ABV: 46 %
Origin: Romania
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness on top of a mix between a young distillate and assorted baked fruits. The initial impact is original and hard to place. When it settles there’s a big liquorice note which, together with the vanilla, becomes the main focal point. The liquorice arrives together with honey and the wine finish. This brings out some blackberries as well. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer. It’s young and a bit shallow, but still delivers a decent amount of things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a very sour background note and a mild spicyness up front. In the center there’s the vanilla and honey sweetness and a tiny amount of fresh grapes. The different parts doesn’t really seem to connect to each other and floats around by themselves. It’s quite oaky on top and it’s a dry, spicy oakiness which isn’t all too pleasant. The wine finish is really showing up mid-palate and the wine character really doesn’t suit the distillate. The whole just comes through as a bit weird.

Finish: The transition starts with a big dip in flavour. The spicyness, mainly from the oak it seems, is the only thing coming up for a few seconds. The sour notes and the grapes arrive first but stays in the background throughout the finish. The wine notes and the dry oakiness take over when the spicyness starts to fade. It still feels like the wine and the distillate is a mismatch. This is not the best whisky in the world and it’s a bit strange and weirdly put together, but it’s a good start and a nice try from the distillery.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in ex-Feteasca Neagra wine casks. Cask no. 3801. The bottle tried is no. 136/405.

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