Diageo

Caol Ila 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review
Photo courtesy of Diageo

Photo courtesy of Diageo

The Caol Ila distillery produces a lighter style of peated whisky, compared to other Islay distilleries.  Located near Port Askaig on Islay, Caol Ila has been in operational since 1846, stopping production only twice: once in the 1930s and again during World War II.  In the early 1970s, Caol Ila underwent a massive expansion.  The distillery was torn down and built anew.

Photo courtesy of Diageo

Photo courtesy of Diageo

While single malt expressions are available for purchase, the majority of whisky produced at Caol Ila is used in blends.  Most obvious is Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker.  It’s core expression is a 12-year-old single malt.  Caol Ila adds the peaty kick to the  blended whisky giant.

The nose for this whisky is peaty, light and floral.  Honey contributes some sweetness, while orange peel pops up every now and then.  Caol Ila 12-year is bottled at 43%.  There’s a slight sharpness on the entry.  It doesn’t last long and soon the whisky coats the mouth in an unexpected creamy way.  Honey and a light peat are the first flavor notes to arrive.  There’s an ashy smoke that develops alongside a floral note.  The finish is longer than expected, leaving behind a semi-sweet smokiness with a hint of citrus.

In regards to peated whiskies, the rule of thumb is ‘the younger the age of the whisky, the more prominent the peatiness’.  Twelve years is relatively young in that regard.  Yet Caol Ila manages to keep the peat rather light.  The whisky’s light nature and citrus note makes this a very suitable summertime porch sipper.  Hardcore whisky enthusiasts may scoff, by I like adding lemon peel to my Caol Ila.  Lemon peel or not, Caol Ila 12-year is a solid pour of Scotch whisky.

8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Diageo.)

Crown Royal XO and XR Canadian Whisky Reviews

This past Christmas a friend of mine at work struck up a conversation with me about whiskey.  Specifically Crown Royal.  She’s a fan of their standard Crown Royal  blend, and asked my opinion regarding Crown Royal XO and XR.  Unfortunately, I’ve never tasted either so I couldn’t help her out.  I reached out to the folks at Crown Royal, and they kindly sent over samples for me to try.

Crown Royal XO

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal.

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal.

Crown Royal XO is a blend of over 50 whiskies owned by Crown Royal.  The matured whisky is then finished in ex-cognac casks.  It’s bottled at 40% abv and available for around $50.  The cognac barrel finishing is evident on the nose.  The nose is soft and sweet, as expected from a Crown Royal.  However, there’s a slight dry or astringent oak, vanilla and a touch of maple syrup.  The low abv softens the palate a bit and brings about fruit, caramel, and a little oak spice.  It feels a tad more complex than the standard blend.  The finish is rather light and short, leaving behind vanilla custard.

This is a step up from the standard Crown Royal blend.  However, it still comes across a bit light to me.  Beefing up the alcohol percentage to 43% or 46% would help this release, in my opinion.  Nonetheless, if you’re just looking for a light, sweet whisky, this would be right up your alley.

7.5/10

Crown Royal XR

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal.

Photo courtesy of Crown Royal.

Part of the Extra Rare series, this blend of Crown Royal XR features some of the last whisky from the now closed LaSalle distillery.  Crown Royal Master Blender Andrew MacKay was aiming for a richer blend when creating Crown Royal XR.  That richness is something the LaSalle distillery is known for producing.  Bottled at the standard 40% abv, Crown Royal XR smells great.  Thick maple syrup and rounded rye spice (as opposed to a sharp rye spice) dominate the nose.  This is Crown Royal we’re talking about, so it’s still a light nose.  Taste-wise, the entry isn’t an immediate sweetness.  Instead, a slight sharp grain note quickly develops into a rich, sweet syrup.  Some spice pops up along the way, along with a touch of dry oak and vanilla.  This whisky has a moderately long finish full of sweet and spicy oak.

There’s a nice complexity in this release, and it may be among my favorite Crown Royal blends.  Not my favorite though… that title still belongs to Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel.  Still, this one holds up in the glass, and is a worthy pour for fans of Crown Royal.  A bottle of Crown Royal XR should run cost about $130.

8/10
(Note: Review samples were provided by Diageo.)

Port Dundas 12 & 18 Year Old Single Grain Whisky Reviews

The doors of Port Dundas distillery were closed in 2010.  The distillery provided spirits giant and parent company Diageo  a large amount of grain whisky.  According to maltmadness.com, Port Dundas was one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, just shy of its 200th anniversary when it was shuttered.  Its grain whiskies were used in a lot of blends, including Johnnie Walker.  Diageo is releasing some of the aged stocks of the shuttered distillery in 12 and 18 year expressions.

Port Dundas 12-Year

Photo courtesy of Diageo

Photo courtesy of Diageo

Bottled at 40% abv, this 12-year-old whisky has a light nose with honey, vanilla and a floral note.  I also get a hint of buttered bread.  The palate stays light as well.  Honeyed oats and vanilla bean comprise the majority of the tasting experience.  On the back of the palate, a nuttiness appears, as well as candied flower petals.  As expected, the finish is crisp and clean.  Flavors here are a tad muted, and the whisky is far from complex.  However, lemon peel and a splash of soda water added to this would make for a great summer-time drink.  A bottle of Port Dundas 12-year should cost around $49.99.

7/10 – Port Dundas 12-Year-Old
(Note: A review sample was provided by Diageo.)

 

Port Dundas 18-Year

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

Photo courtesy of Diageo.

Port Dundas 18-year is bottled at a slightly higher 43% abv.  With the added age comes a larger price tag.  This one runs about $99.99 a bottle.  The nose here is louder than the 12-year.  Honey, fresh orange slices, and vanilla bean blend nicely together.  The citrus note is particularly strong here.  Taste-wise, a slightly toasted grain weighs in first, followed closely by vanilla ice cream, light toffee and orange liqueur.  The finish is short and slightly sweet.  There’s just more going on here compared to the 12-year.  Flavors and aromas are a bit more robust while still keeping things light.  After all, this IS as grain whisky.

8/10 – Port Dundas 18-Year-Old
(Note: A review sample was provided by Diageo.)