Kategoriarkiv: Campbeltown

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia Double Cask

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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)

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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)

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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.

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Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 10 YO – Single Cask

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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

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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

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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 12 YO (2019)

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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, Springbank

Hazelburn 14 YO – Oloroso Cask Matured (2019 Release)

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ABV: 49,3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is heavily sherried. A thick layer of liqueur-soaked dark fruits is the main focal point. There are cherries, ripe plums and some black grapes together with a handful of raisins, vanilla and sweet liquorice. A fresh note of menthol comes through but this is all about the Oloroso sherry cask influence. There’s also a perfumey note somewhere within, but it’s too thin to pinpoint. There’s a note somewhere in the middle which is leaning towards notes of rubber and motor oil.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. The dark fruits coming through are now leaning towards more of the raisins and it’s quite spicy. There’s a dustiness sitting together with the same rubber/oily note as on the nose. There’s a hint of grapefruit in the back. The oak is subtle and the bitterness also brings some freshly brewed coffee notes.

Finish: A big wave of the rubber/oily note and a chili spicyness rolls by before quickly switching over to the dark fruitiness again. The oak is starting to move forward. It’s dusty with a bitterness that is just about perfectly balanced. The grapefruit is still in there and so are the coffee notes. It’s still spicy and the very long finish includes the hint of rubber/oil, the oaky bitter note and the grapefruit. This is a very well made whisky.

Additional information
This is a triple distilled whisky that is matured exclusivly in first fill spanish ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s limited to 9900 bottles worldwide.

Campbeltown, Private Cask, Springbank

Springbank 19 YO – Lyrik (Fresh Sherry Hogshead)

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ABV: 47.5 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is cooling mint and dark fruitiness. The first thing to come through is an extremely dark layer of sherry with a minty overtone. It’s a big chunk of black liquorice and raisins with surrounding notes of fresh oranges and a hint of lemon. In the dead center the oily/rubbery Springbank signature shines through. It gets fruitier and fresher with time in the glass. The darker notes sort of slip to the sides to make room for the rest. There’s also a clear trace of the oakiness in the background. This is a nice, complex nose.

Mouth: At first there’s a hefty dark fruitiness coming through, but the oranges is soon pushing the black liquorice and the raisins to the sides. The oily rubbery note is still sitting in the center and the age is now present as a dusty, old leather chair. It takes a few seconds for the peat to show up but when it arrives, it lands on the egdes with the dark sherry notes. The oakiness is still in the back and it feels fresh but there is a tiny speck of dust on it. With time the lemon note increases in intensity.

Finish: It starts out quite hot and it takes a while for the other flavours to come through. First to come through are the oranges and after those the black liquorice and raisins notes arrive. They are not as pronounced as before though. The peat is taking a step forward as well as the oakiness. The old leather chair comes back in the late finish together with the lemon. There’s also a hint of tobacco leaves. A tiny espresso note creates a bitter tang in the end. This is a great sherry bomb through and through.

Additional information
This is a bottling of Springbank drawn from a private fresh sherry hogshead from 2001. This was bottled in 2020.

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Campbeltown, Private Cask, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO – Poesi (Fresh Sherry Hogshead)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is deep, dark overripe fruits. The thick sherry layer is covering everything at first. It’s overripe plums, black liquorice and liqeuer-soaked raisins. There’s an overlay of menthol which gives a balance to the darkness. After a while it becomes possible to break through to the other flavours that’s been hiding in the back. A nice fresh citrus fruitiness peeks through together with a note of rubber and oil. This is a powerful but slightly unbalanced nose.

Mouth: It’s starts out sweet with a powerful spicyness and a sour note in the back. A coconut note flashes by before it’s back to the dark fruits and black liquorice, with the fresh fruits breaking through slightly. There’s a bitter espresso note in the background. A small layer of vanilla and a dust spread out over the palate. The oily rubbery note is still in there and the peatiness is now slightly detectable on the outside layer, but still struggling to break through the dark fruitiness.

Finish: The menthol note spreads out and soon leave room for a hefty bitterness tied to the darker notes. The overripe plums and liqeuer-soaked raisins move towards the edges and leaves the center for a lemon note and an oakiness with espresso and just a hint of hazelnuts. The coconut note returns for a second or two before the peat finally shows up in the late finish. The peat and the rubbery note stays for a very long and rewarding finish. This is an over the top sherry bomb with a complex heart. It feels a little hot and unbalanced, but it still is a great dram overall.

Additional information
This is a bottling of Springbank drawn from a private fresh sherry hogshead from 2001. This was bottled in 2013.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 11 YO – Local Barley 2nd Edition

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ABV: 53,1 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and complex. It’s vanilla heavy with honey and some ripe red apples in the back. The signature Springbank rubbery note is clearly sitting in the dead center of everything. Sweet liquorice comes through as the cask influence becomes more dense. There’s a touch of dry soil and just a tiny hint of peat. It’s milder than the ABV suggest.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and spicy. The rubbery note comes through together with a heavy dustiness and the vanilla and honey sweetness. The liquorice becomes really pronounced with time in the glass. After a second or two it turns to the bitter side, but the oak never really pushes through. Green apples and green grapes sits in the back and the peat is still in there, but very subtle.

Finish: A burst of ABV spicyness goes by before it returns to sweet honey and sweet liquorice. The rubber note is now toned down a bit. There’s a lemon note in the back. Then the oak starts to roll in and it’s a very nice, fresh oakiness with just a hint of bitterness. The peat peeks through in the late finish. This is a great dram overall, but not the best Springbank has to offer.

Additional information
This is the 2nd release in a 5 part series. The first release was a 16 YO. This whisky is distilled 2.5 times and it’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Longrow 18 YO (2019 Release)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and phenolic. At first there’s a big bucket of oranges and apricots coming through. The characteristic savory rubbery/oily Springbank note creates a backdrop as a slightly ashy, warm woodfire sits on the edges. It’s very mild and as time goes by the sherry casks start to appear with darker fruit notes and a deeper sweetness. Plums, black grapes and raisins all drizzled with honey. There’s black liquorice and vanilla coming through as well. It feels a bit younger than its age, but it’s a very complex and beautiful nose.

Mouth: Spicy and dusty at first. A coconut note passes by together with a medicinal phenolic note. It takes a while before it settles in the mouth, but when it does it reveals an array of citrus fruits. Oranges are still the main fruit, but clementines, grapefruits and apricots are in there as well. It’s got an oily texture and it’s very juicy. The savory rubbery note sits in the center and the other peat notes circle around the edges together with the darker notes from the sherry.

Finish: An medicinal Iodine note flare up, then the savory note returns together with the peatiness, which now has changed slightly towards tobacco. Once again the citrus fruits return. It’s now leaning towards grapefruits, with a bitterness intertwined with a fantastic oakiness that arrives after a few seconds. The coconut returns together with tropical fruits within the oakiness. There are also assorted nuts appearing down the line. This is an absolutely fantastic whisky.

Additional information
The 2019 release of Longrow 18 YO is a mix of 75 % ex-sherry casks and 25 % american ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Springbank

Longrow Peated (2019 Release)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is salty and medicinal. There’s a heavy peat layer combined with a sweeter honey note. There’s also a hint of rubber, but it’s feint and hides in the background. A savory and oily note sits somewhere in the middle and there are notes of oak and vanilla sitting on the sides. This is quite complex. The longer it stays in the glass, the more the peat and the oak comes together. There’s a hint of coconut coming through after a few minutes in the glass. With time the savory note moves forward as well as sweet honey and vanilla.

Mouth: It’s spicy at first with some dustiness and white pepper. Then a nice fruitiness comes through with sweet red apples and a twist of lemon. The rubber note, as well as the savory oily note, builds the bulk of the taste the longer it stays in the mouth. A ”leathery” peat resides in the background. A slight bitterness builds up over time.

Finish: The peppery notes are immediate, then the bulk comes rolling through in waves. First comes some sweet fruitiness, then the rubber and savory notes and finally the peatiness. The peat creates a leather pouch surrounding all the other flavours. A slightly astringent and fresh oakiness also gets put into the pouch. The sweetness slowly fades way and the last things to stay are leather, oak and a bitter lemon note.

Additional information
This is a mix of 6 YO, 10 YO and 14 YO whiskies aged in american ex-bourbon barrels. This used to be called ”Longrow CV”. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Campbeltown, Independent bottlers, Springbank

Svenska Eldvatten Springbank 1995 – 22 YO Refill Sherry Hogshead

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ABV: 44,3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded.

Additional information
This is a single cask (#498) release from a swedish independent bottler. It’s a bottling from a european ex-sherry hogshead cask.137 bottles were filled from the cask.

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