Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 438: Supersonic 7 Year Old 2013 ‘Mach 2’ Blended Malt North Star Spirits

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another release by North Star Spirits. His friend Manny came to visit not so long ago and brought Mark a bottle of this Supersonic ‘Mach 2’. Mark had tasted the Supersonic ‘Mach 4’ a few months earlier and thought it was fine, so he was looking forward to this one. The difference in ABV is considerable. This is 10% lower at 50% ABV. That’s not a punishment. It is also significantly lighter in color.

https://youtu.be/wdZHpNzDP-g

ralfy review 922 – Clynelish 14yo @ 46%vol: (2022)

https://youtu.be/bvT3ha44nJI

The world of blended malts is becoming bigger and more relevant to all kinds of whisky drinkers, and the key market leader of this style, in the UK anyway, is Monkey Shoulder. A combination of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie single malts, all produced by The William Grants family on their sprawling spot in Speyside.

I’m asked about this whisky weekly, I see it posted everywhere on whisky social media groups, and it is on most bar menus as a neat serve or a good cocktail. However, after having tried it and assessed it…I don’t really get it.

The smell is pure Speyside, it’s toffee, lemon, apple and clean greenery. The finish has a nice malty creaminess with a slow build of spice. But the palate is pretty dissapointing. However, this bottle is less than £30, sometimes less than £25, so to be too harsh on it is beside the point. The key market is is raising is an important one and for that we must thank it.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 437: Ben Nevis 6 Year Old 2015 Adelphi

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a feisty Ben Nevis. His whisky buddy Manny brought a bottle with him on his last visit. It involved a very young Ben Nevis that spent barely 6 years on a very active 1st fill oloroso sherry butt. The cask still yielded 588 bottles after 6 years, at a devilishly high ABV of 62.2%.

https://youtu.be/DW3R-KDOqSc

ralfy review 921 – When packaging goes wrong.

ralfy review 921 – Glengoyne 18yo @ 43%vol: (2022)

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 436: Wave Distil 10 Year Old 2011 Fine Spirits ’40 Bottles’

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a Belgian malt. Patrick Ludwich of Fine Spirits has been working for some time to put Belgian whisky on the map once and for all and this bottle, which appeared together with the book ‘All Belgian Whiskies’ on 6 December 2021, is a wonderful part of that.  Patrick’s intention is to bottle no less than 40 Belgian whiskies at the end of the day. Hence the ’40 Bottles’ on the label. Perhaps a bit confusing, because of this release there are indeed 268 bottles. So you have to know the context. Mark already recommend the book. Hopefully he can do that for this 10-year-old whisky too. It was distilled by Wave Distil, a small distillery in Dinant – hence the Saxophone on the label.

https://youtu.be/M2G2M5doROI

https://youtu.be/RTfWr92En2M

It’s been a while since I reviewed a Kilchoman product, and Madeira seems to be the thing at the front of my mind right now. So this offering from the family run marvel is not disappointing! The colour of this product isn’t really shown off in the light of this video, but it has this beautiful pinky/orange hue to it.

A rich tapestry of grilled banana covered in toffee sauce. Orange, lime, kiwi and some pineapple notes make it through the thick fog of peat that sits in the glass; all stormy and dying to jump out. Palate wise, it’s just what you want. Thick, oily and wonderfully ashy in all ways. The indulgent fruitiness disappears and is replaced with this thick, boggy and infamously noticeable peat character. The Madeira casks are working incredibly well, but this is still and Islay whisky, albeit limited to 17,000 bottles across the world.

Cheers!

ralfy review 920 Extras – Bottling variations, consistency OR quality

ralfy review 920 – Glen Grant 15yo Batch Strength @ 50%vol