Kategoriarkiv: Scotland

Highlands, Teaninich

Teaninich 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
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 timid mix of sweetness and peat with a floral side note. It feels young and rough around the edges. Everything is very mellow and hard to get to. There’s a weird mineral note floating around and when it starts to settle there are some citrus fruits and some caramel popping up. This is a weird nose which manages to be all over the place and way too laid back and timid all at once.

Mouth: It starts out with mild mix of oranges, vanilla, honey and minerals. There’s a sour lemon in the back and soon the peat arrives and it’s a much bigger peatiness than before. There’s a nice little spicyness and the floral notes persists and almost feels soapy at this point. It still feels young and a bit spirity. There’s a bitterness building up in the back together with the lemon and there’s a burnt caramel in the center. It’s not logical whatsoever at this point.

Finish: The transition gives a slight increase in sourness and spicyness. When it comes down there’s a slight void in the middle and the peatiness is joined by an oakiness and the floral notes around the edges. As time goes by the oakiness takes over. It’s a chalky oakiness and it’s quite boring. The finish is flat and it never really manages to bring some order to the chaos. It just dies. This is a decent whisky overall. It’s not especially well made, but it still comes through as quite drinkable.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Teaninich, yet it is limited.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 10 YO – Chinquapin Virgin Oak

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a pugnant new oak lid on top with a lot of vanilla attached to it. Underneath is a brown sugar sweetness with banana and a hint of marzipan. It almost comes with a bourbon profile at first, but after a while the maltiness arrives together with some assorted green fruits. There’s a hint of varnish in there as well as some honey and butterscotch. This is a decent, yet over-oaked and boring, nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter note in the back, a sweetness in the middle and an oakiness all along the edges. Coffee, dark chocolate and banana are all coming through as well as a spicy chili note, butterscotch and some lemon zest. There is also a fresher green fruitiness floating around. Everything is covered in an aggressive oakiness which makes it feel very unbalanced. The oakiness is quite unique and it very much does deliver what the box says. It still feels a bit boring though.

Finish: The transition is quite logical with a slight increase in spicyness, especially the spices coming from the oak. The sweetness, vanilla and the green fruits are joined by liquorice, but everything swiftly passes by before the oakiness once more takes over. In the finish the oakiness shifts towards a more nutty character with walnuts, coffee and with a hint of the banana still in there. It’s slightly astringent and the late finish is slightly unpleasant. This is a so-and-so whisky by taste, but it delivers on its promises. This means that the consumer needs to be an absolute oak lover.

Additional information
This whisky was first in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 18 months in Chiquapin virgin oak barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Darkest

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
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 balanced mix of dark and dried fruits, tobacco and vanilla. There are baking spices and brown sugar as well as dark chocolate. When it settles the whole becomes slightly sweeter and the fruitiness becomes raisins and overripe plums. There’s an elusive soapy floral note coming through from the back and a thin layer of menthol on top. There’s peat coming through, but it feels so integrated within the whole to be a main event at this point. This is a great nose with a balanced profile, minus the soapy note.

Mouth: It starts out with a tobacco and campfire smoke peatiness with fresh red fruits mixed in. There’s a slight cocoa bitterness coating the mouth while the other flavours try to find their place. It’s less sweet than on the nose and it really makes good on its name on impact. The dark fruits are dominating the center with a mix of raisins and overripe black plums. There’s a tropical fruitiness forming in the back together with the soapy floral note, which persists from the nose.

Finish: The transition is just a continuation of the flavours from the mouth. The low ABV is definitively a factor here, but it still feels rich and flavourful. The cocoa bitterness is still coating the mouth and the center part continuosly becomes brighter and fruitier. It’s a big bag of dried tropical fruits and blackberries. The peat and tobacco notes moves out towards the edges and the oak finally gets a chance to peek through. It’s a nice laid back oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts and tropical fruits. The weird soapy note never goes away. This is a really good whisky with a balanced and well thought out flavour profile. It would have been exceptional without the weird soapy off note though.

Additional information
This whisky is the original NAS version of the Darkest release. It’s aged for 12+ years in a mix of spanish and american oak and then finished for ~2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Auchroisk, Speyside

Auchroisk 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a laid back sweetness with a big hit of ethanol. It comes through as a bit unpleasant from the start and it takes a while for it to settle in the glass. When it starts to open up there are vanilla, honey and butterscotch notes. The ethanol layer never really goes away and it feels younger than its age. There’s a slight hint of coastal seaweed notes and overripe fruits somewhere within but they doesn’t seem to fit in. This is a less than great nose. It’s spirity and uninteresting. It does get slightly better with time.

Mouth: It starts out somewhat flat with the same sweet and spirity character as before with just a hint of cardboard within. It then moves into herbs, spices and peat. There’s black pepper, burnt hay and lemon with a side note of oak. It’s slightly bitter and It’s very different in taste with a more peaty character. It’s not a peat monster in any way but it’s nice to get some flavour from this experience.

Finish: The transition is quite uneventful. The sweetness slowly fades and the peat notes moves to the back. This leaves room for a bitterness and the ethanol note which still brings unpleasantries to the mix. It quickly moves on to the oakiness which is decent and slightly nutty. This is a so and so whisky and it’s understandable that they use it in blends and not as a standalone brand.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Auchroisk, yet it is limited.

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Dailuaine, Speyside

Dailuaine 16 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick sweetness, both from ripe red fruits/berries and from a vanilla/honey mix. There’s a stickyness to it, but there’s a small but piercing fresh raspberry note breaking through. There’s a slightly unpleasant turpentine note which brings it down a notch. With time the vanilla grows strong around the edges and some floral notes arrive. It doesn’t produce much age notes and feels much younger than its age. This is a nice nose. It would be a lot better with a bit more umpf and some notes of age, but it’s pleasant enough.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla before producing raisins and overripe plums together with a hint of sulfur. Within there’s a mix of both cooking and baking spices and on top there’s a black pepper spicyness. The turpentine carries over from the nose and still brings it down a bit, but less than on the nose fortunately. There’s a small hint of some dusty oak in the back and it finally shows some age. It’s not much but still something. There’s a slight bitterness in the back and a hint of play-doh as well.

Finish: The transition starts with a much needed slight increase in spicyness which helps it along. Underneath, the ripe fruits and berries fight for attention with the sweet notes and the vanilla. In the end the latter wins and merges with the oakiness. It’s a dry oakiness which has many faces. One is vanilla rich, another is slightly bitter and the third is a grey old dusty one. This is a very good whisky, which feels a bit mistreated by the cask selection.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky except that sherry casks were involved. It’s the only standard release of Dailuaine, yet it is limited.

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Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 13 YO – Red (2020 Release)

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

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

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

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

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

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 10 YO – Local Barley 5th Edition

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ABV: 56.2 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and earthy with a big bucket of fruits. At first dry soil and honey comes through sitting on top of raspberries, tropical fruits and lemon. As usual the Springbank character with notes of rubber and oil creates a base layer and complexity. With time in the glass the honey, with vanilla and sweet liquorice takes over more and more.

Mouth: It starts out very honey sweet and quite spicy. It’s fruity, but very dirty and rough around the edges. Dry soil, rubber, oil, ash and tar creates a powerful outer layer with the fruitiness trapped within. The fruitiness is now leaning more towards citrus fruits like oranges and lemon, but there are notes of ripe red berries and raisins sitting in the background. It’s somewhat astringent, but there’s no oakiness present yet.

Finish: A nice spicy cloud fills the mouth and lemon is the first thing to break through followed by a growing center of red berries and a tropical fruitiness. The rough and dirty notes is a bit toned down in the finish, but that just seems to help the oakiness to push through. It’s a fresh oakiness with a bitter touch, vanilla and a walnut nuttiness. The finish is very long and rewarding. This is a great whisky with a complex array of flavours.

Additional information
This is the 5th Edition of Springbank’s local barley series. It’s made with Optic barley from High Cattadale farm. It consists of whisky aged in ex-bourbon (77 %), ex-sherry (20 % and ex-port (3 %) casks. It’s limited to 9000 bottles worldwide. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Klichoman

Kilchoman Saligo Bay

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mix of warm ashy peat, burnt hay and a vanilla and honey sweetness. Underneath there’s a hint of baked red apples. In the background there’s a dry soil earthiness coming through. With time in the glass the ashy notes increase in intensity. This is a nice, very straight forward peat dominant nose without any perticular complexity.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and quite spicy. The peatiness is strong and creates a thick outside layer. The core reveals ripe apples and a hint of toffee. There’s a lemon zest sour and bitter side to it in the back which actually fits rather nice together with the otherwise warm and thick profile. It still lacks a bit of complexity but it has a nice texture to it. There is a spirity youthness which do come through after a few seconds but the cask influence and the heavy peat do a good job of covering it up.

Finish: The sweetness slowly turns towards toffee and there is a small spike in the spicyness. The peatiness remains as a thick outside layer throughout the transition. The oakiness emerges from the ashy peat notes and after a few seconds there’s a burnt oakiness with vanilla dominating the finish. The fruitiness disappears quickly but the lemon notes in the back stays and turns a tiny bit metallic when everything else dies down. This is a very nice and well made whisky even though the young age is shining through.

Additional information
The Saligo Bay was originally released as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged for 5 years in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO Calvados Wood

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ABV: 52.7 %
Origin: Campbeltown
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 funky fruitiness in the center and a fresher fruitiness mixed with honey and vanilla on the outside. There’s a mild earthy peatiness surrounding the edges of the glass. The fruitiness is one part fresh lemon and oranges and one part green apples and yellow ripe pears. The funky notes in the back are now more of a gritty rubber and motoroil baseline and bring a lot of complexity to the whole. With time in the glass it becomes more honeyed and some baking spices are added to the mix. There’s a sprinkle of dust in there as well. This is an amazing nose with a lot of body and depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a hefty mix of baking spices, honey and coconut with the gritty notes in the back. There’s a dusty layer on top of a more ripe frutiness. It’s still a fruitiness full of apples and pears with a twist of lemon though. There’s a mild peatiness sitting around the edges with a dry soil character to it. A malty note increases in intensity in the center. The oak is in there, but it’s well hidden by all the other flavours.

Finish: The transition starts with a big hit of baked apples and pears with baking spices and a hint of liquorice. The spicyness increase slightly, but overall it feels very well balanced between flavours and sensations. The oakiness starts to break though and it makes everything feel a lot older than the stated age. It’s dusty old bookshelves and old cellar notes. There’s a nuttiness coming through as well with a walnut character. There are orange marmelade notes popping up after a few seconds. The finish is long and extremely pleasant. This is a fantastic whisky which hits well beyond its age. It almost feels 4-dimensional.

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

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Glendronach, Highlands

Glendronach 21 YO – Parliament

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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 dark and sweet. At first there’s a dark, dried fruitiness with prunes and raisins sitting in between a minty top note and a honey, brown sugar and vanilla sweetness. There are notes of tobacco, sulfur and a slightly gritty complexity in the center. Underneath there’s a fresher fruitiness with mainly apples. When it settles it becomes more floral and it feels much younger than its age. The sweetness is a bit sticky throughout and the whole thing has an acidity to it. This is a decent nose, but it lacks a bit of the notes which would come from a 21 year aging period.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet coating on the outside and a mix of black coffee and dark fruits in the middle. After a few seconds a brighter fruitiness gets added to the mix as well. The notes of age missing from the nose are now very pronounced with dust, a hint of old books and a damp cellar note. There’s a spicyness slowly creeping forward as well. The mouthfeel really doesn’t match up to the flavours though and it’s not as sweet as on the nose.

Finish: The spicyness spikes through the transition before the dark flavours comes through once again. It’s still a mix of coffee and dark dried fruits like prunes and raisins. The dusty note and the minty top layer soon follows. The background is filled with a lemon note at this point. It takes a good while before the flavours start to give up and give room to the oakiness. It starts att the edges and slowly moves inwards. It’s a nice mix of hazelnuts and both old and fresh oak. It gets fresher with time though. This is a really good sherried whisky with a half decent nose.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-Oloroso and ex-PX sherry casks for the entire aging period. This is the new chillfiltered version. It 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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Glenrothes, Speyside

GlenRothes The Whisky Maker’s Cut

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ABV: 48.8 %
Origin: Speyside
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 lid of clingy sweetness and fruits. It’s honey, vanilla and ripe red berries. It’s very top heavy and it takes a while before the background notes start to appear. There’s a sweet liquorice coming through as well as a small string of fresher, less sweet fruits. They are overrun by the thick sweetness though. It’s very dessert-like and it feels very manufactured. There are malt and marzipan in the mix as well. This is a nice nose, but it feels more like sherry syryp than whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with the same thick sweet mix of honey, vanilla and sweet ripe red fruits and berries. It’s mainly overripe plums and baked red apples and now mixed with a hint of leather and tobacco. It’s still extremely top heavy. There’s a nice spicy power to it which gives a nice relief from the thick swetness. The whole has got a nice oily texture and when the background notes of malt, fresher fruits and a slight bitter tang peek through it feels like it’s not enough. It feels quite unbalanced.

Finish: The transition is very nice, with a warm slow increase in spicyness. The thick and sweet lid finally lets go and there is a nice mix of liquorice, leather and tobacco together with a nice array of fresh and ripe fruits appearing. The late finish is very nice and finally it becomes balanced. The oakiness feels competent and has both a new oak vibe to it as well as a nutty, older side. This is a very good whisky, but it feels unbalanced and over-sherried. It should be very approachable to people who are new to whisky. It could use a splash of water for that though.

Additional information
This whisky is a part of the Soleo Collection. It was aged in seasoned first fill sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It has natural colour.

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Islay, Lagavulin

Lagavulin 18 YO Feis Ile 2018

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ABV: 53.9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mix of a very round honey and vanilla sweetness and an ashy peatiness which also has a savory side to it. There’s a fresh oakiness in the back as well as some assorted fruit notes which are too thin to separate at this point. The whole has a nice mix of old and new and feels quite approachable. When it settles there’s a menthol layer on top and a campfire smokiness overall. A thin layer of lemon and raspberries is detectable with time in the glass. It feels slightly brittle and it could use a bit more body for it to really shine. This is a great nose overall though.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter espresso note in the back and a big spicy sweetness up front. In between lies notes of age and sherry with old oak, leather and some raisins. Everything comes with a dusty coating. It tastes quite different from the nose and it really doubles down on all flavours except the sweetness. It’s not as sweet as on the nose at first but grows sweeter with time. The ashy side of the peat has almost disappeared and the peat is hiding behind the other notes. The lemon/raspberry notes remain as a thin layer and it’s now closer to the front with some coconut flavour added.

Finish: The transition starts with a spicy kick and it feels warm and powerful. When it settles down there’s a mix of old oak and lemon. It’s dusty overall and feels a bit astringent. The leather and espresso notes reveal themselves once again. The peat is quite hard to pinpoint at this point. The old oak takes over and is joined by a fresher oakiness which isn’t as nice, but adds to the whole. It’s a very oaky late finish with a hint of walnuts peeking through. This is a great whisky which feels like it could be amazing, but it’s slightly off-balanced throughout.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of refill ex-bourbon, rejuvenated american oak hogsheads and ex bodega european butts. 6000 bottles where released.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Single Cask 7170 (2006) – Exclusive for Sweden

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ABV: 58.6 %
Origin: Islay
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 mineral heavy peatiness with notes of a burning campfire. Underneath lies vanilla, raisins and oak and the whole feels quite hard and unapologetic. When it settles in the glass an unscented lotion note pops up in the center and it really has the Ardbeg character coming through. Honey and black liquorice arrive as well. The peat slowly shifts towards coastal notes with a mix of tar and seaweed. This is a great nose with all the boxes ticked for the peat lover.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy mix of ashy peat and ABV spicyness. Immidiately a bitterness starts to build up in the back with dark chocolate, raisins and espresso. It’s still rich with minerals and it’s not as sweet as on the nose, but vanilla, liquorice and a bit of honey are still there. The cask influence is more pronounced now with a very mature character overall. The tar and seaweed return after a while together with dry garden soil.

Finish: The transition starts with a surge of raisins, dark chocolate and espresso in the back before the High ABV spicyness and the mineral heavy peat once again come rushing in. After a while it becomes very spicy and it has a lot of power to back up all the flavours. When it starts to fade the unscented lotion note and vanilla return and the finish is extremely long with all the flavours intact. The oakiness sneaks up through the peatiness and it’s almost a surspise when it takes over. It’s not the most characterful oak, but it sits nicely together with the lingering peat notes. This is a great whisky. It’s most certainly not an easy access experience but for the whisky explorer it gives a very nice time indeed.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for at least 15 years in a second fill ex-Oloroso sherry butt. The bottle tried is 526/590. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker 25 YO (2013)

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and fruits. At first there’s a mild pipe tobacco peatiness which soon mixes with vanilla and apricots. With time in the glass everything merges together nicely and expands. There are notes of almonds, honey, lemon and green apples all mixed up into the whole but apricot jam with tobacco remain the main features. There are hints of newly oiled old wooden furniture for those who wait as well. This is an amazing nose which gives more and more as time passes. It’s very well balanced and nicely put together.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of honey and a big hit of the oiled oak furniture, minerals and apricots. It immidiately gives out a lot of subjective notes of age, like dust and old leather books as well. There’s a nice little spicyness on top, but it’s very round without any sharp edges. After a second or two the leather books are joined by the tobacco notes from the peat. The lemon also returns in the back, but now as a peel note with a bitterness attached to it.

Finish: The transition is slightly more spicy, but it’s a mild increase. It could do with a bit more power overall. At this point the apricot jam has disappeared and been replaced with the lemon peel note. The old oak furniture notes start to take over and takes the tobacco and leather notes with it. The finish really accentuates the notes of age. It’s dusty old oak, oil and lemon peel all the way. In the late finish there’s an umami note arriving in the back. This is a fantastic whisky which delivers on its premisses. It really shows off both the age and the Talisker house style.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in refill casks, which type is not disclosed. The bottle tried is no. 5146/5772.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Renaissance

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ABV: 55.9 %
Origin: Islay
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 an ashy peatiness on top with a sweetness underneath. There are coastal notes from the get-go, but the main peatiness has a mix of campfire smoke, ashes and dry soil. The sweetness consists of vanilla, honey, oak and an unscented lotion note. The ABV spicyness floats on top and creates a peppermint layer. When it settles there’s a squeeze of lemon peeking through which fits nicely as a contrast to the thick and heavy notes already there. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but the whole is very flavour- and powerful.

Mouth: It starts out with honey in the center with a bitterness underneath. There’s an immidiate spicy kick with a lot of peppermint top. It’s got a mineral rich peatiness and a burnt wood note within. It feels extremely powerful and the flavours are really pronounced. The coastal notes are gone and the lemon notes are buried deep within. There are notes of vanilla and anise coming through after a while and it really feels like an Ardbeg at this point.

Finish: The peppermint peaks through the transition and underneath the vanilla, honey and unscented lotion returns. The peatiness sort of fills the rest of the palate with a wide arrange of unruly flavours like tar, ocean spray, campfire smoke, minerals and ashes. The bitterness and the lemon note merge into a peel note in the background while the other flavours slowly start to fade. In the late finish the campfire note once again shifts towards burnt oak and it stays that way for a long time. This is an amazing whisky. It’s not the most complex thing in the world but it delivers flavours as subtle as a smack to the face, and it’s just a treat to recieve the punch.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2008. It was the last release in the ”Young Ardbeg Series”. 21000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Benromach, Speyside

Benromach Contrasts: Organic 2013/2022

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Speyside
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 mild vanilla and a toasted oakiness with a piney side note. It’s young and spirity and there’s a minty candy cane layer floating around as well. There’s a sour note in the back. It’s not especially fruity but there’s a hint of green apples within the sour notes. It feels a bit too simple and lacks complexity. This is a decent nose, but it feels a bit overoaked.

Mouth: It starts out with a nice peppery spicyness from the ABV. When it settles a sweet and oaky center part is revealed. There’s a hint of toffee and coconut. It’s very sour in the back and the oakiness really contributes to the spicyness. It feels a bit astingent from here on out. The piney note persists and there’s a bitterness developing in the back After a few seconds.

Finish: The peppery spicyness slowly spreads out. When it settles there’s a mix of toast, oak, banana and lemon. As the finish progresses the flavours merge and creates a nice tropical fruitiness and a dry oakiness. The bitterness in the back is still there and it mixes with the lemon note and becomes zesty. It still feels astringent and the late finish is a dry woodshop oakiness. This is a good whisky, but it’s way to unbalanced and oaky.

Additional information
This is the first certified organic whisky since 2006. It was aged in virgin oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Ledaig, Tobermory

Ledaig 19 YO – 1998 PX Cask Finish

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ABV: 55.7 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a sweet minty layer and a vanilla note mixed with a warm campfire peatiness. In the background there are coastal notes with a hint of salty air and seaweed. In between there are nuts, leather and a sticky liqeuer sweetness. It’s not overly sweet though, and the nose is very rich, pleasant and extremely well balanced. With some time in the glass everything sort of joins together. It’s a very unorthodox mix of flavours which works very well together. There’s a darker, gritty note showing up in the back with dried fruits attached to it, but the main focus stays on the sweet and minty wood fire peatiness. This is a fantastic and original nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a fresher fruitiness in the back with some assorted tropical fruits. The sweet and minty peatiness sits up front together with vanilla and honey. In between there are sweet dried fruits, leather and pipe tobacco. It’s salty and rowdy and it’s quite mineral rich. It’s not as sweet as on the nose but it’s got more complexity to it. It feels savory in the back and after a few seconds it becomes peppery as well. It still feels very original and interesting and it’s very lively for its age.

Finish: The center part with dried fruits, leather and tobacco really steps forward in the transition. The minty layer and the peppery spicyness just keep their levels and there are no sharp edges. There are notes of heather and honey sitting together with the warm peatiness out on the edges. The center part is still mineral rich and there’s still a savory note in the back. The finish is long and rewarding and it takes a long time before any flavour gives way. When the oakiness start to break through, it starts out directly from the peatiness and spreads inwards. It’s a nice, nutty oakiness with a sprinkle of dust and for the first time there are notes of age shining through. This is an amazing and original whisky with so many notes floating around that it’s impossible to catch them all.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled 2018. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in ex-PX sherry casks. It’s a limited release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 15 YO Viking Heart

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ABV: 44 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and floral peat. At first there’s a floral peatiness with notes of heather, tobacco and rubber. There’s also a top layer of red, sweet and sticky fruitiness with fresh sugared berries and baked apples. This layer increases with time in the glass. The whole is very mild and easy to access from the start. Underneath lies a malty mix with vanilla and honey, as well as mixed herbs and cinnamon. This is a great nose which feels slightly top heavy.

Mouth: It starts out very mild. First out is the vanilla sweetness which are soon followed by the floral peat and the fruitiness. There’s a lemon note which soon becomes slightly bitter and cesty. It’s not as sweet and sticky as on the nose and it feels a bit more balanced at this point. There’s still a lot of fragrant spices and herbs within and there’s a nice mix of sensations going on.

Finish: The transition increases the intensity at first, but not too much. It’s a nice and needed power boost. The peat lingers around the edges while the fruitiness now feels more fresh and tropical. The lemon zest is still residing in the back while a spicy and herbal oakiness start to take over. This is the first time the age makes itself known. It’s a very nice and aromatic oakiness with signs of some age to it. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer for both the explorer and the drinker, yet it lacks a bit of power and presence.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in sherry seasoned european and american oak casks as well as refill casks. It has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 13 YO – Fermutation Committee Release

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ABV: 49.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and green fruits. At first there’s a powerful and mineral rich peatiness with notes of campfire smoke, ash and iodine. Underneath lies a sweet layer of oak, vanilla and unscented lotion mixed with a salty maritime note. When it settles in the glass it becomes a bit fruitier with green apples, lemons and gooseberries. It’s cereal rich and feels very well put together. There’s a minty fresh layer floating around on top and small notes of nuts and green banana seems to come through in the center. This is a fantastic and interesting nose with a lot to discover underneath the peat punch.

Mouth: It starts out with a savory note in the back and the mineral rich peatiness up front together with coastal notes. The ashy campfire smoke comes though out on the edges together with a quite spicy black pepper. The fruitiness sits in the center surrounded by the vanilla, some honey and the unscented lotion note. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it’s a lot more zesty with a bitter tang in the back of the palate. The gooseberries are still in there. The whole comes through as rich and slightly dry.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge in the mineral rich peat and the ABV spicyness. When it settles the campfire and ashy notes return. They stay towards the edges and gives room for the fruity and zesty notes in the center. It becomes more ashy and fruity as the finish progresses. The vanilla is still in there but it just acts as a nice filler between other sensations. It’s dry and slightly astringent throughout and when it starts to fade there’s just a beautiful mix of laid back nutty oak, gooseberries and ashy peat. This is a fantastic whisky and one of the better committee releases as of late.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2007 and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. 8000 bottles were filled in 2021 and released in 2022. The fermentation period was prolonged for this release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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