Auchroisk, Speyside

Auchroisk 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a laid back sweetness with a big hit of ethanol. It comes through as a bit unpleasant from the start and it takes a while for it to settle in the glass. When it starts to open up there are vanilla, honey and butterscotch notes. The ethanol layer never really goes away and it feels younger than its age. There’s a slight hint of coastal seaweed notes and overripe fruits somewhere within but they doesn’t seem to fit in. This is a less than great nose. It’s spirity and uninteresting. It does get slightly better with time.

Mouth: It starts out somewhat flat with the same sweet and spirity character as before with just a hint of cardboard within. It then moves into herbs, spices and peat. There’s black pepper, burnt hay and lemon with a side note of oak. It’s slightly bitter and It’s very different in taste with a more peaty character. It’s not a peat monster in any way but it’s nice to get some flavour from this experience.

Finish: The transition is quite uneventful. The sweetness slowly fades and the peat notes moves to the back. This leaves room for a bitterness and the ethanol note which still brings unpleasantries to the mix. It quickly moves on to the oakiness which is decent and slightly nutty. This is a so and so whisky and it’s understandable that they use it in blends and not as a standalone brand.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Auchroisk, yet it is limited.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 5 YO – Wee Beastie

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ABV: 47,4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peaty and medicinal. At first there are notes of seaweed, minerals and smoke from a hot burning campfire. In the background there’s a sweetness with vanilla and unscented hand lotion attached to it. It’s young and quite rowdy even though there’s a very thin but dampering layer of red berries resting on top of everything else. It still leans very heavy towards the distillate and not on the cask influence. With time in the glass the minerals and a hint of iodine moves forward. This is an unsettled dram, but it’s still a welcoming and interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and medicinal. It takes a second or two for the sweetness to come through and when it does, it never really becomes more than a background noise. It’s salty and the seaweed is still in there, but it’s not as coastal as the nose suggest. The campfire smoke is now creating an outer layer surrounding everything. After a second or two there is a slight ripe and dark fruitiness floating around in the back together with the vanilla sweetness and a hint of dark chocolate.

Finish: It starts out by presenting all the background flavours without anything up front. It’s a combined layer of vanilla and unscented lotion, ripe dark fruits, dark chocolate and burnt oak. After a few second the main flavours start to build up. It produces the same flavours once again with seaweed, minerals, iodine and seasalt. There is a metallic note coming through in the late finish which gives away the young age. This is not a balanced and well behaved whisky. It’s young and rowdy both in smell and taste, but it still produces a nice experience.

Additional information
Wee Beastie was added to the Ardbeg core range in 2020. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry butts. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Oban

Oban Distiller’s Edition 2006/2020

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
(These tasting notes are from the 2005/2019 Edition. They will be updated soon)

Nose: This is dry and fruity. At first a dark, sweet fruitiness with honey, overripe dark fruits and liqeuer-soaked cherries covers everything else. After a few seconds the sweetness subsides and the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter and some peaches and grapes start to come through. There’s a minerality to it and the background notes are somewhat medicinal. With time in the glass there’s a vanilla note popping up somewhere behind the fruitiness. This is a very pleasant nose with some complexity to it.

Mouth: It starts out with a touch of spicyness and a medicinal note. It’s not especially sweet and the honey note is not able to push through. It’s quite dry and a hefty coffee and dark chocolate bitterness fills the background. There’s still a minerality within and the fruitiness is now very repressed as well. The bitterness is dominating the palate and it feels like it’s surpressing the oakiness at this stage.

Finish: An initial sweet honey and vanilla note pass by quickly and leaves room for the bitter notes and a nutty walnut oakiness. It’s very dry and slightly astringent. The fruitiness is almost entirely gone and the finish is all about coffee, oak and dark chocolate. The medicinal side of it remain all through the finish though, and in the late finish there’s a tiny smoky and sulfury note residing behind everything else. This is a great whisky with a surprisingly complex profile.

Additional information
This Distiller’s Edition is aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for at least 6 months in european ex-Montilla Fino sherry casks.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker Port Ruighe

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ABV: 45,8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mixed fruits and mild peat. At first there’s a sweet fruity center with an outside layer of mild tobacco peatiness and dried tropical fruits. The background is salty and coastal and comes through with a hint of toffee. With time in the glass the fruitiness moves forward and reveals red berries and apricots. The peatiness shifts towards dry soil with a feint note of cold ashes. The whole thing is sweet and a vanilla notes comes through towards the edges. The sweetness seems connected to everything else and doesn’t produce notes on its own. This is a nice and pleasant nose which offers opportunity to explore but it feels somewhat subdued.

Mouth: It starts out with a salted caramel center with a coating of sweet dark and ripe fruits. The fresher fruits seem to have disappeared at this point. The peatiness is still earthy and keeps a thin note of tobacco and it stays around the edges. The coastal feeling is still found in the background. The different components feel somewhat separarted and resides in their own space of the palate. There’s a black pepper spicyness to it but it’s very mild and it takes a few seconds for it to show up.

Finish: The finish starts with a fresher fruitiness coming through with a mix of dried tropical fruits and a hint of lemon. The finish starts off quite narrow and it takes a few seconds for the peatiness to once again show up as a surrounding layer. The port cask influence are not very noticable in the finish except for a very nice nutty oakiness. The late finish offers a mix of walnuts, a mild black pepper spicyness and a hint of fruitiness. This is a very good whisky with a lot to offer. It lacks a bit of the rowdy and vibrant heritage and the flavour components could use some more time to merge.

Additional information
The Port Ruighe was released in 2013. It’s aged for an undisclosed time in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ruby port casks.

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Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 24 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: A row of old and dusty leather books and a dense, thick fruitiness are the main focal points. There’s black liquorice, raisins and a mix of red ripe fruits and berries. The sherry cask influence is strong, but there’s vanilla and honey notes coming through from the bourbon barrels used. It’s not overly sweet and the differences complement each other very well.

Mouth: The sweet and spicy arrival comes with a base of black coffee bitterness. The old leather books is still present and the oak arrives after a few seconds. It’s very dusty and the astringency increases with every sip. There’s still a black liquorice note but the vanilla and honey has disappeared and the dark fruits have taken a step back.

Finish: It’s still pleasantly spicy and the musty dark fruit notes (raisins and now also almost molten plums) come forward. It’s still very dusty and the leather note is still present and creates a red thread throughout. The oakiness comes with black coffee and walnuts. It’s like old and grey, weathered wood planks. The astringency increases, and in the tail end of a very long finish it switches over and releases an assorted tropical fruit note. It really shows it’s age all the way through.

Additional information
This was distilled at the Knockdu distillery in 1992 and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 20 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild honey and coconut. It takes a while for the heavier flavours to really come through, but when they do, it’s honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice with the coconut resting a long way back. There’s a thin floral layer, which leans towards violets and there’s also a fruitiness which feels like it sits somewhere in between sweet citrus fruits and green apples.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer of honey. There’s a spicyness, but it’s really fine tuned and integrated within the whole. The coconut is very pronounced again and now there’s a very nice butterscotch note. The undefined fruitiness is now coming through as oranges and orange peel. There is a hint of age coming through as a fine layer of dustiness sitting in the back. It’s a very mellow, but not boring, experience.

Finish: A big surge of coconut and black pepper comes through before it lands in the honey jar once again. The dusty layer is still there and the fruitiness is now settled as oranges. After a while the oakiness starts to develop. It’s a very nice oakiness, not dry nor astringent. It just sits there for a long time before it charges to a undefinable nuttiness. The whole of this whisky is not a powerhouse, it’s just a refined gentleman with good manners.

Additional information
The Tullibardine 20 YO was released in 2013 as a part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in a combination of first- and second-fill american ex-bourbon casks.

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Kavalan, Taiwan

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask

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ABV: 57.8 %
Origin: Taiwan
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
(Scribbles)

Nose: Dense with thick sherry influence, dark fruits, raisins, liqour soaked cherries, dark chocolate and a hint of nail polish remover. Very potent.

Mouth: Spicy, dusty & very fruity. The oak is present and comes with a black coffee note. It really fills the mouth and it’s over the top filled with sherry flavours.

Finish: Coffee liqueur and fruit salad. There’s mint, and a slightly bitter coffee note. It ends with a very nice oak flavour.

Additional information
Cask influence happens fast in Taiwan. 2-3 years in the taiwanese heat can be compared with 8-10 years in Scotland. This single malt is aged in ex-Oloroso sherry oak casks and has natural colour and is unchillfiltered.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 18 YO (2019)

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity with a funky complexity to it. A big fruit basket with green grapes, oranges and assorted tropical fruits is first to come through. On top of those there are also layers of vanilla, honey and hint of sweet liquorice. There’s also a floral side with an almost perfumey freshness to it. In the background the Springbank rubbery/oily funk creates the complexity together with a gentle peat. A hint of menthol creates a cooling effect in the nose. This is quite beautiful on the nose.

Mouth: A bitter tang and a pleasant spicyness arrive first and they are soon joined by the fruitiness and the oily rubbery note. There’s a dusty old book note sitting on top of everything. There’s honey and vanilla but they’re not as sweet as on the nose. The fruitiness is now leaning heavily towards citrus fruits with grapefruit, oranges and a hint of lemon. The peat is present but it’s not very prominent. After a few seconds the oakiness peeks through from behind. It’s a soft, fresh oak and it sort of just emerges from within the vanilla.

Finish: A big dollop of the Springbank funk and peppermint flare up and soon after the fruitiness takes over. It still produces a lot of citrus fruits with grapefruits and oranges. The lemon is a bit toned down and replaced by sweeter tropical fruits like mangoes. The old dusty books still sit on the top shelf and stays there for the entire finish. The oak arrives fashionably late but when it does it really fits the perfect profile. There’s no astringency whatsoever, and the whole thing is very thick and juicy all the way through. As always a great dram from Springbank with a lot to discover.

Additional information
The different releases of the Springbank 18 YO varies. This version was bottled in 2019 and it’s been aged in american ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 2009 Single Cask

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ABV: 56.2 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2009 and aged in an ex-PX puncheon (#5709) for ~13 years. It was bottled in 2022 and released in Sweden. It’s limited to 699 bottles. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Aberfeldy, Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia 8 YO Peated PX Cask Finish – Campbeltown Malts Festival 2022 Limited Edition

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ABV: 56.5 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 7 years in firstfill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 1 year in PX hogsheads. pinot noir barriques. 24000 bottles were released.

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Kentucky, Rebel, USA

Rebel Straight Bourbon Finished in Tawny Port Barrels

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ABV: 45 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This straight bourbon is s limited release of 6000 bottles and is the third annual special release. It was aged for more than 4 years and then finished for 6 months in ex-Tawny Port Casks.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig 10 YO Sherry Oak Finish

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of refill ex-sherry casks and refill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in european oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Glenrothes, Speyside

GlenRothes The Whisky Maker’s Cut

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ABV: 48.8 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick lid of clingy sweetness and fruits. It’s honey, vanilla and ripe red berries. It’s very top heavy and it takes a while before the background notes start to appear. There’s a sweet liquorice coming through as well as a small string of fresher, less sweet fruits. They are overrun by the thick sweetness though. It’s very dessert-like and it feels very manufactured. There are malt and marzipan in the mix as well. This is a nice nose, but it feels more like sherry syryp than whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with the same thick sweet mix of honey, vanilla and sweet ripe red fruits and berries. It’s mainly overripe plums and baked red apples and now mixed with a hint of leather and tobacco. It’s still extremely top heavy. There’s a nice spicy power to it which gives a nice relief from the thick swetness. The whole has got a nice oily texture and when the background notes of malt, fresher fruits and a slight bitter tang peek through it feels like it’s not enough. It feels quite unbalanced.

Finish: The transition is very nice, with a warm slow increase in spicyness. The thick and sweet lid finally lets go and there is a nice mix of liquorice, leather and tobacco together with a nice array of fresh and ripe fruits appearing. The late finish is very nice and finally it becomes balanced. The oakiness feels competent and has both a new oak vibe to it as well as a nutty, older side. This is a very good whisky, but it feels unbalanced and over-sherried. It should be very approachable to people who are new to whisky. It could use a splash of water for that though.

Additional information
This whisky is a part of the Soleo Collection. It was aged in seasoned first fill sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It has natural colour.

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Connemara, Cooley, Ireland, Kilbeggan

Connemara 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Ireland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and herbal with a hint of peat. At first there’s a mix of grass, herbs and green fruits. The peatiness is found out around the edges and it’s a floral peat with a hint of bonfire smoke. There’s also a vanilla and heather honey sweetness in the center. The whole character is rather unique and slightly weird. The fruitiness is green apples and a squeeze of lemon. This is a great nose, but it comes with a love or hate feel to it. It’s not for everybody.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild sweetness. After a few seconds a lemon and vanilla note starts to to rise in the back. After that, a surge of floral and herbal notes comes in together with peat and apples. There’s a slight dustiness and a thin nail polish remover note as well. The heather honey return with time. It’s just as unique in taste as on the nose. There’s a big flavour profile but it lacks in power.

Finish: The transition is mild and highlights the peat for a short while, which still is herbal, but now has a gritty note added. Afterwards all the other flavours return and it just continues down the same grassy, floral and fruity path as before. It has a quite long finish with the gritty peat note as main focal point in the late finish. The oakiness arrives late and it’s a nice enough addition, but nothing special. This is a good whisky with a big and weird flavour profile but it lacks power to support it. Some will adore it, but many won’t.

Additional information
This whisky was made at the Cooley distillery with peated (20 PPM) barley from Scotland. It’s double distilled and then aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

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Kentucky, USA, Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey Rye

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ABV: 40.5 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Rye
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and minty. At first there’s a minty cloud sitting on top of sweet vanilla and anise. It’s very mild and easy to approach and never really seems to change. The mint becomes slightly sharper over time in the glass and it becomes more pepperminty. The oak is peeking through out on the edges and there’s a slightly spirity note pushing through in the center. This is a decent nose. It’s not especially interesting nor complex. It lacks a lot in power and body though.

Mouth: It starts out very flat and it’s way too mild. There’s a brown sugar sweetness which soon is joined by the vanilla, mint and anise. There’s a tiny marzipan note in the back but when the tiny spicyness start to arrive it brings the peppermint forward. The oak is still out on the edges and the middle becomes slightly fruity with time. It’s a green apple kind of fruitiness, but it’s not especially specific.

Finish: The transition is very straight forward. A small increase in peppermint is there but otherwise it’s just a continuation of the other flavours. Everything drops quite fast though and the finish is mostly a new sawdust oakiness with a minty overlay. This is a decent whisky. It’s way to flat and boring but it delivers an extremely easy approach and decent flavours.

Additional information
This rye is aged for at least 5 years in barrels with No. 4 ”alligator” char. The mashbill consists of 51 % rye, 37 % corn and 12 % barley.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO Calvados Wood

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ABV: 52.7 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a funky fruitiness in the center and a fresher fruitiness mixed with honey and vanilla on the outside. There’s a mild earthy peatiness surrounding the edges of the glass. The fruitiness is one part fresh lemon and oranges and one part green apples and yellow ripe pears. The funky notes in the back are now more of a gritty rubber and motoroil baseline and bring a lot of complexity to the whole. With time in the glass it becomes more honeyed and some baking spices are added to the mix. There’s a sprinkle of dust in there as well. This is an amazing nose with a lot of body and depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a hefty mix of baking spices, honey and coconut with the gritty notes in the back. There’s a dusty layer on top of a more ripe frutiness. It’s still a fruitiness full of apples and pears with a twist of lemon though. There’s a mild peatiness sitting around the edges with a dry soil character to it. A malty note increases in intensity in the center. The oak is in there, but it’s well hidden by all the other flavours.

Finish: The transition starts with a big hit of baked apples and pears with baking spices and a hint of liquorice. The spicyness increase slightly, but overall it feels very well balanced between flavours and sensations. The oakiness starts to break though and it makes everything feel a lot older than the stated age. It’s dusty old bookshelves and old cellar notes. There’s a nuttiness coming through as well with a walnut character. There are orange marmelade notes popping up after a few seconds. The finish is long and extremely pleasant. This is a fantastic whisky which hits well beyond its age. It almost feels 4-dimensional.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 6 years in refill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 6 years in fresh Calvados casks (2012/2020). 9420 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Lagavulin

Lagavulin 18 YO Feis Ile 2018

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ABV: 53.9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mix of a very round honey and vanilla sweetness and an ashy peatiness which also has a savory side to it. There’s a fresh oakiness in the back as well as some assorted fruit notes which are too thin to separate at this point. The whole has a nice mix of old and new and feels quite approachable. When it settles there’s a menthol layer on top and a campfire smokiness overall. A thin layer of lemon and raspberries is detectable with time in the glass. It feels slightly brittle and it could use a bit more body for it to really shine. This is a great nose overall though.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter espresso note in the back and a big spicy sweetness up front. In between lies notes of age and sherry with old oak, leather and some raisins. Everything comes with a dusty coating. It tastes quite different from the nose and it really doubles down on all flavours except the sweetness. It’s not as sweet as on the nose at first but grows sweeter with time. The ashy side of the peat has almost disappeared and the peat is hiding behind the other notes. The lemon/raspberry notes remain as a thin layer and it’s now closer to the front with some coconut flavour added.

Finish: The transition starts with a spicy kick and it feels warm and powerful. When it settles down there’s a mix of old oak and lemon. It’s dusty overall and feels a bit astringent. The leather and espresso notes reveal themselves once again. The peat is quite hard to pinpoint at this point. The old oak takes over and is joined by a fresher oakiness which isn’t as nice, but adds to the whole. It’s a very oaky late finish with a hint of walnuts peeking through. This is a great whisky which feels like it could be amazing, but it’s slightly off-balanced throughout.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of refill ex-bourbon, rejuvenated american oak hogsheads and ex bodega european butts. 6000 bottles where released.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Single Cask 7170 (2006) – Exclusive for Sweden

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ABV: 58.6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a mineral heavy peatiness with notes of a burning campfire. Underneath lies vanilla, raisins and oak and the whole feels quite hard and unapologetic. When it settles in the glass an unscented lotion note pops up in the center and it really has the Ardbeg character coming through. Honey and black liquorice arrive as well. The peat slowly shifts towards coastal notes with a mix of tar and seaweed. This is a great nose with all the boxes ticked for the peat lover.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy mix of ashy peat and ABV spicyness. Immidiately a bitterness starts to build up in the back with dark chocolate, raisins and espresso. It’s still rich with minerals and it’s not as sweet as on the nose, but vanilla, liquorice and a bit of honey are still there. The cask influence is more pronounced now with a very mature character overall. The tar and seaweed return after a while together with dry garden soil.

Finish: The transition starts with a surge of raisins, dark chocolate and espresso in the back before the High ABV spicyness and the mineral heavy peat once again come rushing in. After a while it becomes very spicy and it has a lot of power to back up all the flavours. When it starts to fade the unscented lotion note and vanilla return and the finish is extremely long with all the flavours intact. The oakiness sneaks up through the peatiness and it’s almost a surspise when it takes over. It’s not the most characterful oak, but it sits nicely together with the lingering peat notes. This is a great whisky. It’s most certainly not an easy access experience but for the whisky explorer it gives a very nice time indeed.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for at least 15 years in a second fill ex-Oloroso sherry butt. The bottle tried is 526/590. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker 25 YO (2013)

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and fruits. At first there’s a mild pipe tobacco peatiness which soon mixes with vanilla and apricots. With time in the glass everything merges together nicely and expands. There are notes of almonds, honey, lemon and green apples all mixed up into the whole but apricot jam with tobacco remain the main features. There are hints of newly oiled old wooden furniture for those who wait as well. This is an amazing nose which gives more and more as time passes. It’s very well balanced and nicely put together.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of honey and a big hit of the oiled oak furniture, minerals and apricots. It immidiately gives out a lot of subjective notes of age, like dust and old leather books as well. There’s a nice little spicyness on top, but it’s very round without any sharp edges. After a second or two the leather books are joined by the tobacco notes from the peat. The lemon also returns in the back, but now as a peel note with a bitterness attached to it.

Finish: The transition is slightly more spicy, but it’s a mild increase. It could do with a bit more power overall. At this point the apricot jam has disappeared and been replaced with the lemon peel note. The old oak furniture notes start to take over and takes the tobacco and leather notes with it. The finish really accentuates the notes of age. It’s dusty old oak, oil and lemon peel all the way. In the late finish there’s an umami note arriving in the back. This is a fantastic whisky which delivers on its premisses. It really shows off both the age and the Talisker house style.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in refill casks, which type is not disclosed. The bottle tried is no. 5146/5772.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 12 YO Cask Strength Batch 4

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 53.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a vanilla heavy sweetness with oak and honey sitting on top of a quite powerful and thick center part with a lemon backdrop. There’s a nice harmony between everything and it’s very well balanced. After a few seconds a nail polish remover note creeps up from behind. There are notes of coconut and green fruits as well, which mainly resides out on the edges of the glass. This is a great nose which really accentuates the Arran house style.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild honey sweetness. This lasts for about a second before a big hit of everything arrives. It’s a malty mix of lemons, oranges, honey, sweet liquorice with a dusty coating. It’s quite spicy and powerful which adds to the experience. The oakiness peeks through every once in a while. A tiny amount of a black coffee and almond bitterness starts to shine through After a while as well as some milk chocolate.

Finish: The transition is warm and spicy. It’s a slow increase not a spike and it lasts for a long time. The continuation of flavours is logical and the balance between sweet and sour is superb. There are some baking spices popping up somewhere along the way which is a very nice surprise. It’s a very long and rewarding finish and it takes a while before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice oakiness with a touch of assorted nuts within. This is an amazing whisky with a lot to offer to both the drinker and the explorer. It’s extremely well balanced and delivers very approachable flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was bottled in 09/14. Cask type is not stated. 15 000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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For the love of all things whisky/whiskey