ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of liqueur soaked cherries, raisins and ripe red apples. In the back there are notes of rye, vanilla and toasted almonds. After a few seconds a brighter layer of green fruits appear and sort of rests on top of the sweeter, darker base. There’s also milk chocolate present somewhere in the middle. It’s very mild and very approachable.

Mouth: It’s a very watery start and it takes a while before a gentle black pepper spicyness and some vanilla notes finally show up. It feels a bit underaged and it’s not as fruity and pleasant as on the nose. Gets a little dry when hints of the oak arrives together with and a tiny leather peatiness. There are small notes of green apples and pears and a small pinch of salt. It feels a bit muted overall.

Finish: The mild black pepper, which is quite nice, is dominating the first part of the finish. A small bitterness sits behind with some assorted fruits and a small hint of dry earthy peatiness. The whole thing moves quite quickly towards a bright, very welcoming oakiness. The toasted almonds return and some salted caramel suddenly show up in the late finish. It then ends with a dry, nutty finish. This really lacks some power, but it’s a very easy whisky to get aquainted with.

Additional information
The Leif Eriksson was released in 2011 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks made from american oak.