ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of butterscotch and overripe red berries. There’s a strawberry and vanilla cream note within which gives it a dessert-like quality. Underneath a rather young distillate and a not so great bitter oak note are found. The whole feels top heavy. There’s a shiny sour lemon/metallic note peeking through from behind. This is a decent, uncomplicated nose with a nice cover from the cask influence. The corners cut shows through though.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with a heavy vanilla and butterscotch center. The same shiny lemon and metallic note is filling up the background and makes it a bit unpleasant. After a few seconds some spicy notes appear which seem to come from the oak rather than the alcohol which gives it a small, but much needed, boost. The red berries are still creating a small coating over the vanilla and butterscotch and it’s still mainly strawberries, but also a hint of more ripe berries. The longer it stays in the mouth the more of the young distillate comes through and a bitterness starts to appear.

Finish: The finish starts out pretty flat and the sweet center deteriates rather quickly. The fruitiness and the metallic note stays a bit longer and they reside mainly towards the edges. Left in the center is a rather astringent and simple oakiness which struggles to decide whether it’s raw oak or a bitter black coffee oakiness. It still seems to be connected to the spicyness. It’s not a long finish. This is a so-and-so whisky which delivers just about what’s expected from a budget single malt.

Additional information
This is a single malt first aged in american ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Pinot Noir red wine casks. There is no information on aging time. This bottle is from batch 000164.

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