ABV: 42.5 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a base of vanilla and butterscotch with some darker dried fruits floating around. On top there’s a mix of ethanol and slightly nutty oak. When it starts to settle the baseline becomes more fruity with a mix of fresh berries and a bitter lemon/orange freshness. It has a slightly tart character with a sweet and sour kind of thing going on. It feels young and spirity all the way through which makes everything feel a bit off. This is a decent nose with a nice flavour combination, which is brought down by a lack of age.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter note in the back and a toffee sweetness up front. It takes a while but a fruitiness do appear around the edges and it consists mainly of oranges. It still feels young and there’s a bad ethanol note floating around. The bitterness merges with the fruitiness to create orange peel. Everything feels a bit chemical and fake at this point and it’s not a nice experience at all. The bitterness has a coffee note somewhere within and the oakiness peaks through but it doesn’t help.

Finish: The transition produces a slight, much needed, spicyness but it comes with the off notes as well. When they disappear it opens upp and produces a very nice orange peel and hazelnut finish. It becomes pleasantly fruity and a quite nice oakiness starts to take over. It’s slightly dusty and nutty and creates a nice balance to the bitter notes and the fruitiness. Luckily, the finish is the best part of the journey. This is not the best of whiskies. It’s a good enough whisky to have when the dram isn’t the main event, but it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Additional information
This whisky is a travel retail exclusive. It was first aged in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-PX casks.

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