Kategoriarkiv: Campbeltown

Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 13 YO – Green

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dirty, dark fruits. At first there’s a top layer of fresh red berries and dried dark fruits. A gritty layer of soil, motoroil and sulfur fills up the background and gives the immidiate feel of depth and complexity. As it opens up there are sweeter notes appearing somewhere in between and sort of ties everything together. There’s a hint of vanilla and a rubber note in there as well. It creates a funky experience overall with a lot to discover. This is a great nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a quick sweetness before the background notes comes rushing forward. The funkiness is really demanding attention and the oily, rubbery, dirty notes are up front. The fruitiness is now residing at the edges and it’s more like a mixed bag of dried fruits with a dash of lemon. Raisins and overripe plums are definitely in there as well as brighter fruits. There is a peppermint element and a thin vanilla sweetness floating around. A thin bitter note can be found in the back and this really involves all the different sensations.

Finish: The finish starts out somewhat uneventful before any flavours start to return. First out is the sweetness and the dried fruits on the edges. The peppermint comes in shortly after and then the complex dirty center come along as well. It’s much more toned down and tame and doesn’t deliver what the nose and mouth promises. That leaves room for the oakiness though and it’s a very pleasant oak with a savory note and hazelnuts as well. There’s a very thin chalk layer on it which isn’t all that great but it disappears down the road. The sherry notes come back as a top layer in the late finish. This is a great, well made whisky but the finish lets it down a tiny bit.

Additional information
This Springbank was released in 2015. It’s made from organic barley and aged in ex-sherry casks for the whole aging period. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO Calvados Wood

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 52.7 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 6 years in refill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 6 years in fresh Calvados casks (2012/2020). 9420 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow Peated (2021 Release)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
The Longrow Peated is a NAS core range release from Springbank. There’s no information about which casks are used. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO – Cask Strength (2019 Release)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 54,2 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
(Old Scribbles)

Nose: Sweet Liquorice, vanilla, butterscotch, dark berries, raisins,and ripe red apples. A soft breeze of a campfire, leather and some maltiness.

Mouth: Honey, vanilla, chili fruit, oak, raisins and dades. Springbank’s ”funky” complex note is very much present, but a bit toned down.

Finish: Big puff of peat smoke, sweet sherry notes, mint that changes into a mild oakiness, walnuts. The finish is long and dry.

Additional information
This whisky is a 50/50 mix between american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks (previous releases have had a 30/70 ratio). It’s distilled 2.5 times. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Hazelburn, Springbank

Hazelburn 8 YO Sauternes Wood

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 55.9 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a dark syrup sweetness combined with a mixed spicyness. It’s quite powerful in its initial impact. There are notes of ginger, vanilla, white pepper, dried fruits and assorted nuts all attached to each other in the center. On the outside there are yellow tropical fruits like mango and pineapple creating a thin layer. With time the fresher fruitiness increases in intensity and together with a honey note they become the main attraction. There is also a coffee note floating around on top. This is a great, complex nose which develops in a great way over time.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty black pepper veil with a very fruity and sweet center underneath. There are still dessert-like notes of mango, pineapple, honey, vanilla and nuts within and in the background a gritty and oily note with rubber, leather and black coffee starts to emerge. The whole is very complex and there are ripe fruit notes and coconuts floating around as well. The black pepper creates a nice spicyness throughout but it never becomes too spicy.

Finish: The transition is mellow without being bland. The spicyness never spikes and now it’s a mix of pepper and baking spices. The ripe fruit notes and the same gritty and oily background notes carry over without any dips in flavour. Coconut and a hint of banana come through before the mango and pineapple notes return. The coffee bitterness in the back returns as well. The finish is very long and rewarding and it almost feels like a christmas in the middle of summer. This is a somewhat weird but absolutely fantastic whisky. It offers equally much to both whisky exploring and being the occasional easy drinking tasty dram.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 5 years in refill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 3 years in Sauternes casks (2002/2011). 9180 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow Red 15 YO – Pinot Noir Cask Matured (2022)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51.4 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 11 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 4 years pinot noir barriques. 9400 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Hazelburn, Springbank

Hazelburn 10 YO – Rundlets & Kilderkins

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.8 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a cinnamon and apple center with a vanilla and honey coating. It feels very dessert-like. There are malt and wood spices which sort of fills the gaps between the other flavours. With time in the glass the fruitiness evolves and the whole becomes more acidic and sour, which fits nicely as a contrast to the otherwise sweet character. It also becomes more oaky. This is a nice nose which has a nice journey throughout.

Mouth: It starts out with a small gap in flavour and then it becomes quite sour with vanilla and honey mixed in. It has a very nice rich texture with a slightly dusty coating. There’s a bitterness on the outside and together with the sourness it becomes a lemon peel note. There’s still cinnamon and now a heavy oakiness with a lot of spicyness attached to it arrives. A small fresh fruitiness comes through as attached to the oakiness but it’s undefinable. With time the lemon peel note becomes a bit too much.

Finish: The finish starts out with a one second dip in flavour before the lemon peel note completely takes over with the spicy oak sitting around the edges. There’s a slightly weird floral note in the back, otherwise it’s very sour and bitter. After a few seconds it slowly becomes more sweet with vanilla and honey. The late finish is all about a very fresh, aromatic and spicy oak. For those who are patient the oakiness turns very nutty. Still, it’s a bit too much in the end. This is a good whisky and it has a very interesting journey, but the quirky character becomes a bit unbearable.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2003 and bottled in 2014. 12000 bottles were released. It’s aged in rundlets and kilderkins. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Kilkerran

Kilkerran 8 YO Cask Strength (2018)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.5 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick vanilla and honey sweetness. Underneath, a young and vibrant distillate peaks through with a very noticable peatiness. When it settles there’s a mix of rye bread, malt and sweet liquorice added to the mix. In the background there’s a lemon note and a gritty complexity with hints of rubber and motor oil. It takes a while for a fruitiness to show up, and when it does, it has a mild and sweet apple character with a hint of tropical fruits. There’s a fresh menthol layer hovering above everything else. This is a great nose overall with a nice balance between the different components.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemon note in the back and a big vanilla sweetness in the center. It has a nice spicyness and it’s a powerful impact from the get-go, but it’s not attacking the palate. In the background it feels dirty and interesting and the gritty note from the nose carries over. The peatiness is coating the palate together with a fresh oakiness. After a few seconds the lemon note merges with the oakiness and creates a tropical fruitiness in the background. The vanilla sweetness evolves and sweet liquorice and honey are added to the mix.

Finish: The fresh lemon and tropical fruitiness surge through the transition and becomes the main attraction for a few seconds. The outside now consists of a chili spicyness, a mineral rich peat and a fresh oakiness. The oakiness moves inwards, slowly taking over the center part. The sweetness disappears and soon it’s just a fresh oakiness with coconut and sawdust mixed with the tropical fruits in the center, while the peat and spicyness stays at the edges of the palate. This is a great whisky. It’s the opposite of discreet and refined; It’s young, rowdy and it was aged in very active casks.

Additional information
The Kilkerran is made by the Glengyle distillery. This was aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia Victoriana (Batch 001)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 54.8 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is honey and ABV spiciness. At first, there’s a massive ”in-your-face” honey sweetness. On top of that floats a peppermint cloud and underneath there are notes of vanilla, black liquorice and just a small hint of peat. After a few seconds a middle layer consisting of red fruits with a hint of lemon starts to appear, but the honey sweetness remains the main focal point. When it settles the base starts to move towards a butterscotch flavour. This is pleasant but slightly too sweet on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out equivalent to the nose with a massive honey sweetness and a spiciness from the ABV. After a few seconds vanilla, black liquorice and butterscotch spread out creating a whole with a big impact. There’s a slight bitterness around the edges and a fruitiness on top and in the background. The oak comes through sort of as a background noise, which isn’t a bad thing.

Finish: The start of the finish is still very sweet but not as sweet as before. There’s some dusty old bookcases in the back and the black liquorice and vanilla is still in there. The fruitiness is hard to pinpoint since it sort of shifts through the layers. There’s most definitely a citrus side to it though. The oak sits in the back and it’s a dry, slightly bitter oakiness. It’s just a solid, nice oakiness without any specific add-ons. There’s black liquorice and a tiny peatiness when all else subsides. This is a nice whisky, and a dessert in a glass.

Additional information
This cask strength release is aged between 12-17 years in 70 % heavily charred ex-bourbon barrels, 30 % ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and then finished for 6 months in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. It consists of 10 % peated and 90 % unpeated malt. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. This is batch 001, but there has been an earlier release 2015.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia 10 YO – 2021 Campbeltown Malts Festival Limited Edition Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Finish

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56,1 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a powerful mix of high ABV, vanilla, oak and kitchen spices. There’s also a liquorice root note as well as a subdued red berry fruitiness underneath. Everything seems to expand over time in the glass and it’s sort of hard to pinpoint individual notes specifically. After a while a gritty background noise and a round contrasting butterscotch note start to shine through. This is a very interesting and quite complex nose with a lot to offer for the explorer.

Mouth: It starts out with sour lemon coming through on the edges while the center part fills with ripe red berries, butterscotch and a chili spicyness. It takes a few seconds for the full effect of the spicyness. The oakiness, vanilla and the liquorice root are now covering the entire background of the palate. It’s quite salty and savory which gives it a nice array of sensations. There’s not much of a shift or development at this point.

Finish: The ABV spicyness flares up and hides most of the flavours. First out it the salty and savory notes in the back followed by the liquorice and oak. The ripe red berries are still in there but are somewhat lackluster. The finish is less sweet and is more focused on liquorice root, kitchen spices and herbs, now with a detectable cinnamon note somewhere within. The oakiness feels fresh and lacks a bit of character. This is a great whisky by all means but it’s really hard to break through the gnarly and hard exterior (It improves immensely with a few drops of water).

Additional information
This is a limited Campbeltown Malts festival release aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in first-fill ex-Bordeaux red wine casks. Lastly it was married together in refill casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 10 YO (2019 Release)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is at first very fruity and spicy. There’s orange zest, peppermint, ripe red apples and vanilla together with the easy to recognize Springbank peatiness. The latter sits as a backbone with notes of rubber, tar and burning coal. This all comes together with some darker sherry notes, sweet liquorice and a whiff of milk chocolate.

Mouth: It’s salty, but the main focus is on the fruits. Oranges, lemons, ripe apples and now also some tropical fruits are added. It’s milder than on the nose and honey and vanilla cover the fruits. It has a very oily texture. The spicyness comes slowly and the oak and the peaty notes lurks in the background. There’s also a copper note detectable on the edges.

Finish: There’s a burst of peat smoke at first. When it settles it gets replaced with a complex array of fruitiness with a mix of darker fruits, red berries and fresh tropical fruits. There’s a salty note on top. The oak is savory and comes through together with the rubber and tar notes. The oakiness is very laid back and let’s the rest of the complexity shine. The finish is almost like a sangria, with red wine, spices and a lot of different fruits and berries.

Additional information
This whisky is distilled 2.5 times and it’s aged in a mix of 60 % american ex-bourbon oak barrels and 40 % european ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia Double Cask

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and spicy oak. At first, honey and malt arrive with a thin layer of red berries on top. The oak is present from the start and it comes with assorted kitchen/baking spices, like anise and a hint of cinnamon. With time the whole thing becomes darker and sweeter and turns towards butterscotch, liquorice and overripe plums. This creates a nice and interesting transition.

Mouth: It starts out quite peppery and sweet. A small wave of grapefruit and lemon pass by in the background before it settles in a butterscotch and vanilla sweetness. The fruitiness is not as pronounced as on the nose and it sits in the background together with a nice, nutty oakiness. The kitchen spices have changed into a black liquorice note. The whole thing has a nice creamy texture.

Finish: Black pepper and butterscotch completely takes over from the start. They hold on quite well down the road and sort of seamlessly slide towards the sides when the oak arrives. The oakiness brings bitter coffee notes and walnuts. In the late finish the sherry fruitiness return together with a nice vanilla cream sweetness. This is a solid dram and it really benefits those who take their time throughout.

Additional information
This is the entry level whisky in Glen Scotia’s core range. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

Campbeltown, Kilkerran

Kilkerran 8 YO Cask Strength (2021)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.9 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and dried fruits and peat. At first there’s a dark and thick fruitiness with liqeuer-soaked raisins and cherries. There are notes of sulfur and leather attached to the fruitiness which creates a bridge over to a mild and slightly savory peatiness. With time in the glass the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter with some mixed dried fruits on the outside edge. There is also a quite complex background with a lot of gritty notes floating around. They are hard to pinpoint due to the heavy cask influence. Oak and a mellow menthol note comes through out on the edges as well. This is a great nose with a nice array of things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of assorted brighter fruits and a mild spicyness. After a few seconds the background slowly fills with dark high percent bitter chocolate, leather, molten plums, raisins and a nice mix of peat, sulfur and leather. It feels nice and oily with just the right amount of spicyness. It ends up with a mix of just about everything everywhere on the palate. There’s also a hint of motoroil coming through as well. It feels a bit unbalanced overall.

Finish: At first there’s a sour lemon on the back part of the palate but it soon gets overrun by the massive complex center part with all the dark and gritty flavours intact. The bitter chocolate note has moves back into the background and the brighter fruits show up in front. The center consists of peat, sulfur, leather, molten plums, raisins and a lot more of subtle notes swiftly passing by like pipe tobacco and heather. The oakiness comes through like it’s been a part of everything all along and it matches the heavy character very well. It’s a fresh yet nutty oak with a hint of hazelnuts and some sawdust too. This is a great whisky with a very demanding character. It comes through as a bit too bitter and hard to approach though.

Additional information
The Kilkerran is made by the Glengyle distillery. This was aged in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Hazelburn, Springbank

Hazelburn 13 YO Oloroso (2020)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 50.3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet, dark and fruity. At first there’s a big hit of dark and dried fruits with raisins and overripe plums and a liquorice and tobacco note attached to them. Underneath lies a complex sweetness with brown sugar and vanilla mixed with gritty and earthy notes, yet it feels very clean and well made. With time in the glass it becomes brighter and leans more towards a mixed bag of dried fruits and less of the ripe notes. This is a great nose which delivers exactly what the premisses promises.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of sweetness filling up the edges and a bright fruitiness in the middle with a slight bitterness attached to the backside of it. It’s rich of lemons and dried tropical fruits as well as some coconut flakes. The liquorice and the tobacco is still detectable and sit with the sweetness around the edges. There’s a nice spicyness which slowly builds up over time and gives it a nice power-up after a few seconds. The gritty and earthy note is somewhat hidden in the background at this point but it’s still in there.

Finish: The transition is quite logical without any surges. It’s just continues the journey with the brighter fruits in the middle becoming slightly more sour around the edges. The sweetness start to fade first, which gives the fruitiness a few seconds to shine before the oakiness start to take over. It’s a slightly dusty oakiness with a hint of walnuts. The liquorice and tobacco notes from the sherry casks tag along quite a while down the road. This is a great whisky from start to finish with good cask influence and a clean distillate.

Additional information
This whisky was triple distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2020. 9900 bottles were released. It was aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 10 YO – Single Cask

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.9 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is oak, fruits and peat. At first there’s a leathery and mineral rich peatiness and a warm, toasted oak note. The fruitiness comes from a surrounding layer and it’s a rather bright mix of fresh berries. On top lies a weird, funky locker room note, like old sweat and sneakers. It’s sort of connected to the toasted oak note. In the background there are grease and rubber notes. This is a great nose with a lot of weirdness to it. It’s great for exploring but it’s a somewhat strange experience.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet vanilla note before a very fresh fruitiness with dried apricots, lemon and raisins in a mix with chalk and dust and a very mineral rich peat. The toasted oak note is mixed with the peatiness and there’s a caramel note which fills out the space between the other flavours. It’s got a spicyness to it as well and it feels like it’s givning it just the right amount of power to make it extremely balanced. The gritty background flavours are toned down at this point.

Finish: It starts out with a surge of the dry dust and chalky notes and the mix of fruits. It’s very consistant through the transition and the beginning of the finish mirrors everything well. It’s still a balanced yet rich and oily experience. The peatiness is still mineral rich, the fruits are still fresh and the background is still greasy and gritty. When it starts to fade the peat and oak takes over and now there are notes of leather and sawdust appearing. The sweaty locker room note reappears down the line which is not the best way to finish. This is a great whisky with a quirky character.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2018. 306 bottles were released. It was aged in a re-charred sherry butt. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. This was specially selected for Hanseatische, Bremen.

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia Exclusive Cask 2012 – Ruby Port Cask Finish

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 55.3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is spicy and sweet. At first there’s a sweet vanilla with a peppery layer on top. It’s immidiately woody with oak tannins punching through. When it settles in the glass a layer of sticky sweet red berries and a hint of sweet pipe tobacco gets spread on top of the vanilla. It then sort of reach stasis and stays layered with pepper, oak, sticky fruits and sweet vanilla. It takes a good twenty minutes in the glass before the layers start to merge together. This is a nice enough nose, but it doesn’t feel especially balanced and/or logical.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and sour fruitiness on the edges of the palate incapsulating a sweet vanilla and honey center. It’s slightly bitter and still has a very peppery character. The oakiness is not as aggressive as on the nose. There’s a maltiness coming through, as well as liquorice and some assorted nuts in the back part of the core. It feels a bit hot and it’s not the best mouthfeel in the world.

Finish: The finish starts out with the sticky sweet fruits on top while the bitterness creates a backplate which everything rests on. The fruits now have a slightly darker character. It still has a lot of oak tannins but they are subdued by the pepper spicyness and some blueberry and lemon fruitiness floating around on top. This is a contrast to the darker notes within. It feels quite dry and it’s not as sweet as earlier in the journey. When the oak takes over it becomes slightly astringent and the oakiness comes through as a mix of fresh oak and old dusty grey oak planks. This is a good and competent whisky but it’s a really weird one.

Additional information
This whisky was bottled exclusively for the Swedish market. It’s was distilled in 2012 and bottled in 2021. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in a ex-ruby port pipe. 300 bottles were released. The cask number is 19/660-7. It’s unchillfiltered.

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 11 YO Rundlets & Kilderkins

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51.7 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a peaty cloud sitting on top of a sweet center with vanilla, oak and honey. It feels herbal and slightly medicinal on top but underneath the sweetness lies a complex gritty base with dirty oil and rubber notes. With time in the glass it becomes a lot sweeter and the peaty cloud moves out towards the edges and becomes more ashy than before. There’s a fruitiness hidden within which leans towards sweet and ripe red apples. It feels younger than the age statement at first aquaintance. This is a very nice nose with a lot to offer for the whisky explorer.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and bitter mix that consists of a dusty oak note up front and a fruity and sweet core. There’s a pretty strong coconut note and burnt caramel coming through in the middle as well. The peat is a bit subdued off the starting grid and it takes a while for it to shine. The red apples are joined by a mild lemon peel note and the peat moves together with that note up along the edges. The gritty core stays in the back and the peat notes are now more like leather and tobacco. The dusty oak is very prominent throughout.

Finish: The dusty oak, with a mix of vanilla and bitter lemon peel, stays strong through the transition. The finish starts out slightly fruitier than before with red apples dipped in caramel but it’s all about the oakiness from here. The peatiness becomes less important quite soon and resides in the background along with the gritty notes. It’s still a complex dram but it gets rather uninteresting in the late finish due to the bitter and quite protruding oakiness from the small casks. This is a very good whisky overall but it doesn’t go all the distance. It’s complex and well made but it tips over and becomes slightly unbalanced in the late finish.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2013. 9000 bottles were released. It was aged in rundlets and kilderkins. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Kilkerran

Kilkerran 8 YO Cask Strength (2019)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 57.1 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and dirty. At first it’s just a thick layer of dark fruits and high ABV. When it settles a gritty background noise of oil, rubber and soot reveals itself and creates a nice complexity. The dark fruits, overripe plums, blueberries and raisins, are joined by vanilla and black liquorice. The high ABV turns into a pleasant menthol cloud with time in the glass. There’s also an oakiness floating around outside of the core. This is a wonderful nose which offers more the longer it’s explored.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy dose of black liquorice and liqeuer-soaked raisins. The ABV then hits the mouth hard as the base flavour changes to vanilla and the oily, sooty rubber notes. When it settles a slightly fresher fruitiness ends up on top, but it still consists of dark fruits. There’s a complex correlation between all the parts and it creates a fantasticly rich experience.

Finish: Once again the ABV makes its presence known. After it once again settles, the sherry notes completely takes over and everything else takes a step back. After a few seconds the soot and rubber starts to grow and brings the oakiness along. It’s slightly astringent and there’s a slight hint of tropical fruits connected to the oakiness. There’s also a black coffee bitterness and some hazelnuts showing up in the late finish. The entire finish is kept together by a black liquorice ceiling. This is absolutely amazing from start to finish.

Additional information
The Kilkerran is made by the Glengyle distillery. This was released in november 2019 and this is aged in re-charred ex-Oloroso casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Kilkerran

Kilkerran 12 YO (2019)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly fruity. At first there’s a big honey and vanilla sweetness up front with a subdued fruitiness in the back. There are also floral notes with heather and a hint of violets somewhere in the background. A mild peatiness sneaks around in the back as well as sulfur and rubber. It takes a while for the sherry fruitiness to come through, but when it arrives it sort of fills the gaps between the other layers. It’s a mix of fresh summer berries and darker dried fruits like plums and raisins. It’s leaning towards the fresh notes though. This is a very nice nose. It has a light character with a robust behind.

Mouth: It starts out with the honey note but it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The floral notes arrive early out towards the edges. A salty note comes through in the center and a mild black pepper spicyness slowly builds up. It takes a few seconds for the robust rubbery, sulfur notes to come through but when they do they create a much needed third dimension. The fruitiness is still in there but it’s not making any attempts to be in focus. It stays on the edges with the floral notes.

Finish: A quick burst of red berries goes by and when it settles it lands in the middle of a mild peat with the rubbery and oily notes close by. There’s a hint of bitterness and it’s also slightly savory. It stays like this for a good while before the oakiness start to take over. It’s a nice oakiness with hazelnuts and a touch of vanilla. The floral notes hang on throughout the finish making it a long and rewarding experience. It feels somewhat indecisive in what to deliver at certain points and the light character is a bit flimsy. It still is a great whisky with a lot of things to discover.

Additional information
This is the 2020 release (bottled in 2019). It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels (70 %) and ex-sherry casks (30 %). It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 13 YO – Red (2020 Release)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51.6 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and peat. At first there’s a sweet toffee center and a layer of dirty peat with a hint of tobacco and motor oil. An outer layer with sweet notes of red grapes and dried fruits from the red wine cask is creating a very nice complexity together with the sweet core and the peat. In the background there’s the classic Springbank rubbery funky note which creates depth. Every once in a while a hint of marsipan comes through and with time in the glass a very pronounced black liquorice note sits around the edges. This is a marvelous nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild lemon sourness around the edges before honey and peat sort of grow from the center and out. The toffee comes through once again, now together with a dark ripe fruitiness with overripe red berries. There’s a speck of dust in the middle. With time it becomes quite spicy. There’s also some cardemum and cinnamon floating around together with the rubbery funky note. A small bitterness comes through after a while too, but the oakiness stays way back in the background.

Finish: A big peat punch with soil, hay and tobacco hits the palate and it takes a few seconds for it to mellow out. When it does, the whole thing starts to shift towards a tropical fruitiness and the oak. The toffee and honey moves back but doesn’t disappear. The rubbery funky note and the red wine notes are ever so present and the finish goes on for a long time. The oakiness comes with a speck of dust and some walnuts. This is an absolute masterpiece.

Additional information
This january 2020 release of Longrow Red is aged for 10 years in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It’s then finished for 3 years in chilean ex-Cabernet-Souvignon red wine casks. Only 9000 bottles were produced in this batch. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.