Logan NAS 40% White Horse Distillers Ltd.
First of all, the Logan blend is named after James Logan Mackie who was one of the partners owning Lagavulin in 1837. With that in mind I'm assuming there's a bit of Lagavulin in this blend. This blend is unfortunately no longer produced, but there are plenty of them, at least these miniatures to be found at online auctions and such. A small bit of blending history perhaps. Cobber hue. The nose is peaty at first, peaty and floral, but it has a lot of Islay going on. It leans more towards the 12yo Caol Ila in style, a bit briny and some thousand Island dressing acidity. The taste is phenolic, burnt, sweet, coal, rubbery, very expressive for a blend, even though the peat still does most of the talk here. I think I've done just about my part now as the finish just gives way to more peaty notes. For a blend, this is very good, and I think they could've sold much more of this blend by putting a more commonly recogniceable twist on the Lagavulin link. I must confess I had to google a bit to find the meaning behind "Logan".
A blend with a huge peaty kick: 6.5
Logan 12yo 40% White Horse Distillers Ltd.
One with an age statement, will it have a softer side as the ingredients have had some more time to mellow? A bit lighter color, more orange. It smells peaty once again, bot more restrained this time. licorice, gasoline, gunpowder, shoe-polish, a weird mixture that I think fits the style of young Laphroaigs or some high proof Isle of Jura. The caramel flavor is intense in this one, although I wouldn't say it's due to the E150's, I know too little about that stuff. Some say however, that the coloring can inflict some desired/undesired taste on the whisky. It tastes much rounder and gentler, malt notes, some hints of sherry wood, old attic, worn out polyester, succulent, malt syrup and grape soda, reminds me of some sweeter alcohol infused longdrink.
More in a blend-style territory, but complex enough to receive a decent rating: 5.5
Logan NAS 43% White Horse Distillers Ltd.
A small bounce up from the 40%abv. Not that the %abv usually matters too much when the difference is in such small quantities. But I have it as a golden rule that if the peat level is the same then alcohol level should count before age in which whisky to drink first. It smells peaty and sherried, dry sherry, parmesan cheese, olive oil, smoked salmon, creamy mascarpone. The taste is drying and sweet, lots of sherry notes, not much peat left now. Dark grapes, balsamic vinegar, very rustic. The aftertaste is short and falls flat after a second or two, mainly it shows some similarities to what I find in some kräuter likörs.
The palate alone awarded Logan another decent rating: 5.5
White Horse Fine Old NAS 40% White Horse Distillers Ltd
Yellow/green-ish color on this one. which I think is a bottling from the 80's. It smells peppery and sweet, like some young bourbon matured single malts. I'm not able to detect any peat in this one. A really boring whisky, far from making a real alternative to "Logan". This is light and easy, but extremely uninteresting.
If you want something bland and boring, try this one: 2
White Horse NAS 40% America's Cup
One sold on the American market. Pretty much the same color, perhaps a bit darker, than the Fine Old, which we could assume also were sold in America by the "70 proof" on the label, but I know there are similar bottles with a "40%"-print. Notes of spicy orange liqueur, apple vinegar, more peaty notes in this one, combined with the sweetness of the Fine Old. Peaches and pears, a fruity style. The taste is peppery and rich, like bourbon sweetness with orange marmalade and banana cream. The aftertaste is short and light. Some maltiness.
Another boring one, but the nose and palate was a wee bit better: 3
White Horse Cellar NAS 40% White Horse Distillers Ltd
This one's from the late 70's or early 80'sI think, and makes for some of the reputation that this blend has been given the last few years. I think much of that reputation is a consequence of the formerly tight bond between White Horse Distillers and Lagavulin Distillery. The color is light brown. It smells a bit lighter than Logan, but still peaty. The taste is briny, acidic, smoked haddock, coal, cigars, black pepper, leather, much more like the aforementioned Lagavulin. The aftertaste is sweet, yoghurt and anis. No need to say, I can understand how it got its reputation.
Forget your Big Peat, Smokehead or Black Bottles, this is the real Islay blend style: 7.5
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar