ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
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Additional information
This whisky was released in 2020 as a part of Benriach’s new core range. It was aged in a mix of traditional (refill) ex-bourbon barrels, ex-sherry casks and virgin oak casks.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
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 very spirity layer on top and it’s quite unpleasant from the get-go. Underneath lies a mix of honey, vanilla, green apples and a hint of vinegar. A hint of liquorice is also present. It almost comes through as a blended whisky. The whole becomes sweeter over time and there’s a butterscotch sweetness in the center. The spirity note resides over time and the fruitiness becomes less sharp. This is not the greatest nose. It feels cheap and spirity.
Mouth: It starts out with a very harsh spirity layer and it still feels like a cheap blend. There’s a bitterness in the back and a bland butterscotch in the center. The apples are more like baked red apples now and there’s a nice but unfitting layer of violets on top. The honey is still in there as well but nothing really helps it to shy away from the harshness of it all. A hint of lemon and ginger can be found, as well as heather, malt and a thin veil of tobacco.
Finish: The transition doubles down on the harsh spirity note. It still feels like a blend and the butterscotch notes do stay for a second or two before everything dies down. In this case that’s a good thing. It feels quite metallic in the mouth at this point. The oakiness is left to fend for itself and it’s a decent oakiness with a nutty side to it. The late finish is the best part of the journey. This is a weird whisky and it’s not a great one. It’s harsh and spirity while trying to be a easy accessible fruity speysider.
Additional information
This whisky was aged for in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. This is the standard core range version.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet malty center with a fresh fruitiness on top. It’s apples and pears and the sweetness consists of vanilla, honey and malt together with baking spices. It’s very dessert-like. When it settles there are notes of ginger and toffee. A hint of marzipan can be found as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of power and complexity. It’s very mild but still produces a nice array of sweet things.
Mouth: It starts out with a slight sour and bitter lemon peel note in the back and a malty sweetness and apples up front. There’s a tiny spicyness coming through and it seems connected to an oakiness which arrives together with a dusting of cinnamon. It’s got a beer-like quality to it at this point and the background peel note is pushing forward with time. It’s not as sweet overall as on the nose and the fruitiness is neither especially pronounced at this point. The ginger can still be found.
Finish: The transition is rather uneventful and the lack of power becomes rather obvious. When the flavours return it reaches a sort of middle point between the nose and the mouth with the fruity and sweet dessert-like notes sitting on top of the lemon peel note and a bitter and grey old oakiness. There are some oak notes which suggests that there are some newer casks used as well. This is a good whisky. There’s no complexity and it lacks power, but it delivers a decent mix of flavours.
Additional information
There is no additional information to be found on this whisky. The flavour profile suggest an ex-bourbon/ex-sherry cask mix.
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ABV: 43.4 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity, sweet and floral. There’s honey on top of green apples, ripe green grapes and some fresh red berries. There’s a tiny hint of menthol. Vanilla and some liquorice comes through after a while in the glass. There’s an earthy note of dry soil sitting in the back together with dust and some heather. A savory note sits in the heart of everything making it quite complex but still very clean and easy on the nose.
Mouth: It starts out honey sweet and spicy. The fruitiness rolls in like a wave with the ripe green grapes in front, but now there’s some darker dried fruits in the mix. The oak arrives pretty early and brings a nice bitterness. There’s walnuts, dust and the savory note is still found in the middle of everything.
Finish: This goes immediatly to the oak. It’s grey weathered oak planks and walnuts. The heather and the dry soil come back for a couple of seconds. The savory note keeps on making appearances and there’s now a hint of peaches peeking through the oakiness. It’s not astringent, but it is somewhat dry on the toungue. The spicyness follows along.
Additional information
”Wee witchie” comes from the nickname of the smallest still in the Mortlach distillery. This 12 YO was first released in 2018. It’s distilled 2.81 times and aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Blended malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet toffee and honey mix with a fruitiness attached to it. There’s an ethanol note on top and a more gritty note underneath. This creates a nice contrast to the otherwise easy to access characteristics. It comes off as spirity and a bit thin overall though. The fruitiness is fresh pears and a squeeze of lemon. This is a decent nose and it’s extremely accessible. It lacks some sophistication but does the job of a budget whisky quite well.
Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness surrounding the palate. There seems to be a hole in the middle of the palate. The fruitiness and the small gritty note sits in the back and the sweetness up front. It comes through as flat and it really lacks power. A generic bitterness builds up in the rear over time. There are some baking spices floating around somewhere within but everything seems to lack purpose. It’s very ethanol heavy and comes off as harsh at this point of the journey.
Finish: The transition is mellow and a slight, and much needed, increase in intensity finally occurs. The toffee note returns in the center and the fruitiness is basically gone except for a small, slightly metallic, lemon note in the back. The oakiness arrives late and it’s a decent oakiness. It’s got a nutty side to it and scoops up the bitterness to create a decent finish once the ethanol notes die down. This is a decent whisky. It comes through as a budget alternative with corners cut but should work well as a mixer or on ice for the non-explorer.
Additional information
Monkey Shoulder is a vatted malt made by William Grant and Sons. It contains malts aged in american ex-bourbon barrels from Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich. They are vatted together for 3 months before bottling.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a sweetness consisting of vanilla, malt and honey mixed with sweet red berries. There’s a tiny amount of marzipan as well. On top there’s a young spirity overtone and underneath there’s a fresher layer with
green apples, lemon and a hint of oak. With time everything becomes more sour and cinnmon arrives. At this point it feels decently balanced. The young note on top doesn’t disappear though, and pulls everything down quite a bit. This is a decent nose for a budget whisky.
Mouth: It starts out very flat and the first thing arriving is a quite harsh and young distillate together with a generic sweetness. There are red berries and lemon sitting on the edges of the palate but they doesn’t seem to penetrate the center. There’s a coffee bitterness and a hint of dark chocolate forming in the back. The oakiness is present as well which makes everything slightly astringent. The fruitiness moves back and ripen over time.
Finish: There’s a nice and mellow spicyness spreading out over the palate and the fresh apple fruitiness really shines through before the harshness of the distillate once again takes over. When that note finally resides there’s a mix of dry oak, coffee bitterness and dark cocolate left. The longer down the finish it goes, the more everything becomes a dry, bitter oakiness and the late finish isn’t all that great. This is a so-and-so whisky, but the cask finish does help it along.
Additional information
This whisky was first aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in Tempranillo red wine casks. There’s no information om the aging time.
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ABV: 48.3 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Wet leather and burning hay cover a sweet and fruity baseplate. It takes a few seconds to get through the peat, but behind there’s a big bucket of fruits with orange zest and ripe red juicy apples. There’s also notes of honey, milk chocolate and a slight hint of vanilla. A hint of sweet black liquorice shows up with time in the glass. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer.
Mouth: It starts out very juicy and spicy. The fruitiness is in the center with wet leather surrounding it like a pouch. It’s got a bitter tang to it which gives the whole thing balance. The sweetness is surrounding everything in a thin layer. There’s dust and a general sense of age about it and that sense increases with time in the glass. There’s no oak or astringency showing up.
Finish: The fruitiness and spicyness immideatly spikes and then get replaced by the peaty flavours. Finally the oak shows up. It comes with a dark, high percentage cocoa chocolate. There’s no direct sweetness and there’s a good portion of hazelnuts in the end. There’s also a hint of tropical fruits peeking through on the tail end. The peat sits on the palate a long time after the dram’s demise. This is a very good whisky which gives the house style a nice twist.
Additional information
Balvenie makes peated whisky one week every year. This is the 2003 batch. The peat level used is 30 ppm. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a fresh apples and pears fruitiness with a surrounding of honey, vanilla, baking spices and marzipan. When it starts to settle the sweetness increases and the fruits ripen. Notes of old dusty oak slowly emerges from the back as well as a sour lemon which creates a nice contrast to the sweetness. Everything seems to fit together nicely and there’s a nice balance between the different components. This is a nice nose. It’s very dessert-like and easy to approach.
Mouth: It starts out very mild, vanilla rich and sweet. The fruitiness is still ripe apples and pears. It soon turns astringent and it pulls moisture out of the mouth while a bitterness forms in the back together with a zesty lemon sourness. There’s a lot of cinnamon and wood spices floating around. It’s not as balanced as the nose suggests. Everything becomes a bit perfumey after a while, but the age really comes through overall with a dusty old character.
Finish: The tranisiton comes with a dip in flavour but a nice spicyness spreads out on the palate. When it subsides the whole becomes very fruity and floral with tropical fruits attached to a dusty oakiness and floral, perfumey notes floating above. After a few seconds the lemon zest arrives in the back and follows the fruity oak notes far along the finish. This is a very good whisky with an easy to read palate without being boring. It lacks balance in taste and it could do with a bit more power to give the flavours a push forward.
Additional information
This whisky was aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels. It’s a travel retail exclusive release.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and malty. At first there’s a mild toffee sweetness sitting in the center with a mix of ethanol, vanilla and a mild perfumey floral note on top. Underneath lie some earthy notes and sour lemon. With time there’s a smoky note unraveling on top which pushes the spirity note away. There are fresh apples and a peat note slowly forming in the middle as well. This is a decent nose. Everything feels a bit unbalanced and it certainly lacks power and complexity.
Mouth: It starts out very spirity and quite harsh. There’s a bitterness in the back and it takes a while for the malt and toffee to arrive. It’s quite peppery and everything is just in disarray from the get-go. The bitterness morphs into a zesty note and a vanilla note forms out on the edges of the palate. There are still some perfumey floral notes floating around, but they are too weak to battle against most of the unpleasantries.
Finish: The spicyness peaks through the transition. When it dies down the toffee, malt and vanilla notes come through once more. They are now joined by an oakiness which doesn’t have much character to it. It mixes with the bitterness and the zesty lemon. The earthy notes peek through as well. This is a so-and-so whisky. It’s not especially easy to access, it’s a bit hot and unbalanced over all.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Glenlossie, yet it is limited.
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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 fruity. At first there’s a fresh apple and pear fruitiness sitting on top of a mix of vanilla, malt and honey. Inside of the sweetness there are notes of cinnamon and dry garden soil. When it settles it becomes less fresh and more rounded overall. It never really shakes a slight spirity note away though. There’s a hint of some more ripe notes far away in the back but they really bring anything substantial. This is a good nose. It’s easy access and pleasant enough. There’s a lack of complexity and character though.
Mouth: It starts out sweet and quite flat for a second or two before the spicyness arrives. It comes through together with a sharp lemon note in the back and a cardboard box note in the center. It’s quite spirity and unpleasant at this point. There are some fresh fruits involved and it’s quite dry and astringent. The oakiness peeks through as well. The dry soil note doubles down and is very pronounced. This is not a great part of the journey.
Finish: The spicyness flares through the transition and the sweetness follows. When it settles there’s a very dry soil note and an astringent oakiness. The cardboard note and the spirity feel both remain. It doesn’t take long before everything crumbles and leaves a very unpleasant feeling on the palate with a not so great oak note, as dry as it can be. This is not the greatest of whiskies. It’s unpleasant at times and lacks character and complexity.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Strathmill, yet it is limited.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of green fruits and vanilla. There’s honey on top and it’s mixed with some baking spices and a hint of marzipan. After a while, the fruitiness separates slightly with juicy, sweet yellow pears on top and some lemon notes underneath. There’s an earthy undertone which creates a nice, small nugget of complexity to an otherwise pleasant and straight forward character. This is a great nose which feels balanced and easy to access.
Mouth: It starts out with a big honey and coconut sweetness. There’s an early spicyness which helps it along the way. It’s still fruity, but the fruits have gone a bit less bright. Underneath the sweetness, a slightly misplaced bitterness mixes with earthy notes. This creates a more complex dram overall, but it makes everything feel less balanced. The lemon notes have increased in intensity in the back and the sweet and sour character is really enjoyable.
Finish: The transition offers a nice, small increase in spicyness before the fruitiness once again parks itself in the center. The sweetness is there, but it’s the first thing to disappear. After a few seconds the bitterness, the earthy notes and the lemon note return together with the oakiness, which has been quite anonomous up until this point. The oakiness is not a fantastic one but it does a fairly good job of keeping the finish together. This is a really good whisky with a lot to offer, both to the explorer and to an unexperienced palate.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Linkwood, yet it is limited.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a dark fruitiness with a fresher top side mixed with vanilla and honey. It’s quite sweet and it has christmas spices coming through. It has a darker feel overall and it feels like there’s a tiny peatiness floating around as well. With time the vanilla really takes over and becomes the main feature. The fruitiness settles and it comes through as ripe plums and raisins. This is a really good nose. It does have some complexity to it even through it lacks a bit of power.
Mouth: It starts out with a coating of vanilla with a nice immidiate spicyness. In the center there’s a dark red fruitiness with overripe plums, tobacco and black coffee. It feels slightly astringent and the oakiness is already present. There’s a mild lemon note in the back and a fresh fruitiness on top. The peatiness comes through as mineral rich and quite mild. It could have been more noticable though, to make everything feel more balanced. It’s a lot less sweet in taste than on the nose.
Finish: The finish starts out with a small increase in what feels like a black pepper spicyness. After a while the dark fruits take over once again and the fresher fruits on top are now joining the lemon and the ripe fruits and creates a nice assorted fruit note in the center. The oakiness is moving in towards the center and it’s a newer oak which really doesn’t fit the dark character of the dram. The peatiness is not especially interesting in the finish. This is a really good whisky with a slightly disappointing finish.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky but it’s a sherried expression. It’s the only standard release of Blair Athol, yet it is limited.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a heavy vanilla sweetness with a young spirity note on top. After a while it shifts towards caramel with a hint of fruits underneath. It takes a while before the fruitiness turns into something substantial and when it does, it’s an apples and pears mix. When it finally settles in the glass there’s a decent balance overall. This is an okey nose. It lacks a bit of flavour, complexity and comes through as too mild to be interesting.
Mouth: It starts out with a few seconds of nothingness and a young spirit note before a rush of flavour components start to compete to reach the front. There’s a black pepper spicyness on top of some fresh fruits. Underneath lies a mix of ripe fruits and a very bitter coffee note. There are pears, bananas and overripe plums coming through. It’s much more flavourful in taste than on the nose. It feels a bit all over the place though, with a lack of general direction.
Finish: The transition really highlights the overripe plums and the caramel. Soon it reveals a bitter and nutty oakiness and a lemon sourness in the back. The spirity note is sitting on top of everything throughout the finish. After that it really doubles down on a grey old bitter oakiness which actually works pretty well. This is a good whisky with a nice array of flavours. It lacks power, complexity, age and balance.
Additional information
This entry level whisky was aged in refill casks, ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks for an undisclosed anoumt of time. The bottle tried is apparently from batch 1106.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet honey and vanilla sweetness with cinnamon and red berries within. There are raspberries and strawberries and they are very pronounced. Everything seems like it’s coated in a small tobacco and leather note coming through. When it settles everything becomes more balanced and notes of white wine and liquorice emerges. There’s also a lemon note floating around out on the edges. This is a great nose with a lot of nice and balanced flavours. It could use a bit more power to really pop out of the glass.
Mouth: It starts out very mild with a lemon freshness on the outside and a ripe funky adventure in the center. There are tobacco, leather and overripe fruits which makes up the funky part. The sweetness with honey, vanilla and cinnamon is still in there as well as a bit of oak. The whole is very well put together, but still lacks a bit of power. It feels like there are oranges within as well.
Finish: The transition is very mild and a malty vanilla and fudge center is first out of the gates. A hint of the dark fruits mixed with oak is in there, but the fresher, brighter fruits are now downgraded. The oak eventually takes over and brings a nutty touch with hazelnuts which makes the tail somewhat dry. The smokiness gets more noticable in the later part of the finish. This is a good whisky. It’s a bit too round and mild to be interesting but it’s a nice and easy sipper.
Additional information
The Distiller’s Edition is a limited yearly release of the Diageo series ”The classic malts of Scotland” finished in special ways. This is matured in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in port pipes.
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ABV: 47.8 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and citrus fruity. A big wall of honey and lemon obscures everything else from the start. After a few second it opens up and vanilla, oranges and grapefruit comes through. It’s still very sweet though. There’s a veil of menthol creating a cooling effect and a fudge note develops with time in the glass. This is not complex but really pleasant on the nose.
Mouth: It starts out thick and honey sweet. A black pepper spicyness slowly builds up on the sides while bitter lemon and orange peel comes through in the center. There’s a dustiness sitting on top and a hint of tropical fruits in the back. Just as on the nose, fudge comes through after a few seconds. It’s slightly astringent, but the oakiness isn’t noticable.
Finish: A small wave of black pepper goes by and gets replaced by a dusty vanilla and some grapefruits. The oak comes through very fast and it’s a nice fresh oakiness with a softer mellow side to it. The bitter fruit notes create a walnut nuttiness together with the oak. The late finish is driven by oak and a lemon zest. This is well put together and there’s good cask influence, but it feels a tiny bit one-dimensional.
Additional information
In 1993 Balvenie started with limited single barrel releases. This bottle is drawn from a first fill ex-bourbon barrel. The cask number is 6544 and this is bottle no. 164 out of a maximum of 300 bottles.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of fresh fruits and sweetness and vanilla. It’s a mix of baked caramel, apples and oranges. There are notes of marzipan and custard and it’s very dessert-like. It’s somewhat spirity at this point. With time in the glass it becomes more floral and the oranges turns to lemon. There are notes of honey, heather and a hint of sweet liquorice coming through as well. This is a very good nose. It lacks depth, power and complexity, but it really is a pleasant thing to nose.
Mouth: It starts out with a dusty malt up front, a hint of oak and a lot of lemon in the back. It’s quite floral and the lemon note is strong. There are notes of honey, ginger and vanilla holding everything together. The sprawling fresh fruitiness from the nose doesn’t carry over which is a bit of a disappointment. After a while there’s a generic bitterness starting to come through in the back.
Finish: The transition is gentle and there’s a small spicyness spreading out over the palate. The fresh fruitiness found on the nose returns and brings cinnamon and marzipan along. Unfortunatly the bitterness grows in intensity and sort of break the illusion of a nice fruity dram. The vanilla, honey and dusty malt carries over as well. The finish reveals a quite perfumey and bitter oakiness. It does have a slight nuttiness to it which is a nice addition. This is a very good whisky. It’s has a lot of faults and is watered down too much, but it ought to be good dram for people new to whisky.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Mannochmore, yet it is limited.
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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 malty, young center with honey and vanilla. On the outside there’s a fresh oakiness and a fruitiness as well and it’s mainly red apples. When it settles there are mixed baking and wood spices coming through and the oak and the vanilla join forces and becomes a strong note as an outside layer. That’s basically it. There’s no complexity nor depth. This is a decent nose though. It’s a bit too oaky to be balanced.
Mouth: It starts out with a spicy kick and vanilla before moving on to a funky maltiness, which isn’t the greatest addition. There are honey and oak and as time passes the oakiness grows stronger and takes over. There are zesty notes in the back and a tiny apple note too. It almost feels a bit hot and it really lacks elegance. The wood note is almost more like cedar wood than oak at this point.
Finish: The transition is quite logical and everything carries over seamlessly. The funky maltiness disappears fairly quickly but the spicyness remain. It doesn’t take long before it’s a mix of honey, vanilla and new oak remaining. There’s a weird soapy note suddenly appearing in the late finish which certainly doesn’t belong there. This is a weird whisky. It’s young, way too oaky and simple. It still drinks fairly okey though.
Additional information
This travel retail exclusive was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and quarter casks. It has natural colour.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh fruits and vanilla. At first there’s a perfumey fruitiness sitting up front. Beneath that, a layer of vanilla and a hint of honey create a shallow but pleasant background. The fruitiness is a mix of lemon and fresh red berries, mainly raspberries. The vanilla and the sweetness grows into a butterscotch note with time in the glass. This is a pleasant and welcoming nose, but it isn’t especially complex or interesting.
Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of lemons and a sweet butterscotch and malt center. It feels a bit dusty and there are notes of darker fruits in there as well as black liquorice. There is an oily and rubbery note in the background which gives it a nice depth and some complexity. It’s got a nice texture and it’s a lot richer than the nose.
Finish: The darker fruitiness as well as the oily rubber note take lead. It’s raisins and plums and after a few seconds the vanilla and butterscotch return, but it adds to the palate without overshadowing anything. The oakiness starts out in the background and moves slowly forward. It’s a very nice oakiness and it comes with walnuts and a black coffee bitterness. This is a great whisky and it gives away a lot of nice flavour and some complexity even though it’s a low ABV rather low-priced whisky.
Additional information
This is the first release in over a decade from the distillery, which is owned by Whyte & McKay. It’s aged in ex-bourbon american oak and finished in ex-sherry butts.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of green fruits, vanilla and marzipan. There are baking spices, especially cinnamon, in there as well. It’s a mellow and easy to access nose and it’s very dessert-like. Underneath everything lies a riper peaty note though, and it increases with time in the glass. There’s not too much depth, but it gives the whole some much needed complexity. This is a great and very balanced nose on an easy access level.
Mouth: It starts out with a much maltier and thicker center part. It’s very mellow from the start. There’s a squeeze of lemon in the back and the riper, gritty note is more pronounced. There’s still green fruits, vanilla and marzipan, but everything has increased in size. It has an ethanol side which brings it down a little and it sort of obscures the nice notes underneath. There’s a touch of dry soil in there and there’s peat but it takes a good while to recognize it. At this point it feels much younger than its age.
Finish: The finish starts out with the spicyness slowly spreading out over the palate. The green fruits and the ripe note are now sitting, together with a gritty peaty note and the lemon, in the back and the front is baking spices and gooseberries. The oakiness finally shows up and it’s a very nice oakiness which brings along some notes of age. The finish is quite long, yet it lingers in a very laid back fashion. The lemon note grows stronger in the end which is a nice touch. This is a great whisky with more to it than meets the eye (palate). It evolves over time and just becomes better and better.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Inchgower, yet it is limited.
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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 fruity. At first there’s a spirity note on top of a mix of vanilla and liquorice. Underneath a green apple and pear fruitiness and a squeeze of lemon come through first, but with time it shifts and becomes sweeter and more like fresh berries and herbs. There’s almost a minty note floating around together with the slightly unpleasant spirity ethanol layer. There’s a grassy side to it as well. This is a decent nose. It feels younger than its age and really could do with a bigger flavour profile.
Mouth: It starts out with a bit hit of slightly sharp and spiky ethanol with isn’t all too flattering. First out otherwise is a bitter note in the back and a honey and vanilla sweetness up front. There’s a grassy and herbal green side underneath which soon is joined by a thin sherry fruitiness with a hint of raspberries and maybe a raisin or two. The liquorice note is still in there and everything feels divided and weird. The spicyness builds up with time which is a much needed addition.
Finish: The unpleasant spirity note doubles down through the transition and it takes a while before it leaves. When it finally recides the fruitiness and the herbs make a short visit before a bitter oakiness takes over. There’s a slight nuttiness but otherwise it’s not the greatest oak note in the world. The herbal notes stay throughout the finish. This is a weird whisky overall. It’s all over the place and it’s very spirity. It feels very mistreated by the cask selection.
Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Glen Spey, yet it is limited.
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William’s Whisky Database 