Kategoriarkiv: Scotland

Glencadam, Highlands

Glencadam 13 YO – The Re-awakening (Batch 2)

Lämna en kommentar

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, honey sweetness and a thick maltiness create a sweet layer on top of a lot of fresh fruits. Watermelon, yellow pears and green apples come through, but it feels like there are more to be found. With time in the glass vanilla arrives, but it never take over from the original flavours. This is a sweet dessert whisky and it’s a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and dusty and it feels older than its 13 years. After a few seconds a spicyness prickles the toungue. It’s still malty and fruity. The fruitiness makes it very juicy and it’s now leaning towards sweet ripe clementines, but the fruitiness is now further back than on the nose. The honey and vanilla are slightly toned down which leave room for the oakiness to come through early.

Finish: The finish starts out very bright and spicy. The sweetness starts in the center and then slowly rolls out towards the edges. There’s marzipan and a floral note coming through just before the oak and the fruitiness return. The clementines are still in there but take a background role to a very nice oakiness. There’s just a hint of bitterness coming from the oak, but it’s enough to add some zest to the fruitiness. There are hazelnuts at the tail end and the floral notes survive for a long time. This is a very nice whisky all the way through.

Additional information
This expression is a limited edition bottling. This is batch 2 which consists of 5994 bottles. The bottle tried had no bottle number printed on the label. It’s aged in american ex-Bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 12 YO – Enigma

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is ripe fruits and leathery peat. At first there’s a big bucket of raisins, overripe plums and liqueur-soaked berries with a tropical fruitiness peeking through from behind. A toned down peatiness creates a surrounding layer of leather and tobacco. The whole thing is very sweet and it’s like the fruits are coated with a tiny layer of vanilla and icing sugar. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with a lot of the ripe fruits coming through, but it seems a little fresher than on the nose. Black liquorice start to emerge, and after a few seconds it takes over together with the darker overripe fruits and the raisins. The peatiness is there and it’s still leather and tobacco, but now with a hint of burning wood. It suffers a bit from the low ABV and that hurts the impact.

Finish: At first, vanilla, tropical fruits and red berries arise and expand from the center and out. The peat is still surrounding the edges and it stays there and never becomes the main attraction. The ripe fruitiness then once again takes over, but now with a base of honey. It takes a long time for the oak to show up and there’s a shift in the fruitiness towards the tropical fruits just before it arrives. It’s an anonomous oakiness without character. This could have been a fantastic whisky, but it lacks some power to deliver its best side.

Additional information
This expression was a part of Bowmore’s former travel retail range that was discontinued around 2014. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks with a heavy emphasis on the latter.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Galileo

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 49 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sticky sweet fruits and peat. At first there’s a sweet and ashy peatiness which has a layer of floral and fruity clouds surrounding it. There are notes of vanilla, liquorice and quite sticky, sweet and ripe berries. There’s also a different side to it with pipe tobacco and walnuts peeking through. When it settles the peat is pushed back by the heavy cask influence and it feels a bit subdued. There are some coastal notes deep within but the main focus lies on the fruitiness. This is a fantastic nose by all means but it strays a bit from its rowdy legacy.

Mouth: It starts out with a slight bitterness in the back and the main sweetness, liquorice and vanilla out on the sides and in the back of the palate. The middle is reserved for a mineral rich medicinal note. It’s not nearly as sweet as on the nose and the fruitiness is noticable but subdued at this point. It is quite spicy which helps it along. After a few seconds a tobacco note arrives in the back together with the bitterness and a feint but slowly increasing mix of lemon and dried dark berries.

Finish: The finish begins with a spike of spicyness and minerality. The mix of lemons, liquorice and ripe berries is now creating a backdrop to the medicinal peat which arrives as soon as the spike dies down. It gets less sweet the further down the line it goes and the main focus is on the medicinal and mineral rich peat, which feels a bit uncharacteristic. The oak arrives late, but when it shows up it’s an excellent addition with a nice coffee and walnut bitterness. It’s a grey weathered oak which fits nicely with the rest of the journey. This is a great whisky which strays a bit from its heritage (it tastes more like a Laphroaig than an Ardbeg).

Additional information
This whisky was made to celebrate the space experiment between NASA and Ardbeg. It was distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2012. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and sicilian ex-Marsala casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 15 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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 rich layer of honey and vanilla with notes of liquorice and baking spices within. It sits on top of a fresh red juicy apple fruitiness. With time it becomes more malty and fruity as the sweet layer seems to mellow down. It feels like a natural progression and when it reaches its final form it feels very well balanced. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but still offers a nice journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a very sweet and round center part with butterscotch, vanilla and honey. A thin outer layer offers a fresher lemon but it disappears when the core expands from the center outwards. It’s nicely textured and there’s a mild peppermint cloud floating around on top. It feels somewhat flat due to the rather low ABV, but it never feels watery. It’s still malty all the way through as well. For those who wait there’s liquorice emerging from the back which then moves forwards on the edges of the palate.

Finish: The red apples and sweet liquorice starts the finish from the back of the palate moving forward. The sweet honey, butterscotch and vanilla mix isn’t far behind and neither is the maltiness. The peppermint increases in intensity as the finish progresses and follows along until the oakiness makes a late entrance. It’s a nice fresh oakiness with a nutty hazelnuts quality to it. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer, especially for a sweet tooth.

Additional information
The Tullibardine 15 YO is part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged exclusively in first-fill american ex-bourbon casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 225 – Sauternes Finish

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very sweet. There are notes of butterscotch, caramel and honey up front with vanilla as a baseplate. This sort of gives it a sponge cake vibe. A hint of seaweed is present and it really doesn’t belong with the other flavours. There’s a fresh distillate with a hint of green fruits coming through from behind. There’s also a salty, buttered popcorn note on top. Altogether it’s very warm and welcoming on the nose.

Mouth: Sweet and Spicy. It’s a little bit different than on the nose. There’s a new fruitiness with oranges and grapefruits. The sweetness is still there with honey and vanilla, but now with some orange marmelade added. The oakiness is quite bitter with some cocoa powder and the orange peel from the marmelade mixed in. It’s an astringent oak that sort of surrounds everything.

Finish: A very fresh burst of cirtrus fruits and peppery spices fade away as quickly as it arrives. The finish is all about the astringent oak. It’s a bright and heavy fresh oak, like newly cut oak boards. A hint of grapefruit peeks through somewhere down the line. The astringency increases with every sip. The sweetness is overpowered by the oak all the way through, but when it finally subsides the honey and vanilla notes remind you that they were there all along.

Additional information
The 225 in the name stands for the size of the barrique used for the ex-sauternes cask finish. It starts out for an undisclosed number of years in american ex-bourbon barrels before the 12 months of finishing.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Signature Blended Scotch Whisky

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a very round vanilla, butterscotch and toffee note with an apple fruitiness within. The grain spirit contributes to the sweetness but it’s not protruding. There’s a mild spicyness hovering above everything else. With time the fruitiness turns to baked apples and it sort of smells like an apple pastry. This is not complex but it’s still a great nose considering it coming from a blended whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey and vanilla sweetness with a black pepper shell around it. It takes a while before other flavours catch up. First one through is the apple fruitiness. It’s back to a fresher profile and there’s a lemon note coming through from the back. The mix between malt and grain spirit feels very balanced. A hint of oak is peeking through as well but it’s not revealing anything special at this point.

Finish: It’s back to the baked apples and the toffee notes. The finish starts out as a pastry but soon turns a bit bitter towards the edges. The grain spirit is for the first time a bit unpleasant on the palate but fortunatley it soon subsides and leaves room for the oakiness which actually is rather nice. It feels like a mix of old and new with a hint of walnuts. It becomes somewhat astringent towards the late finish. This is a good whisky. It’s not complex but it offers a nice array of sweet flavours.

Additional information
This is a blend made from putting both malt and grain spirit through a solera system of 100 casks. The types used are ex-Oloroso casks and recharred american ex-bourbon barrels.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Small Batch

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is honey, peat and tropical fruits. At first there’s a big bucket of tropical fruits covered in vanilla and honey. It’s surrounded by a layer of tobacco and worn leather. In the background there’s a lemon sourness and a hint of salty ocean air. With time, a savory peat note comes up somewhere in between the layers. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and salty. The honey note is up front and the tropical fruits have moved to the back of the palate. It takes a second for the peat to show up and now it’s leaning heavily towards the tobacco side. There’s also a medicinal side to it and it comes through together with the saltiness.

Finish: A big burst of menthol and tropical fruitiness fills the mouth. It’s now a clear mango note. The tobacco peatiness and the medicinal notes comes shortly after. It takes a while before the oak appears and when it does, it’s a quite nice oakiness. It’s wet planks and walnuts and it stays a long time before fading. It’s salty all the way through. This is a good, albeit young, version of Bowmore matured in very good casks. It’s not their best, but it offers a lot of flavour even though it’s low strength.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2014. It’s aged in first and second fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017 and replaced by Bowmore No.1.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Legend

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is lemon fresh and fruity. A layer of peat, mostly leather and smoke from a hot campfire, is sitting in between the fruitiness and the sweetness. The fruitiness is mostly lemon and star fruits and the sweetness is a classic mix of honey and vanilla. There is a thin layer of mint sitting on top. This is mild and easy on the nose.

Mouth: Bitterness hits the mouth directly and then it turns to the peaty notes and they are leaning more towards leather now. It’s salty and the fruitiness is still the same as on the nose but with some pinapple and grapefruits added. There’s a small hint of a dry oakiness in the back. The vanilla and honey is nowhere to be found. It’s still very mild.

Finish: A spike of fruitiness passes by and then the mint and peat takes over. The lemon note stays for a long time and surrounds all the other flavours. The oak starts to push through and brings a big bag of tropical fruits with it. The oak itself is dry and a bit muted. The last part of the finish is all about the fruitiness. This is not especially complex and it’s a bit too mild. It’s still a decent dram though.

Additional information
There’s not much information to be found on this bottling. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Gold Reef

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits in a leather pouch. It starts out very fruity with pineapples, mangos and a hint of ripe bananas. The leathery peat notes are subtle and sits with some honey and vanilla in the back. There is a savory, quite complex center behind everything else, which gives it a nice depth. This is very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: A spicy note sort of slingshots in before the whole thing turns very fruity and quite dusty. It really shows some age with some dusty leather-bound books. The tropical fruits are still the main focal point and they are joined by some ripe red apples and lemon zest. It’s salty and got a small note of seashore residing in the back. It’s very mild and easy on the palate, yet still quite rich and with an oily texture. The oak do show up, but it takes quite the patience to find it and when it finally shows up it comes with a bitter note and a piece of milk chocolate.

Finish: A big burst of tropical fruits sets the pace. There’s smoke coming from a warm burning campfirein the back. It also still got a hint of leather. The oak comes slowly and settles down around the tropical fruits. It’s a very nice oakiness with a small bitter note to it. It’s a dusty, slightly astringent oak with notes of chalk, hazelnuts and old grey wooden planks. The salty note is still in there and the fruitiness stays for a long finish.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s primarily aged in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Independent bottlers, Islay, Port Ellen, Signatory Vintage

Port Ellen 1979 (Signatory Vintage)

Lämna en kommentar

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 rather pointy and fresh fruitiness up front with a mild vanilla surrounding it. It’s fresh orchard fruits as well as assorted dried berries. In the background there’s a slight paint thinner note which becomes more medicinal as time passes in the glass. There’a also a light peatiness and a touch of salt and sulfur sitting beneath the fruitiness. This is a great and accessible nose with a complexity to keep the explorers occupied for a good while.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla and a hint of coconut in the center and a very complex mix of medicinal peat, minerals and rubber on the outside. After a few seconds there’s almost a mix of white wine and pilsner coming through which at first comes off as a bit weird but when it merges with the vanilla becomes rather interesting. It’s less fruity and more peaty than on the nose but the fruitiness in there now comes through as orange peel. The whole thing has a sprinkle of dust on top.

Finish: A mild peppermint cloud spreads across the palate as the other flavours try to settle on which one should go first. The white wine and beer notes moves up a bit as well as the vanilla and orange peel. The fruitiness is now residing on the edges of the palate. The peat notes have once again taken a big step back and never really affects the palate in much in the finish. This makes the oakiness come through clearer. It’s a nice oakiness but it kind of brings up the paint thinner note once again. There are some assorted nuts and a hint of orange peel left in the late finish. This is a great whisky with a pretty quirky character. This makes it more fun to explore but less of a balanced High quality dram.

Additional information
This is aged for 22 years in a refill ex-sherry cask (Butt no. 5536). This is bottle no. 612/738. It has natural colour.

Ardbeg, Islay

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice – Ardbeg 1995

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and ashy. At first there’s a mineral rich and ashy peatiness covering the edges of the glass. On the inside there’s a fresh fruitiness, vanilla and liquorice. It’s quite mild and easy on the nose. In the background there are coastal notes. With time the ashy notes subsides as the peat slowly evolves into a distant woodfire note. A darker red fruitiness can then be found in the outer edge. This is a rather uncomplicated yet pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and slightly bitter outside layer and a fruity and mineral rich center. It’s very mild and gentle even though there’s a peatiness peeking through from behind. It’s salty and the sherry casks are producing a hint of dark fruits and sulfur. The bitter notes increase in intensity over time as well as the sweetness. There’s an old and grey oakiness with a hint of dust on top shining through as well.

Finish: The finish starts out with a mild peppermint on top and the dark sweet fruits surrounding the edges. The bitterness have moved back into the background and sits together with the old oakiness. The center is filled with minerals and seasalt. It gets less sweet as the finish moves along. The sweetness stays a long time and accompanies the oak through the late finish. When all else disappears the ashy note is once again revealed. This is a great whisky, but it lacks some of the telltales of its heritage.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2005 making it 10 YO. It’s aged in refill ex-sherry casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Black Rock

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there are tropical fruits mixed with raisins and dark chocolate. Honey, vanilla and black liquorice sits in the back and create a nice rich backdrop. A brigther note of red berries with some raspberries sort of comes and goes on top of the dark fruitiness. The peat manifests as a leather note and sits in between the layers of sweetness. The focus lies on the heavy sherry overlay.

Mouth: At first honey, red berries and a slight bitterness turn up. It then slowly changes into black liquorice, vanilla and raisins. There’s a lemon note surrounding the other flavours. The oakiness comes through together with leather and tropical fruits. It’s a nice oakiness with a slight bitterness that sits well with the other flavours.

Finish: A thin note of menthol passes by before moving directly into a big bowl of assorted tropical fruits. The oakiness comes through as well as the darker sherry notes and the leather, but the main focus is all about the pineapples and mangos and a slight hint of grapefruits. There’s a chalk note sitting on top of the oak in the finish and the oak is somewhat dry and bitter with some coffee and hazelnuts. There’s no astringency until after a few sips. This is very good for an entry level NAS travel retail release.

Additional information
Black Rock is the entry level of the travel retail exclusive range released in 2014. It’s primarily aged in ex-sherry casks. It was discontinued in 2017.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Still Young

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.2 %
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 mineral note sitting together with ashy peat on top of a young spirit note. On top of that, in the center, there’s a sweet honey and vanilla note. When it settles the peat notes switches to a warmer burning woodfire smokiness and gentle coastal notes. There’s a mild menthol note spreading out like a cloud above everything else and a hint of unscented lotion somewhere within. This is not a complex nose but it’s an interesting whisky nontheless.

Mouth: It starts out with very sweet and spicy. The honey is up front together with a chili spicyness. Underneath a green apple and lemon fruitiness tries its best to fight through a very rowdy and young peat. It’s still young (pun intended) in character. There’s a savory note in the back and a mineraly and ashy peat with coastal notes within. It’s a bit more complex on the palate than on the nose and has a bigger impact as well.

Finish: The fruitiness spreads out over the palate and it’s now more of an assorted fruit note. The menthol and chili spicyness moves to the back and sort of stays there throughout the finish. The peat is still coming through as a mix of burnt wood, minerals and coastal notes. The finish is less sweet than before which gives a very nice oakiness a chance to peek through. It’s a mix of old and new wood. It feels fresh at first and after a while it becomes a bit dusty and nutty. In the late finish there’s a beer note coming through unexpectedly. This is a great whisky with a nice peat and ABV punch. The series it belongs to makes it even better.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2006. It’s the second 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.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Lasanta

Lämna en kommentar

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 base with malt, vanilla and honey sitting underneath a sweet layer of mixed fruits. There are raisins and raspberries detectable within the fruitiness. There’s also a fresh lemon peeking through from behind as well as an undefinable herbal note. With time the sweetness moves forwards and mixes with the fruits which becomes a bit darker. It feels quite round and accessible. It’s a clean and well behaved dessert in a glass. This is a good nose. It’s not especially complex but does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of dark fruitiness surrounding a sweet and malty core. It feels darker and more powerful than on the nose with a contrasting fresh lemon note piercing through the center from the back. It’s leaning more towards vanilla than honey within the core and it’s not as sweet anymore. There’s a bitterness coming from the background and it feels somewhat dusty. It’s a generic bitterness not connected to any other flavour. It still fits in with the rest of the palate though.

Finish: There’s a small flare of spicyness at first but it subsides rather quickly. When it subsides there’s room for the bitterness to increase in intensity. It’s now connected to a nutty oakiness. It feels like a mix of hazelnuts and walnuts. There’s also a fresher oakiness to be found later in the finish. The lemon note is still there as well as the dark fruits, but they are pushed out towards the edges and to the back. This is a very good whisky. It’s not complex but really well put together. It has a light and quite clean character which is in line with its premisses.

Additional information
The Lasanta is a part of Glenmorangie’s Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Kildalton 1980

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 57.6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and medicinal. At first there’s a mix of iodine and peppermint sitting on top of sweet vanilla and liquorice root. There’s also a fruitiness coming through in the center. It’s a mix of lemon and lighter red berries. There is a charcoal as well but it’s not especially peaty or smoky. With time the charcoal and vanilla mixes with an oak note and the liquorice note now shows up in the center. The fruitiness moves forward as well. It feels maritime and there are notes of salt and seaweed as well. This is great, complex nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet mix of vanilla, honey and oranges. It’s quite spicy from the get-go and it really packs a punch. At first, it feels very fresh despite the 23 years in casks, but after a while there’s a thin veil of dust sort of sprinkled on top of everything on the palate. There’s also a black coffee bitterness showing up in the background. The fruitiness becomes quite sticky and complex and for those who wait it becomes assorted dried fruits and bitter orange peel.

Finish: The peppermint spicyness flare up and then settles down quite quickly. First out after that are the dried fruits with orange peel and coconut flakes. It’s still quite dusty and the age is really shining through. There’s a tiny toffee note in the center. The oakiness moves slowly forward together with the bitterness. It’s a nice old and grey, nutty oak which matches the fruitiness very well. When all else fades the maritime and medicinal peaty notes peeks through once again. This is an absolutely fantastic dram with a nice journey and great complexity.

Additional information
This was aged for 23 years and released in 2004. It was limited to 1300 bottles. It’s made from both unpeated and lightly peated barley. Cask type(s) isn’t disclosed. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Stellar Release

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 58,9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and very peaty. At first there’s a big hit of ashy peat and a medicinal young distillate with a mineral note somewhere within. In the background there’s vanilla and burnt wood. There’s also a cooling mint note hovering above everything else. After a few seconds the ashy peat mellows out a bit and it becomes slightly sweeter. It’s not a complex nose, but for those who search there’s a fruity note way back in the distance as well as some hazelnuts. This is nice and rowdy, yet straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet with vanilla cream and a nice ABV spicyness. It’s very ashy on the edges and the peat also fills the center with burnt wood and sort of a funky complex cheese note. It’s very different from the nose. There’s a bitterness coming through from the back and after a few seconds it moves out towards the edges which leaves place for the medicinal and mineral notes. It’s extremely peaty all over the palate and it still comes through as young and spirity.

Finish: At first there’s a slight dip in the ABV spicyness which leaves room for the vanilla sweetness and the funky note to take center stage. The cooling minty top note slowly returns and the peat punch once again comes through with ashes, iodine and a hint of seasalt. It’s still bitter in the back but as time passes by it more and more becomes burnt wood with an ashy overtone. This is a very good whisky and a massive peat monster. It is a bit young and spirity as expected.

Additional information
This is an Ardbeg with a PPM level over 100. It’s aged for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 17 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and peaty. At first there’s a fresh juicy pear note with a base of burnt wood. It’s very mild and easy on the nose but it’s not thin or brittle. After a few seconds there’s a vanilla cream coating forming around the pears. There’s also a hint of unscented lotion, but it sits in the background behind the peat together with a tiny medicinal note. In the end all the flavours seem to level out and create a complex mix of sweet, fruity and peaty. This is a great nose which slightly suffers from the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with the fruity pear note sitting together with burning wood in the center. It’s surrounded by vanilla cream and a quite noticable oakiness. The whole thing comes through as quite mineraly and way too mild to make an impact. The lotion note as well as the medicinal is not present on the palate. The fruitiness develops over time and moves towards a more acidic fruitiness. There’s also a slightly bitter note in the background.

Finish: The tranisiton is seemless and it just seems like the flavours keeps on going without a big kick or anything flaring up. It’s still pears, now with a twist of lemon, with a peaty and oaky exterior with a dash of vanilla added. There seem to be a separation between the fruity center and the burnt wood and vanilla after a few seconds and when the fruitiness fades out there’s just a nice mellow woodfire burning in the background. This is a great whisky which would have been fantastic with a bit more bite to it. The nose is the best part of the journey.

Additional information
This whisky was part of the Ardbeg core range but it’s now discontinued. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO

1 kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and dark fruits. A mellow peatiness with leather and tobacco notes sits in the middle of a dark fruitiness with overripe plums and raisins. A row of old books and a tropical fruitiness (with a twist of lemon) sit in the background. The contrast between the dirrerences make this a complex nose. All flavours seem integrated and they fit nicely into the whole. The dark fruits become more pronounced over time and they bring a black liquorice sweetness. This is a fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild yet flavourful. It’s very sweet with the dark fruitiness up front. A lemon note shoots through the dark fruits and, together with a saltiness and the peat, it creates a complex sensation. The old books still sit in the back and after a few seconds the tropical fruitiness return. The peat is now leaning towards tobacco with a hint of burning charcoal. It becomes spicier with time. The oak is not yet present.

Finish: At first, it becomes very dusty and the age is coming through clearly. The darker fruitiness is immidiately toned down to make room for a brighter tropical fruitiness with pineapples as the main flavour. Within this fruitiness the oak slowly emerges. It’s a dry oak with a hint of walnuts and black coffee, but it still got a freshness to it. The bitter notes never really take over, they just seem to add another layer. In the late finish the leather returns. The tropical fruitiness stays in the mouth long after everything else has subsided. This is well made, and a great dram. It is a bit too mild, but still delivers complexity and a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2007. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks separatly and then mixed together.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 17 YO – White Sands

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is Lemon and leather. The fruitiness soon turns into assorted tropical fruits and the leather note expands to include smoke from a warm burning campfire. There’s a layer of honey, vanilla and butterscotch, but it stays in the back seat. It shows some age with a somewhat elusive note of dusty old books. The fruitiness grows clearar as time passes and there are mango and pineapple found together with the lemon note. It grows sweeter and gets more of the vanilla with time in the glass.

Mouth: It’s very mild and honey sweet at first. The leather note comes through and creates a nice layer around the palate. In the center the fruitiness is even more pronounced than on the nose. It’s still a tropical fruitiness with mango, pineapple and lemon. It’s got a nice backbone of vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. The spicyness is lacking in intensity and never really picks up speed.

Finish: A whiff of the old books passes by before going back to the tropical fruitiness. It grows even fruitier and sweet over time and when the oak arrives it adds to that sensation. The oak is very pleasant and interacts well with all the other flavours instead of bringing a contrasts. It feels very well balanced all the way through and just about every flavour follows along to the now slightly bitter end.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a part of the distillery’s travel exclusive series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Ballantine’s, Glenburgie, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glenburgie 18 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very fruity and vanilla sweet. Ripe red apples and sweet oranges share the main space with a piece of vanilla fudge. There’s a touch of honey but it’s not the main sweetness. It’s very mild and lacks some complexity expected from the high age statement. It’s simple and straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very watery then slowly builds up as the seconds goes by. First to come through is pears, then spices, then oranges and grapefruits. After a few seconds the age starts to shine through with some complexity and some musty background notes. The oak is in the back and it comes through as grey old dry oak planks. It’s flat and really lacks a lot of power.

Finish: The vanilla fudge comes first and then it moves towards the fruitiness once again. It almost feels like a lightly carbonated soft drink. Honey and pears appear before the oranges completely takes over. When the oakiness comes back, it’s still grey wooden planks. There’s no astringency and no bitterness. This is very drinkable, but it’s not especially interesting.

Additional information
The Glenburgie 18 YO was released in 2019. It’s aged in traditional (refill) casks. This bottle is labeled with ”Series 001”.