This one is inspired by the ongoing Glenfarclas 15 discussion...
Tasting Notes
The CAN a guiding note for me, to see if I can find some of the same, but often it's just too much and even the averagest whisky today often come with a little booklet of tasting notes which often promise a bit more than you get. I like Michael Jacksons tasting notes for their shortness and "seriousity" on one side and also like the SMWS tasting notes for their colourful descriptions and a different "unserious" approach. Here's a couple of examples :
Micharel Jackson on GlenFarclas 15 (Pardon my translation back into english) Colour : Amber Nose : Lot's of Sherry, Oak, and a hint of smoke. Together giving it a lovely mixed bouquet Body : Firm and round Palate : Convinsing, All the elements beautifully melts together Finish : Long and Smooth
Short - precise - scientific
SMWS 122.1, Their own tasting notes
Nobody on the expert Tasting Panel have ever heard of this malt. It transpires it was made for a very short time at Loch Lomond Distillery, for blending only. It has never been bottled as a single, so far as we aer aware. The colour is mid-gold, from a refill American barrel. The first nose is SWEET, TINNED PEACHED and ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER, then a distinct ALMOND aroma, WALLPAPER PASTE and a waft of SCENTED SMOKE. Like Bowmore, there there are ASHTRAYS and CHLORINE. The Flavour at natural strenght follows this, VERY SMOKY, after a PERFUMED start. Water continues the same theme, 'POISON' PERFUME and ARTIFICIAL SCENT, then PLASTIC BUCKETS, FRESH SHEEP-WOOL and DRIED HERBS. The flavour is scented to start and dry overall, with some CHARCOAL, and a lengthy SLIGHTLY BITTER finish. Impossible to guess in a blind tasting.
Entertaining - made me buy a bottle. (Here's my own "tasting notes" : Industrial waste)
That's the style of SMWS - probably not to be taken too serious IMHO
But when you go out and buy a bottle of single malt which happens to have a little leaflet with tasting notes I seldom use many seconds on the writings - I don't know who have written it (sometimes, but usually not) and don't know how to relate myself to the notes.I really prefer to taste the stuff myself and usually I don't agree with the official tasting notes. I prefer the SMWS way that try to give you a feeling - lots of pictures inside your head and often they make a good advertisements - You just have to go and experience it yourself
I am never guided by tasting notes buying whiskies. I buy out of curiousity. Every destillery has offered me some good bottles over the years. For many years I considered Isle of Jura the worst single malt in general, but with the recent 1984 and Superstition bottles that have changed
Ratings
The two biggest on this field is Michael Jacksom (MJ) with his Malt Whisky Companion (now 5th version) and Jim Murray (JM) with his Whisky Bible (The first looks more like a bible and the latter looks a lot more like a companion :-) )
Both have some big flaws in my opinion...
MJ. All the whiskies from one distillery usually falls into a very small range. I have the 1999 version translated into danish and on his 0-100 scale You find Glenfarclas (86-90) Clynelish (81-85) Balvenie (85-88) Laphroaig (86-90) and so on
There are some exceptions Macallan Mostly beetween 91 and 96 but some of the very young 7y for the other markets get 81 and yhe 10-15y falls into 87-91 range. But the whiskies seems like they beforehand has been put into a certain range
He could as well have given every distellery just one rating
As said before I cand find some exceptional bottlings from almost every distillery. My personal ratings for the Glenlivets would be something like
12y : 82
15y : 94
18y : 91
MJ rates them as 85, 86 and 87 ??!!
JM Simply can't take a lot of his ratings serious
Standard Jameson gets 95 - It's a crappy blend Lagavulin 25y get's a low 78 - A very good whisky in my opinion
I wonder if anybody else has found his ratings weird
Apart from that he seems to have a great love for Ardbeg (MJ for Macallan). When I started drinking Malt whisky one of JM's books directed me to Ardbeg and I am very grateful for that
Slainthe Steffen