Awards & Ratings
Black Bull is Best in Glass! December, 2011
Black Bull 40 year old, the flagship of Duncan Taylor’s award winning range of deluxe blends has seen off competition from some of the world’s most respected whiskies to be named as the overall winner at this year’s Best in Glass awards.
Held annually in London, the Best in Glass awards consist of a blind tasting of short listed whiskies by leading industry figures from the wine and spirits sector. A spokesman for the judges commented:
“The panel were wowed by the balance of this superbly put together whisky, which demonstrated incredible fruit, vanilla and complex, aged oak notes, with a rich and highly moreish character.”
In addition to the Best in Glass Award, Black Bull has received 5 key wine and spirits gold medals in 2011 so far. These include accolades from the World Whisky Awards, the International Wine and Spirits Competition, International Spirits Challenge and the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
Black Bull Scotch Whisky Wins Fifth Gold Medal of the Year November, 2011
Black Bull 40 Year Old, the luxury blend from Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited has been awarded a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge 2011. This incredible achievement for the range follows a stream of 2011 successes that have seen the brand take gold medals at the World Whisky Awards, International Wine & Spirits Competition and the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
Black Bull 40 year old is our exclusive small batch expression which best captures the boldly refined yet balanced character of Black Bull Whisky.
Black Bull 40 Year Old, the flagship of the Black Bull range is a luxury blend of the finest single malt and single grain whiskies available from Scotland’s premium distilleries. Black Bull 40 year old is 90% single malt and 10% single grain and is bottled at cask strength. The spirit is completely natural, without chill filtration or added colourant.
Judges tasting notes: “Good, balanced maturity. Exotic, with cinnamon spice and a long medium-dry finish.”
Established in 1995, the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) is the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competition in the world, recognising and promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe.
Held annually in London, the ISC is founded on a rigorous and objective blind tasting process, by panels of selected master distillers, blenders, specialist writers and prominent industry figures – all acknowledged experts in their field.
This independent process serves to encourage the high caliber of spirits entered into the International Spirits Challenge competition each year. Receiving more than 1,000 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide makes the ISC a truly global competition.
Supported by the world’s leading spirits producers, the ISC sets the international standard for quality and excellence. To pass the scrupulous assessment of the judging panel and win an ISC award is an impressive achievement for any spirit.
Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky selects whiskies from distilleries throughout Scotland, bottling a range of luxury single malt and grain Scotch whiskies as well as its award winning range of blended whiskies from its base in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.
Black Bull Scotch Whisky wins fourth gold medal of the year: Best Blend at Scottish Field Whisky Challenge 2011 November 2011
Black Bull 12 year old, the deluxe blended Scotch from whisky specialists Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd has been awarded a gold medal for Best Blended Scotch Whisky at the 2011 Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
This incredible achievement saw Black Bull go up against 40 of the world’s leading whisky brands, both luxury and affordable. Independently rated and tasted blind by a renowned panel of whisky experts, Black Bull was again recognised as the very best in its field. The announcement of the award makes 2011 a quadruple gold medal year for Black Bull whisky, coming on the back of successes at the World Whisky Awards and the International Wines & Spirits Competition in April and August respectively.
Comments from Judge Darren Leitch of Whisky Shop:
“On the nose some mild peat notes, ginger biscuits and leather sandals filled with sand. Flavour wise there is a lot going on, with a good combination of pastel fruit sweetness, heather , vanilla and oak. A malty sweet finish which trails off with a soft oaky tone and a trace of peat.”
The Scottish Field Whisky Challenge is an annual competition celebrating the very best the whisky industry has to offer. Each year, a panel of experts takes part in a series of rigorous blind tastings to recognise the finest products on the shelves today.
The Black Bull brand dates back to 1864. Following a rebranding in 2008, Black Bull’s stature has grown, winning critical acclaim and a plethora of awards from the International Wine and Spirits competition, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible and the New York International Wine and Spirits contest.
Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky selects whiskies from distilleries throughout Scotland, bottling a range of luxury single malt and grain Scotch whiskies as well as its award winning range of blended whiskies from its base in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.
Black Bull 12 and 40 year old take charge at the International Wines and Spirits Competition! August 2011
Black Bull 12yo awarded Best Blended Scotch at the World Whisky Awards!
April 2011
Black Bull 12yo wins bronze in the first ever New York International Sprits Competition!
The inaugural competition Held at the Brandy Library earlier this month was judged by a panel of buyers from top retail stores, restaurant and bar owners, distributors and importers.
For a full account of the awards, including 'Importer Of The Year' which went to our US representatives Preiss Imports, click here
Black Bull 30 receives a 95 Liquid Gold Award from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2010!
Black Bull 40yo, Batch 1 recieved five stars and 91 points from Malt Maniacs at Whiskyfun.com. Read more
Black Bull 30yo received the Blended Bottling of the Year and a Bronze overall bottling of the year from the 2009 Scottish Field Whisky Challenge!
The Buzz
Black Bull is already making a name for itself with heaps of media coverage worldwide. Check out what people are saying about this new blend.
Black Bull 40 batch 2 has been on the shelves for less than a week and is already receiving rave reviews, including 90 points from Serge at Whisky Fun who described it as "...one of the freshest old blends i've tasted..". Over at Caskstrength.net the praise was similarly high, calling BB40 "simple, yet so so precise and...perfect." Check out the full reviews below. 02/02/2011
From Whisky Fun:
Starts on a wheelbarrow of both fresh and tinned fruits, with the old grain’s pineapples and coconut on top of it. Overripe apples and pears, melons, juicy peaches, hints of bananas… Second stage: more herbal notes as often, a little camphor, verbena, pine sap…more
From Caskstrength.net:
The mouthfeel on this whisky is so oily, so palate coating, you'd swear it was washed with syrup. When you can find your tongue again, you're in for a huge treat. Java coffee, ripe bananas, condensed milk, wonderfully sweetened malted milk biscuits, aromatic virginia tobacco notes and cherry drops. unctuous, but very precise indeed... more
Black Bull 40 features in the latest issue of Details, a highly regarded US style publication. As part of their article 'Build a Better Home Bar' Black Bull 40 is selected as the product to represent Scotland in an international drinks selection.
Details write: "This cask strength Scotch blends aged malts to create a grassy taste with a procession of spices and fruit: vanilla, baked apples, caramelised grapefruit"
Check out the full size pictures below. For more from Details magazine, visit their website here
To find some of the last remaining stocks of Black Bull 40 Batch 1, check out our stockists page here
Black Bull 12 & 40yo featured in volume 1/48 of Modern Distillery Age magazine
Black Bull 40 featured in Wine & Spirits magazine's 'Spirits Of The Year' issue... 7 Dec 2010, www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com
Black Bull 40-Year Old Scotch
21 April 2010, luxist.com blog
Black Bull, the blended Scotch from Duncan Taylor & Co., will launch its 40-year old by this June. An 80.4-proof whisky, made from 90% malt and 10% grain whisky, Black Bull is a favorite among fans of softer Scotch whiskies. Soft and sweet, with round notes of toffee, butterscotch, hay and sauteed apples, it also has a vein of cinnamon running through it. more>
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Whisky merchant Duncan Taylor wins 20 Liquid Gold awards,
20th April 2010, Eat Out Magazine (online)
Aberdeenshire-based, Duncan Taylor, has been awarded an unprecedented twenty Liquid Gold awards. The highly respected whisky expert included 4,000 whiskies in his 2010 Whisky Bible, but only those scoring over 95 were awarded the prestigious Liquid Gold award. To have twenty from a single whisky merchant is a huge achievement in this highly competitive industry. more>
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A new addition to the 'family', review of Black Bull 40
whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com, 2 Feb 2010
This is a very pleasant whisky and offers exceptionally good value for money, when you consider the age of the whiskies involved. It is remarkably fresh for a whisky of this age and maintains its intensity despite the relatively low ABV alcoholic strength. A lovely dram. more>
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Blind tasting of Black Bull 40yo, Batch 1 receives 91 points!l
Whiskyfun.com, 30 Jan 2010
Colour: pale gold.
Nose: yeah! Starts on a lot of honey and other ‘beehivy’ notes, with many rich yet fresh fruity notes that are soon to turn up. Ripe apples, pineapples and bananas, then more caramel crème and nougat, then superb notes of liquorice and aniseed, and finally these slightly resinous notes that scream ‘old casks’. Those can sometimes be over the top but this time they really add depth and complexity to the whisky. Superb nose (where I might detect quite some old Glen Grant and/or Caperdonich and/or Glenlivet and/or Glenrothes and/or…).
Mouth: a wee oaky blast at very first sips (cinnamon, nutmeg) but then it just won’t stop unfolding, shooting flavours like arrows, one after the other. Dried oranges, coconuts, bananas, spearmint, liquorice, cloves, butter pears, marshmallows, lemon balm… It’s endless, both ‘old’ and juvenile in style, which I believe is a perfect combo.
Finish: maybe not the longest ever but the coconut stands out, as well as some banana skin and roasted bread. No drying tannins whatsoever.
Comments: fresh, mature, complex and entrancing to follow. more...
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Tied for second place Whisky of the Year 2009, Black Bull 30
Whiskywhiskywhisky.com, forum 1 Jan 2010
Congrats to Duncan Taylor, more...
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Black Bull Blend 30 receives Whisky of the Year
Gavin Smith, Whisky-pages.com
Find the whiskies of the year chosen by Gavin Smith, in a number of different categories, more...
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Black Bull 12yo Blended Whisky, Discover Whisky blog
4th December 2009
"In essence a perfect social whisky - and it's the memories that whisky creates in many of us which is why we love one whisky over another although at 50% the memories may be slightly fuzzy." To read the full review with tasting notes visit the blog.
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From the Robb Cellar, Robb Report Magazine
September 2009 Issue
"The whisky packs a 100-poof punch, with bold yet creamy flavours of sherry, chocolate, raspberry and cherry on a spicy cinnamon finish. Of the 4,200 bottles culled from the casks, only about 200 have been allotted to the United States."
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WHISKY NOTES by Ruben
25 August 2009
This certainly is a blend that will appeal to many malt lovers (give it to them blind). Very smooth and gentle. It’s probably the best blend I’ve ever had. more>
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POPSOP.COM
12 August 2009
The packaging design is as elegant and precious as the drink itself. more>
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TWO NEW DRAMS FROM PREISS IMPORTS
6 August 2009 by Matt from WhiskyApostle
This is a very unique dram and very nice. It is not like anything else. If I had to compare it to something, I would compare it to Highland Park 30yo and Charbay's Whiskey Release II. It doesn't really taste like either, but I am reminded of both as I sip. I must say that I was surprised to find that its 100 proof. Uncommonly smooth, you could hurt yourself drinking this.
Rating: Hate to say this about a rare and expensive whiskey but...Must Buy
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WINNER - WHISKY SHOP DUFFTOWN 2009 CHALLENGE
12 May 2009
Black Bull 30yo won the award for best non-Speyside whisky at the Whisky Shop Dufftown's Independent Bottlers Challenge at the 2009 Spirit of Speyside Festival. The competition was judged in a blind tasting by the festival visitors. Mike Lord from the Whisky Shop Dufftown stated that "Personally I think Black Bull is a fabulous whisky, full of character and flavour. It was certainly one of my festival highlights."
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MALT ADVOCATE MAGAZINE REVIEW
By John Hansell, online blog
Antique amber/chestnut color. Full sherry impact, but never cloying—the higher alcohol level and grain whisky cut through the sherry and add balance and drinkability. This is a fruity confection delight, with, raisin chutney, fig cake, orange almond scone, and chocolate-covered cherry. Add to the mix richly textured toffee, old oak, polished leather, and a cinnamon-spiced, tobacco finish. A rare treat! A great old blend that malt drinkers will embrace.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 94
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WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT?
Lucas Dynowiak's Blog,
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
Hotter - Black Bull 30 yo
"The brand new incarnation of the famous Black Bull blend is out and about. The official launch took place in New York...There is no escaping it, you are fated to face the Beast this spring!" more>
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NIEUW BINNEN!
"De Gulden Hoeck" (Netherlands)
"Geproeft en heerlijk bevonden. Een echte aanrader!"
(Something nice about Black Bull in Dutch) read more>
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STAFF TASTING NOTES
RoyalMileWhiskies.com
Nose: Tarte tatin, toffee apples and Seville orange marmalade. Coffee creams. Pontefract cakes (liquorice) and figs. There's a little gunpowdery sulphur from the sherry casks, but its not at all an unpleasant note. Sensationally attractive nose.
Palate: Toffee and spice and liquorice root. Delicious, with a balance of creaminess and dryness. Lovely.
Finish: More spice and espresso-like bitterness.
Overall: A cracking after dinner dram read more>
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TOP KNOTCH BLENDS
23 April 2009, Whiskyfun.com by Serge
"I never tried the old version of Black Bull, but this new one is quite potent and, considering it is a blend, top shelf material for sure." read more>
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30YO BLACK BULL, A DREAM HOUSE PET!
20 April 2009, Edinburgh Whisky Blog by Lucas
"A bull of a whisky. Rough image, delicate heart....With its bargain price tag, Black Bull sweeps Blue Label and Dewars Signature aside effortlessly. Highly recommended buy. If you can get your hands on it that is..." read more>
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photo Colin Rennie
ANGELA CAPTURES BLACK BULL FOR THE BOTTLE
17 April 2009, Press and Journal
A likeness of a black bull that grazes in a Deeside field will grace bottles of whisky sold worldwide. The label was revealed yesterday at the relaunch of Duncan Taylor and Cos Black Bull brand at the whisky retailer shop at Huntly. read more>
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RECENT RELEASES 04.09
Whisky-pages.com by Gavin D Smith and Tom Cannavan
The Huntly-based, independent bottling firm of Duncan Taylor & Co Ltd has recently reintroduced the Black Bull blended whisky brand, originally trademarked in 1933 by George Willshire & Co Ltd of Dundee. read more>
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BLACK BULL 30YO BLENDED WHISKY
Whisky News, malthead.blogspot.com, by Pete Lamb
"I like this a lot! The grain just adds a cracking creaminess that tames the the sherry. An ever changing dram one to take your time over.
Score: 92/100" read more>