Kininvie 17 year 42.6% – a quandary no more!

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

Earlier this year, I wrote about my quandary regarding the Kininvie 17 year. You see, I picked it up from Singapore duty-free but as a 1st bottling, wasn’t sure if I should keep it a bit longer or open it immediately. After all, I’m not in the collector’s league and whisky for me is something to enjoy!

Kininvie 17 sample

At the time, Ronald Ding of Whiskyrific made a lovely offer – to share a sample on which basis I could make an informed decision to crack open or keep.

Alas my Singapore travel plans kept getting postponed and when I did finally go in June 2015, Ronald and I simply could not manage to connect.

So he made an even kinder offer – to post the sample to me in Mumbai, India.

Now… I had my doubts. Would it actually make it through customs to my doorstep without incident or hassle?

Remarkably it did!

Kininvie 17 year, batch 1, 42.6% (bottle #3959)

So here is what I found…

Nose – Instant grapey wine-like quality, a bit of oak, powder, floral, sweet, the usual flirting with vanilla and honey, then a slight nuttiness peeps out
Palate – Again grapes – as in serious grapiness (is that a word?), mellowed into a delightful dram, the usual maltiness, creamy, yes a bit buttery too, a hint of warm spice to round out
Finish – Did I say grapes before? This time think grape coolade…
Water – Nope – didn’t try as it is already quite light
Overall – Without a doubt smooth, light, classic Speyside… with grape!

I don’t think I’ve had a whisky that reminds me so forcefully of grapes… at first wine-like on the nose, then juicy grapes on the palate and grape coolade on the finish. I kid you not.

Which if you don’t like grapes means this isn’t the whisky for you.

But if you do… it is actually quite nice, pleasant, gentle, and grows on you sip by sip. I was disappointed when my wee sample dram was done.

Kininvie 17, batch 1, bottle no 3752 with sample from no 3959

The Kininvie distillery is based in the Conval hills of Dufftown, part of the Balvenie distillery compound and I first encountered it as a component in the rather yummy Monkey Shoulder.

There were a few prior single malt releases under the ‘Hazelwood’ label in honour of Janet Sheed Roberts, granddaughter of Glenfiddich’s founder William Grant, who lived to a remarkable 110 years old. From lawyer to director of William Grant & Sons, as noted on the label, she opened the distillery in 1990.

Kininvie 21 then 17 year was initially released in Taiwan and now available in the UK. You can read more about Master of Malt’s insights on this distillery here.

The official tasting notes suggest:

Nose – Rich and full aroma with fresh fruit notes and a deep vanilla sweetness. Uniquely fragrant with a characteristic floral note that is accentuated through the addition of a little water
Taste – Beautifully sweet, buttery vanilla and slightly spicy
Finish – Long and lingering with a notable sweetness

So many thanks Ronald!! I do suggest you check out his assessment on Whiskyrific – Kininvie 17 year!

As for my quandary? I think I will hang on to it until the right opportunity presents itself… as in to share not save.

Slainthe!

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Ledaig 18 year 46.3%

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

Our June 2015 monsoon tasting trio featured whiskies from Ireland, USA and Scotland:

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix 55%
Westland cask no 395 54.6%
Ledaig 18 year 46.3% – this one!

The Scottish contribution may have been last but was definitely not the least!

Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Ledaig 18 year 46.3%

Nose – Opening up a box of biscuits, the dive deep into the forest with wet moss, dripping in humidity, whiff of smoked bacon that became increasingly prominent, some fruit cake or Christmas pudding, fresh sawed lumber, sea salt, cod liver oil, musty
Taste – A meaty peaty, chewy body… As our host shared, as a vegetarian, the whisky simply doesn’t fall into a vegetarian profile so she had no real reference point! Tumeric, smokey tobacco, smooth and oddly mild, oily
Finish – Sweet, salty but significant. Some thought it had a salty bitter quality.

Ledaig is a whisky line from the Tobermory distillery – the only whisky distillery on the Isle of Mull. While it hearkens its origins to 1798, it has a checkered history with a revolving door of owners, times when the doors shut then re-opened and is currently owned by Burn Stewart Distillers who also own Deanston and Bunnahabhain distilleries.

The Tobermory distillery produces whiskies in various avatars:

The peated single malt Ledaig expressions
Some whiskies – both single malts and blends – under the Tobermory brand
And can be found in blends like Scottish Leader and Black Bottle

We previously sampled the Ledaig 1997 (bottled in 2013 i.e. 16 yr) – this had some elements in common yet the 18-year-old was distinctively more ‘meaty’.

Ledaig 18 label (Whisky Lady)

Official tasting notes:

A wonderfully smoky island single malt Scotch whisky which balances sweet and floral aromas with the richness and warmth of sea salt and smoke.

This 18 Year Old Ledaig represents the rebirth of the style of malt whisky that would have originally been produced at the distillery.

This sought after peated Hebridean style Single Malt Scotch Whisky balances rich and fruity, sherried smokiness with seaweed and light creosote that allows for a long and quite pungent finish with more smoke and a hint of liquorice and sea spray. Unchill-filtered @ 46.3% ABV.

Each whisky in our June tasting session was completely different from the others. For some, the winner of the day the American Westland – showing what quality, care and creativity can accomplish! For others, it was the Ledaig.

Monsoon trio – Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Highland Park 1998 40%

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

Relatively early in my whisky sipping days, I was introduced to Highland Park’s 18 year by a dear friend. It was one whisky I kept returning to savour and enjoy – most often with the very same friend. That whisky and I have some good memories.

Along the way, I also tried other Highland Park options too :

12 year – Decent but for a few extra bucks, the 18 was sublime!
16 year – Good but not worth the raving one would hear, in my ever so humble opinion…
And even 21 year – Superb but not my price range!

Yet my favourite remained the 18 year which to me had a delightful balance – a complex nose, full-bodied palate with a finish that lovingly lingered. Add a dash of water and a whole new world of flavours opened up. It had enough going on to keep coming back…

Most important, the 18 year fit into my ‘pinch’ not ‘yeouch!’ pricing category and was easily accessible at Singapore’s Changi airport to grab when passing through en route home to Mumbai.

And then the year based approach took over – bottles of this Orkney offering were found in labels of 1998, 1994 and 1990 – with a sharp price jump – especially the older options.

Sceptical, I decided to start with the Highland Park 1998. The one I picked up was bottled in 2011 – making it almost equivalent to the 12 year.

And the verdict?

I cracked it open, sampled and sighed… in disappointment. Not even up to my memory of the earlier 12 year.

And here I will admit… I dismissed it, forgot about it. I didn’t even offer it as a sample at our monthly whisky sessions as didn’t think it worthy. It joined the league of left overs that would be available at social evenings for less discerning palates.

However in dusting my whisky cabinet the other day, I decided to revisit. After all… it is not improving with age just sitting there and perhaps – just perhaps – I may have been a bit too harsh in my initial assessment.

Highland Park 1998 (Whisky Lady)

Re-tasting the Highland Park 1998 40%:

Colour – Rich gold
Nose – Pronounced honey, sweet with little else initially then out peeped a hint of smoke with an underlay of peat… as it continued to breath, dried fruit notes emerged
Palate – The peat undertone was unmistakable, slightly chewy, dry, faintly bitter and sweet simultaneously. After letting it settle more, a light nuttiness also joined
Finish – While it doesn’t dash off immediately, the first impression is light smoke, still retaining the sweetness of the nose and taste yet also adding a clear bitter element too

In fairness, one really should not rely on tasting from bottles opened ages (years!) ago. However while it still lacks a certain quality that makes a truly superb single malt such a marvel, it isn’t a bad dram. It just isn’t a particularly good dram.

Perhaps I was just a wee bit harsh in my initial assessment.

A little more info: Aged in sherry oak casks from Spain. According to the label, the colour is natural.

PS. Interesting that most reviews seem to be of a version bottled in 2010 however unless the label on mine is a typo, it was a year later!

What others say about the Highland Park 1998 bottled in 2010:

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The Quandry of the Kininvie 17 year

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

I’m in a quandary… To open or not to open?

You see… on one of my many trips through Singapore in 2014, I splurged and picked up the Kininvie 17 year, batch 1.

Kininvie is based in the Coeval hills of Dufftown – built on the Balvenie distillery grounds and best known as a component in the rather yummy Monkey Shoulder. While Grant & Sons are well known, having this particular distillery come ‘out’ as Kininvie is relatively recent with just the 17 and 23 year on offer.

Kininvie 17 year

What do I know so far? Well…

1st batch bottled for travel retail market
Matured for 17 years in 80% American Oak, 20% Sherry Cask
Strength 42.6%

The official tasting notes suggest:

Nose – Rich and full aroma with fresh fruit notes and a deep vanilla sweetness. Uniquely fragrant with a characteristic floral note that is accentuated through the addition of a little water

Taste – Beautifully sweet, buttery vanilla and slightly spicy

Finish – Long and lingering with a notable sweetness

However those are not the observations of either our monthly whisky tasting club or I…

So… why not just crack open the bottle now and check it out?

Well… you see… This particular bottle is designed to be ‘rare’ and if the initial reviews are any indication, may be worth hanging on to for a bit.

Or perhaps it is just hype.

I have never looked at whisky as an investment or something to ‘save’ for a later day. Instead whisky to me is a sociable affair – something to be savoured, shared and enjoyed with others passionate about such pleasures.

So… what should I do? Open now or save?