Kategoriarkiv: Scotland

BenRiach, Speyside

Benriach Smoke Season – Double Cask Matured

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ABV: 52,8 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
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 released in 2021 as a part of Benriach’s new core range. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-bourbon barrels and virgin oak casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It has natural colour.

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Glengoyne, Highlands

Glengoyne 21 YO

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-sherry casks for the full maturation time. It has natural colour.

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Blair Athol, Highlands

Blair Athol 10 YO (Lady of the Glen)

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ABV: 55.8 %
Origin: Highland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet and fruity whisky with a lot of dark fruit notes mixed of a sticky sweetness with toffee, honey and vanilla.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2010 and bottled in 2020. It’s aged in an ex-bourbon hogshead and finished in a first fill ex-PX sherry cask. Cask No 301290. The bottle tried was 124/274. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenlossie, Speyside

Glenlossie 8 YO (Lady of the Glen)

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ABV: 56.8 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet and round whisky with a lot of dark and dried fruit notes from the port cask mixed of toffee, honey and vanilla together with a hint of seaweed. It felt a bit top heavy and unbalanced.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2010 and bottled in 2019. It’s aged in an ex-bourbon hogshead and finished in a first fill ex-Ruby port cask. Cask No 8645. The bottle tried was 214/282. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glen Keith, Speyside

Glen Keith 22 YO (Lady of the Glen)

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ABV: 52 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet, fruity and quite floral whisky with a mix of malt, honey and vanilla together with violets and a tropical fruitiness. It felt younger and fresher than the age spent in the cask.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2021. It’s aged in a refill barrel; No 167096. The bottle tried was 101/155. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 12 YO – Ruby Port Wood Finish

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

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet and fruity whisky with a mix of honey, vanilla, ginger and dark grape notes. There’s also notes of oranges, milk chocolate and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for ten years in american oak barrels and then finished in ex-Ruby Port pipes. This is from batch 3 of the Wood Finish Range. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Balblair, Highlands

Balblair Vintage 2000 – 2nd Release

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

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet and fruity whisky with a mix of malt and darker fruits as the main feature. It’s very subdued on the nose but very rich in texture and taste with leather, dust and floral notes floating around.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2000 and bottled in 2017. It’s aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in ex-sherry butts. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 15 YO

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

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet, dark and fruity whisky with a mix of raisins, overripe plums and fresher fruits like apples and pears. Notes of coffee, leather and tobacco was in there as well as a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-Oloroso and ex-PX sherry hogsheads and puncheons. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bruichladdich, Islay

Bruichladdich 25 YO Black Art 1994 – Edition 07.1

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ABV: 48.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a dark and rich whisky with a mix of coastal notes, ripe red fruits and a malty sweetness. Old oak, dust and Leatherbound books. It’s a very complex and interesting experience throughout.

Additional information
This whisky is limited to 12000 bottles worldwide. The cask types used aren’t disclosed. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Royal Lochnagar

Royal Lochnagar 16 YO – Special Release 2021

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ABV: 57.5 %
Origin: Highland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a sweet and malty whisky with a mix of toffee and apples as the main feature. It’s got a nice chili spicyness and some vanilla, honey and baking spices as well. It’s very straight forward and lacks a bit of complexity which makes it a bit uninteresting.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2004 and then aged in both american and european refill oak casks. It’s part of diageo’s special releases from 2021.

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Highlands, Teaninich

Teaninich 17 YO – Limited Release (2017)

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ABV: 55.9 %
Origin: Highland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a light and fruity whisky with a mix of high impact yellow pears and some tropical fruits. It’s sweet and malty as well. It felt too young for its age and lacked a bit of body. It had a slight cardboard note in the background. It’s still a good whisky but one could expect a bit more of this.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1999 and then aged in refill american oak hogsheads and butts. It’s part of diageo’s special releases from 2017. 5352 bottles were released.

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Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 20 YO – Cowie’s Blue Seal

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ABV: 43.4 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
This was tasted at a whisky festival. No tasting notes were recorded. The impression was that this is a malty and rich whisky with a mix of dark fruits and butterscotch with a nice texture to it. It has a lot of notes which come from spending 20 years in casks.

Additional information
This whisky is aged in ex-sherry casks for the full maturation. It’s distilled ~2.81 times. The bottle tried was No. 2019/29656.

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Edradour, Highlands

Edradour 10 YO – The Distillery Edition

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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 dark and sweet. At first there’s a thick top layer of dark fruits and berries, with plums and liqueur-soaked raisins, honey and vanilla. There are assorted baking spices with some cinnamon peeking through. It’s very top heavy and it feels a bit two-dimensional. There’s a menthol layer floating around on top and some fresher fruits as well but there’s no complexity to speak of. This is a nice enough nose which lacks both power and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and the dark fruits with overripe plums and soaked raisins are first to come through. It’s got a very sweet character with vanilla, honey and brown sugar as well. All the flavours are up front and and the back only deals with a drop of lemon, a fresh oakiness and a hint of sulfur. It just stays the same and never really changes at this point except for a small spicyness in the back.

Finish: The spicyness in the back increases in intensity and becomes a mild chili note. Rest of the flavours just suddenly disappears and leaves a big hole where they used to be. There’s a small coating of the Oloroso sherry left around the edges and there’s still some lemon in the back together with a savory note. The oakiness returns and it’s a standard oakiness which leaves no lastning impression. This is a good whisky but it’s a bit unbalanced and engineered. It’s way too mild and top heavy but as a background dram or for a beginner this will work very nice.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. (It’s available in the U.S. with 43 %)

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Grant’s, Unspecified

Grant’s Triple Wood

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland Unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ethanol driven. At first there’s a mix of generic sweetness, fresh fruits and mint. Underneath lies a very unpleasant note of ethanol. It’s very shiny and metallic. There are some perfumey notes floating around within. The fresh fruits increase in intensity and it’s an apple and pear mix. The sweetness moves closer towards butterscotch and vanilla but never really gets there. The minty freshness on top stays the same throughout and a slight hint of oak and cooking spices are added after a while. This is not the greatest nose in the world and it’s a bit thin overall.

Mouth: It starts out with a very flat and round sweet butterscotch note and some baked red apples but soon it becomes very bitter and unpleasant. It’s still ethanol driven and it feels very poorly made. There’s a layer of oakiness surrounding everything but that just creates a frame to the bad overall picture. The oakiness increases in intensity and becomes a fresher oak which just makes the whole weird and more unpleasant. There are still spices and a metallic note within.

Finish: A surge in oak spices gives the transition a boost but it soon reverts to a flat character. A hint of black pepper stays behind though. The sweet butterscotch and apple note returns but soon crumbles and leaves the ethanol note and a bitter oakiness in the back together with a metallic note. There’s a fresh sawdust oakiness up front. The longer the finish lasts, the more of the fresh oakiness comes through. The finish becomes way overoaked with maybe just a hint of smoke. This is a really bad whisky and the virgin oak somehow just adds to the misery.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of virgin oak, heavily charred american oak and ex-bourbon barrels.

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Speyside, Strathmill

Strathmill 1991 Gordon & MacPhail Connosseur’s Choice

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
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 a mix of sweetness and cooking spices with a base of baked fruits. There are sweet apples and yellow pears and a hint of lemon in the background. The distillate is very much the main event. It’s a nice one with both a fruity and malty side to it. There’s also marzipan as well as a hint of butterscotch. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex nor especially Interesting, but it feels nicely balanced.

Mouth: It starts out a bit watery before a mix of mild white pepper up front and a fruity and zesty bitter background note arrives. There’s a big hole in the middle. It feels a bit hot and rushed and the mouthfeel isn’t the greatest. After a while the hole gets filled with a shy butterscotch note and the baked apples and pears. It’s not as sweet as on the nose and it feels really unbalanced and different compared to the nose. There’s still a big focus on the distillate.

Finish: The transition is a bit uneventful and the same character just remains. There’s a bitterness in the back and mixed spices up front. The middle part is still mild butterscotch and now maybe a hint of milk chocolate. The baked fruits seem to return after a while and the oakiness shines through rather quickly. It’s not a great oakiness and it clings to the bitter notes at first. The late finish brings a bit of dusty notes and becomes a relief from the otherwise rather unpleasant finish.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2007 making it 15-16 YO. It’s aged in refill ex-bourbon barrels.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 500 – Sherry Finish

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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 fruity. At first there’s a sweet layer of vanilla, honey and coconut sitting on top of a mix of dried fruits and berries. It’s a mix of raisins, apricot and orange marmelade. On top there are spices floating around. It’s leaning towards baking spices but doesn’t reveal any specific kind. It becomes sweeter in the glass over time and it’s a sticky sweetness which becomes a bit overwhelming and makes the whole thing a bit unbalanced. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex nor especially interesting but it does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild, very sweet mix of honey, vanilla, oak, coconut and sticky sweet red berries. Underneath there are notes of tobacco, coffee and just a hint of sulfur. It’s quite rich and delivers quite a nice palate. It’s a bit too sweet but it makes up for it with some nice background flavours which balances the whole thing out. There’s still notes of apricots and oranges but they are hiding behind everything else. It’s mild but not boring, with a small, yet pleasant, black pepper note on the edges of the palate.

Finish: It starts out with an increase of the sherry notes and now they come through as a bit darker than before with raisins, figs, coffee and tobacco. The black pepper spicyness sort of glides through the transition without increasing. It’s still mild yet decently rich and the sweetness keeps on delivering the same notes. It takes a surprisingly long time for it to fade and when it does, there’s still the oak impact left. It’s a nice enough oakiness with a fresh woodshop character and the coconut returns in the late finish. This is a really good whisky and hits over its paygrade. It’s a bit too sweet to be really balanced but it still delivers a nice array of flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished for 12 months in 500-litre ex-sherry casks.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Quinta Ruban Port Cask Finish

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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 sweet layer of honey and malt mixed with black and red berries sitting on top of a fresh lemon sourness. The whole feels very cohesive and there are no sharp edges at all. There are som mild baking spices present as well as a more ripe raisiny fruitiness. With time in the glass vanilla starts to get noticed. The main focus lies on the berries and lemon though. This is a very nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers everything in a very pleasant way.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild dark raisin and coffee note before the sweetness comes creeping up around the edges. After a second or two the sour lemon note starts to take over the background. It creates a nice contrast between the sweet, sour and bitter notes. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it takes a while for the whole to reach its potential. It’s slightly dusty and the fresh berries do arrive for those who decides to wait. The fruitiness shifts towards liqeuer-soaked cherries after a while as well.

Finish: The dark raisin note shows up in the middle while the coffee bitterness now move to the back of the palate where it meets up with the lemon. All along the sides there’s a nice nutty oak increasing in intensity as well as a honey sweetness. It becomes slightly astringent. The oakiness brings hazelnuts and vanilla to the finish. The cross-section between the oak and the lemon produces a touch of tropical fruits with mango and pineapple. There’s a mild spicyness following along the finish but it never interferes with the rest of the flavours.

Additional information
This is one out of three expressions in the Glenmorangie ”extra matured” series. It’s aged 10 years in ex-bourbon casks and finished for 2 years in ruby port pipes. It’s now replaced by a 14 YO.

Bruichladdich, Islay

Octomore Masterclass_08.2

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ABV: 58.4 %
Origin: Islay
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 mix of leathery peat and red berries. Soon an ashy overtone arrives as well as a very complex and funky note in the center. It’s almost an aged cheese note. Underneath lies a sweet vanilla oakiness and on top there’a a medicinal iodine note. The fruitiness ripens over time and the whole turns darker with time in the glass and everything seem to switch places. Even though it’s powerful in every way it does a good job of balancing the flavours. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to offer to the explorer.

Mouth: It starts out with a quick burst of red fresh berries and a touch of honey before the peatiness kicks in. On top it’s an ashy peat and in the center there’s the funky cheese note mixed with leather and raisins. In the back it feels savory and slightly bitter. It’s not as sweet as on the nose and the oakiness is not as prominent. The spicyness is there but it’s a nice and complementary chili kick which never interrupts the other flavours. The whole is rich, extremely flavourful and still manages to be balanced.

Finish: The chili spicyness keeps on increasing in intensity and it happens slowly. A cloud of ashy peat floats by before the complex center once again takes over. It seems like there’s a thousand small little flavour nuggets passing by (fresh apples, dust, coastal notes etc) before it settles with oak, leather and an ever increasing chilibase. It’s still got complexity a long way down the late finish with most of the senses working overtime. As a nice bonus, the oak delivers a nice and nutty end to an eventful journey. This is an amazing whisky which transcends the written word.

Additional information
This is a limited release of 36 000 bottles. It has a healthy 167 ppm and is aged for 8 years. The first 6 years 3 different cask type were used: French Mourvedre, french Sauternes and Austrian sweet wines. The last 2 years it rested in Italian Amarone casks.

Dalmore, Highlands

The Dalmore 10 YO – Vintage 2004

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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 sweet and fruity. There’s honey, malt and a sort of in-between circle of toffee, caramel, butterscotch and fudge. The fruitiness is also very much in focus, with dried oranges, grapefruit and raisins. There’s also a somewhat odd seaweed note laying on top. This is a decent nose, but it lacks a bit of umpf.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness up front and the vanilla is very pronounced and up front. Beneath is the butterscotchy fudge note coming through with a fruity tang to it. There’s dried apples, orange marmelade and lime. The oak is a bit bitter and somewhere in there are cacao and black coffee notes.

Finish: The vanilla is still in charge and behind the sweet front there’s orange marmelade and the butterscotchy fudge note. It disappears quickly and leaves room for a dry and slightly astringent oak. It’s bitter, almost like there’s a dash of tonic water in there. The cacao is still present even though it’s not especially strong. This is a decent whisky which is a bit too mild and a tiny bit uninteresting.

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.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Almost There

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ABV: 54.1 %
Origin: Islay
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 mix of heavy, ashy peat together with vanilla and oak. The emphasis is on the peat. It settles down a bit after a few minutes in the glass. There’s a peppermint freshness on top and an unscented lotion note somewhere in the middle. There’s also a complexity within which comes through as a mix of pears, honey and coastal notes, which give it a salty touch. The peat also delivers a medicinal side with a hint of iodine. The oakiness moves out towards the sides along the way. This is a great, typical ardbeggian nose with a nice peat punch as the main attraction.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild spicy kick and a medicinal note before the ashy peat and oak notes return. The sweetness arrives shortly after with vanilla, honey and now also a liquorice note. The fruitiness is still in there but it’s a background note which doesn’t add too much to the experience. There’s a savory side to it as well. The coastal notes are in there but are not as pronounced as on the nose. It feels slightly less balanced in taste than on the nose.

Finish: The spicyness increases and there’s a chili kick to it. The savory note and a sprinkle of dust stays in the center and the fruity pear note appears once again. The sweet notes flare up but subsides rather quickly and leaves the peatiness in its full glory with ashy, medicinal qualities as well as a salty coastal side. The oakiness is attached to the peaty notes and it takes a good while for it to shine. It’s a nice coconut and vanilla oak which gives it a nice and pleasant late finish. This is a fantastic whisky which sits firmly within the Ardbeg house style. It’s aggressive yet sweet, warm and welcoming.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2007. It’s the third release in a series that lead up to the Renaissance 10 YO. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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