasn't already been said in any other review? Compare it's limited production to the massive output of the bigger distilleries? Been done! Talk about how it's one of the smallest, yet most picturesque distilleries in Scotland? Well, based on that information and the many photos I've seen of this little farm distillery, that does put it at the top of my "distilleries to visit" list, but it's information that has been covered many times in almost every other review.  

I want to talk about something else. I've noticed that many independent bottler's are buying up some of the smaller, less well known distilleries, and I think this is a good thing! With the global demand for whisky going through the roof, it's getting harder and harder for independent bottler's to find available casks from other distilleries. Many of these smaller blending houses and indie bottler's are buying their own distilleries, to insure that they have something to trade, and something to fall back on as it gets harder and harder to buy casks from other distillers. The benefit to us, is these new owners are often increasing output, improving the quality of the casks and cask management, and are usually offering a wider range of product from these distilleries than the previous ownership did. They also tend to release their whisky at higher than the industry minimum of 40ABV, and without added coloring. 

Edradour is now owned by Signatory, a well known and respected independent bottler, and Edradour's production, while small, has become quite diverse. This review covers the standard 10 year old. This is the whisky that helped me to decide to focus my reviews on full bottles of whisky, not on small samples! I noticed over the course of several weeks, as I worked my way through the bottle, that my opinion of this whisky changed quite a bit. At first I was somewhat underwhelmed by this Single Malt. It seemed pretty one dimensional and had a slight dairy flavor I didn't particularly like. When I mentioned this to someone over at Whisky Connosr, one of the wise whisky veterans advised me to give it a couple of weeks. He said, that despite all of the concern over oxidation, in some cases a little oxidation is just what a whisky needs to open up, and he claimed Edradour was one of those. Taking his advice, I tried again, and he was right! The off putting dairy note had now become a mouth coating buttery flavor, and the complexity was better too. On my first impression, I would have given this whisky an 80 score at best. By the time the bottle was empty, I would have scored it much higher. My final score averages the overall experience. 

Nose: Apricots, vanilla, carmel, and a hint of peat. 

Taste: Almonds, some honey, lemon/lime citrus, spice, and that wonderful creamy butter.

Finish: Surprisingly long and sweet, with hints of spice and peat that linger. 

My Personal Ranking: 83/100

Special Note: Most of my reviews will cover standard bottle sizes 700-750ML. On occasion I have acquired smaller half size bottles (350ML) and and a beautiful boxed sampler set (each bottle 50ML) from Compass Box, that I plan to review. On those rare occasions, I will note the size of the bottle being reviewed. That being said, I will never write a review based on a sip at a tasting event, or from a travel sized (airline size) bottle!

Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Speyside

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: Macallan is one of the bigger whisky distillers in Scotland. It is a Speyside distillery, and is among the world's top three best selling single malt whiskies, behind Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. For many years Macallan was known for maturing all of their whisky exclusively in Sherry casks. However, in 2004, Macallan introduced their "Fine Oak" range of whisky aged in American Bourbon oak casks to market along side their "Sherry Oak" range. 

The 12 year old Sherry, is the youngest offering from Macallan in the US market, along with another 12 year old from the "Fine Oak" range. In other markets the 10 year old is the standard entry level offering. 

Nose: A hint of smoke at first, then toffee and baked apple. 

Taste: The toffee flavor follows the nose, while the smoke gives way to cinnamon spice and apple, and a hint of cherry. This is a very well balanced single malt. 

Finish: After the sherry fruit flavors fade, the toffee remains, ending on a slight note of smoke.

My Personal Ranking: 84/100

Johnnie Walker Double Black

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Notes: Johnnie Walker Double Black, takes the standard Black Label, and adds younger more peated malt whisky to the blend (thus the lack of an age statement to this offering), then ages it all in charred oak casks. It's like Johnnie Walker's iconic Striding Man stopped striding long enough to enjoy a dram of the basic Black Label by a campfire! This blend was typically only found in duty free shops at airports, but now it gets a limited annual release here in the states, usually in the last quarter of the year. I've seen several bottles on the shelves of well stocked speciality retail outlets, so these stores wisely stocked up on this while they could so they seem to have enough year round!  

Nose: The peaty smoke sweetness of the standard Black Label is replaced here with a smokey bonfire smell that dominates everything. 

Taste: The malted barley notes remain, but now there's a meaty barbecue flavor that comes though. The overall smoky flavor is more charcoal smoke than peat smoke. 

Finish: Sweet smoke, with a lingering barbecue note that fades slowly. 

My Personal Ranking: 86/100 (Blend Score)

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Notes: Johnnie Walker Black Label, is one of the classic Victorian Era blended Scotches. It's probably one of the best known whiskies in the world. The Black Label has a peatier character than most other blends, due in part to the inclusion of whiskies from Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Talsiker in the mix. It's still a well balanced and great tasting whisky, and it tends to be consistently stocked in my whisky cabinet!

Nose: It starts with a smokey sweetness, followed by a hint of fruit and peppery spice.

Taste: The smoky malt and grain mix well with the developing apple and vanilla flavors that follow.

Finish: A lingering apple note, with the smoke giving way to a honey finish.

My Personal Ranking: 84/100 (Blend Score)

Glenrothes Vintage 1998 (Bottled 2010 - 12 years)

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Speyside

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: I have to give credit to Glenrothes for their clever marketing on Facebook. I had never heard of Glenrothes, but I was drawn in by their marketing and their simple packaging. I loved the look of that fat little bottle with the small label on it that looks handwritten. I was also intrigued by the fact that unlike most distilleries that release whisky by age, the folks that bottle Glenrothes, choose to release their offerings by vintage like wine makers do. 

I saw one of these cool little bottles, Vintage 1998, in it's simple minimalist box, sitting on the shelf of a local liquor store. Remembering their clever use of social network marketing, I decided to try it out. Having never tried any other vintages, I didn't know it at the time (but now know), this was the first release from Gordon Motion, who had replaced Glenrothes Malt Master and industry legend John Ramsay. Thankfully, if this bottle is any indication, Mr. Ramsay's carefully tended casks have been left in good hands!

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, with faint notes of lemon and pineapple. 

Taste: Caramel, cinnamon spice, followed by ripe pineapple and tangy green apples. Not terribly complex, but nicely balanced. 

Finish: Once the taste of the fruit fades, the honey and vanilla flavors remain, giving this a nice finish.

My Personal Rankin: 84/100 

Slainte!

Talisker 10 Year Old

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Island (Skye)

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 45.8%

Notes: Talisker 10 year old, is the first real peaty malt I ever tasted. When I first opened it up and nosed the bottle, I thought I had made a horrible mistake. It was so smoky and medicinal! My first taste didn't change that impression, though I did find the peppery flavor to be surprising, and the sweetness of the malt came though after the initial peat assault to the senses. Over the course a several weeks, I kept coming back to this bottle, and found the more I drank it, the more I liked it. Now it's one of my top single malts! 

As a movie buff, I've noticed that Talisker has been featured in at least two of the James Bond films. Both times I found Talisker on screen, it was featured in M's office. She clearly has taste, but Bond seems to appreciate it too. In Fleming's books, he ordered whiskies far more times (either straight or in a cocktail) than he ordered the movie staple of the well known "shaken not stirred" vodka martini. I think it makes more sense for Bond to be a Scotch drinker, as Fleming seemed to favor whisky, and if so, a big bruiser of a single malt like Talisker fits the bill perfectly! 

Nose: The first thing that hits you is the peat smoke and sea air. Eventually, that gives way to a some citrus and spicy notes.

Taste: There's a briny flavor that dominates, but that gives way to a complex mix of malty spice, a tart lemon like citrus, and that little bit of hot pepper that is so unlike anything else. 

Finish: The pepper and the peat smoke remain, but the citrus lingers too and now has settled into a sweeter orange flavor.

My Personal Ranking: 90/100

Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Speyside (Dufftown)

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: The Balvenie distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons, who also own the Glenfiddich distillery, but the whisky from each of these respected distilleries is remarkably different. In fact, this particular 12 year old, reminds me more of Dalmore's 12 year old, than Glenfiddich's more Apéritif styled 12. Both the Balvenie 12 and the Dalmore 12 have been aged in Bourbon casks and Sherry casks. Both have similar notes of orange and vanilla. Both are remarkably complex for their age. Where they differ, seems to come from the the unique personalities of their master blenders, who are both icons in the Scotch industry. Where the Dalmore 12 is bold and intense like it's blender the congenial and anyways entertaining Richard Paterson, the Balvenie DoubleWood is more subtle and smooth, much like Balvenie's Malt Master, the modest and more reserved David Sewart. 

I have to note that I love Balvenie's packaging. Their bottle is simply elegant. It has a classic old world look to it's simply shaped bottle, with it's still shaped neck, natural wood capped cork, and parchment styled label. I actually prefer this kind of packaging over the more modern styled bottles and labels some distributor's are going to. 

Nose: Vanilla and orange, with a hint of honey.

Taste: A fruity orange that gives way to flavors of cinnamon, baked apples and raisins. 

Finish: The finish is remarkably long for whisky of this age, with the raisins and a hint of vanilla fading last. 

My Personal Ranking: 86/100

Slainte Mhath!

Dalmore 12 Year Old

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Highland

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Notes: This is the first single malt I bought on my own, without recommendation. I was in a local grocery store, looking at their surprisingly well stocked liquor section, and came across this oddly shaped bottle with a little painted stag's head and a parchment styled label. The Dalmore 12 Year Old.   

I had never heard of this stuff, but it looked interesting, so I picked it over the more familiar Glenlivet and Glenfiddich offerings on the shelf. Now this was the older late 90s bottling, where the blend had a 60/40 bourbon cask to sherry cask finish, and I loved the complexity and unique flavor this single malt had.

At the time, I wasn't aware of my family's clan history and connection to this distillery. I just liked the packaging, and loved the balanced whisky that came in it. Having done some research, I now know that members of clan MacKenzie owned and operated the Dalmore distillery for over 100 years, until they sold it to Whyte and Mackay in 1960. I'm happy to note that Dalmore's connection to clan MacKenzie continues today, with special releases like "Dalmore MacKenzie" and "Dalmore, Castle Leod" and the latest "Dalmore Cromartie. Some of the proceeds from the sale of these releases goes to a fund to maintain the upkeep of historic Castle Leod.  

This review is on the current version of the 12 year old, with the much bigger stag's head, and a smaller, simpler label! This is the new Dalmore 12, with a 50/50 blend of single malts aged in bourbon and sherry casks. 

Nose: A very citrus note of orange, followed by a little bit of chocolate and vanilla. 

Taste: The orange is still there, but mixed with a malty spice kick, and a hint of dark chocolate and carmel from the Bourbon barrels that comes through, to mix with the fruit from the sherry casks. 

Finish: The orange continues, with faint flavors of vanilla and carmel remaining after everything else fades away.

My Personal Ranking: 86/100 (In this price and age range, this is one of the best!)

Slainte Mhath!

Blog FAQs

Blog FAQs. 

This blog will primarily focus on whiskies that use malted barley. That will include, but not be limited to, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Blended Scotch Whisky, and any Pot Still, Single Malt and Blended Whiskies from Ireland, Single Malts and Blends from Japan, Whiskies from North America (the US and Canada), and from around the world. 

Each review will only be made on whiskies where multiple tastings were taken from an individual bottle. No single dram tasting will be given a full review. 

The focus on these reviews will be on whiskeys the average consumer can find and afford. Therefore, expensive specialty releases will rarely if ever be reviewed because it isn't practical or interesting to this reviewer. 

All reviews will include personal images of the bottle being reviewed, and include information on the distillery or blender, specifics such as strength and chill filtering, nosing and tasting notes, and a score based on the industry standard 100 point scale. 

It will not include notes on the color of the whiskies being reviewed! Why? Because too much emphasis has been placed on color, to the point where some in the industry feel the need to add coloring to their offerings to make them look "older" or more "finished". They claim they do this for simple consistency, but I don't agree, and feel the best thing I can do is concentrate on the important stuff, like the smells and flavors of the whiskies, and ignore the trivial details like color. Maybe then the higher ups will quit worrying about chill filtering and carmel coloring, and other things that do more harm than good to what's inside the bottle!

Please drink responsibly!

Why This Blog?

Why am I writing this blog?

Am I some expert, living in Scotland and working around distilleries for years? Nope. I was born and raised in the US. I'm currently living in a mid-western city, less than 25 miles from the hospital where I was born. 

There's a world famous Victorian era beer brewery, and a grain alcohol producer better known for it's proof than it's flavor profile, both less than a 40 minute drive east into downtown from where I live. So I'm a beer and mixed cocktail fan right? No, not really! I never developed a taste for beer, and cocktails usually bore me. I'll admit, a cold margarita on a hot summer's day, or with good mexican food is a big exception! 

Our country's first official "Wine Viticultural Area", is a 30 minute drive south from here, and there are a half a dozen wineries with tasting rooms and spectacular views of vineyards and the river valley to enjoy! So I'm a wine drinker? Yes, I'll admit to that. I drink wine often enough, and I can even say I appreciate the different types of wine and their vast range of flavors, but I'm not passionate about it.

Did I get my interest in Scotch and other whiskies from my family? No. My grandparents were teetotalers, who believed drinking any alcohol was a sin. My dad's favorite uncle was a U.S. Treasury Agent, who was part of the group of feds that took down Capone in Chicago during prohibition. Dad? He was a cocktail drinker. His drink of choice? A dry vodka martini, garnished with two olives. Mom, now in her eighties, a light cocktail and wine drinker. 

Where did my interest in Scotch start? Lets start with my name. My given names are Scott MacKenzie. It would seem my family wanted me to be aware of my family's heritage, and to the fact that much of the roots of our family tree originate in Scotland. Given that heritage, I found myself studying Scotland, it's industries, and it's people. One thing that I noticed beyond the kilts, clans and the castles, was the pride the Scot's took in their whisky industry. The sheer number of distilleries, and the uniqueness of each distillery's product. How it not only varied from region to region, or from distillery to distillery, but from cask to cask! How blending gave even more choices, and yet offered consistency too! How each distillery could have several different and unique products that had their own style and flavor. 

After years of trying beers, cocktails and wines, and not finding anything to get passionate about, I decided to plunk down the money, and try out this whisky the Scot's seemed so proud of! Being new to all of this, I knew just enough to avoid the basic mixer blends, and to get something with age to it. I went to my local grocer and selected the best choice their limited inventory offered, and bought a bottle of Chivas Regal 12 year old blended Scotch! Not a bad place to start. It's was a perfectly approachable blended whisky for someone new to Scotch. Not terribly complex, but it did have interesting flavors, and I kinda liked the burn as it went down. The next time I went to buy a bottle, a went to a specialty store, with a much wider selection, and a knowledgeable staff. I was given a basic understanding of proper tasting. How to nose the whisky, how a little water could open up the flavors, while ice just dulled the smell and tastes. It was suggested that I try a single malt next, and though I can't really remember which was purchased first, I do know my first single malts were a Glenlivet 12 and a Glenfiddich 12. Both good starter malts, and both with their own unique flavor profile that I found fascinating! This was a spirit worthy of further exploration! This Scotch whisky was worthy of interest, possibly even research. I hadn't even heard of different cask finishes or the wonders of peat yet! The exploration was just beginning........

Please drink responsibly!