ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet malt and dark fruits. At first there’s a thick layer of figs, raisins and dark chocolate with a sweet maltiness close behind. It takes a few minutes for the nose to balance out and when it does there’s slightly fresher red fruits starting to come up towards the edges together with an oak note. The sweetness do subside, but the whole has a very sweet character and there are honey, vanilla and a burnt caramel note within. There are baking spices in there as well. It’s very easy to approach but it isn’t boring nor flat. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers a seemingly balanced experience for those who give it time to open up.

Mouth: It starts out with a very round and sweet center part with malt, honey, vanilla and the dark chocolate. On the outside it delivers a nice complex mix of dark and dried fruits, a hint of sulfur and the burnt caramel. After a few seconds a spicyness slowly arises from the outside. It takes a bit too long to arrive which makes the first impact slightly flat. The dark chocolate moves outwards and creates a nice bitterness around the edges. It feels young and lively but it’s not unpleasant and metallic. It’s a bit top heavy and there’s a big hole in the back of the palate.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and except for a minor increase in spicyness and the dark fruitiness it sort of just keeps on givning the same flavours and the same set-up with the sweet ball in the middle firmly in focus. It dies down rather quickly though and left is a mild peppermint and a bland oakiness. There’s a misplaced sour note coming through from the back as well. This is a decent whisky, but it’s let down by a rather disappointing finish. It is leaning heavily on the finishing cask which doesn’t cut it all the way through.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in 228-litre Red Burgundy wine casks from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

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