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2008
May
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April
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March 1
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February
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January 1
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2004
December
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2
November
1
- 2
October
1
- 2
September
1
August
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July
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June
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May
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April
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The
Malt Maniacs Monitor
(PDF,
printable, 2.7MB, sorted alphabetically, updated March 31,
2008)
The file
contains approx 250 pages.
At the moment, we have collected 31,116
ratings on more than 10,204 different single malts
and whiskies.
We are sorry, the html version is no longer
available, it got too heavy anyway.)
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Serge's
Statistics
Shack
The
data on the MMMonitor allows us Malt Maniacs to play around
with the numbers for our own amusement. Please note that only
the results and conclusions published on Malt Maniacs are
'official'. However, these statistics are often used as the
foundation for our 'official' opinions.
Top Maniacal Malts
Recent
bottlings version
Old
bottlings version
(All HTML, sorted by average score,
updated 16/01/2007)
For
these 'solid' Top 100 (or Top 50 for the older bottlings)
we've taken all the malts that have been sampled by at least
six different certified malt maniacs and simply ranked them
from 'best' to 'worst'. Please note that these results can
be very different than our Awards', the latter addressing
only malts that have been submitted by the industry, whereas
most of the malts on the monitor have been, yes... bought
by us!
Soft
Top 250 Maniacal Malts
(HTML,
sorted alphabetically, updated 16/01/2007)
Simply
a list of the 250 best Single Malts scored by at least 3 different
Malt Maniacs. The results are slightly less
'solid', but you should find 'the best of the best' here.
You just can't go wrong when choosing any of these bottles.
The
Malt Maniacs Soft RIBs
(HTML, sorted
by bottler and average score, updated 16/01/2007)
Another interesting feature. Find out about our Recommended
Independent Bottlings, meaning all the bottlings which have
been rated above 85 points by 4+ Maniacs. Here are the gems!
Strange
Bits on Bottlers
(HTML, updated 16/01/2007)
As
we already came up with around 20,000 ratings in January 2007,
we felt we could try to come up with an even better ranking
of the various bottlers. Nothing really official or too serious,
though, especially because the bottles' prices have not been
taken into account and because a bottler that specializes
in rare and expensive whiskies will be 'advantaged' anyway.
But if you're a number crusher, please go ahead and browse
the list!
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A Messy History
1969 - 1983
All
the bottlings
Well, almost...
latest
update
May 21, 2005
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Serge's
Tasting Sheet: Back
on this website by popular demand. PDF, printable. Click here
to download.
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All the linked files (mp3, video, html) are
located on free commercial or non-commercial third party websites.
Some pictures are taken from these websites, and are believed
to be free of rights, as long as no commercial use is intended.
I
always try to write about artists who, I believe, deserve
wider recognition, and all links to mp3 files are here to
show you evidence of that. Please encourage the artists you
like, by buying either their CDs or their downloadable 'legal'
tracks.
I
always add links to the artists' websites - if any - which
should help you know more about their works. I also try to
add a new link to any hosting website or weblog which helped
me discover new music - check the column on the right.
I
almost never upload any mp3 file on my own server, except
when dealing with artists I personally know, and who gave
me due authorizations, or sometimes when I feel a 'national'
artist deserves wider recognition. In that case, the files
will remain on-line only for a few days.
I
do not encourage heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages,
nor dangerous motorbike riding. But life is short anyway...
As
they say here: 'L'abus d'alcool est dangeureux pour la santé
- à consommer avec modération' |
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feedback |
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May
16, 2008 |
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TASTING
– FOUR BRAND NEW INDIE LAPHROAIGS |
Laphroaig
11 yo 1996 (53.6%, Jack Wieber, Auld Distillers,
215 bottles, 2008) 
Colour: pale gold. Nose: not as powerful as expected
(feared?) but ultra-clean, ‘zingy’,
peaty of course, farmy, maritime and mineral, with
added notes of fresh lemon juice and fresh butter.
Very, err, ‘idiosyncratic’ but less
rounded than most OB’s. Exactly a good indie
Laphroaig. With water: a little more smoke, peated
malt, wet straw and wet hay. Hints of cow stable.
Mouth (neat): punchy, sweet and peaty, salty, liquoricy
and peppery, with a lemony tang. Very classic but
maybe a tad sweeter than expected. With water: more
of the same, maybe a tad more on the peaty/peppery
side. Finish: quite long, classic, peat, pepper,
lemon juice and apple compote. Little maritime or
medicinal notes here. Comments: good but not out
of this world. SGP:247 - 85 points. |
| Laphroaig
14 yo 1993 (51.1%, Douglas of Drumlanrig, 2008)
Colour:
straw. Nose: this one is much smokier than the JWW,
ashier, even more mineral and also more austere.
Metal polish and wet stones, motor oil. Smells a
bit like a Ducati after a good run at full speed
(provided the electrics didn’t melt down after
ten kilometres.) Luv’ it. With water: oh,
that almost killed it! What happened? Only a few
notes of fresh almonds and wet sand remain... What
a bad swimmer on the nose! Mouth (neat): extremely
punchy but drinkable, with a true peat blast –
as they say. Peat, lemon and pepper. Not complex
but water should help again. With water: very classic
Laphroaig. Quite some salt now but it didn’t
get any more complex. Finish: long, peaty, peppery,
ashy. Comments: more austere than the JWW, which
may make it more interesting. SGP:148 -
87 points. |
Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (56.6%, Dewar Rattray, bourbon,
cask #2245, 291 bottles) 
Colour: straw. Nose: pretty much the same as the
Douglas, only a tad woodier and even smokier. Big,
big smoke! With water: it got wilder, sort of dirtier
(pleasantly so) and farmier. Also more paraffin.
Mouth (neat): as big as the Douglas but a little
more complex. More spices (well, of the peppery
kind, at least). Other than that you know the song...
With water: yes, it’s even better. Finish:
long and salty. Comments: classic ‘wild’
and ‘straight’ Laphroaig. SGP:
138 - 89 points. |
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Laphroaig
1990/2008 (55.6%, Berry Bros, cask #2248)
 Colour:
white wine. Nose: same as the Dewar Rattray, only
even smokier! Smoke galore! With water: again, water
didn’t work too well here but it’s still
alive. Fresh almonds again. Mouth (neat): a little
rounder than the Rattray, and maybe a tad closer
to the OB’s (well, the 10 CS) but other than
that it’s a peat blast. Not quite like eating
an ashtray but... Also liquorice roots and gentian
spirit. Very good. With water: even more punch,
even when watered down to roughly 45%. Close to
the DR (pedigrees are similar anyway). Finish: long,
a tad saltier than the DR. Comments: ‘liquid
smoke’. Extreme but very likeable. SGP:128
- 90 points. |
 |
And
also Laphroaig 15
yo 1968 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s Choice)
Notes
of old walnuts and bitter oranges on the nose,
as well as cake, but little peat if any. A whispering
old Laphroaig. The palate is quite rounded, a
tad more powerful, on crystallised oranges and
soft spices. Figs. Little peat again, hints of
Szechuan pepper. Very good but not for peat freaks.
SGP:323 – 87 points.
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May
15, 2008 |
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TASTING
THREE YOUNG
CLYNELISHES
|
Clynelish
13 yo (46%, The Whisky Companion, sherry, +/- 2007)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts very aromatic, almost
exuberantly, on furniture polish, wood smoke and
orangeade. Very clean, but things tumble a bit after
that, with notes of cooked wine, mash, beer... Gets
also quite flinty and almost resinous. Pine-scented
candles? Maybe it’s the sherry that doesn’t
mix too well with the spirit here (something buttery).
Now, it’s still very nice whisky (as long
as Clynelishe’s character manages to shine
through, I’m happy.) Mouth: sweet yet nervous,
starting right on fruit liqueurs (strawberry) and
pineapple, orange cake, getting then a little more
herbal, waxy, grassy, candied, liquoricy and salty.
It’s a bit rough but pleasantly complex at
the same time, maybe a tad too ‘sherried’
which seems to give it a sweetness that’s
maybe slightly offbeat here. Finish: rather long,
sort of sweet and bitter. Comments: slightly unusual
for Clynelish, thanks to the sherry (well, that’s
my theory) but then again, it’s a good Clynelish.
SGP:452 – 84 points. |
| Clynelish
13 yo 1992/2006 (57.2%, Cadenhead, 294 bottles)
From
a bourbon hogshead. Colour: straw. Nose: very punchy,
starting ‘only’ on vanilla, mint and
candle wax. Gets then waxier and waxier, quite resinous
as well just like the other 13. Hints of apple peel,
fresh walnuts... And then ultra-big notes of coriander
and fresh parsley mixed with plain grain. Let’s
see what happens with water: it all settles down
a bit – I said a bit – and becomes more
classic, albeit a little grassier than usual with
Clynelish. Loads of apple peel plus a little coal
smoke, soot... Also whiffs of ‘farmyard after
the rain’. Mouth (neat): big, big notes of
coconuts reminding me of some grain whiskies. Also
vanillin, plain oak, sugar... There may have been
new staves used here! Not much Clynelish character
at this stage. With water: more of the same, even
if it got a little more ‘Highlander’.
Much more salt as well, as well as bitter oranges.
Finish: long, a tad more of a classic Clynelish.
Comments: very, very good Clynelish but maybe the
oak was a bit too active here. A matter of taste
of course! SGP:542 – 87 points. |
| Clynelish
(57.3%, OB, available only at the distillery, 2008)
Colour:
white wine. Nose: rather similar to the Cadenhead,
but maybe a tad cleaner and showing more reserve.
Just as waxy but less resinous than both 13’s
at first nosing, but there’s quite some pine
resin indeed after a good while. Also more mineral,
flinty, almost lemony notes (lime). Not and easy
dram at full strength, it seems that this one is
rather for aficionados than for ‘simple’
tourists. Keeps developing for a long time, that
is, with whiffs of cardamom, shoe polish, lemon
balm, oysters... With water: this is interesting,
as it got more ‘precise’ and ‘focused’.
Cloves, ginger, wax and a faint yeastiness. Mouth
(neat): an even huger punch than with the Cadenhead’s
but also a straighter style. A lot of sweetness
from the alcohol but also a little salt right at
first sips. Pineapple sweets, vanilla and, indeed,
a little coconut again. Other than that it’s
a little raw so let’s not wait any longer
and add water. With water: now we’re talking!
More spices, more wax, more salt, more herbs, more
smokiness, more, err, ‘clams’ (or any
almondy/salty kind of seafood), tea, a little pine
resin just like at first nosing... It’s still
a little wild (at roughly 45% ABV) but even tourists
should not dislike this ;-). Finish: long, even
saltier and maritime. Comments: very interesting
that the owners composed such a vatting for this
‘distillery only’ version. It seems
that they tried to stay as close to the distillery’s
character as possible, maybe at the expenses of
simple ‘drinkability’. Well, as Clynelish
aficionados, we certainly won’t complain!
SGP:353 – 89 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| Very
much inspired by Captain Archibald Haddock |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening. Our
beloved Abdullah
Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand) recorded
Desert Flowers, a beautiful album, when he first
came back to his native South Africa after many
years of exile. He over enthusiastically - said
the purists - used a synth on The
Praise Song.mp3, but we think it was beautiful.
Please buy Abdullah Ibrahim's music. |
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May
14, 2008 |
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| CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan |
MICK
TAYLOR'S BLUES SUMMIT
|
Mick
Taylor, Mitch Mitchell |
| Queen
Elizabeth Hall, London, May 5th 2008 |
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This
should have been a great evening. It’s a
holiday, the first one of the year, and the weather
has been fantastic. And who wouldn’t want
to come out to see that great blues guitarist
Mick
Taylor play with a group of musicians
including Terry
Reid on guitar and vocals, the excellent harmonica
player Sugar
Blue (James Whiting), keyboard player Max
Middleton, and drummers Collin Allan (Stone
the Crows, Zoot Money, John Mayall etc.) and former
Hendrix mainstay Mitch
Mitchell? Starting with ‘Fed up with
the blues’ and ‘Losing my faith’
from his second solo album things seemed promising
enough. But as the gig continued Taylor became
increasingly disaffected, and to be frank, apparently
disinterested. From my ringside vantage point
it appeared that the source of the irritation
was Mitch Mitchell, who clearly doesn’t
get out much, and whose drumming was, to use a
non-technical term, “all over the place”.
Having mouthed to Reid, “Get him off the
fucking stage” (or so it seemed to me),
|
Taylor then left himself for an extended cigarette
break, leaving his chum Terry to hold the stage.
He did this with the verve of an ageing music
hall trooper, singing with great gusto, but was
clearly as perplexed with events as everyone else
on the stage, except Mitchell, who kept on coming
forward to take the microphone and tell us how
happy he was to be there. Taylor eventually returned
in a cloud of smoke and the band stumbled on for
a few more numbers (with Mitch bashing away in
happy oblivion to the friction he was causing),
of which Bob Dylan’s ‘Blind Willie
McTell’ hinted at what a great evening it
could have been. We were then treated to an appalling
encore (Ray Charles’ ‘What I’d
say’), half way through which, after playing
a simply awful solo, Taylor laid his guitar down
on the stage (I had thought he was about to plant
it on Mitchell’s head) and left. |
I
really don’t like writing a bad review,
particularly of an artist I admire, but you have
to tell it like it is. There’s just no excuse
for this sort of thing. It’s unprofessional
in the extreme, and quite honestly anyone who
was there has got a right to feel that they were
severely short-changed on the price of a ticket.
- Nick Morgan (photograph by Kate) |
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TASTING
– FOUR IMPERIALS |
| Imperial
11 yo 1996/2008 'Lime Pair' (46%, The Nectar, Daily
Dram, 303 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: a very
fresh and clean whisky, blending notes of clean
grain and mashed potatoes with rather delicate notes
of lemon pie and fresh butter. Simple put most pleasurable,
a perfect summer malt as far as the nose is concerned.
Mouth: sweet, clean and fruity, more on pears this
time (butter pears) with just a slight zestiness.
Pleasant oakiness coming through after a while,
that spices up the whole. Finish: medium long, clean
and fruity, with a little pepper. Comments: this
one reminds me of some young Bladnochs or Rosebanks.
For summertime indeed. SGP:631 – 85
points. |
| Imperial
17 yo 1990/2008 (53.1%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld,
cask #359)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: This is much oakier, almost
plankish at first nosing. Develops more nicely,
on interesting – albeit most unusual –
notes of green olives, warm butter and vanilla.
With water: the wood comes out even more, as well
as something like lemongrass. Unusual indeed. Mouth
(Neat): much, much nicer than at first nosing when
neat. Rounded, slightly candied and orangey, with
the oak giving the whole a good structure here.
Gets very spicy (wood). With water: it’s at
this stage that it got really better. Orange marmalade
and quince jelly, baklavas, candy sugar... Very
enjoyable now. Finish: long, sweet, candied, sligthly
gingery. Comments: a very good Imperial once you
went through the oak (using water). SGP:551
– 83 points. |
| Imperial
17 yo 1990/2007 (53.9%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld,
cask #353)
Colour: white wine. Nose: more austere and restrained,
much less oaky than cask #359. Grains, ash and yellow
wild flowers. The oak comes out after that. With
water: not much changes, maybe a little more porridge.
Mouth (neat): extremely close to cask #359, which
is normal. Maybe a tad more lemony. With water:
uber-clean now, very fruity (tinned pineapples).
Good balance. Finish: long, clean and fruity, with
notes of pear juice and peeling. Okay, whole pears.
Comments: I like this one a little better than cask
#359, for it’s cleaner and fruitier. Another
perfect summer malt, but not for very hot days.
SGP:642 – 84 points. |
Imperial
25 yo 1982/2008 (53.4%, Signatory, cask #3715, refill
sherry butt, 198 bottles) 
Colour: dark gold – pale amber. Nose: quite
some sherry mingling with an elegant oakiness and
again notes of warm butter. Hints of ham and sulphur.
With water: again, it’s the wood that mostly
comes out with water. Then caramel crème,
vanilla custard and Seville oranges. Very nice.
Mouth (neat): very sweet and very fruity, starting
all on orange drops and grenadine as well as bubblegum
and marshmallows. Again, good oakiness behind this
exuberant sweetness. With water: something ‘lavenderish’
comes out now. Violet sweets. A little bizarre...
Finish: medium long, on orange marmalade and lavender
sweets. Comments: unusual change of profile with
water. I like the nose better than the palate. SGP:441
– 80 points. |
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