Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig Four Oak

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peaty and medicinal. At first, this is a burning log fire. Behind the heavy layer of peat there are notes of a salty seashore breeze and a medicinal iodine. Strong notes of vanilla together with a sweetness moves forward. It gets ashy with time in the glass. Assorted ripe red berries are found in the background somewhat integrated into the wall of flavours. This is a decent nose which suffers slightly due to low ABV.

Mouth: A lemon note rushes by and sweetness spreads out. It doesn’t take long before it turns very peaty and medicinal though. The fruitiness is still found, but it’s covered by vanilla and honey. A more earthy and grassy peatiness also comes through. The oak starts to move forward with a tiny bitterness. The note of honey is still very noticable and there is a savory note somewhere in the middle. A spicyness slowly builds up over time.

Finish: A mild burst of spicyness quickly pass by and then the medicinal peat and the oakiness takes over again. The oakiness is dry but not astringent and it brings more of the vanilla and a hint of walnuts. There’s no fruitiness nor honey found in the late finish but the savory note comes through once again. The peaty notes stay for a long time after everything else has subsided. This is a decent whisky which could be a lot better with a more powerful impact.

Additional information
This travel retail exclusive expression was released in 2017. The maturation is done in four different cask types; Ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin oak casks and european hogsheads. It has about 40 ppm.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Björksav

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ABV: 46.1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a lemon sour note surrounding a malty, sweet center part. There’s an oakiness somewhere in there and it’s a freshly cut oak note. As it settles in the glass everything becomes vanilla and toffee sweet with a green fruitiness, something close to gooseberries or maybe hard, green pears, maybe fresh flowers. The senses really don’t seem to merge and it feels very divided and it doesn’t add up. There’s a slight menthol note floating around on top. This is a decent nose which lacks balance. The oakiness is too intrusive as well.

Mouth: It starts out with very sour outside layer with lemon zest, a very harsh oakiness and liquorice root. It’s astringent and it takes a while before the maltiness arrives in the center. It’s not as sweet as on the nose but there are still vanilla and toffee to be found. It’s really not a pleasant experience at this point. The floral and fruity notes are pushed back and merges with the lemon notes in the back. It’s quite spicy and it feels like it’s all coming from the oakiness.

Finish: The finish is at first spirity and harsh and then the spicyness increases to do some cover-up work. It’s still zesty in the back with the bitter note now being attached to the oakiness. Everything soon have to give way to the oakiness and the late finish is like chewing on a piece of oak. There are some side notes floating around but it’s all about that oak. This is not the greatest whisky. It’s harsh, over-oaked and unbalanced throughout the experience.

Additional information
This whisky is a 2021 seasonal release. It’s aged in ex-Bourbon (30 %), Oloroso sherry seasoned american oak casks (24 %), swedish oak casks (8 %) and ex-birch sap wine casks (20 %). There are also casks used which just are named ”spicy casks” (18 %).

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Kentucky, Rebel, USA

Rebel Straight Bourbon Finished in Tawny Port Barrels

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ABV: 45 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a big vanilla and fresh oak sweetness with a side note of sweet dark fruits. There are raisins and candy cane mint sitting together with a caramel note which adds to the sweetness. There’s also a nail polish remover note floating around on top. The port feels really integrated in the experience and the whole comes through as very balanced. It doesn’t create any complexity though. This is a very good nose overall.

Mouth: It starts out with a brown sugar sweetness up front with a cherry and raisin fruitiness in the back. The oakiness, and spices deriving from it, emerges from the back. There are notes of vanilla, corn and caramel as well. It feels quite metallic in the back which brings it down a bit. It feels quite complex and there’s a nice mix inside which gives some coffee notes and some ripe fruit notes.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge of candy cane mintiness and fresh red berries with cherries at the forefront. The transition is amazing. Vanilla and oak are added and the spicyness comes with it as well. The ripe notes and coffee are still in the back. The longer the finish goes, the more of the oak and the coffee comes through. Dark chocolote is added. The late finish is just the fresh oakiness running out its course. This is a great bourbon with a finishing period which matches the character in a balanced and delicious way.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is s limited release of 6000 bottles and is the third annual special release. It was aged for more than 4 years and then finished for 6 months in ex-Tawny Port Casks.

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Scotland, Teacher’s

Teacher’s Highland Cream

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland Unspecified
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly peaty. At first there’s a mix of toffee, vanilla and some assorted fruits. Underneath lies a mild peatiness, but everything is coated with a thin, but rather unpleasant, grain alcohol note. It’s quite malty though and when it settles there’s a lot of flavour in it, but there’s no complexity and it really lacks power. This is an okey nose. It’s a simple blend with a decent amount of malt whisky in it.

Mouth: It starts out with a big peat hit, which is a somewhat big surprise. There’s an immidiate nuttiness as well. There are sour notes in the back and thery’re slightly metallic. There’s green apples within the slight fruitiness. The main part is a mix of toffee, malt and vanilla. The grain part still lies like a wet blanket over everything though. There’s a bitter side to it after a while. It seems connected to an oak note in the back. For those who wait there’s a spicyness building up, but it’s too little, too late.

Finish: The transition is uneventful with a slight dip of flavour. The fruitiness and the peat is first to come back, but soon after the toffee, malt and vanilla make another appearance. The background then fills with a bitter oakiness. The nuttiness return in the late finish. The grain alcohol note follows along through everything. This is a decent whisky and a good blend. It has a decent portion of malt whisky and delivers some nice flavours.

Additional information
This whisky is made by Beam Suntory. It’s main malt character comes from the Ardmore Distillery.

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Inchgower, Speyside

Inchgower 14 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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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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Abasolo, Mexico

Abasolo

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Mexico
Type: Corn Whisky
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky is made from nixtamalized Mexican Cacahuazintle corn and aged in a mix of virgin oak and refill corn whisky casks.

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Japan, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Contact S

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ABV: 55.5 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and oaky. At first there’s a very young and spirity note on top and underneath there’s a lot of oak with a fruity banana note attached. First out after that is honey, followed by vanilla and a perfumey mix of nail polish remover and scented wood. It’s very sharp and unpleasant. There’s a hint of dried dates somewhere in the back as well. This is a weird nose. It’s sharp and unpleasant, yet comes through as a banana liqueur.

Mouth: It starts out with a strong mix of young, sharp ethanol, oak and assorted fruits. It’s very spicy and the oak and banana remain throughout. Underneath there’s a dark chocolate bitterness starting to emerge together with dates and raisins. There’s still the perfumey wood note swirling around. It’s quite hot and it feels a bit hostile after a while. It’s not pleasant at all.

Finish: The transition sees a huge spike in spicyness and it’s way too hot and unpleasant. The banana note finally disappears and the background notes are finally shining through. The dark chocolate and dades are joined by a sawdust oakiness which dries out the mouth. When the chocolate note disappears the banana returns once again. The oakiness in the really late finish, when the hotness finally resides, is actually not that bad and has a decent character. This is not a great whisky. It feels rushed and comes through as young and way too spicy.

Additional information
This whisky is the third release from the distillery. It was aged for 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks and ex-sherry casks. 5000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bushmills, Ireland

Bushmills 16 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Ireland
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 a spirity note on top with a sweet and malty center underneath. Inside the sweetness there are notes of vanilla, honey and sticky red berries. There’s a thin sawdust oakiness surrounding the edges. When it settles the maltiness becomes bread-like and the spirity note becomes more of a menthol freshness. The red fruitiness really have to fight to keep up with the other flavours and nearly succeeds. There’s a slight hint of hazelnuts and baking spices as well. Time in the glass helps but it feels younger than its age. This is a good nose with a lot to offer, yet it somehow doesn’t feel like a weighted composition.

Mouth: It starts out with the oakiness out on the edges and fresh red fruitiness, honey and oak in the center. It doesn’t take long before it becomes malty and bready. There are some tobacco notes and baking spices floating around. It lacks some power to carry all the flavours. There’s a slight bitterness in the back and as time passes the fruitiness grows darker and more ripe. There’s a hint of tropical fruits emerging from from the back and so does an older oak note. This creates a nice contrast and brings complexity to the whole.

Finish: The transition is mellow and lacks a bit of power. The malty notes return and so do darker fruits. They soon get pushed away by the tropical fruitiness, baking spices and a very nice nutty oakiness. There’s a lemony zest note in the back and this point in the finish is amazing. The late finish really shows off the age with the old oak, hazelnuts and some delicious tropical fruits. This is a great whisky which could have been amazing if it wasn’t watered down. The finish is pure magic.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks then finished in port pipes. It’s triple distilled.

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Italy, Puni

Puni Sole

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Italy
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a heavy mix of vanilla, oak, honey and ethanol. It’s quite spirit driven and it’s very oaky which isn’t the best first impression. After some time in the glass there’s a sticky red fruitiness starting to emerge, but it has to fight hard against the oak and the ethanol. There’s also a brighter lime fruitiness which, in time, mixes with the sticky red fruits. Liquorice is in there as well. The ethanol moves towards becoming a minty top layer. The whole profile seems a bit off, even though it has some common characteristics in there. This is a weird nose. It’s not all that bad, but it just doesn’t make sense.

Mouth: It starts out with the ethanol and a spicy oakiness. There’s a lot of honey and sweet liquorice as well. The fruitiness is quite weird. It comes through as dark and sherry driven with hints of tobacco and nuts together with sticky sweet berries, but there’s still a weird sour note attached to it. The oakiness mellows out over time as well as the spicy notes which makes the other flavours come through a bit more. It’s still minty and young, but it’s less intense in taste.

Finish: The transition sees a spike in spicyness, but mainly it pushes the sweet liquorice notes way up front. It’s really liquorice heavy through a big part of the finish. There are honey, vanilla and oak. The fruitiness is still weird and resides in the back for now. It tastes a bit metallic after a while. The oakiness arrives late and it’s a fresh oakiness mixed with a hint of nuts. It’s a fairly nice ending to quite the journey. This is a good whisky but prepare for a weird and interesting experience. Sure, it’s young and spirit driven, but it’s fun. The oakiness is a bit overbearing though.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-PX sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig Cairdeas Master Edition Feis Ile 2010

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ABV: 57.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is medicinal and peaty. At first there’s a mix of iodine, dry soil, campfire smoke and honey. When it settles there’s a slight fresh fruitiness starting to emerge. Vanilla and honey continuosly move forward and the whole becomes very balanced between sensations after a while but it’s still rowdy. There’s a lot of small things floating around like lemon, butterscotch and coastal notes as well. This is a great nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate dry astringency and a nice spicy touch with a sweet outer shell. There’s a big hit of iodine and coastal notes together with a burnt oakiness with a hint of old wooden furniture. It’s sweet and there’s still a vanilla and honey layer surrounding everything. It’s not fruity at this point and the spicyness is hiding a lot of the intricacy found on the nose. It’s got a rich mouthfeel nontheless. After some time the complexity grows and the notes of old oak becomes more clear.

Finish: The transition is surprisingly soft and it never spikes. The spicyness is still high but it adds to the experience without overpowering everything else. The lemon note is now quite strong in the back. The middle part is accentuating the old wooden furniture with some dust. The sweetness is still surrounding the edges and the medicinal notes float around somewhere in between. The late finish is old oak and peat. There’s a thin, bitter coffee note added in the late finish. It lasts a long time before it fades. This is a fantastic whisky which accents the Laphroaig character really well.

Additional information
This whisky was aged for 11-19 years in ex-bourbon hogsheads. 5000 bottles were released.

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Isle of Lime, Sweden

Isle of Lime Gotland

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and spirity. At first there’s a spiky ethanol note sitting on top of a sweetness with malt, honey, vanilla and just a hint of red berries. It feels young and it takes time for it to mellow out in the glass. There’s a peaty touch slowly increasing over time. It has an earthy and grassy character. The ethanol note shifts and becomes a menthol layer sitting on top of everything else. There are liquorice and tobacco to be found as well. This is a decent nose. It young and spirity, but it still manages to produce some complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness, the spiky ethanol and a slightly bitter oakiness. It’s malty and robust. Honey, vanilla and some raisins are joined by a tobacco note which seems to sit between the red fruitiness and the mild peatiness. There’s a dry garden soil note floating around as well as a floral note and some liquorice. It’s got a nice spicyness to it which gives it a nice presence.

Finish: The transition is mostly dry and earthy with the spicyness increasing slowly. It takes a while for it to settle and when it does there’s a bitter note in the back and the oakiness in the center. The floral note and the tobacco is now residing out towards the edges. The late finish is dry and slightly astringent. The oakiness never impresses but makes a competent effort to fit in to the profile. This is a good whisky for what it is; A young expression with a rushed flavour infusion.

Additional information
This whisky was aged for 4-7 years in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-PX and Oloroso sherry hogsheads.

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Glen Spey, Speyside

Glen Spey 12 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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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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Highlands, Teaninich

Teaninich 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
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 timid mix of sweetness and peat with a floral side note. It feels young and rough around the edges. Everything is very mellow and hard to get to. There’s a weird mineral note floating around and when it starts to settle there are some citrus fruits and some caramel popping up. This is a weird nose which manages to be all over the place and way too laid back and timid all at once.

Mouth: It starts out with mild mix of oranges, vanilla, honey and minerals. There’s a sour lemon in the back and soon the peat arrives and it’s a much bigger peatiness than before. There’s a nice little spicyness and the floral notes persists and almost feels soapy at this point. It still feels young and a bit spirity. There’s a bitterness building up in the back together with the lemon and there’s a burnt caramel in the center. It’s not logical whatsoever at this point.

Finish: The transition gives a slight increase in sourness and spicyness. When it comes down there’s a slight void in the middle and the peatiness is joined by an oakiness and the floral notes around the edges. As time goes by the oakiness takes over. It’s a chalky oakiness and it’s quite boring. The finish is flat and it never really manages to bring some order to the chaos. It just dies. This is a decent whisky overall. It’s not especially well made, but it still comes through as quite drinkable.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Teaninich, yet it is limited.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 10 YO – Chinquapin Virgin Oak

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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 oaky. At first there’s a pugnant new oak lid on top with a lot of vanilla attached to it. Underneath is a brown sugar sweetness with banana and a hint of marzipan. It almost comes with a bourbon profile at first, but after a while the maltiness arrives together with some assorted green fruits. There’s a hint of varnish in there as well as some honey and butterscotch. This is a decent, yet over-oaked and boring, nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter note in the back, a sweetness in the middle and an oakiness all along the edges. Coffee, dark chocolate and banana are all coming through as well as a spicy chili note, butterscotch and some lemon zest. There is also a fresher green fruitiness floating around. Everything is covered in an aggressive oakiness which makes it feel very unbalanced. The oakiness is quite unique and it very much does deliver what the box says. It still feels a bit boring though.

Finish: The transition is quite logical with a slight increase in spicyness, especially the spices coming from the oak. The sweetness, vanilla and the green fruits are joined by liquorice, but everything swiftly passes by before the oakiness once more takes over. In the finish the oakiness shifts towards a more nutty character with walnuts, coffee and with a hint of the banana still in there. It’s slightly astringent and the late finish is slightly unpleasant. This is a so-and-so whisky by taste, but it delivers on its promises. This means that the consumer needs to be an absolute oak lover.

Additional information
This whisky was first in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 18 months in Chiquapin virgin oak barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Darkest

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a balanced mix of dark and dried fruits, tobacco and vanilla. There are baking spices and brown sugar as well as dark chocolate. When it settles the whole becomes slightly sweeter and the fruitiness becomes raisins and overripe plums. There’s an elusive soapy floral note coming through from the back and a thin layer of menthol on top. There’s peat coming through, but it feels so integrated within the whole to be a main event at this point. This is a great nose with a balanced profile, minus the soapy note.

Mouth: It starts out with a tobacco and campfire smoke peatiness with fresh red fruits mixed in. There’s a slight cocoa bitterness coating the mouth while the other flavours try to find their place. It’s less sweet than on the nose and it really makes good on its name on impact. The dark fruits are dominating the center with a mix of raisins and overripe black plums. There’s a tropical fruitiness forming in the back together with the soapy floral note, which persists from the nose.

Finish: The transition is just a continuation of the flavours from the mouth. The low ABV is definitively a factor here, but it still feels rich and flavourful. The cocoa bitterness is still coating the mouth and the center part continuosly becomes brighter and fruitier. It’s a big bag of dried tropical fruits and blackberries. The peat and tobacco notes moves out towards the edges and the oak finally gets a chance to peek through. It’s a nice laid back oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts and tropical fruits. The weird soapy note never goes away. This is a really good whisky with a balanced and well thought out flavour profile. It would have been exceptional without the weird soapy off note though.

Additional information
This whisky is the original NAS version of the Darkest release. It’s aged for 12+ years in a mix of spanish and american oak and then finished for ~2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Auchroisk, Speyside

Auchroisk 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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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 spirity. At first there’s a laid back sweetness with a big hit of ethanol. It comes through as a bit unpleasant from the start and it takes a while for it to settle in the glass. When it starts to open up there are vanilla, honey and butterscotch notes. The ethanol layer never really goes away and it feels younger than its age. There’s a slight hint of coastal seaweed notes and overripe fruits somewhere within but they doesn’t seem to fit in. This is a less than great nose. It’s spirity and uninteresting. It does get slightly better with time.

Mouth: It starts out somewhat flat with the same sweet and spirity character as before with just a hint of cardboard within. It then moves into herbs, spices and peat. There’s black pepper, burnt hay and lemon with a side note of oak. It’s slightly bitter and It’s very different in taste with a more peaty character. It’s not a peat monster in any way but it’s nice to get some flavour from this experience.

Finish: The transition is quite uneventful. The sweetness slowly fades and the peat notes moves to the back. This leaves room for a bitterness and the ethanol note which still brings unpleasantries to the mix. It quickly moves on to the oakiness which is decent and slightly nutty. This is a so and so whisky and it’s understandable that they use it in blends and not as a standalone brand.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Auchroisk, yet it is limited.

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Dailuaine, Speyside

Dailuaine 16 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick sweetness, both from ripe red fruits/berries and from a vanilla/honey mix. There’s a stickyness to it, but there’s a small but piercing fresh raspberry note breaking through. There’s a slightly unpleasant turpentine note which brings it down a notch. With time the vanilla grows strong around the edges and some floral notes arrive. It doesn’t produce much age notes and feels much younger than its age. This is a nice nose. It would be a lot better with a bit more umpf and some notes of age, but it’s pleasant enough.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla before producing raisins and overripe plums together with a hint of sulfur. Within there’s a mix of both cooking and baking spices and on top there’s a black pepper spicyness. The turpentine carries over from the nose and still brings it down a bit, but less than on the nose fortunately. There’s a small hint of some dusty oak in the back and it finally shows some age. It’s not much but still something. There’s a slight bitterness in the back and a hint of play-doh as well.

Finish: The transition starts with a much needed slight increase in spicyness which helps it along. Underneath, the ripe fruits and berries fight for attention with the sweet notes and the vanilla. In the end the latter wins and merges with the oakiness. It’s a dry oakiness which has many faces. One is vanilla rich, another is slightly bitter and the third is a grey old dusty one. This is a very good whisky, which feels a bit mistreated by the cask selection.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky except that sherry casks were involved. It’s the only standard release of Dailuaine, yet it is limited.

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Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow 13 YO – Red (2020 Release)

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ABV: 51.6 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and peat. At first there’s a sweet toffee center and a layer of dirty peat with a hint of tobacco and motor oil. An outer layer with sweet notes of red grapes and dried fruits from the red wine cask is creating a very nice complexity together with the sweet core and the peat. In the background there’s the classic Springbank rubbery funky note which creates depth. Every once in a while a hint of marsipan comes through and with time in the glass a very pronounced black liquorice note sits around the edges. This is a marvelous nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild lemon sourness around the edges before honey and peat sort of grow from the center and out. The toffee comes through once again, now together with a dark ripe fruitiness with overripe red berries. There’s a speck of dust in the middle. With time it becomes quite spicy. There’s also some cardemum and cinnamon floating around together with the rubbery funky note. A small bitterness comes through after a while too, but the oakiness stays way back in the background.

Finish: A big peat punch with soil, hay and tobacco hits the palate and it takes a few seconds for it to mellow out. When it does, the whole thing starts to shift towards a tropical fruitiness and the oak. The toffee and honey moves back but doesn’t disappear. The rubbery funky note and the red wine notes are ever so present and the finish goes on for a long time. The oakiness comes with a speck of dust and some walnuts. This is an absolute masterpiece.

Additional information
This january 2020 release of Longrow Red is aged for 10 years in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It’s then finished for 3 years in chilean ex-Cabernet-Souvignon red wine casks. Only 9000 bottles were produced in this batch. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 10 YO – Local Barley 5th Edition

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ABV: 56.2 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and earthy with a big bucket of fruits. At first dry soil and honey comes through sitting on top of raspberries, tropical fruits and lemon. As usual the Springbank character with notes of rubber and oil creates a base layer and complexity. With time in the glass the honey, with vanilla and sweet liquorice takes over more and more.

Mouth: It starts out very honey sweet and quite spicy. It’s fruity, but very dirty and rough around the edges. Dry soil, rubber, oil, ash and tar creates a powerful outer layer with the fruitiness trapped within. The fruitiness is now leaning more towards citrus fruits like oranges and lemon, but there are notes of ripe red berries and raisins sitting in the background. It’s somewhat astringent, but there’s no oakiness present yet.

Finish: A nice spicy cloud fills the mouth and lemon is the first thing to break through followed by a growing center of red berries and a tropical fruitiness. The rough and dirty notes is a bit toned down in the finish, but that just seems to help the oakiness to push through. It’s a fresh oakiness with a bitter touch, vanilla and a walnut nuttiness. The finish is very long and rewarding. This is a great whisky with a complex array of flavours.

Additional information
This is the 5th Edition of Springbank’s local barley series. It’s made with Optic barley from High Cattadale farm. It consists of whisky aged in ex-bourbon (77 %), ex-sherry (20 % and ex-port (3 %) casks. It’s limited to 9000 bottles worldwide. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Klichoman

Kilchoman Saligo Bay

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mix of warm ashy peat, burnt hay and a vanilla and honey sweetness. Underneath there’s a hint of baked red apples. In the background there’s a dry soil earthiness coming through. With time in the glass the ashy notes increase in intensity. This is a nice, very straight forward peat dominant nose without any perticular complexity.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and quite spicy. The peatiness is strong and creates a thick outside layer. The core reveals ripe apples and a hint of toffee. There’s a lemon zest sour and bitter side to it in the back which actually fits rather nice together with the otherwise warm and thick profile. It still lacks a bit of complexity but it has a nice texture to it. There is a spirity youthness which do come through after a few seconds but the cask influence and the heavy peat do a good job of covering it up.

Finish: The sweetness slowly turns towards toffee and there is a small spike in the spicyness. The peatiness remains as a thick outside layer throughout the transition. The oakiness emerges from the ashy peat notes and after a few seconds there’s a burnt oakiness with vanilla dominating the finish. The fruitiness disappears quickly but the lemon notes in the back stays and turns a tiny bit metallic when everything else dies down. This is a very nice and well made whisky even though the young age is shining through.

Additional information
The Saligo Bay was originally released as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged for 5 years in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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For the love of all things whisky/whiskey