Kategoriarkiv: Speyside

Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 25 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and dried fruits. At first there are two layers of fruits sitting close together. One is the dark fruits with raisins, plums and a hint of blueberry and the other contains brighter dried fruits like pineapple and apricots. With time they merge and create a single mixed fruitiness. There’s vanilla around the edges and a hint of sulfur in the back. A thin note of seaweed is surprisingly showing up somewhere in the middle. With time a black coffee bitterness start to come through in the background as well as a hint of oak. This is a nice nose but it’s really mild and doesn’t make a big impact (It becomes more noticable after about 20 minutes in the glass though).

Mouth: It starts out mild with a vanilla creaminess with a layer of fruits underneath. It’s liqueuer-soaked cherries, raisins and plums and it’s all accompanied by a black coffee bitterness as a background. It takes a few seconds for the spicyness to come through but when it does, the whole starts to demand a lot more attention. The fruitiness is moving out towards the edges to make room for the coffee, oak and a thin complex array of flavours like leather, dust and old books.

Finish: The finish starts out with a huge impact of an espresso bitterness. The sherry fruitiness seem to cover all the sides to create an outer boundary which keeps the rest of the flavours inside. The age related flavours are still sitting in the background and creates a nice complex layer. When the oak finally takes over it’s a spicy and dry oakiness intertwined with the espresso note. This is a great whisky, but the somewhat low ABV makes it a bit muted, especially on the nose.

Additional information
This 25 YO is part of the Glenfarclas aged range. It’s aged for the entire period in european ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Cragganmore, Speyside

Cragganmore 20 YO – Special Release 2020

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ABV: 55.8 %
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 sweet honey and toasted vanilla oakiness building up in the center. It’s very mild and easy on the nose although there are hints of nail polish remover and a smell of vinegar as well. The sweetness becomes a mix of caramel and toasted oak in the same pace as a slight fruit note arrives. It’s a sweet white wine fruitiness with overripe green grapes. After a while the age shines through with a dusty and old note in the back. This is not the greatest of noses and the oakiness feels like an afterthought to salvage the otherwise not so great first maturation.

Mouth: It starts out with a second or two of sweet baked fruits before it becomes very hot and starts to attack the palate. Underneath lies a sour white wine fruitiness as well as the vinegar note. It’s sweet and very dusty in the background and even though it’s extremely hot the age is still showing through. The sweet toasted oak is still in there and gives a much needed sweetness to the other very demanding sensations. It’s impossible to keep exploring at this point due to the hotness.

Finish: It keeps on being extremely hot during the tranisition but it doesn’t spike any further. All the other flavours stay and patiently wait for the hotness to subside. When it does the fruits and the sweetness already lost its edge and it leaves a slightly astingent oakiness to itself. It creates a bitterness around the edges as well as a sawdust freshness. There is a sour note left in the back though. This is not a great whisky and it feels like an attempt to rescue a poorly made distillate. It’s too hot and too oaky, to the point of it being almost unbearable to drink.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1999 and aged in a mix of refill ex-bourbon barrels and new fresh-charred oak casks.

Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie – 11 YO Grattamacco Wine Cask Finish

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet ripe berries and malt. At first there’s a big emphasis on the ripe berries with a thick top layer coming from the red wine casks. Underneath lies a malty and sweet core with a mild spicyness attached to it. Vanilla and fudge notes can be found within. When it settles there are light floral notes and a fresher tropical fruitiness coming through along the edges of the glass with a hint of peaches and violets. There’s also a mild and thin menthol layer on top. This is a very good nose but it feels a bit top heavy. It greatly improves with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with the soft, ripe berries covering the outer parts of the palate. There’s an almond/marzipan note attached to the outer layer as well. It comes through as slightly bitter, but it’s not an offensive bitterness. The whole is not as sweet on the palate as on the nose. The fresher fruitiness creates an orange peel note in the background and the peaches are still in there. There’s still a toffee sweetness in the center, but it’s not especially pronounced and it feels a bit dusty. The floral notes are nowhere to be found.

Finish: The ripe berries stay in the outer layer through the transition and the orange peel notes stay in the background. It’s a logical transition without any spikes. The peaches is now once again showing themselves in the back part of the palate but they are soon competing with the oakiness, which seems to emerge from the orange peel in the background. It’s a nice nutty oakiness which fits nicely with the rest of the character. It carries the fresher fruits a long way down the late finish. This is a very good whisky overall. It feels a bit top heavy and the wine cask finish feels a bit detached from the rest of the whisky.

Additional information
This whisky is first aged in american ex-bourbon barrels for 9 years and then finished in ex-Grattamacco wine barriques for 2 years. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 25 YO – Triple Cask

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich, dense and fruity. It’s surprisingly fresh for its age with a big bowl of fruits in focus. There’s oranges, ripe apples, gooseberries and a touch of liqeuor soakad cherries. There’s a generous amount of vanilla, honey and cinnamon and some oak spices clinging on towards the edges. Very pleasant.

Mouth: It starts out quite muted before the flavours come through. The fruit notes are toned down and leave place for a maltiness and some mild spices. The cinnamon and vanilla is still strong and come through together with some notes of dusty old leather books. The oakiness shows up with a slight bitterness and a hint of assorted tropical fruits within.

Finish: A sweet fruitiness (like marmelade) shows up then quickly subsides and gives room to a slightly bitter oak with notes of coffee, walnuts and some tropical fruitiness. The cinnamon is still present. The oak finish is long and very satisfying. As it slowly fades away there’s a tiny rye note with anis peeking through.

Additional information
This expression sits on top of the Balvenie travel exclusive range. It’s aged in refill and first fill american bourbon barrels and first fill spanish Oloroso sherry butts. Those are then married for at least 6 months before bottling.

Speyside, Tomintoul

Tomintoul Seiridh Batch 3

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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 sweet and fruity. A very thick layer of assorted dried fruits with detectable raisins cover everything else. There are walnuts and a hint of ripe berries as well. The distillate behind feels somewhat flat due to the low ABV. It seems to be young but it’s hard to push through the waxy sherry layer. The sweetness seems to be leaning towards brown syryp with a hint of vanilla but it mainly comes attached to the fruits. This is a decent nose which is top heavy and way too mild underneath.

Mouth: It starts out with a spirity young distillate in the back and the dried fruits and waxy walnuts up front. There’s a black coffee note in the center of the palate and the raisins and ripe fruits are coming through as well. There’s a fresher fruitiness in the background with a mild citrus note. It feels very unbalanced and it really feels like a cover-up with the thick sherry lid trying to make up for the lack of quality behind it. The low ABV doesn’t help it to reach any heights either.

Finish: There’s a mild spicyness and an ethanol layer sitting on top of a mix of fresh citrus in the back and the dried fruits and sweet syryp up front. It just sort of crumbles early on in the finish which is a good thing because it reveals an absolutely marvellous oakiness filled with both walnuts and hazelnuts, a touch of wax and a hint of vanilla and coffee. The oakiness stays for a long time and leaves a fantastic experience for a long finish. This is a rather bad whisky but the finish is just breathtaking and makes one forget most the bumps along the way.

Additional information
This is a whisky aged for an undisclosed amount of time in a mix of ex-Oloroso sherry butts and whisky aged in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. This is bottle no. 2818/3000 of batch 3.

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Ballantine’s, Glenburgie, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glenburgie 18 YO

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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 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”.

Speyburn, Speyside

Speyburn Bradan Orach

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and spirit driven. At first there’s a rather flat fruity pear note with some vanilla and malt attached to it. The distillate is young and very pronounced and it comes with an unpleasant cardboard note. With time in the glass the fruity note grows a bit more noticable and a tiny sweet liquorice note comes through around the edges. The vanilla turns into a thin toffee note after a while. This is a rather thin and uninteresting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness taking up most of the palate and the distillate sits up front. It really tastes like cardboard and it’s very flat. The fruitiness is coming through as ripe yellow pears but it’s beaten down by most of the other flavours. The oak is already present and it’s a very bitter and unpleasant oakiness in the background. The sweetness do turn into the same vanilla and toffee note as before but they are still overridden by all the other unpleasantries going on.

Finish: The distillate pushes through once again and it brings the cardboard note with it. It’s very young and harsh. The sweetness and the fruitiness flickers by but fortunatly it completely falls apart rather quickly and it doesn’t take long before the (not in a good way) bitter oakiness is all that’s left. To be fair, after a couple of minutes the oakiness settles down and becomes a bit nutty, which is a good thing. This is a really bad whisky and it certainly presents itself as a budget alternative.

Additional information
Bradan Orach means golden salmon in Gaelic. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and was added to the core range in 2009.

Glen Grant, Speyside

Glen Grant 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a ripe red apple fruitiness together with a malty base and a coating of vanilla and honey. There’s also a fresher fruitiness surrounding the core. It’s very dessert-like and there are some baking spices floating around somewhere inside. It feels very homogenous and everything lies close to the core. With time a marzipan note start to emerge around the edges of the glass. This is a very pleasant nose. It isn’t complex but delivers the profile without flaws.

Mouth: It starts out with lemons and oranges on the edges and a rich malty core with vanilla, honey and red ripe apples in the center. It’s got a nice texture and feels ”larger” than on the nose. After a few seconds the outside fruitiness turns slightly bitter and creates an orange peel note. A hint of baking spices are in there as well and it still feels like a dessert, but it’s not too sweet.

Finish: The finish starts the same way as the mouth with a nice orange peel fruitiness exploding around the palate before the sweet honey and vanilla returns in the center. It’s less malty and more fruity and it stays that way all the way through. The only shift is when the oakiness start to come through, which is fashionably late. It’s a nice aged wood oakiness with a hint of mixed nuts. The fruitiness follows along all the way through. This is a great whisky. It’s not complex nor an explorer’s whisky, but as an easy sipper it’s a perfect background whisky.

Additional information
The cask type isn’t stated anywhere but the taste profile suggests ex-bourbon american white oak. There is another version of this whisky which is only sold in travel retail, but that one is unchillfiltered and the ABV is 48 %.

Cardhu, Speyside

Cardhu Gold Reserve – Game of Thrones House Targaryen

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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 sweet and slightly fruity. Honey, vanilla and toffee are sitting on top of some baked red apples. It’s very mild and nothing really pops from the glass. It’s dusty and there’s just a hint of oak in the back. The toffee note moves forward with time in the glass. It’s very rounded around the edges even if it has a youthness sitting in the back, which manifests as a thin metallic note.

Mouth: A very sweet start with honey and a lemon note quickly passing by. It stays very sweet for a long time with vanilla and toffee slowly moving forward. There’s a white pepper spicyness, but it never really amounts to anything. When it finally sets some of the sweetness aside it slowly reveals a slightly bitter oak, but it just stays in the back. It’s still extremely mild and round like a marble.

Finish: The finish is just a continuation of the sweet and mild parade. A few seconds of honey, vanilla and toffee goes by before it lands in a bland oakiness. It’s a little dusty, but otherwise laid back and it feels like it doesn’t want to be noticed. The toasted flavours do come through though, but they do not do much to create anything. This is too mild and too well rounded to be interesting. It’s definitely a good dram if someone needs an introduction into scotch.

Additional information
The Gold Reserve was first released in 2014 for the european market and they now use the same whisky as a GoT special release. It’s aged in toasted oak barrels.

Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 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
Nose: This is vanilla and dried fruits. At first a layer of vanilla and dried exotic fruits sit beneath a thin veil of menthol. There’s a fresh lemon and peach note as well. It becomes fruitier with time in the glass. There is a tiny hint of salty caramel in the background. There is a sweeter side to it as well, like an icing sugar on top of a fruit cake. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a darker fruitiness with raisins and overripe plums. There is a clear sulfur note sitting in the back. It’s oily and the lemon is still detectable. The dried exotic fruits are still in there, as well as the vanilla, but they are not especially pronounced. The salty caramel note is completely gone. There is a speck of dust in the middle and as well as a honey sweetness. It gets somewhat spicy after a few seconds.

Finish: A mix of both dark and dried fruits flare up together with the menthol. When it settles it reveals the sulfur as well as a savory note. It then switches over to the oakiness, which is a nice dry, slightly bitter oak with notes of coffee and hazelnuts. The sherry notes stay as a top layer throughout the long oak finish. There is a hint of smoke coming through in the late finish. This is a liquid fruit cake, and a great whisky.

Additional information
The Glenfarclas 15 YO is aged in european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s lightly peated with 4 PPM. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Speyside, Tamnavulin

Tamnavulin Red Wine Cask Edition – Grenache

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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 mixed fruits and butterscotch. At first there’s a bright and slightly pointy fruitiness hitting the nose. Behind that there are notes of oranges, red fruits and butterscotch. A cooling mint is hovering above everything else. With time in the glass the red wine berries start to be more detectable as a single entity. This is a very approachable and quite fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out very sour. There’s a big layer of lemons sitting on the outside. In the center there’s a mix of butterscotch and ripe red grapes together with grey oak planks. There’s also a coffee bitterness. It feels quite young and a little bit prickly on the tongue. It becomes honey sweet after a few seconds.

Finish: A honey sweetness fills the mouth and it is soon joined by a butterscotch note. The ripe red fruitiness comes through almost as a part of the butterscotch. The lemon sourness is not as pronounced in the finish but it still creates a layer surrounding everything else. The oakiness is still dry and brings the mind towards dry grey oak planks. This is a good whisky with a fantastic nose.

Additional information
This is a single malt first aged in american ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Grenache red wine casks. There is no information on aging time. This bottle is from batch 001075.

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Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 12 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
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 layer of vanilla and honey on top and sweet liqeuer-soaked red berries in the back. There’s a hint of dry smoke floating around as well as hint of sulfur which together create a nice, slightly gritty background. With time the fruitiness settles and the honey becomes the top note. A mix of lemon and ginger can be found in the back. This is a pretty straight forward sherried nose with a nice array of sensations to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with lemon and honey. It then becomes malty and the sherry fruitiness starts to emerge around the edges with raisins and overripe plums within. There’s a dusty texture to it and the smoke and sulfur is still creating a nice gritty background noise. There’s also a good amount of wood spices coming through as well as a hint of the oakiness itself.

Finish: It starts out quite spicy and it feels potent despite the low ABV. The lemon and honey do come through around the edges quite early. When it settles it a nice complex mix of everything emerges. The sherry notes, vanilla, malt, ginger, smoke and sulfur are all fighting for attention in the center of the palate. This leaves room for the oakiness to come through in the surroundings. It’s a very nice oakiness with a lot of hazelnuts within. This is a great whisky which produces a lot of flavours despite the low ABV. It rewards both the explorer and the occasional drinker.

Additional information
The 12 YO was originally intended to be a travel retail exclusive but it’s now part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in ex-Oloroso and ex-Fino sherry casks for the entire aging period.

Singleton, Speyside

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 YO

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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 sweet and fruity. Juicy pears and a mild butterscotch are first to present themselves. There is a slight spicyness floating around but it’s not protruding in any way. There are honey and vanilla notes deep down underneath together with a speck of dust. After some time in the glass it gets maltier and the fruitiness changes towards dried apricots. This is a nice and easy nose, but a bit too mild and uneventful.

Mouth: It starts out a bit watery and then the butterscotch sweetness takes lead. After a few seconds it becomes malty and the fruitiness returns. It’s now assorted dried fruits with a lemon note in the background. The oakiness creates a very thin layer surrounding everything. It’s a dry, slightly spicy and bitter oakiness. With patience the dried fruits turns into a feint tropical fruitiness. It’s richer in taste than on the nose.

Finish: There is a small window where the fruitiness comes through before the spotlight turns towards the oak. Vanilla lies on top and there’s a spicy quite bitter note underneath. It doesn’t take long before the oakiness completely takes over and now with its bitter side up front. It’s almost too bitter in the end. There’s a small walnut note coming through and maybe some very dark chocolate. This is a good, solid speysider with a twist in the end.

Additional information
This whisky is matured in both ex-bourbon american oak barrels and ”a high percentage” of ex-sherry european oak casks. This is one of the main components in Bell’s Blended Whisky.

Macallan, Speyside

The Macallan 12 YO – Double Cask

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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 layer of honey and vanilla sitting on top of fresh red berries. When it settles both cinnamon and a hint of sweet liquorice arrive. There’s a nice balance between the sweetness and the fruitiness. It’s mild and not especially complex. After some time in the glass the fruitiness shifts towards dried assorted fruits with Raisins as well as dried coconut flakes. This is a straight forward nose with a lot of nice things within.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat for a second or two before a mild spicyness builds up. The oak is present in the background from the get-go as well. The fruitiness is much darker compared to the nose with a heavy emphasis on raisins and overripe plums. There are still notes of cinnamon and vanilla and it feels very dessert-like. There’s a fresher fruitiness peeking through from behind but it takes a few seconds before it’s noticable. It doesn’t feel as balanced as on the nose and it feels like the different components never interacts with each other.

Finish: The sherry fruitiness starts out around the edges and the center part feels sort of empty. The fruitiness then moves towards the center to make room for the oakiness around the edges. There’s a hint of orange marmelade coming through as well as raisins and figs. It’s a fresher fruitiness than before. The oakiness is a bit indecisive, with a mix of fresh vanilla and sligthly nutty and bitter oak. There’s a slight spicyness coming from the oak as well. This is a good whisky but it lacks power and feels a bit unbalanced to the taste.

Additional information
This expression from Macallan is matured in a combination of American and European oak for at least 12 years. The american oak casks are also ex-Sherry and haven’t contained any bourbon.

Speyside, Tomintoul

Tomintoul With a Peaty Tang

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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 sweet and peaty. At first there’s a pleasant mix of butterscotch, vanilla and a toned down savory peat smoke coming through as a cohesive center. When the initial impact resides a hint of marzipan and a slightly metallic note is also detectable. It feels young and slightly harsh. The butterscotch note increases in intensity over time. This is a decent nose for a budget whisky.

Taste: It starts out very mild and approachable with the sweetness, with notes of honey, butter and toffee as the most prominent feature. There’s also fresh oak and a heathery peat layer that covers the mouth. Some oak spices show up after a short while and bring some walnuts along. It’s still coming through as quite young.

Finish: A very mild mint develops over the sweetness. Some assorted green fruits shows up quite unexpectedly underneath. The vanilla and butterscotch notes follow along but die rather quickly. A hint of bitterness shows up in late in the finish together with the oakiness. It’s a short finish with a mild floral peat note lingering when everything else disappears. This is a decent budget whisky. It’s a bit flat and uneventful but There are som nice flavours presented.

Additional information
The peaty tang is a mix between 6 YO peated whisky (55ppm) and older unpeated whiskies. It’s matured in refill ex-bourbon barrels.

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Glenfiddich, Speyside

Glenfiddich 15 YO – Unique Solera Reserve

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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 very fruity and sweet. Baked red apples and honey create a core with ripe bananas and a hint of flowers surrounding it. A layer of aromatic oak sits in the back creating a nice richness to it. There’s also a vanilla note somewhere in between. The age shows with a nice hint of dustiness and well-rounded distillate. A sour lemon note can be found somewhere in the background.

Mouth: It starts out honey sweet with some dustiness within. It soon turns towards a slightly more bitter character and astringent dry oakiness comes through before the fruitiness kicks in. A bit of spicyness comes through together with baked red apples with cinnamon and toffee. The oakiness brings some coffee and hazelnuts.

Finish: The oak is very up front from the get-go. It’s very aromatic and dry. A spicy note hits the tip of the toungue before the sweetness and fruitiness come through. Apples, cinnamon, vanilla and toffee are all found once again. The oak is still very much in focus. It still delivers notes of hazelnuts and coffee. It’s astringent, especially after a few sips. Far down the finish a hint of anise appears. This is an easy sipper and a dessert in a glass.

Additional information
The Glenfiddich 15 YO is aged in european ex-sherry casks, first fill, and refill american ex-bourbon barrels. It is then married together in a 50 000 liter big solera vatting tun that is never emptied below the halfway point.

Glenrothes, Speyside

GlenRothes Robur Reserve

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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 are a lot of vanilla, red berries and oranges. Just underneath lies a thin layer of darker ripe plums and raisins. There’s also a floral note somewhere in between. It’s got a light character with a minty note on top but there’s a slightly complex sulfur and malt note coming from the background which gives it a nice three-dimensional character, but it’s fighting against a younger distillate with some sharp egdes to it. This is a nice nose overall. It feels a bit rough around the edges though.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild vanilla and malt sweetness on top with dried fruits and a hint of sulfur in the back. The fresher fruits have taken a step back, but there is a hint of orange peel and lemon in the back. It’s very round, easy to approach and gives a nice setting for the sherry cask notes which at this point covers the slight harshness of the somewhat young distillate.

Finish: The initial impact is a bit too mild and weak. It takes a second before the malt and the vanilla starts to awaken and for the fruitiness to return. The fruitiness is now spreading out in the background with mainly an orange peel fruity bitter note. It co-exists with a nice nutty oakiness and a slightly savory note in the back. The oakiness slowly moves forwards and the late finish is very nice. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer despite the low ABV. It ought to be a good introduction to sherried whiskies.

Additional information
The Robur Reserve is a travel retail exclusive release. It’s been aged in first fill european ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time.

AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu, Speyside

AnCnoc Sherry Cask Finish – Peated Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Peated Single Malt

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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 fresh fruits and peat. The first impact is a wet peatiness with notes of fresh grass and heather together with a red apple fruitiness. Behind the peat there’s a young and rather unpleasant spirit note with a cardboard feel to it. It brings notes of green apples, chalk and with time toffee builds up in the center as well as a honey sweetness. This is not a great nose. it’s young, spirit driven and a bit flat.

Mouth: At first there’s a generic butterscotch note coming through as well as a young, rather unpleasant distillate. After a short while the peatiness starts to take over the whole center of the palate. It’s a bit metallic and it’s got a mineral side to it. It’s also floral with heather as a main note. The honey sweetness and a tiny black pepper spicyness start to come through as well as sweet liquorice. There’s also a feint fresh fruitiness with apples and bitter lemon in the background.

Finish: There’s a small gap where most of the flavours dip, but when they return it’s with the minerals and a mild black pepper. After a short visit from the honey sweetness and the peat, the finish just about crashes and leaves a very fresh oak note. The peat and some liquorice return for a short background visit. It’s somewhat metallic throughout. This is a so and so budget whisky. It lacks complexity and refinement but it’s a decent quality for the money.

Additional information
This was released in 2015 and is a part of Glen Moray’s core range. It’s aged for about 7 years in american ex-bourbon barrels. The peat level is about 15-20 ppm.

Knockando, Speyside

Knockando 15 YO – Vintage 1999

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
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 mix of sweet liquorice, fruits and vanilla with a minty freshness on top. The fruitiness is a mix of green apples and ripe berries with an emphasis on the apples. There’s also a gentle oakiness which sits along the edges of the glass surrounding everything else. A hint of dusty old books can be found but it’s well hidden in the background. With time in the glass it becomes a bit sweeter and a honey note starts to emerge. This is a nice nose with plenty of things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out very mild, sweet and malty. After a few seconds a ripe fruitiness comes through as well as a mild black pepper. There’s a floral undertone and a vanilla and honey background. It’s got a nice texture to it and there’s a nice richness overall. The oakiness is present but it lets the other flavours shine. There’s also a pinch of salt somewhere in the middle. The fruitiness is very hard to pinpoint and it feels like a basket of assorted fresh fruits with some ripe berries on top.

Finish: The minty freshness return from the start of the finish as well as the malty and sweet core. The fruitiness is still a mixed bag of different varieties. The old books comes through as well as the oakiness and the vanilla. There’s also a feint marzipan sweetness within. In the late finish all the flavours slowly fade except for the oakiness which stays constant throughout. It a nice oakiness with a nutty character without being bitter or protruding. There’s also a savory note which lingers in the background. This is a very nice whisky which never gets boring.

Additional information
This expression is part of the Knockando core range and it’s aged in european ex-sherry casks and american refill ex-bourbon barrels.