Kategoriarkiv: Highlands

Highlands, Oban

Oban Distiller’s Edition 2006/2020

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
(These tasting notes are from the 2005/2019 Edition. They will be updated soon)

Nose: This is dry and fruity. At first a dark, sweet fruitiness with honey, overripe dark fruits and liqeuer-soaked cherries covers everything else. After a few seconds the sweetness subsides and the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter and some peaches and grapes start to come through. There’s a minerality to it and the background notes are somewhat medicinal. With time in the glass there’s a vanilla note popping up somewhere behind the fruitiness. This is a very pleasant nose with some complexity to it.

Mouth: It starts out with a touch of spicyness and a medicinal note. It’s not especially sweet and the honey note is not able to push through. It’s quite dry and a hefty coffee and dark chocolate bitterness fills the background. There’s still a minerality within and the fruitiness is now very repressed as well. The bitterness is dominating the palate and it feels like it’s surpressing the oakiness at this stage.

Finish: An initial sweet honey and vanilla note pass by quickly and leaves room for the bitter notes and a nutty walnut oakiness. It’s very dry and slightly astringent. The fruitiness is almost entirely gone and the finish is all about coffee, oak and dark chocolate. The medicinal side of it remain all through the finish though, and in the late finish there’s a tiny smoky and sulfury note residing behind everything else. This is a great whisky with a surprisingly complex profile.

Additional information
This Distiller’s Edition is aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for at least 6 months in european ex-Montilla Fino sherry casks.

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Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 24 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: A row of old and dusty leather books and a dense, thick fruitiness are the main focal points. There’s black liquorice, raisins and a mix of red ripe fruits and berries. The sherry cask influence is strong, but there’s vanilla and honey notes coming through from the bourbon barrels used. It’s not overly sweet and the differences complement each other very well.

Mouth: The sweet and spicy arrival comes with a base of black coffee bitterness. The old leather books is still present and the oak arrives after a few seconds. It’s very dusty and the astringency increases with every sip. There’s still a black liquorice note but the vanilla and honey has disappeared and the dark fruits have taken a step back.

Finish: It’s still pleasantly spicy and the musty dark fruit notes (raisins and now also almost molten plums) come forward. It’s still very dusty and the leather note is still present and creates a red thread throughout. The oakiness comes with black coffee and walnuts. It’s like old and grey, weathered wood planks. The astringency increases, and in the tail end of a very long finish it switches over and releases an assorted tropical fruit note. It really shows it’s age all the way through.

Additional information
This was distilled at the Knockdu distillery in 1992 and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 20 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild honey and coconut. It takes a while for the heavier flavours to really come through, but when they do, it’s honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice with the coconut resting a long way back. There’s a thin floral layer, which leans towards violets and there’s also a fruitiness which feels like it sits somewhere in between sweet citrus fruits and green apples.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer of honey. There’s a spicyness, but it’s really fine tuned and integrated within the whole. The coconut is very pronounced again and now there’s a very nice butterscotch note. The undefined fruitiness is now coming through as oranges and orange peel. There is a hint of age coming through as a fine layer of dustiness sitting in the back. It’s a very mellow, but not boring, experience.

Finish: A big surge of coconut and black pepper comes through before it lands in the honey jar once again. The dusty layer is still there and the fruitiness is now settled as oranges. After a while the oakiness starts to develop. It’s a very nice oakiness, not dry nor astringent. It just sits there for a long time before it charges to a undefinable nuttiness. The whole of this whisky is not a powerhouse, it’s just a refined gentleman with good manners.

Additional information
The Tullibardine 20 YO was released in 2013 as a part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in a combination of first- and second-fill american ex-bourbon casks.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 14 YO The Elementa – New Charred Oak Cask Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a hefty vanilla oakiness sitting on top of a malty and honey driven sweetness. There’s a hint of lemon in the back, but the oakiness overruns everything for a long time. It’s very top heavy and the new oak finish makes the quite long maturation time useless. There’s a caramel added to the sweetness after a while, but it really does nothing. This is a weird nose. It’s not very bad, it’s just way over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate caramel sweetness and a very spicy and protruding vanilla oakiness. Underneath lies a bitter coffee note and maybe just a drop of lemon in the back. There’s not much more happening at this point. It’s still way too oaky which makes it uninteresting and slightly unpleasant. The caramel sweetness grows over time.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge of the bitter notes in the back before the oakiness once again attacks the palette. At this point it’s actually very unpleasant and the late finish just consists of too much oak and a wait for it to disappear. This is a bad whisky which is completely destroyed by the new oak finish. There’s no complexity nor balance, just a big piece of oak to chew on. This could work well as a mixer though.

Additional information
The Elementa is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail series called Legends. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in charred virgin oak casks.

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Highlands, Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a quick, fresh fruitiness which almost immidiately gets overrun by a sweet and malty center part and a spirity top layer. It takes a few seconds before a milder fruitiness returns. When it settles in the glass the sweet core delivers a nice honey, vanilla and butterscotch mix while the fruitiness is lemon and apple with a hint of smoke within. The spirity top layer disappears and the nose is actually very pleasant at this point. This is a nice nose. It lacks some depth and complexity, but this is a budget alternative so it makes sense.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet butterscotch layer which seems a bit two-dimensional and slightly soapy. It does deliver a lot of nice flavours and the hint of peat is more noticable in the mouth. There’s also a sour lemon in the back and sweet yellow pears fruits up front. Everything does get a bit shaded by the fact that it’s a rather unpleasant young and spirity distillate and delivers some less than desirable notes which brings it down a bit.

Finish: The fruitiness increases through the transition and pushes the butterscotch layer back together with the peat. This gives room for a cinnamon spicyness and a mild oakiness to come through. It’s still a young and spirity experience, but the base notes behind it is actually nice. The finish soon comes tumbling down and leaves the oakiness to fend for itself. It’s a competent oak character which feels like a mix of old and new. This is a good budget whisky. It lacks complexity and it is a bit rough and spirity. It comes through as a bit better than other whiskies in the same catergory.

Additional information
This whisky is a Sweden exclusive release. It’s aged in ex-bourbon, refill ex-bourbon and recharred bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO The Accord

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and spicy oak. At first there’s a dark fruitiness with red ripe berries mixed with some fresh ones. There are christmas spices and fresh oak floating around within. It feels quite sticky and sweet overall and there’s a small top note of nail polish remover. When it settles the whole becomes more balanced but it feels a bit engineered and top heavy. The background seems to be missing due to this. A floral note can be found every now and then but it’s quite elusive. This is a nice nose but it lacks depth and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a bit underwhelming compared to the nose. It starts out with a mild sweetness and a hint of oak. First out after that is a lemon note in the back and then a red berry fruitiness arrives up front. It feels way too oaky at this point which really makes it less appealing. The spicyness arrives soon and it mainly comes from the oak. There’s a maltiness in the middle and a hint of tropical fruits start to come through for those who wait.

Finish: The transition is mellow and there are no spikes or dips. The oak and red berry mix continues for a while before the tropical fruitiness kicks in and becomes really pronounced. It comes from within the oak and finally a vanilla note arrives as well. The late finish is all about a sawdust oakiness and is quite boring. This is a good whisky. It’s the new kind of single malt which is way too oaky with a lot of top heavy flavours, which works as a drinker’s dram but not for an interesting and genuine whisky experience.

Additional information
This started out as a travel retail exclusive whisky. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Glenturret, Highlands

Glenturret Triple Wood Batch 3

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and sherry seasoned european and american oak casks. The bottle tested is from batch 3.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine the Murray Double Wood Edition – The Marquess Collection 2005-2020

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
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 is whisky aged for the entire maturation period in first fill ex-bourbon barrels mixed with whisky which are finished in first fill ex-sherry casks. 17550 bottles were made for this release.

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Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 18 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a mild honey and vanilla base with a nice ripe berry fruitiness. There’s a grittier side to it as well with raisins, a hint of rubber and dry garden soil. When it starts to settle there’s a nice cinnamon note on top and some fresher fruits in the back. The vanilla evolves into a fudge/toffee note. It feels quite vibrant for its age and it takes a good while before notes of age appears. This is a very nice and well balanced nose which delivers a nice experience overall.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild toffee sweetness. Everything grows quickly and becomes quite big and rich. There’s a nice pepperiness approaching from the back while the ripe fruitiness starts to push through the sweetness in all directions. There are raisins and overripe plums as well as a lemon peel bitterness in the back. It really shows age at this point with some dusty leather books mixed in with everything else. The cinnamon note is still in there as well. It still feels very balanced.

Finish: The spicyness spreads slowly over the palate and a fresh orange/lemon fruitiness mixed with the dusty book notes arrive first. The ripe fruits and the gritty notes have moved backwards and now creates a nice dark backdrop. Everything is in its place and the movements almost feels orchistrated. The oakiness is fashionably late which is a good thing. It lets everything shine to its fullest before taking over. It’s a nice slightly hazelnutty oakiness which feels… very well balanced. This is a really great whisky which is very well put together. It feels almost too predictable at times.

Additional information
This whisky has been aged in refill casks and then finished in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Oban

Oban 14 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and fresh. At first there’s thin honey and vanilla layer surrounding a fruity fresh middle part. It’s lemon and green apples in abundance. When it starts to settle it slightly shifts towards oranges instead. There’s a floral side to it as well as a mild peatiness. There’s an aura of sweet white wine over the whole thing. After some time a sprinkle of cinnamon starts to emerge and the whole becomes maltier. This is a very nice and easy to approach nose. It’s not especially interesting to explore but delivers a nice array of flavours.

Mouth: It starts out with a surge of peat which quickly move out towards the edges of the palate. The middle becomes sweet and darker with a dark chocolate bitterness as a base plate. It’s nowhere near as fruity as it is on the nose. It’s more of a fuzzy mix of dades and oranges mixed with coffee and cacao. It does have a sharp lemon note in the back. It also feels quite spirity despite its age, which isn’t the greatest thing. There’s also an iodine and medicinal side to it which makes it a bit more interesting.

Finish: The fruitiness with oranges up front makes a big push forward through the transition. The peatiness stays around the edges and give room for the dark chocolate, coffee and now the oakiness to push through. The cinnamon returns as well as the medicinal note, but soon everything just crumbles and leaves a medicre, slightly bitter oakiness with a small layer of oranges left behind. This is a good yet weird whisky which is all over the place. A lot of the flavours are nice, but it’s quite hard to follow along. It really lacks a sense of direction.

Additional information
The Oban 14 YO is a part of Diageo’s ”The Classon Malts of Scotland” series. It’s aged mostly in refill american ex-bourbon barrels.

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Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Madeira Cask

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mild vanilla and and mixed fresh and dried fruits. There’s a gentle and sweet minty layer on top as well. It’s malty in the middle and it grows sweeter over time. The fruitiness feels less fresh once it settles. It’s a mix of red berries and oranges and maybe a hint of violets. There’s a lemon note in the back as well. The sweetness feels a bit sticky and everything feels a bit top heavy. The oak shines through with the vanilla notes too. The distillate comes through and it feels ethanol driven behind the madeira curtain. This is a decent nose but it’s not without faults. The cask finish makes for a nice cover-up.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild, slightly watery sweetness but it doesn’t take long for a spiky spicyness to arrive. There’s a fresh fruitiness building up in the back at the same time but the spicyness is a bit unpleasant and takes the focus from it. It’s a nice background with mixed fruits, vanilla and malt as well as a honey sweetness. The distillate is still shining through and it’s not the greatest thing in the world. The whole displays a weird mix of being watery and unpleasantly spiky at the same time.

Finish: The spicyness calms down a bit through the transition and reveals the fruitiness at its fullest. It’s once again a nice mix of oranges, red sweet berries and some lemons. There’s a floral side to it as well. The vanilla and the sweetness slowly changes and becomes the oakiness while the fruitiness is hogging all the attention. The distillate is not as protruding anymore and the finish is the best part of the journey. It’s a nice mix of fruits and a decent oakiness. There’s a sweet liquorice note in there as well. This is a decent whisky for the price point. Corners are cut but the cask finish does a good job of hiding the less desirable sides of it.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in american oak casks for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in ex-madeira casks for about 6 months.

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Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Madeira Wood Finish

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet honey and vanilla note with a floral side to it. Underneath lies a black liquorice note and a slight nuttiness or maybe singed wood. On top lies a rather fresh and dry fruitiness with grapes and lemon. It’s young and feels rather top heavy, but the top does a nice job in covering up the spirity side of it. Time in the glass makes it a lot fresher and fruity. This is a good nose with a lot to offer. It’s quite pleasant.

Mouth: It starts out being flat and then a sudden explosion of fruits and spicyness. It feels a bit hot, quite spirity and young but there’s a surprisingly good arrange of flavours pushing through. There are apricots, orange marmelade, yellow pears and lemon. It still feels very top heavy but there’s a lot of flavour coming through. The floral notes are also in there as well as vanilla sweetness, but it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The story underneath is a different story though, with a rather unpleasant bitter note sitting in an otherwise half-empty space.

Finish: The spicyness rises once again as well as the fruitiness. It’s a nice mixed bag of tropical fruits at this point and it’s joined by the oakiness very quickly. It’s a very nice experience at this point, but it soon gets a bit dimishished when the oakiness takes over. It becomes a bit boring and slightly bitter. There’s a big nutty surprise though, which arrives very late in the finish. It becomes pleasantly nutty. There’s still a hole in the flavour profile throughout. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer. Sure it’s young and a bit spirity, but the cask finish does a good cover up job.

Additional information
This whisky is a travel retail exclusive release. It was first aged in ”traditional” ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Madeira casks. No maturation time is disclosed.

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Ardnamurchan, Highlands

Ardnamurchan AD 4.21:3

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ABV: 46.8 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh and peaty. At first there’s a fresh green apple note, hints of dark fruits and a sweet vanilla cream note and it battles with a seaside style peatiness which comes through as mild and mineral rich. There’s a hint of seaweed within and it’s connected both to the peat and the sherry cask influence. With time in the glass there’s an oakiness slowly moving up towards the edges of the glass. A young, spirity note is present throughout but it’s not protruding or metallic. There’s a mix of assorted cooking spices in there as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of depth but offers an interesting experience.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild and sweet outer surface and a young and sprawling center. It takes a second or two before the peat shows up and it’s a very unique peatiness with a coffee note attached to it. The sweetness increases in size and brings a standard vanilla/honey mix, but it is very contrasting to the unique peatiness. The fruitiness is contained to a sour note in the back and a miniscule dark fruitiness up front. There are many small flavour circling around such as spices, chalk and anis root.

Finish: The finish starts off with a spike in intensity which hides most of the flavours for a second or two. The first thing that reappears is the peatiness around the edges of the palate. A black pepper note is residing in the back and as the sweetness slowly returns together with the green apple note, the dark fruitiness and dark chocolate. The bitterness remain throughout and the coffee note gives it a pleasant contrast to the sweet notes. This is a very good whisky with a lot to offer to the explorer. It’s not complex but it delivers a fresh take on flavour combinations found in a single malt.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in 65 % ex-bourbon barrels and 35 % ex-sherry casks. The content is ~6 years old. 17502 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Unspecified Distillery

Shackleton

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s an apple and pear fruitiness mixed with some vanilla. After a while it settles and reveals a bit of caramel. It feels slightly spirity and a bit harsh. Underneath lies a subdued peat note which feels a bit herbal and easy to miss. Everything seems quite simple and straight forward and there’s a lack of complexity. It’s quite boring to explore. There are some riper notes within but they also seem to be disappearing in the whole. This is a decent nose after all, with a very easy access flavour profile.

Mouth: It starts out with a maltiness, honey and a bit of caramel. It feels a bit less spirity and has a small peppery overtone which is much needed. On the sides there are a dried fruitiness with hints of red berries, tropical fruits and baked apples. All of these are very subdued though and it’s way less fruity than on the nose. There are notes of peat, ginger and oak coming through but overall it comes through as a bit flat.

Finish: The peppery note disappears immidiately and it takes a big dip in intensity from low to very low. The same fruit notes reappear as well as the sweetness. It has a rather off-putting cardboard note at this point. The oakiness arrives quite quick and it’s a decent one with a bit too much woodshop to it. The finish consists of just the oakiness and maybe just a hint of cacao and hazelnuts. This is not the best whisky in the world. It’s drinkable, but overall too mild and lacks a cohesive direction.

Additional information
This blended malt is supposedly made from highland malts and aged for an undisclosed time in a mix of american oak and ex-sherry casks. It’s based on a whisky from over a 100 years ago found in ice.

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Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet honey and vanilla baseline with top notes of fresh red berries, mainly leaning towards raspberries. There’s also a citrus note floating around. When it settles it becomes more dense with a heavier vanilla and caramel note and a darker ripe fruitiness. There are some raisins and just a tiny hint of leather peeking through. It does retain its freshness as well as presenting some apple notes in the back. It feels slightly spirity on top which brings it down a notch but it’s overall a pleasant character. This is a very good nose with a decent amount of flavours to chase after.

Mouth: It starts out with a round vanilla and honey center part and a slightly peppery ouside layer. After a second or two the sherry notes arrive with ripe berries, coffee, leather and dark chocolate. The slight bitterness creates a nice contrast to the sweet base flavours and gives the fruitiness an extra dimension. The citrus note is now residing in the back. The rather low ABV doesn’t hurt the feel of it, but it could use a little bit more power to really bloom. It still has a spirity feel to it which, once again brings it down a notch.

Finish: It starts out with a mild pepper note and a fruitiness, which now feels like everything has merged into one note of baked apples with sweet custard, which is a very nice combination. There’s now a lemon peel bitterness in the back together with an emerging oakiness. The oakiness is decent and not over bearing, but it’s not the most interesting finish. It’s a rather short closure which seems a bit weird. This is a very good whisky overall with a lot of nice, interesting flavours and features. It’s not without its faults though, but they are not too bad.

Additional information
This whisky has been aged in a combination of refill casks and american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in spanish ex-sherry casks.

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Dalmore, Highlands

The Dalmore 10 YO – Vintage 2006

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very oaky and sweet. There’s honey, malt and a sort of in-between circle of toffee, caramel, cream and fudge. The fruitiness is also very much in focus, with oranges, grapefruit and lime. There’s also a somewhat odd seaweed note laying on top. It has a very noticable oakiness.

Mouth: It’s dusty and the vanilla is very up front and powerful. Beneath is the butterscotchy fudge note coming through with a fruity tang to it. There’s green apples, grapefruit, orange marmelade and lime. The oak is very bitter and astringent and somewhere in there are pure cacao and strong coffee notes.

Finish: The vanilla is still in charge and behind the grapefruit and orange marmelade lingers. The butterscotchy fudge note is quickly gone and leaves room for a very dry and astringent oak. It’s very bitter, almost like there’s a dash of tonic water in there. The cacao is still present and the coffee note swithes up a notch towards espresso.

Additional information
This Dalmore expression is matured in american ex-bourbon barrels. For most of its time it rests in refill barrels and then in first fills during a finishing period.

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Glenallachie, Highlands

Glenallachie 11 YO – Moscatel Wood Finish

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Highlands
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 honey and vanilla sweetness. Close behind are a layer of bright and juicy fruits. There’s also heather and toffee creating a nice background together with a peppermint freshness. It feels very there-dimensional and textured. With time in the glass the sweetness mellows out and it becomes more balanced overall. This is a very nice and balanced nose with small nuances to discover.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and malty. There’s a big surge of ABV spicyness pushing through slowly from the get-go. A very pleasant fruitiness with peaches and lemon comes through from behind and there’s a slight bitterness in the background which is attached to a dry oakiness. Over time everything seem to merge into one big mass with sweet, sour and bitter extensions. It even has a salty overtone to it. This is really playing to a lot of different senses.

Finish: It starts out with another ABV spicyness surge but it’s less powerful than the initial one. The first thing to come through is a big basket of peaches. The salty overtones remain as well. it’s less sweet and bitter than in the mouth and the peaches remain the main focal point throughout the finish. The honey and vanilla notes are residing on the edges. With time a nice but somewhat anonymous oakiness fills the background and that supports the fruitiness and creates an extra dimension. This is a great whisky which has a lot to offer, both in smell, taste and sensations.

Additional information
This is a part of Glenallachie’s Wood Finish Series. It’s aged for over 9 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Moscatel casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 18 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
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 dusty vanilla and butterscotch sweetness filling up most of the center. It’s surrounded by a sweet dried fruitiness creating a thin layer. The fruitiness slowly grows bigger and mixes with the sweetness and becomes a bit darker than before. There’s also a mild menthol note floating around up above together with a floral note. The age shines through with a tiny smell of old furniture but it feels surprisingly fresh for its age. This is a pleasant and quite gentle nose, yet it still feels rich and balanced.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty mix of assorted dried fruits and berries with an outer core of honey and vanilla. It feels very big and it demands a lot more attention than it did on the nose. It’s quite spicy and there’s a nice texture to it. The fruitiness switches towards brighter and sour notes after a while. There’s a nice contrasting bitterness coming from an oakiness sitting way back on the palate at this point. There’s also a mix of kitchen spices floating around. It feels quite complex even though the baseplate feels rather simple.

Finish: The dustiness really comes through in the beginning of the finish as well as a spike in ABV spicyness. Once it settles there’s a mix of sour lemon and darker fruits taking over for a while. A black liquorice note pops up and so do the kitchen spices. The hint of old furniture pops up once again before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice and spicy oak with a hint of oakiness attached to it. It never gets overwhelming but stays for a long time. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer both as a sipper and as a tasting experience.

Additional information
This whisky was first released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and european oak ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 228 – Burgundy Finish

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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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Canada, Highlands, J.P. Wiser’s

J.P. Wiser’s 23 YO Cask Strength Blend

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ABV: 59.9 %
Origin: Canada
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was made to celebrate the master distiller Dr. Don Livermore’s 23 years at JP Wiser’s. It’s made from corn and rye aged in separate casks.

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