Kategoriarkiv: Speyside

Ballantine’s, Miltonduff, Speyside

Ballantine’s Miltonduff 15 YO

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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. At first there’s a sweet layer with honey, vanilla and black liquorice. Underneath a baked red apple and a maltiness gets mixed with yellow pears and a decent amount of oak. With time in the glass it just grows sweeter and it feels very dessert-like. It’s a nice enough, very straight forward nose without any shifts or surprises.

Mouth: It starts out with the maltiness up front with a sprinkle of black pepper on top. A somewhat unpleasant bitter oakiness spreads in the back. The fruitiness is subdued and doesn’t contribute much to the whole. There’s also an ethanol layer coming through which isn’t all that nice. It feels way younger than its age and it just doesn’t produce anything good at this point. After a few seconds a hint of vanilla and honey shows up but it’s too little too late.

Finish: A small increase in fruitiness, the same red apples and yellow pears, starts out the finish but it disappears as fast as it shows up. Afterwards the maltiness together with a thin honey and vanilla sweetness takes over. Everything except the oak disappears quite fast. The oakiness is still a bit bitter but not in an especially good way. In the late finish the oak actually becomes a bit nutty with a hazelnut quality to it which is nice. This is a so and so whisky which doesn’t live up to the age statement. The nose is simple but by far the best part of the experience.

Additional information
Miltonduff is one of the cornerstones of the Ballantine’s blends. This 15 YO was released in 2017 and is aged in american ex-bourbon barrels.

Singleton, Speyside

The Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire

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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 fruity and spicy. At first there’s a center note of red apples and raspberries. It’s surrounded by a cloud of kitchen spices and vanilla. The background is made up by a maltiness and a young spirity note. With time in the glass it becomes fruitier and leans more towards red berries. It feels a bit flat, but it’s a nice enough nose.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla and honey and a not so pleasant note of underaged spirit. After a few seconds the fruitiness arrives and it’s now back to a mix of overripe red apples and berries. The oakiness is dry and brings the kitchen spices along. It becomes slightly bitter and the maltiness is in there.

Finish: A surge of the overripe apples and vanilla goes by quickly and the finish is all about the european oak casks. It’s a dry and spicy oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts. It stays for a long time and the bitter side of the oakiness stays for quite the time. The finish is the best part of this whisky. It’s a bit flat and young, but there are nice enough flavours within to make it a good experience.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2014 as a part of the core range. It’s aged in a combination of european ex-sherry casks and american ex-bourbon barrels.

Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 105

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ABV: 60 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and spicy. At first there’s a sweet layer of dried dark fruits and berries covered in dark syryp with anis and herbs coming through from behind. The ABV creates a cooling effect on top which gives it a nice contrast to the dark fruitiness. The oakiness can be detected within the sweet notes but it’s residing in the background. It doesn’t change much over time in the glass except for the arrival of vanilla after a few minutes. This is a very nice and powerful nose but it lacks some depth and development to be fantastic.

Mouth: It starts out with a dark fruity center with honey covered raisins and overripe plums and then it immidiately becomes slightly astringent. The high ABV deals quite the punch and it becomes very peppery after a second or two. The fruitiness is darker up front and fresher in the back with a hint of lemon. There’s a nice gritty and complex chaos going on in the background. It feels earthy and herbal with a hint of dry soil coming through when it settles. There’s also a black coffee bitterness which starts to build up after a few sips.

Finish: The transition is straight forward and there’s no big spike in any flavour or sensation. It sort of continues on its set path along the way. The flavours doesn’t change until the oak starts to take over. There’s a thin floral note floating around somewhere up top with a resemblance to violets. The oakiness is nice enough and does a competent job in keeping the finish going and becomes a bit nutty along the way. The slight astingency never increases which is a good thing. This is a great whisky and a nice powerful sherry bomb.

Additional information
Tracable back to 1968, this was the first cask strength whisky released. It’s aged for around 8-10 years, 70 % in european ex-Oloroso sherry casks and 30 % in american ex-bourbon barrels.

Speyside, Strathisla

Strathisla 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. Honey, red berries and ripe plums create a layer that sits on top of a very clean distillate. Sweet liquorice, vanilla and a hint of salted caramel comes through after some time in the glass. This is not complex and everything seems a bit muted and soft, which makes this very approachable.

Mouth: A very mild start with a thin line of bright fruits coming through. Butterscotch is dominating the whole thing together with vanilla, honey and a hint of darker fruits like ripe plums and black grapes. It’s got a quite thick texture and a nice touch of chili spicyness. Everything is still a bit muted though.

Finish: At first there’s nothing but the mild spicyness. When they finally return the flavours has become less sweet and fruity and more bitter. There are notes of pears and butterscotch in the back, but they are soon overrun by the oakiness. The oakiness follows the same low key profile as the rest of the flavours. This is extremely approachable and easy to drink, but that also means that it lacks complexity and power.

Additional information
Strathisla is one of the main components of the Chivas Regal blends. This 12 YO is matured in a combination of ex-sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks.

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Cragganmore, Speyside

Cragganmore 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. It’s a center of vanilla, honey and toffee with a surrounding disc of fresh green grapes, white wine and a hint of elderflower. There’s also a hint of menthol surrounding everything. This is a one-layer, all-in-one experience. There’s no twist and turns nor changes and the presentation is very tasty in its own right. This is a great comforting easy accessible nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of honey, lemon and vanilla. A speck of dust is present and the white wine note is now creating an aura around everything else. There’s still a toffee note within. The fresh green grapes are gone and the floral note has slightly changed. After a few seconds there’s a increase in spicyness. At the same time the oakiness starts to shine through. It also becomes more floral with time.

Finish: At first there’s a small gap where the floral and fruity white wine flashes by before the honey and vanilla return. They quickly subside and the white wine and elderflower once again take over together with a very pleasant, nutty oakiness. It brings some hazelnuts, but without the bitter tang. In the late finish there’s a lemon note and the oak and the sour note stays for a long finish. This is mild, but it’s still a fantastic malt. This is an easy sipper with a lot to offer.

Additional information
This is one of Diageo’s six bottlings in their classic malts of Scotland series. The cask type isn’t stated anywhere, but it’s suggested on many sites that It’s aged in 2nd fill and/or refill ex-bourbon casks.

Craigellachie, Speyside

Craigellachie 13 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 sweet and malty. At first there’s an icing sugar sweetness and a sour maltiness coming through. There are green apples, toffee and a squeeze of lemon sitting in the middle. After a while the sweetness becomes honey and vanilla and merges with the toffee notes. It takes a while for the sherry fruits to arrive but when they do it’s a mix of fresh forest berries. There’s also a mild minty cloud hovering above everything. This is a great nose which highly benefits from time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a round core of butterscotch and citrus fruits. It soon reveals a nice black pepper spicyness. The sherry notes are now much darker and have become a mix of dried raisins and dades together with notes of citrus fruits. Meanwhile the background gets filled with bitter zest and oak. It feels quite lively and produces a lot of flavours and sensations.

Finish: It starts out with the black pepper note and the butterscotch. The fruitiness is very subdued which leaves room for the oakiness to step forward early. It’s still connected to the bitter zesty lemon notes yet it feels quite dry and dusty. The maltiness is still coming through as the finish subsides. This is a great whisky which presents itself with standard flavours, but does so in a rich and engaging way.

Additional information
The 13 YO is the entry level to Craigellachie’s core range released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Speyside, Tamdhu

Tamdhu 12 YO

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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 vanilla coating surrounding a mixed bag of fruits, with both fresh citrus fruits and ripe dark fruits. There are oranges, raisins and overripe plums. Cinnamon, honey sweetness and vanilla come from the edges and move inwards over time. The fruitiness turns a bit darker too. This is a nice nose with a mild, round character without any big outliers or surprises.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but with a direct impact of honey, vanilla and dried fruits. As the flavour impact increases the cinnamon shows up together with toffee and oranges. A very pleasant spicyness slowly rolls in over the palate and creates a much needed intensity to the whole. A nice bitter note shows up in the back which creates depth and complexity when it merges with the rest of the flavours.

Finish: The transition is quite uneventful and it sort of dips for a second before it once again produces mixed fresh and dry fruits together with a round toffee and honey sweetness. The oakiness shows up early and rolls in from the sides. The finish feels a lot brighter and fresher with the oranges and red berries coming through more clearly. The oakiness stays in an outer layer and in the back which gives the rest of the flavours a chance to come along throughout the finish. This is a really good whisky which just lacks the final little push towards greatness.

Additional information
This whisky is aged in a mix of first and second fill american and european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Speyside, Tomintoul

Tomintoul 16 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 sweet and juicy. At first there’s a thick layer of vanilla, honey and sweet liquorice sitting on top of sweet oranges, clementines, heather and cinnamon. Behind those sits a backdrop of fragrant oak. There’s also a tiny hint of dill somewhere in the far distance. It’s a rich and very welcoming nose with very accessible aromas.

Mouth: It starts out a bit mild but with a hefty dose of black liquorice, together with black coffee and malt. It’s filled with mild kitchen spices and the age is coming through as a dusty oakiness spreading out over the palate. It’s still very honey sweet and the oakiness keeps increasing in intensity. It’s somewhat astingent. The sweet juicy citrus fruits have taken a step back, but they are still present in the background.

Finish: It starts out uneventful and it just seems like it continues seemlessly. The fruitiness moves forward a bit and the oranges and clementines are now joined by some assorted tropical fruits. The sweetness still has a big roll, but it starts to tone down and move out towards the edges. The oakiness is there all the way from the beginning and it’s a very nice, dusty oakiness intertwined with the tropical fruits and some sweet liquorice. This is a good whisky which is a bit too watered down, yet produces some nice flavours.

Additional information
Tomintoul is owned by Angus Dundee Distillers and is known as ”The Gentle Dram”. This is aged for 16 years in american white oak ex-bourbon barrels.

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Glenlivet, Speyside

The Glenlivet Nàdurra – Oloroso Matured

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ABV: 60.2 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and spicy. Chili and black liquorice sit on top of a quite young and lively distillate. Raisins, dades and tobacco creep up along the inside of the glass. The longer it sits the sweeter it gets with notes of Amaretto, honey and a touch of vanilla. A tiny hint of green apples is in there somewhere. This is very powerful with great cask influence.

Mouth: At first there’s a tobacco note and a hefty ABV spicyness. After a few seconds some dried fruits come through together with a quite nice bitterness. There are still notes of raisins, dades and a now prominent honey sweetness. There’s a toffee note in the background. It feels more mature than on the nose and there’s some dustiness on top.

Finish: A strong menthol cloud goes by and it’s start out with quite low key flavours. After a few seconds the bitterness returns together with muted notes of the Oloroso with liquorice, raisins and honey up front. It takes quite the long time before some oakiness appear. It’s a very laid back oakiness that never picks up speed. It’s a short finish that is somewhat disappointing. It’s still a great dram overall.

Additional information
This cask strength release is aged in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. The bottle tried was from batch OL0818.

Knockando, Speyside

Knockando 21 YO – Master Reserve (Vintage 1990)

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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 ripe fruits and dusty vanilla. At first it’s all about ripe red apples, ripe bananas and thick vanilla custard. The age is showing through with a dusty layer sitting on top of all the main flavours. A touch of oak together with marzipan and a maltiness makes this a very rich overall experience. After a while it becomes floral with heather as the main contributor. There’s also a thin layer of fruitiness coming through from the ex-sherry casks. It’s a brighter note with red berries but also a touch of raisins. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: The start is very musty, dusty and just a touch spicy. A somewhat unexpected asparagus note comes first and is soon joined by a thick maltiness and dusty old bookshelves. After a few seconds honey, anise and a muted fruitiness arrives. It’s not as fruity and not as floral as the nose. Ripe apples are still the main fruity element. The oak starts to shine through and it’s got a character of old, grey wooden planks that’s been sitting in the rain.

Finish: It starts out with the same asparagus note, but soon changes towards the fruitiness and the floral notes again. Heather, ripe apples, honey, anise and the old dusty notes linger for a while before it moves towards the oakiness. It’s still the grey oak planks. There’s a small bitter tone coming through, but it fits perfectly within the oakiness. It seems like the fruitiness adapts to it and switches towards grapefruits and orange peel after a while. The finish is very long and very pleasing to the palate. This is a well made whisky. It’s great, but not fantastic.

Additional information
This Knockando 21 YO was bottled in 2014, which actually makes it 23/24 years old. It’s aged in a combination of ex-sherry casks and american ex-bourbon barrels.

Caperdonich, Speyside

Caperdonich 18 YO – Peated

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a thin layer of honey, heather and vanilla with a base note of leathery peatiness. There are also notes of hay and tobacco. It’s very aromatic and with time a layer of friendly green fruits start to appear. A small hint of black liquorice is also floating around inside. The peat sort of mellows out over time. This is a nice nose and everything is very mild but it’s still not flat and boring.

Mouth: It starts out with heather, honey and vanilla up front and a lemon note in the back. It soon turns very astringent, dry and bitter almost to the point where it’s unbearable to keep it in the mouth. It feels a bit ”hot” too. The peat is creating an outer layer and it’s a grassy and herbaceous peatiness. The leather and tobacco notes are now separated from the peatiness and is sitting in the center telling a tale of age. There’s still a green and fresh fruitiness floating around within.

Finish: It starts out with chili spicyness together with a rush of the fresh fruitiness and the heather. It soon turns astringent, dry and bitter once again which overshadows most of the finish. The peat is there, as well as the leather notes in the center. The oakiness is coming through but it’s hard to categorize due to the astringency mixed with the peat. This is an interesting experience, but it’s not the greatest of whiskies. There are nice flavours but they are hidden behind an array of bad sensations.

Additional information
This 18 YO is part of Pernod Ricard’s ”Secret Speyside collection” . It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. Caperdonich is a closed distillery.

Macallan, Speyside

The Macallan Amber

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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 dark fruits and vanilla. At first there’s a thick layer of dark fruitiness with raisins, plums and liqeuer-soaked cherries together with a vanilla coating. There are also a fresher fruitiness within, as well as a hint of cinnamon. The sherry notes feel like a lid on top of the distillate. They do grow more three-dimensional and darker with time in the glass. There are hints of oak peeking through at times. There is also a heavy sweetness coming through and it feels very connected to the dark fruitiness. This is a nice nose, but it feels somewhat divided into two parts.

Mouth: It starts out with lemon in the back and assorted dry fruits up front. After a few seconds it shifts and turns towards a darker character with ripe blackberries and bitter black coffee notes in the back. It turns even darker with time and it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The vanilla and cinnamon are still in there together with a hint of toffee but they are subdued by the dark fruits and black coffee. It’s very mild and even though it’s flavourful it’s not producing any hard impact on the palate.

Finish: It starts out with a quick minty fresh sweep before the dark fruits and black coffee notes return. The vanilla and cinnamon is now really pushed back and that leaves room for the oakiness to emerge from within the coffee notes. It’s a nice oakiness which matches the profile very well. The contribution to the coffee notes aside it doesn’t deliver any other specific characteristics. The lemon note returns in the late finish which isn’t all too suitable. This is a good whisky which has a couple of flaws when scrutinized, but it’s still a nice and easy sipper.

Additional information
Amber is a part of Macallan’s 1824 series. It’s aged in a combination of refill ex-sherry american oak casks and first fill spanish ex-sherry casks. It contains whiskies from 8-18 years old.

Glendullan, Singleton, Speyside

The Singleton of Glendullan Select – Game of Thrones House Tully

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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 red apples surrounded by vanilla and oak. There’s a brighter lemon note floating around somewhere within. There’s a maltiness, and with time also a butterscotch note, slowly moving forward. It stays somewhere behind and then merges with the other flavours. This is a nice, straight forward nose. It is mild and a bit uneventful though.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat for a short moment and then starts with the maltiness, vanilla and butterscotch on top. It soon starts to spread out and become more textured which is a very nice and surprising transition. There’s a hint of sweet liquorice coming through as well as the red apples although they tend to lean more towards being ripe at this point. The butterscotch note seems to move back and then stay as a baseline throughout.

Finish: It starts out with a boost of the fresher fruitiness with a top note of mild menthol. It soon mellows out and return the same flavour profile as before. The finish is quite long, first with the ripe apples, vanilla and maltiness then with a quite nice fresh oakiness. This is a decent whisky with some nice flavours muted down to suit the inexperienced palate.

Additional information
This whisky is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time. There’s not much more information to be found about this GoT release.

Glenfiddich, Speyside

Glenfiddich Experimental Series – IPA Experiment

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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 very fruity and friendly. There’s a rather strong cinnamon and apple cider vibe to it, with a sweetness from vanilla, toffee and honey. There’s also a layer of green grapes and together with the hops from the IPA gives notes of a sweet sparkling white wine. The hops note isn’t dominant. It gets richer and the hops move forward a little bit with time in the glass.

Mouth: Lots of honey, lemon, dustiness, butterscotch and red ripe apples. After a while the bitter hops note appears in the back of the mouth. When it settles, the vanilla and oak flavours take over, but it’s still hoppy. The oak is very nice and sits well between the fruitiness and the bitterness. It’s not very spicy and still friendly and easy on the palate.

Finish: It starts out very sweet, with the honey note up front. It soon becomes very oak forward with a butterscotch and vanilla baseline. The hops follow along with the oak. It’s a tiny bit astringent, but the bitterness is all about the IPA. The oak is dusty and dry and the IPA also releases a sour note. It’s an easy sipper and very approachable.

Additional information
The IPA experiment is the first release in the ”Experimental series”. It’s finished in american ex-bourbon barrels that previously held their single malt and then seasoned with Indian Pale Ale for a month. The finishing period is about 3 months.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Sherry Cask Finish

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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 fruity. At first there’s a rather thin layer of dried mixed fruits and a very present ethanol cloud. There’s a vanilla background and a hint of cinnamon up front. The whole thing is very laid back and nothing pops from the glass. This is a very simple and thin nose. It’s not offensive in any way, but it comes through as a bit boring.

Mouth: It starts out with baked red apples and vanilla up front. It feels richer than what the nose offered. A spicy note builds up and a sulfury gritty note comes through from behind. After a second or two the dried fruits return and replaces the apples. The cinnamon note is still there and it still feels young and spirity. There’s a bitter oakiness coming through in the back and on the sides which isn’t all that nice.

Finish: It starts out a bit spicy and when the initial ethanol cloud settles down there’s a big blur of everything coming through in the center. There’s mixed dried fruits, a lemon note, vanilla and a bitter not so pleasant oakiness all rolled up in a small ball. It takes a while before everything separates and leaves room for the sulfury note and the bitter oak. There is a sort of weird savory note popping up in the back as well. The finish is longer than expected but that is not a very good thing. This is a so and so whisky with both good and bad sides.

Additional information
This version of the Elgin Classic is aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and is finished in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Ballantine’s, Glenburgie, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glenburgie 15 YO

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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 fruity and sweet. At first there’s a fresh, fruity top note with yellow pears and green apples. Underneath there’s a sweet layer of honey and vanilla. The layers slowly shift and trade places with each other. The fruitiness settles in the back and a maltiness appear in the middle. It’s a pretty solid sweet core with all the flavours within. A hint of sweet liquorice also appears when this happens. This is a very approachable and mild nose with a straight forward flavour profile. There’s no sharp edges or surprises.

Mouth: It starts out quite flat and tasteless. It takes a while for the flavours to start coming through. First out is a thin layer of vanilla around the edges and a bitter note in the back. The center is a bit thin and the fruitiness is almost gone but there are malt and oak notes coming through. The sweetness found on the nose isn’t reflected in taste. There’s also a wet cardboard note coming through which isn’t all that pleasant.

Finish: The bitter notes rush forward and basically takes over everything. The fruitiness floats around within and it’s more of a ripe red apple fruitiness now. The maltiness is still there but it’s also thin. There’s vanilla, sweet honey and liquorice but they seem to disappear into the background. The oakiness comes through quite quickly which is a good thing. It’s a nice, dusty oakiness with a nutty character and a very thin tropical fruitiness within. This is a very easy sipper with too many corners cut. It’s thin and too mild at times, but produces an easy access experience for the mass market.

Additional information
The Glenburgie 15 YO was released in 2017 and it’s aged in a combination of refill and first fill american ex-bourbon casks.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic

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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. At first there are apples and pears with a honey and vanilla sweetness on top. The fruitiness is the main focal point though. There’s an ethanol cloud sitting on top which isn’t especially flattering. After some time in the glass it becomes a bit maltier and the fruitiness becomes less bright. This is very simple with an easily approachable nose. It’s nice enough, but it’s not an explorer’s whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and a somewhat unpleasant distillate. It’s very mild, bordering to flat. After a second or two the fruitiness and vanilla start to come through as well as a bitterness in the background. It’s not an especially nice bitterness and it seems to be connected to the oak notes. Over time the bitterness becomes very pronounced and takes over everything.

Finish: It starts out as mild as before and everything sort of dies except for the vanilla and the bitterness. The oakiness arrives within the bitter notes and the ethanol cloud makes itself known once again. When the oakiness finally takes over it’s almost a relief. It’s a nice enough oak which lacks some character. This is not a very good whisky. The nose is by far the best thing about it.

Additional information
This is the entry level in Glen Moray’s core range. It’s aged about 7 years in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

Linkwood, Speyside

Linkwood 12 YO 2007 – The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Cask Series Parcel No. 2 (Elixir Distillers)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet and slightly dusty layer of honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice. Underneath there’s a small basket of green apples and pears. There’s a hint of mint floating around on top. It becomes fruitier with time in the glass. The whole thing is quite delicate and it feels somewhat brittle. In this case that makes it all the more interesting because it still feels very three-dimensional. This is a simple yet absolutely fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts way more punchy than the nose suggest. At first there’s a spicy kick and a rich maltiness. The fruits are still very much in focus and have switched places with the sweet honey and vanilla. In the background there’s a nice touch of bitterness which makes the whole thing fill up the entire palate. It’s still very dusty and the whole thing is extremely rich. The fruits start to change and turns more towards ripe apples after a few seconds.

Finish: It starts out with a continuation of the spicy overlay. It now feels like freshly ground pepper. The sweet and fruity character is continuing on the same path as before; The fruits ripen and move forward while the sweetness moves back a bit more. It still has a malty core and the gentle bitterness is still creating a background layer without increasing in intensity. The oakiness comes fashionably late and when it does it sort of emerge from the bitter notes in the back. It’s a nice and slightly savory oakiness with a small hint of ham and hazelnuts. This is an absolutely fantastic whisky which has a great journey from start to finish. Not all whiskies need big bold flavours to impress.

Additional information
This linkwood was distilled in 2007 and was aged for 12 years in 4 hogsheads by indipendent bottler Elixir Distillers. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Copper Dog, Speyside, Unspecified Distillery

Copper Dog

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Blended Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is butterscotch and fruits. A thin layer of red apples and green pears sit on top of a base of butterscotch and vanilla. It’s quite young and ethanol driven. The butterscotch note is very prominent and keeps on growing with time in the glass. A fresh citrus perfumey note is filling the gaps between the other flavours. This is very straight forward on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with the butterscotch up front and it feels very ”boozy” and young. A bitter tang switches the fruitiness from apples and pears to lemon peel and grapefruits. The oakiness comes in early and it’s somewhat astringent. It’s not as sweet as on the nose. Far in the back there are hints of assorted flowers.

Finish: A very uneventful first impact is soon replaced by the same butterscotch note as before. It almost tastes like a cheap blended scotch in the early stages of the finish. There is some apples in there, but they are overrun by everything else. After a few seconds the oak arrives and it’s a fantastic oakiness with peaches, plum kernels and a fresh juicy oak flavour. It lingers for a while and it’s by far the best part of the experience.

Additional information
This is a blend with 8 Speyside single malts matured in different cask varieties included. They are married together in american ex-bourbon oak barrels before bottling. It’s made in association with the Copper Dog Pub in the Craigellachie Hotel.

Glenlivet, Speyside

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

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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 fruits and ethanol. At first there’s a mix of apples and pears with a vanilla coating. They are covered by a big cloud of ethanol. It takes a minute of two before it settles in the glass and become a little less spirity. When it does settle it becomes round and malty with hints of honey and sweet liquorice. There is a sour note coming through in the background. The fruits are still the main focal point through the nosing. This is a half-decent nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet honey and vanilla layer sitting on top of the same fruits as on the nose. The background delivers quite a hefty and rather unpleasant bitterness coming through together with a prickly oakiness. It’s quite metallic to the taste and the ethanol cloud is still hovering over everything else.

Finish: A big surge of the unpleasant bitterness pops up before the oakiness pushes through. The fruitiness is much fresher here and it’s more like pears and assorted tropical fruits. It’s a nice fruitiness, but it is overrun by the bitter notes and the oak. The late finish is all about a mix of the oak and the fruits. There is a sharp metallic note and the ethanol makes itself known even in the long run. This is a budget whisky and it tastes exactly like the presets. It’s not too bad, but the corners cut are hard to ignore.

Additional information
This was launced in 2015 as the new entry level of Glenlivet’s core range. It’s aged for the most part in american first fill ex-bourbon casks.