Have I reviewed them too soon ? | Nc’Nean « Organic » | Isle of Raasay « R-01.1 » | Ardbeg « Ten »

For this new video, we’re going back to Scotland, to see if I might have reviewed too soon 3 Scotch single malt whiskies (ok more shortly for the Nc’Nean). I will also question the « neck pour » concept a lot of people are bringing on the table without debate & see if it is relevant in my opinion… As usual, time stamps will be found below & then more details about the bottles :
DETAILED TIMING :
0:00 Intro & some News
5:00 The neck pour question
8:50 NC’NEAN “ORGANIC” , 2021, Batch 06, 46 % (Presentation)
11:20 NC’NEAN “ORGANIC” , 2021, Batch 06, 46 % (Nosing)
13:41 NC’NEAN “ORGANIC” , 2021, Batch 06, 46 % (Tasting, neat & then diluted)
17:32 ISLE OF RAASAY « R-01.1 », 2022, 46,4 % (Presentation)
23:08 ISLE OF RAASAY « R-01.1 », 2021 (Nosing)
24:46 ISLE OF RAASAY « R-01.1 », 2021 (Tasting, neat & then diluted)
29:20 ARDBEG « Ten » 10 yo, 2023, 46 % (Presentation)
32:46 ARDBEG « Ten » (Nosing)
34:38 ARDBEG « Ten » (Tasting, neat, then diluted)
BOTTLES TASTED :
-NC’NEAN “ORGANIC”, nas (3 yo +), distilled 05-09-10/2017-bottled 23/09 & 28/05/2021 (batch 06), organic barley, matured in 65 % STR casks & 35 % ex-Bourbon American oak casks, non-chill filtered, non coloured, 46 % (Highlands Single-Malt Scotch Whisky)
-ISLE OF RAASAY « R-01.1 » nas (3 yo +), 2022, matured (in varying proportions) in 3 different unpeated malt cask types & 3 same cask types but filled with peated malt spirit : Chinkapin Oak casks (a variety of American White oak called Quercus Muehlenbergii) which are heavily toasted & heavily charred, ex-Bordeaux Red Wine French oak barriques (Quercus Patraea & Quercus Robur), ex-Rye American oak casks (Quercus Alba, from Woodford Reserve distillery), non-chill filtered, non coloured, 46,4 % (Highlands Single-Malt Scotch Whisky)
-ARDBEG « TEN » (official, core range), 10 yo, Bottled 24/02/2023 (Batch L2483629-01220), Bourbon casks, “non-chill filtered”, non coloured (but it is not stated) 46 % (Islay Single-Malt Scotch Whisky)
Link to the first video where I talk about several ISLE OF RAASAY expressions :
• Quick Update on Whisky...
Link to my first video about this ISLE OF RAASAY expression :
• ISLE OF RAASAY R-01.1 ...
Link to my first video about this ARDBEG « Ten » expression :
• ARDBEG Ten (2023) : Lo...
REMINDER (Selected links) :
My Whisky website: www.gregswhiskyguide.com
My Instagram: « gregswhiskyguide »
My Artist website (including Whisky related work): www.gregoiresarafian.com/
My Blender’s cap : More about it here : • NORTHMAEN "Cuvée 1110"...

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Greg, think that Ncnean and the Rassay are at around €60 here in Germany a bit too pricey for me,especially when I can get for a few €’s more for example Kilkerran 12. Still got a bottle and a half of the Ardbeg 10. Which I haven’t touched for quite a while. Lost a bit of interest in Ardbeg at the moment. I’ll catch your live on replay. The last few weeks have been pretty busy so I’m doing a lot of catching up. Slàinte Greg 🥃

[@GregsWhiskyGuide]

Thanks David, take your time, and yeah I always appreciate your support, Slainte David ! 🥃

[@thewhiskyenthusiast]

Hi Greg! I like both the Nc'Nean and the Raasay core releases. When it get's to CS versions, due to Raasay not using STR I find them a bit more challenging than the softer, fruiter palate of Nc'Nean. The neck pour argument is valid but not the whole thing in my opinion. Yes the neck pour could be worse than the rest of the bottle but also like you've mentioned it could be better as well. Some whiskies evolve massively as they spend more time being open and I think we should give our opinions once we had a nice journey with them till half of the bottle maybe. Cheers Greg 🥃

[@GregsWhiskyGuide]

Agreed, Sertug, and if it wasn't the pressure (often self-pressure, mind you) to release a video about a new whisky I bought or because I'm afraid my own storage/weather conditions might damage the content, so I might sometimes rush reviews maybe, I would always do so, and also it does depend on the whisky, not all react the same...Some whiskies for which the bottle is almost finished I wonder if it is worth reviewing them, especially when the experience is average, so I skipped some reviews of whiskies like that, but we'll see....Have nice day ! Cheers ! 🥃

[@andrewbutler7681]

I'm surprised you had to pay more for the Nc'nean than the Raasay: it's normally the other way round here (e.g. £46.90 for Nc'nean versus £52.70 for Isle of Raasay at House of Malt). Even ordering straight from the distillery (with shipping) and paying extra for the tube, my Nc'nean was only £54.95/~€64.22; including shipping Raasay would have been more. (As it happens, the only Raasays I've got are 'specials' - Makar's Malt and Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year 2022 - so they were both, understandably, more expensive.) As far as changing opinions are concerned: I'm sure there have been numerous ones over the years, but the one that comes to mind recently is Lindores MCDXCIV - I was very disappointed initially, but am glad I gave it a second chance. I don't think the whisky changed at all, but my expectations did...

[@GregsWhiskyGuide]

Thanks, Andrew ! Yeah French prices & margins especially are sometimes (or often ?) a scandal given the prices you indicate here...Thanks a lot for this price investigation...