WORLD WHISKY REVIEWS
Welcome to the World Whiskey reviews of All Things Whiskey. Here you will find reviews of Australian, Canadian, Indian and Japanese Whiskey.
how whiskies are reviewed
whiskies are sampled in a glencairn; the official glass used by distilleries, tasting venues and festivals, designed to get the most out of the spirit
They are left to ‘breathe’ for a minimum of 10 minutes. This allows time for the compounds in the spirit to react with the air and unveil their aromas and flavour further
The whiskies are then judged based on five classic criteria employed in the industry: colour, body, nose, palate and finish.
in certain cases, a drop or two of water will be added to open the whiskey up further. this is often used in cases where the abv is greater than 43%, or where further judgment is required
whiskies are THEN given a score out of 5, which encompasses the five criteria, as well as personal opinion on the background of the whiskey, its production methods, retail value and reputation.
reviews are categorised by THE WHISKEY’S country of production
Click below to find out more:
Next to some whiskey titles you may also notice acronyms – click the legend below to find out what these refer to.
LEGEND
Whiskies are broad in their character, value and distribution methods. Next to some titles you will therefore encounter acronyms which account of these to help understand why these are factored in to the scoring, which will be explained below.
IR (Independent Release)
Many whiskies are bottled by independent parties. Independent bottlings will tend to carry the name of the distillery, the bottling strength, the batch number, the age, and, if it comes from a single cask, the number of bottles produced from it. This adds both a rarity and a collectibility value to them. The two are not mutually exclusive however: distillery bottlings can be from single casks and yearly vintage releases. Many distilleries will often choose to have their products independently bottled to save on costs, and independent bottlings also allows customers to still enjoy products from those distilleries that no longer bottle their own or rarely do so. Independent bottlers also offer a sense of novelty and creativity that diversifies the whiskey scene. Examples of independent bottlers include Gordon & MacPhail, Cadenheads, SMWS, Hunter Laing’s (First Editions, Old Malt Casks, Old & Rare), Compass Box & Signatory.
CS (Cask Strength)
Whiskey by law must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% ABV (80 proof.) When the spirit is drawn from the cask, water is then added in order to bring it down to this threshold. Whilst many whiskies hover between the 40% to 46% mark, cask strength whiskies on the other hand are just that; whiskies bottled at their natural ABV without the addition of water. These tend to deliver greater complexities of flavor and nuances in character, which are often muted by dilution. Distilleries often do a series of cask strength whiskies as a yearly batch release. Aberlour produce ex-sherry cask whiskies, known as their A’Bunadh range. Glenfarclas also do a widely-popular and highly-valued single-cask Family Cask series.
Ironically however, many whiskies at cask strength also benefit greatly from the slow and minimal addition of water (typically by pipette) to activate chemical reactions with the oils in the whiskies that then unveil flavor and develop additional ones. There is a great satisfaction in spending an evening with a dram
LR (Limited Release)
Bottlings marked as Limited Release may have been produced by a distillery to either mark a specific event, person or period in time. If the number of bottles produced for a particular whiskey is known, this will be also noted on the lavek. As expected, limited release whiskies are few in number and often the best chances to try them are to visit festivals, which some distilleries bottle specifically for (Lagavulin being an example for the Feis Ile festival), attend an extended distillery tasting event or bid for them at an auction.
DF (DUTY FREE)
Limited edition travel exclusive bottlings which can only be acquired at the respective distillery and/or an airport duty free. As the name mentions, Duty Free bottlings by their nature are already limited release, so the acronym above won’t be used alongside.
This popup contains links to third-party sites. The webmaster bears no responsibility on the content of these sites and is not affiliated with any of the companies or links mentioned.
Australian Whiskey
MELBOURNE / TASMANIA
Brought back to life by Bill Lark (owner of Lark Distillery) the Australian whiskey scene has seen an array of young distilleries crop up all along Australia’s southern coast and the Isle of Tasmania, offering respectable lines at affordable, accessible prices.
Hellyers Road : 10 Year
46.2% ABV | 70cl | TASMANIA
With an emphasis on orchard and citric fruit notes, this entry level whiskey from the Australian distillery demonstrates coherence and solid value for money.
COLOR
Pale brass.
BODY
Light and thin. Fast-moving, medium legs.
NOSE
Lush, ripe bananas and peaches. Mango and grapefruit follow.
PALATE
Sour grapefruit and banana rind. Tangy with a thin mouth coat.
FINISH
Quick. Grapefruit and orange rind on exit.
SCORE: 4/5
Starward : Left-Field
40% ABV | 70cl | MELBOURNE
Matured in 100% French oak with Australian red wine barrels from the Barossa and Yarra Valleys, the Left-Field is a disappointing whiskey which fails to showcase the wood influence it boasts.
COLOR
Gold. 18k. Yellow beading.
BODY
Oily with thick, slow-moving legs.
NOSE
Vanilla, toffee and honey all fold into one another with a discernible distinction. Caremalised bananas and a suggestion of passion fruit.
PALATE
Immediately hot with little going on here. A faint suggestion of fresh honeycomb.
FINISH
Hot and short on the finish. None of the notes present here.
SCORE: 2/5
Canadian Whiskey
MANITOBA / ONTARIO
With a complex history and often characterised by their honeyed flavors, Canadian whiskey benefited greatly from the Prohibition-era and primarily utilises corn and wheat in its predominantly blended bottlings.
Canadian Club : Original 1858
40% ABV | 70cl | ONTARIO
The brainchild of legendary entrepreneur Hiram Walker and synonymous with Don Draper, Canadian Club 1858 is blended at distillate-level, before maturing for 6 years in casks to enrich its character further. While the immediate nose can be off-putting, this soon disappears to deliver a star-quality whiskey and undoubtedly one of the best for its price mark.
COLOR
Golden barley at sunset, with 18k beading throughout.
BODY
Thin and light, with thin, fast-moving legs.
NOSE
Initially acetone – quite profound. Eventually syrup-soaked apricots, ripe, diced mango and fruit chew candy. Further breathing unveils ripe bananas and dolly mixture candy. A very faint suggestion of rye-like grassiness.
PALATE
Apricots and mango follow through here. Then vanilla pods and a drizzle of honey. A little hotness on the mids, that soon dissipates. A suggestion of pineapple too.
FINISH
Surprisingly well-held and sustained. Drying oak spice takes prominence here, alongside lemon rind.
SCORE: 4/5
Lot 40 : Rye Whiskey
43% ABV | 70cl | MANITOBA
At 100% rye content and distilled in a single pot still before maturing in virgin oak casks, the Lot 40 rye, once discontinued and re-introduced after much public demand, stands as a solid, well-layered whiskey worth every cent.
COLOR
Deep bronze.
BODY
Light. Thin, fast-moving legs.
NOSE
Passion fruit and papaya, strong and affirmed throughout. Pinecones, chestnut and aromatic oils develop alongside, with tannins soon following.
PALATE
Nectarines, grapefruit peel, orange essence and white pepper.
FINISH
Polished oak and pine oil. A humming of cedarwood.
SCORE: 4.5/5
Indian Whiskey
BANGALORE / GOA
Noted for their vastly opposing climates to the Scottish regions, Indian Whiskey can be matured twice as fast as Scotch in half the time. While that means less spirit in the cask upon bottling, it does offer some wildly varying expressions.
Amrut : Fusion
50% | 70cl | BENGALURU
Made with a 50/50 grain mix of peated Scottish and unpeated Indian barley to honor the location of its inception, The Amrut Fusion is an unforgettable whiskey, and not in a good way either. Awful in every sense, I wouldn’t drink this even if it was gifted.
COLOR
Golden nectar.
BODY
Medium.
NOSE
A weird odour of sweat.
PALATE
Tastes like the smell of sweat-soaked and stained shirts molting in the summer heat. I’ve never had anything like this before and I hope I never do again.
FINISH
Hot syrup and damp sweaty rags condensed and concentrated all at once. I needed water to cleanse the palate for good. I have no idea what went wrong with this.
SCORE: 0/5
Paul John : Classic (CS)
55.2% | 70cl | GOA
From a distillery along the shores of Goa, the Classic is Paul John’s unpeated cask strength bottling. While it may be limited in its note range, what it does offer is big, bold, fluent and beautiful.
COLOR
Golden sunset.
BODY
Thick, medium with slow-moving legs.
NOSE
Classic vanilla and honey with an envelope of apples, bananas and pears.
PALATE
A lip-smackingly delicious array of orchard fruits; apples, bananas, pears and cherries along with thick, oozing hand-pulled honeycomb.
FINISH
The palate notes retain their presence and unfold gently away. A beautifully made whiskey.
SCORE: 4/5
Japanese Whiskey
AICHI PREFECTURE / OSAKA PREFECTURE / YAMANASHI PREFECTURE
Primarily engineered by Shinjiro Torii back in 1923, the rise of Japanese whiskey has seen it dominate the investment market as well as pique the minds of the everyday buyer, as they offer a portfolio of flavours in both classic Scotch and experimental styles which have won awards and contributed to stark inflation prices.
Suntory : Toki
43% ABV | 70cl | BLENDED
The Suntory Toki is a modest low-budget blended sip for those looking for an entry level Japanese whiskey. While showcasing some impressive notes however, it is let short by its abrupt and sharp finish.
COLOR
Pale straw.
BODY
Oily, fast-moving, medium legs.
NOSE
Green fruits and grapefruit to start with. Eventually, candied lemon and marzipan soon follow.
PALATE
Notes of mint and menthol as well as grapefruits.
FINISH
Hot on the front palate. Notes recede quickly.
SCORE: 3/5
Yamazaki : 12 Year
43% ABV | 70cl | OSAKA PREFECTURE
Despite winning at the World Whiskies Awards in 2017 and thereby contributing to the rise in Japanese whiskey demand, the profile on show here, while would justify its retail price before the boom, isn’t enough to justify the few hundred pound figure it now stands at.
COLOR
Nectar. Pale gold beading.
BODY
Thin, fast-moving, oily legs.
NOSE
Dried fruits, burnt toffee, vanilla pods and custard powder. A mild suggestion of boiled sweets.
PALATE
Stone fruits, vanilla and grapefruit. Nectarines soon follow.
FINISH
A touch sour and dry. Flavours recede rather quickly.
SCORE: 2/5
GET IN
TOUCH
I’m always interested in the latest line-ups as well as new and upcoming distilleries from across the globe. If you would like to hear my thoughts on a new product or would like to feature my reviews, please feel free to get in touch with me via the contact form.
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World Whiskey Reviews
Welcome to the World Whiskey reviews of All Things Whiskey. Here you will find reviews of Australian, Canadian, Indian and Japanese Whiskey.
HOW WHISKIES ARE REVIEWED
WHISKIES ARE SAMPLED IN A GLENCAIRN; THE OFFICIAL GLASS USED BY DISTILLERIES, TASTING VENUES AND FESTIVALS, DESIGNED TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE SPIRIT
THEY ARE LEFT TO ‘BREATHE’ FOR A MINIMUM OF 10 MINUTES. THIS ALLOWS TIME FOR THE COMPOUNDS IN THE SPIRIT TO REACT WITH THE AIR AND UNVEIL THEIR AROMAS AND FLAVOUR FURTHER
THE WHISKIES ARE THEN JUDGED BASED ON FIVE CLASSIC CRITERIA EMPLOYED IN THE INDUSTRY: COLOUR, BODY, NOSE, PALATE AND FINISH.
IN CERTAIN CASES, A DROP OR TWO OF WATER WILL BE ADDED TO OPEN THE WHISKEY UP FURTHER. THIS IS OFTEN USED IN CASES WHERE THE ABV IS GREATER THAN 43%, OR WHERE FURTHER JUDGMENT IS REQUIRED
WHISKIES ARE THEN GIVEN A SCORE OUT OF 5, WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE FIVE CRITERIA, AS WELL AS PERSONAL OPINION ON THE BACKGROUND OF THE WHISKEY, ITS PRODUCTION METHODS, RETAIL VALUE AND REPUTATION.
reviews are categorised by THE WHISKEY’S country of production
Click below to find out more:
Next to some whiskey titles you may also notice acronyms – click the legend below to find out what these refer to.
LEGEND
Whiskies are broad in their character, value and distribution methods. Next to some titles you will therefore encounter acronyms which account of these to help understand why these are factored in to the scoring, which will be explained below.
IR (Independent Release)
Many whiskies are bottled by independent parties. These buy the cask from a distillery, then take on the responsibility of bottling (at a particular ABV), marketing, distributing and selling them. Independent Bottlings bear the branding of the company themselves, and you will often see them all appear the same. Examples of independent bottlers include Gordon & MacPhail, Cadenheads, SMWS, Hunter Laing’s (First Editions, Old Malt Casks, Old & Rare), Compass Box & Signatory.
CS (Cask Strength)
Whilst many whiskies hover between the 40% to 46% mark, cask strength whiskies on the other hand are just that; whiskies bottled at their natural ABV without the addition of water. These tend to deliver greater complexities of flavor and nuances in character, which are often muted by dilution. Distilleries often do a series of cask strength whiskies as a yearly batch release. Aberlour produce ex-sherry cask whiskies, known as their A’Bunadh range. Glenfarclas also do a widely-popular and highly-valued single-cask Family Cask series.
LR (limited Release)
Bottlings marked as Limited Release may have been produced by a distillery to either mark a specific event, person or period in time. If the number of bottles produced for a particular whiskey is known, this will be also noted on the lavek. As expected, limited release whiskies are few in number and often the best chances to try them are to visit festivals, which some distilleries bottle specifically for (Lagavulin being an example for the Feis Ile festival), attend an extended distillery tasting event or bid for them at an auction.
DF (DUTY FREE)
Limited edition travel exclusive bottlings which can only be acquired at the respective distillery and/or an airport duty free. As the name mentions, Duty Free bottlings by their nature are already limited release, so the acronym above won’t be used alongside.
This popup contains links to third-party sites. The webmaster bears no responsibility on the content of these sites and is not affiliated with any of the companies or links mentioned.
Australian Whiskey
MELBOURNE / TASMANIA
Brought back to life by Bill Lark (owner of Lark Distillery) the Australian whiskey scene has seen an array of young distilleries crop up all along Australia’s southern coast and the Isle of Tasmania, offering respectable lines at affordable, accessible prices.
Hellyers Road : 10 Year
46.2% ABV | 70cl | TASMANIA
With an emphasis on orchard and citric fruit notes, this entry level whiskey from the Australian distillery demonstrates coherence and solid value for money.
COLOR
Pale brass.
BODY
Light and thin. Fast-moving, medium legs.
NOSE
Lush, ripe bananas and peaches. Mango and grapefruit follow.
PALATE
Sour grapefruit and banana rind. Tangy with a thin mouth coat.
FINISH
Quick. Grapefruit and orange rind on exit.
SCORE: 4/5
Starward : Left-Field
40% ABV | 70cl | MELBOURNE
Matured in 100% French oak with Australian red wine barrels from the Barossa and Yarra Valleys, the Left-Field is a disappointing whiskey which fails to showcase the wood influence it boasts.
COLOR
Gold. 18k. Yellow beading.
BODY
Oily with thick, slow-moving legs.
NOSE
Vanilla, toffee and honey all fold into one another with a discernible distinction. Caramelized bananas and a suggestion of passion fruit.
PALATE
Immediately hot with little going on here. A faint suggestion of fresh honeycomb.
FINISH
Hot and short on the finish. None of the notes present here.
SCORE: 2/5
Canadian Whiskey
MANITOBA / ONTARIO
With a complex history and often characterised by their honeyed flavors, Canadian whiskey benefited greatly from the Prohibition-era and primarily utilises corn and wheat in its predominantly blended bottlings.
Canadian Club : Original 1858
40% ABV | 70cl | ONTARIO
The brainchild of legendary entrepreneur Hiram Walker and synonymous with Don Draper, Canadian Club 1858 is blended at distillate-level, before maturing for 6 years in casks to enrich its character further. While the immediate nose can be off-putting, this soon disappears to deliver a star-quality whiskey and undoubtedly one of the best for its price mark.
COLOR
Golden barley at sunset, with 18k beading throughout.
BODY
Thin and light, with thin, fast-moving legs.
NOSE
Initially acetone – quite profound. Eventually syrup-soaked apricots, ripe, diced mango and fruit chew candy. Further breathing unveils ripe bananas and dolly mixture candy. A very faint suggestion of rye-like grassiness.
PALATE
Apricots and mango follow through here. Then vanilla pods and a drizzle of honey. A little hotness on the mids, that soon dissipates. A suggestion of pineapple too.
FINISH
Surprisingly well-held and sustained. Drying oak spice takes prominence here, alongside lemon rind.
SCORE: 4/5
Lot 40 : Rye Whiskey
43% ABV | 70cl | MANITOBA
At 100% rye content and distilled in a single pot still before maturing in virgin oak casks, the Lot 40 rye, once discontinued and re-introduced after much public demand, stands as a solid, well-layered whiskey worth every cent.
COLOR
Deep bronze.
BODY
Light. Thin, fast-moving legs.
NOSE
Passion fruit and papaya, strong and affirmed throughout. Pinecones, chestnut and aromatic oils develop alongside, with tannins soon following.
PALATE
Nectarines, grapefruit peel, orange essence and white pepper.
FINISH
Polished oak and pine oil. A humming of cedarwood.
SCORE: 4.5/5
Indian Whiskey
BANGALORE / GOA
Noted for their vastly opposing climates to the Scottish regions, Indian Whiskey can be matured twice as fast as Scotch in half the time. While that means less spirit in the cask upon bottling, it does offer some wildly varying expressions.
Amrut : Fusion
50% | 70cl | BENGALURU
Made with a 50/50 grain mix of peated Scottish and unpeated Indian barley to honor the location of its inception, The Amrut Fusion is an unforgettable whiskey, and not in a good way either. Awful in every sense, I wouldn’t drink this even if it was gifted.
COLOR
Golden nectar.
BODY
Medium.
NOSE
A weird odour of sweat.
PALATE
Tastes like the smell of sweat-soaked and stained shirts molting in the summer heat. I’ve never had anything like this before and I hope I never do again.
FINISH
Hot syrup and damp sweaty rags condensed and concentrated all at once. I needed water to cleanse the palate for good. I have no idea what went wrong with this.
SCORE: 0/5
Paul John : Classic (CS)
55.2% | 70cl | GOA
From a distillery along the shores of Goa, the Classic is Paul John’s unpeated cask strength bottling. While it may be limited in its note range, what it does offer is big, bold, fluent and beautiful.
COLOR
Golden sunset.
BODY
Thick, medium with slow-moving legs.
NOSE
Classic vanilla and honey with an envelope of apples, bananas and pears.
PALATE
A lip-smackingly delicious array of orchard fruits; apples, bananas, pears and cherries along with thick, oozing hand-pulled honeycomb.
FINISH
The palate notes retain their presence and unfold gently away. A beautifully made whiskey.
SCORE: 4/5
Japanese Whiskey
AICHI PREFECTURE / OSAKA PREFECTURE / YAMANASHI PREFECTURE
Primarily engineered by Shinjiro Torii back in 1923, the rise of Japanese whiskey has seen it dominate the investment market as well as pique the minds of the everyday buyer, as they offer a portfolio of flavours in both classic Scotch and experimental styles which have won awards and contributed to stark inflation prices.
Suntory : Toki
43% ABV | 70cl | BLENDED
The Suntory Toki is a modest low-budget blended sip for those looking for an entry level Japanese whiskey. While showcasing some impressive notes however, it is let short by its abrupt and sharp finish.
COLOR
Pale straw.
BODY
Oily, fast-moving, medium legs.
NOSE
Green fruits and grapefruit to start with. Eventually, candied lemon and marzipan soon follow.
PALATE
Notes of mint and menthol as well as grapefruits.
FINISH
Hot on the front palate. Notes recede quickly.
SCORE: 3/5
Yamazaki : 12 Year
43% ABV | 70cl | OSAKA PREFECTURE
Despite winning at the World Whiskies Awards in 2017 and thereby contributing to the rise in Japanese whiskey demand, the profile on show here, while would justify its retail price before the boom, isn’t enough to justify the few hundred pound figure it now stands at.
COLOR
Nectar. Pale gold beading.
BODY
Thin, fast-moving, oily legs.
NOSE
Dried fruits, burnt toffee, vanilla pods and custard powder. A mild suggestion of boiled sweets.
PALATE
Stone fruits, vanilla and grapefruit. Nectarines soon follow.
FINISH
A touch sour and dry. Flavours recede rather quickly.
SCORE: 2/5
Contact
I’M ALWAYS INTERESTED IN THE LATEST LINE-UPS AS WELL AS NEW AND UPCOMING DISTILLERIES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MY THOUGHTS ON A NEW PRODUCT OR WOULD LIKE TO FEATURE MY REVIEWS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME BELOW.
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