Kategoriarkiv: Highlands

Dalmore, Highlands

The Dalmore Gran Reserva

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dense, sweet and fruity. Honey, liquorice and vanilla fight for attention against a fruitiness from both dark and dried fruits. There’s rum-soaked raisins and sultanas, liqueur-soaked cherries and a fruity red wine. There’s also some dark chocolate with a hint of cinnamon sprinkled on top. The oak is already noticable. The fruity red wine notes, now leaning towards fresh berries, move forward a bit with time in the glass and so does the dark chocolate.

Mouth: At first it’s just sweet but soon the other flavours join in. It’s dark and bitter with raisins, dark chocolate, oak, walnuts and coffee. The vanilla is still in there and so is the red wine note. A touch of spicyness lies on the top of the toungue. The bitterness increase with each sip. It’s slightly astringent.

Finish: The oakiness flare up and basically hogs all the attention from everything else. When it makes way for other flavours a savory note shows up in the middle of the palate. The vanilla reappears but resides in the back. A tropical fruitiness arrives late and comes through within the oakiness creating a nice break from the otherwise dark and bitter flavours. The dark chocolate, liquorice, honey and coffee notes are clinging on to the finish before the oak takes over again.

Additional information
The Gran Reserva is an expression aged for somewhere around 10-15 years. 40 % of its content is aged in first fill american ex-bourbon barrels and 60 % in first fill european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. The marriage period is about 6 months. It’s now discontinued.

Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 YO – The Island Collection

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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 fruity. At first there’s a mix of honey, vanilla and malt with an apple and pear fruitiness. After a few seconds a nice subtle peatiness starts to show up together with red berries, oranges and a hint of sulfur. With time the fruitiness becomes the main focal point. It is a very well balanced and pleasant nose with a lot of subtle nuances.

Mouth: It starts out with lemons and oranges in the back and a big bunch of apricots and dried tropical fruits up front. In between there’s a sweet malty layer with vanilla and honey. The oak is detectable and sits together with the peat and the sulfur towards the sides. It’s got a nice rich texture to it. A hint of butterscotch and a tiny amount of oak spices appear after a while.

Finish: It starts out with the apricots and oranges up front. Another fruity layer with dried tropical fruits and pears sits in the back and vanilla and oak is floating around in between. The peatiness is now covering the edges and the sulfur is still sitting in the back. The finish is long and the fruitiness follows along a long way down the line. When the oak finally gets to come through it’s a nice oakiness but it’s a bit generic. This is a great whisky with a lot of things to discover.

Additional information
This was rebranded and relaunched in 2015. It’s aged in a combination of first fill, second fill and refurbished newly toasted american ex-bourbon barrels.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Duthac

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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. It starts out with a mix of assorted fresh fruits and berries with a vanilla coating. There’s a laid back oakiness sitting around the edges and a honey and liquorice sweetness. With time in the glass a tropical fruitiness starts to come through from the back as well as a feint charcoal smokiness. The overlying fresh fruitiness becomes clearer and reveals rapsberries and lemon, but are soon joined by ripe darker fruits. This is a nice nose overall which seems balanced between the components.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and malty. It takes a while for the fruitiness to arrive and when it does, it seems less fresh and leans more towards a mix of overripe and dried fruits. The oakiness is creating an outside layer and creates a bitter black coffee bitterness. The whole is less fruity than the nose and not nearly as balanced. The sweetness is quite clingy and syrypy.

Finish: It starts out with a mild spicyness and a small dip in flavour except for the clingy sweetness. When the fruitiness returns it once again produces the nice mix of overripe red berries and a mix of dried tropical fruits. The oakiness is still creating an outside layer with a coffee note and a feint hint of charcoal. There’s also coconut coming through in the finish. This is a good whisky with a very nice nose.

Additional information
The Duthac is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail series called Legends. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and combined with whisky finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and charred virgin oak casks.

Glen Garioch, Highlands

Glen Garioch 12 YO

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. Vanilla and honey creates a warm and comforting center. On the outside there’s a combination of black liquorice and anise root. Dark and dried fruit notes from the sherry, mainly raisins and ripe plums, sit all the way out on the edges. It’s quite dusty and the maltiness comes through as a bread note somewhere in the back. This is a quite complex and interesting nose.

Mouth: The first thing to come up is a bright fruitiness. Red berries and lemon are followed by a nice spicyness. It’s still quite dusty and the vanilla is still in there. The honey sweetness is reduced compared to the nose. It’a quite dense and malty. The raisins comes through after a while when the fruitiness becomes darker. A bitterness grows slowly on the edges and after a while it reveals the oakiness. The sherry notes move forward with time in the glass.

Finish: A layer of dust lies on top of the now clear dark sherry notes. It’s black grapes, ripe plums and raisins together with black liquorice. It’s still malty and dense and the bread note reappears. The oak arrives late, but when it does it comes with some great flavours such as walnuts and dark chocolate. There’s even a nice little touch of tropical fruits.

Additional information
This 12 YO was released as a core range whisky in 2010. It’s aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfilitered and has natural colour.

AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu, Speyside

AnCnoc Sherry Cask Finish – Peated Edition

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild peat and dried fruits. At first there’s a mix of fruits with a sour baseline and top notes of dark berries and dried fruits. Close behind is a mild smokiness with tobacco and a hint of leather. There’s also a generic sweetness mostly connected to the fruitiness. A hint of vanilla creates a thin line through everything. The sweetness moves foward and becomes honey with time in the glass. There’s also a menthol cloud above everything else. It feels very shallow and there’s a lack of background notes. It’s a nice nose but everything is presented up front as if it’s trying to hide something underneath.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness up front, a bitterness in the middle and a metallic sour note in the back. It’s very mild but a spicyness do show up after a few seconds. There’s a slight sprinkle of dust and a cardboard note within which is less than pleasant. The bitterness becomes louder as the peat and fruits move to the sides. It’s still a mild peatiness and a handful of dried assorted fruits. The bitterness seems to be generic, but it’s closer to coffee and cocoa than a bitter nuttiness. There’s a butterscotch note showing up in the mix, but it takes a while to arrive.

Finish: The peat and fruits stay at the sides during the transition and the sweetness goes away then shows up again together with the butterscotch. It’s now a bit further back than before. There’s still a metallic note in the back and the bitterness in the center. As the oakiness start to take over it merges with the bitter notes and create a nice enough oakiness. It’s not a long finish and in the end it’s just a dry oakiness and a metallic note left in the mouth. This is a budget whisky and it feels like the sherry cask finish is there to do a cover-up. It will work just fine as a background dram, but falls short when scrutinized.

Additional information
This whisky is made at the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in american oak casks and finished in ex-sherry butts. This is exclusive to the swedish market.

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Ben Nevis, Highlands

Ben Nevis 10 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 acidic. At first there’s a strong vinegar note with a honey and vanilla base close behind. There’s a floral quality to it, but it’s like a generic air freshener scent. There is a dirty rubbery peatiness covering the edges of the glass which gives it an interesting touch. There’s also an IPA note to be found as well as notes of lemon peel. This is kind of an odd nose. It’s not bad, but it’s kind of protruding and sharp. It does settle a bit with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and malty with bitter and sour notes coming through. In the middle sits a speck of dust, wet hay, honey and vanilla. On the edges there are lemon peel and in between the IPA maltiness and the dirty rubbery note reside. A touch of chilli spicyness builds up after a few seconds. The vinegar and the floral notes are not as pronounced as on the nose, but the floral notes do sit like a thin cloud over everything else.

Finish: Honey and dry soil are immidiately pushed forward and covers most of the other flavours for a couple of seconds. When they settle the rubbery note reveals itself together with lemon and a very nice oakiness. It’s grey and old sun-dried wood with a touch of hazelnuts. The finish is very long and when everything else settle there’s a realization that the floral notes are still creating a thin cloud above everything else. This is a great whisky with a so-and-so nose.

Additional information
The cask types used in this 10 YO from Ben Nevis aren’t disclosed and there’s not much information to be had regarding this whisky.

Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 14 YO – Port Casks

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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 sweetness and dark fruits. There are raisins and vanilla with a minty overlay. Behind that there are notes of honey and sweet liquorice which create a nice depth and richness. Black grapes show up after a while and they come through somewhere in the middle of the vanilla note. The liquorice is moving forward and becomes darker and more concentrated. There is a brighter fruitiness showing up in the back with a hint of green apples. This is nice and quite complex.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and peppery. The fruitiness comes through, at first bright then moving towards the dark side. Ripe plums are now added to the raisins and black grapes. The sweetness is dark syryp. A savory and ”rubbery” note is sitting in the dead center of everything and it’s surrounded by vanilla and raisins. After a few seconds it turns a bit bitter when the dry oak comes through.

Finish: A minty breeze pass by before a thick sweetness with syryp and honey takes over. The fruitiness is consistant throughout with the same notes coming through. There’s still a savory note in the middle. The oak is dry and dusty with a chalky texture and taste. There’s a nice amount of bitterness and some hazelnuts. And as a surprise, a tobacco note is found at the very end.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2014 and is matured in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for 12-13 years and finished in first fill Tawny port pipes for up to 2 years.

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Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Heavily Peated

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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 fresh and peaty. At first there’s a big and hebacious peatiness. There’s fresh grass and hay with a back note of ashes and fruits. The fruitiness is undefinable, but leaning towards something like green fruits. There is a generic sweetness within and everything is put closely together without a lot depth and width to it. It feels somewhat young and it lacks the medicinal, coastal notes needed to make peaty youth interesting. It’s a warm, fairly straight forward nose. It’s a one-dimensional but otherwise decent nose.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and sweet with the peat clinging to the sides and the back of the mouth. It’s very round and apologetic about its peat level. The herbacious nature of the peat makes it warm and easy to approach. The ashy note is just not pushing through at this stage. The green fruits are still in there but they are more subdued compared to the nose. It’s still a fairly one-dimensional experience. There is a thin bitterness slowly rising in the back, but it never pushes through or changes anything. Vanilla and honey do arrive after a long while.

Finish: A thin layer of apples and vanilla sits above a savory note in the back. After a second or two the peat returns and now with the ashy notes attached. There still is a grassy hay note floating around and an oakiness sitting in the back with the savory note. It’s a pretty anonymous oakiness but it’s not offensive in any way. The finish is actually not that bad. This is a whisky which lacks some key elements and some depth, but delivers a budget friendly peat punch.

Additional information
The Loch Lomond heavily peated was released in 2020. There’s no information on the maturation length or the specific cask type. It’s PPM level is said to be around 50.

Dalwhinnie, Highlands

Dalwhinnie 15 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very bright and fruity. It’s a big basket of green pears and apple juice. There’s a floral overlay and the honey note is subtle and feels like the natural sweetness of the fruits. It’s very mild on the nose and very approachable. There’s a hint of oakiness and a whiff of smoke but they are well hidden. Very pleasant. It gets more dense and sweeter with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a tiny bitter note before becoming dusty and sweeter. There are honey, vanilla and musty apple notes. A little spicy touch arrives after a second or two. The bitterness turns into the oak note, which gives away the age with a grey weathered feel to it. Just as on the nose, the sweetness increases with time in the glass.

Finish: At first it’s spicy and fruity but then turns musty and dusty. The oakiness comes through with a hefty bitterness like an espresso. The oak is still old and weathered. The fruitiness is still around, but it has turned into something more like red juicy apples. It tags along down the road. There’s no astringency and it’s a very easy and approachable experience.

Additional information
This whisky is a part of Diageo’s ”The classic malts of Scotland” series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Tayne

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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 slightly fruity. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness together with a hint of rye and liquorice. In the center a dark and syrypy fruitiness can be found but it’s somewhat muted from the start. The whole thing is a bit withdrawn and hard to get. There’s an oakiness floating around in the back as well as a hint of lemon. This is a nice enough nose but it’s not especially interesting.

Mouth: It starts out with a nutty oakiness surrounding a sweet center core. There’s a walnut bitterness in the back and up front there’s a mix of honey, dark fruits and coffee liqueuer. There’s a mild chili spicyness which creates a much needed impact on the palate. There’s no journey through it though, except for the mild spicyness everything is just sitting there, no surprises along the way.

Finish: The same goes for the start of the finish. It sort of just seemlessly tranisitons without anything flaring up or disappering. It’s still a nutty walnut oakiness in the back and a coffee liqueuer and dark fruitiness up front. The spicyness stays at a reasonable level throughout. With time the oakiness takes over and it becomes somewhat dry and slightly astingent. The oakiness is nutty and becomes quite tasty when it leaves most of the other flavours behind. This is a good whisky but it comes of as a bit one-dimensional and boring.

Additional information
The Tayne is a travel retail exclusive released in january 2016. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in european ex-Amontillado sherry casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Dornoch – Limited Edition

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
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 impact. Behind the sweet layer lies a touch of mixed dried fruits. Deeper down there’s a hint of a smoky peat, but it’s very subtle. When it settles it reveals a fruity distillate with green apples within and a maltiness with a hint of toffee. The whole thing is covered in mild menthol. This is a nice laid back and subtle nose without being flat and boring.

Mouth: At first there’s a thin layer of fresh oak and very mild peat surrounding a sweet inner core. That layer soon shifts into a coffee bitterness and moves back, but it stays connected to the sherry notes arriving in the center. The sweetness subsides and makes room for dried fruits and a hint of walnuts. All the flavours seem to grow richer with time. The apples are still detectable in the back.

Finish: The fresh oakiness and the mild smoky peat seem to stay constant through the transition. There’s a hint of pine shining through before the coffee bitterness and the dry fruits comes through once again. The maltiness is present as well as the walnuts but it’s no longer sweet. After a few seconds there’s a tropical fruitiness somewhere within. When the oak takes over it carries the very mild peat, the walnuts and the tropical fruits in its wake. This is a very good whisky with a somewhat complex character. It’s a bit mild at times, but it’s not bland.

Additional information
This limited edition release is made from classic ex-bourbon cask matured Glenmorangie as well as some lightly peated distillate matured in Amontillado casks. A donation is given to the Marine Conservation Society for the reservation of the Dornoch firth for each bottle sold.

Deveron, Highlands, MacDuff

The Deveron 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruits and soft toffee. There’s a bright fresh fruitiness with apples, pears, green grapes and just a slight hint of grapefruits. It rests on a base of toffee and/or butterscotch. Vanilla and honey is in there, but they are just fillers in between the other flavours. The whole thing is covered in a thin aura of eucalyptus.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but quickly turns to a sour lemon and a small spicy note. Butterscotch comes rolling in and it brings some oakiness along. The fruitiness is a long way back and it’s not as bright as on the nose. The oakiness and the butterscotch are divided equally and it makes it a bit bland. It turns more towards honey as time passes in the glass. This is a bit disappointing compared to the nose.

Finish: It sort of just disappears. After a few seconds the eucalyptos note returns and the oakiness comes through again. The oakiness is nice and there’s no astringency. There’s a thin note of walnuts and a touch of anise coming through. After a while the butterscotch and honey start to make themselves noticed and it somewhat changes character. In the end, there’s a chalk note covering the oak. This is very mild and an easy sipper.

Additional information
This is an expression from the MacDuff Distillery released in 2015 as a part of Dewar’s ”Last Great Malts of Scotland” series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels”.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 18 YO – Extremely Rare

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a very nice lemon freshness with vanilla, honey and a maltiness coming through from behind. Floral notes with a very ”hoppy” feel to them join the lemon in creating a very bright character. A small hint of red berries and a thin veil of cinnamon appear after a while in the glass. This is a very approachable nose.

Mouth: At first, there’s a creamy toffee with a spicy touch. It shows some age with a dusty layer and notes of old bookshelves. The base is still malty with honey and vanilla and the whole thing is a touch dry. The taste is not as bright as on the nose, but after a few seconds tropical fruits appear and they bring back the citrus fruits as well. The slight bitter notes coming from the oakiness steer it towards grapefruits. The oak itself is very nice and sits just right in between the other flavours.

Finish: It’s still lemon fresh with a creamy toffee base. The oak comes through fast and brings back a big bucket of assorted tropical fruits and grapefruits, lemon and a tutti frutti candy note. The oakiness is very nice and clear. A coffee note peeks through in the late finish. This is a well made comfort whisky.

Additional information
This 18 YO is a part of Glenmorangie’s prestige range. It’s aged for 15 years in american ex-bourbon barrels. Then it’s separated and about 30 % is moved to ex-Oloroso sherry casks while the rest remains in the ex-bourbon barrels. After three more years, the distillates are married back together and bottled.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich and sweet. At first there’s a honey and white chocolate sweetness covering a large part of the impact. There’s a thin floral layer floating on top and a hint of citrus fruits in the back. There’s also an eucalyptus note within as well as an almond nuttiness. It becomes sweeter with time and vanilla and sweet liquorice start to move up towards the edges. This is a great and rich nose with a lot of different things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a powerful impact of honey, malt and eucalyptus. The core is surrounded by citrus zest and white chocolate. There’s a hint of tropical fruits floating around within as well. It’s somewhat astringent and the oakiness is peeking through every now and then. The liquorice shifts and moves towards the background. It feels very rich and textured. It’s not as floral and as on the nose.

Finish: The eucalyptus is spreading out over the palate and gives it a nice cooling effect. The citrus and tropical fruitiness are close behind as well as the white chocolate, honey and vanilla notes. The liquorice is still in there but it’s more subdued. The oakiness comes through quite late but when it does it’s a very nice nutty oakiness with a white chocolate coating. This is a fantastic dessert whisky. It’s very sweet but it still gives away a lot of different flavours to balance it out.

Additional information
This is part of the Glenmorangie Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in french ex-sauternes wine casks for 2 additional years. It’s discontinued and replaced with a no age statement whisky with the same same.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Signet

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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 dark and sweet. At first there’s a thick layer of coffee liqueur and raisins. Just underneath that is a thin rye-like note. There are also notes of pine, almonds and a hint of cola. A minty freshness creates a cloud hovering above everything else. It has a very homogenous center with a mild and round character but the pine notes are somewhat sticking out like small thorns. With time a fresher fruity and floral background emerges which gives it a nice three-dimensional profile. This also makes the pine settle down. This is a good nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemon fresh background note and a robust black coffee bitterness up front. There’s vanilla and a small amount of dark fruits in the center with a honey note on top but the whole mainly rests on the bitter notes. There’s dark high percentage chocolate with some chili flakes within. The oak peeks through and the pine as well. It’s very consistant and there’s not a lot of flavour transitions over time.

Finish: The chili spicyness flares up in a nice way and stays for quite a while. The coffee liqueur returns as well as the dark chocolate and vanilla. The transition towards the oakiness is seemless and it emerges within the coffee and chocolate bitterness. The oak is nice but it isn’t making a big scene. With time there’s a tropical fruitiness coming through the oakiness which is very nice addition and a nice break from the bitterness. The finish is long and rewarding. This is a great whisky but it’s too focused on the bitter sensation which makes it a bit lobsided.

Additional information
The Glenmorangie Signet is made from two types of malted barley; A single estate cadboll and malted chocolate barley. The cask types aren’t disclosed but there are virgin oak casks involved in the maturation process. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Highlands, Oban

Oban Distiller’s Edition 2005/2019

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

Tasting notes
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.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake

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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 sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick sweet layer of honey, vanilla and ripe banana sitting on top of a fruitier background with tropical fruits and a white wine sourness. An ethanol cloud is sitting on top of everything and gives it a cooling effect. There are small hints of baking spices in the back, as well as a maltiness. With time in the glass it becomes sweeter and the wine finish becomes more pronounced. This is a nice nose, but it leans a bit heavy towards the sweet notes up front and feels a bit unbalanced.

Mouth: It starts out extremely sweet and a bit malty. It’s filled with overripe bananas, ripe green grapes and a generic sweetness. It’s somewhat dusty and everything still feels very much like it’s in your face. The background consists of the sweet white wine and it produces a sharp metallic lemon note in the back. Somewhere in between some tropical fruits do show up for those who are patient.

Finish: It starts out with malt and honey and then move quickly towards the fruitiness. It still has those sweet overripe bananas and grapes, but the tropical fruitiness soon takes over. The fruitiness is intertwined with the oakiness and together they take over completely. The oakiness is great. It’s nutty with just a hint of bitterness. The finish is by far the best part of the entire journey. This is a good dessert whisky and the narrative around cake is fitting. It’s not a dram for every occasion though.

Additional information
A Tale of Cake was released in 2020 as a limited edition bottling. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in hungarian Tokaji casks.

Glenfarclas, Highlands

Glenfarclas 17 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dried fruits and sweet vanilla. At first there’s a mix of dried apricots and berries taking point. Beneath there’s a thick layer of vanilla, oak and honey. There’s also some darker fruits in there with some raisins and fresh plums. A tiny hint of seaweed can be detected but it sort of comes and goes. A sprinkle of cardemum and cinnamon on top makes this a very round and welcoming nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild and sweet. A spicyness is first to make itself known and shortly everything else follow. It’s still the same mix of dried and dark fruits and berries. The age really comes through with a middle layer of dusty oakiness and bitter liquorice. There’s an outer layer with lemon peel and coconut. The cardemum and cinnamon is still present and they create a thin veil above everything else. It’s not as sweet as on the nose and the vanilla notes are very low key.

Finish: It starts with a warm spicyness and vanilla. The fruitiness is now in the background and in the front there’s a nice coffee and walnuts bitterness coming from a spicy and dusty oakiness. When it starts to subside the fruitiness comes through once again, but now it’s leaning more towards the lemon peel and the dried fruit mix and not so much of the darker notes are left. This is a great whisky which produces a lot of interesting things, even though it feels a bit like it’s a ”in the middle of the ex-sherried scotches” road. The age really helps it along.

Additional information
The 17 YO was originally intended to be a travel retail exclusive mainly for the asian market. It’s aged in ex-Oloroso casks for the entire aging period. It has natural colour.

Glenglassaugh, Highlands

Glenglassaugh Revival

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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 young and very sweet. At first there’s a cloud of young, albeit well made, spirit sitting on top of a base consisting of sweet honey and butterscotch notes. The oakiness is coming through strong from the beginning. There is a sweet fruitiness somewhere in the mix but it’s hard to define. Sweet strawberries maybe. With time in the glass it leans more towards the butterscotch, honey and a nice vanilla. This is a very pleasant nose for such a young whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with a flare of the oakiness before it moves back to the butterscotch and honey. There is now a black liquorice note mixed in and the vanilla hovers on top. There’s also a rubbery/oily note far in the back which gives it some complexity. A hint of grapegruit seems to appear, but the earlier fruity notes with strawberries has disappered. Afterwards it switches over to becomes very oaky.

Finish: At first there are grapefruits and a peppermint cloud. When it settles it almost immidiately becomes oaky, but the baseline stays sweet with honey, vanilla and butterscotch. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness with a little bit of grey oak planks mixed in. The grapefruits return in the late finish. This is a really good whisky for its age. It offers a lot of flavours and it presents a well made and tasty distillate with a lot of potential.

Additional information
This is the first whisky to be released with spirit made after the reopening of the distillery in 2008. It’s aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels for three years and then finished for 6 months in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Highlands, Ian Macleod Distillers, Independent bottlers, MacLeod’s (Highland)

Macleod’s Highland

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and sweet. At first there’s not much coming out of the glass except a mild and sweet floral note. After a few seconds vanilla and red berries start to appear in the center, but they are not recognizable as specific kinds. The floral note is leaning towards elderflower and a hint of lemongrass. It’s a nice nose but it lacks some depth and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with vanilla, honey and malt. There’s a toffee note sitting in the middle. There’s a dustiness in the back and a floral note up front. The fruitiness increases with time and after a while it comes through as sweet oranges. In the back there are feint notes of oil and soot and that gives it a nive depth which makes up for the low impact.

Finish: A burst of the orange fruitiness together with the vanilla take lead and afterwards it basically moves directly to the oak finish. It’s a very nice oakiness with some nuttiness to it. It’s mainly hazelnuts. There’s also a fruity quality to the wood which makes it a nice compliment to the nose and the mouth. This is actually a very good whisky considering it’s decently priced and has low ABV.

Additional information
This is a NAS single malt from an undisclosed highland distillery. It’s released by the independent bottler Ian Macleod Distillers.