Arran, Islands

Arran Quarter Cask – The Bothy

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ABV: 56.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a sweet honey and vanilla layer with oak spices on top. The oakiness is present from the start which brings coconut to the mix as well. Underneath is a zesty lemon note and after a while it’s joined by a mix of yellow fruits like mangos and peaches. The sweetness and the spicy oak is the main event though and it lacks a bit of balance overall. There’s not much complexity to it. It does settle a bit with time in the glass. This is a very nice nose, but the oak is a bit too protruding.

Mouth: It starts out with a spicy oakiness around the edges and a nice fruit mix in the back. The sweetness with vanilla, coconut and honey sits in the center. There’s a savory note in the back and somewhere in the middle a gritty note floats around and makes the whole a lot more interesting and adds complexity to the experience. The fruits are more sour and a bit bitter at this point, with lemon zest as the main note. The spicyness increases over time and adds a nice power-up.

Finish: The fruitiness comes crashing in and delivers a very nice mix of tropical fruits. It’s still mangos, lemons and peaches and now they get to shine for a couple of seconds before the oakiness takes over once again. It’s still packed with oak spices and coconut. It’s not as sweet as before and the main focus is on the oak. It once again becomes unbalanced and the late finish is a woodshop oakiness which comes through as a bit dry. It’s not bad at all, but it obscures the fantastic flavours behind it. After a while the coconut returns as well. This is a very good whisky and you get what the label suggests; A fantastic distillate overrun by small casks.

Additional information
This whisky was aged first fill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in american oak quarter casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Caol Ila, Islay

Caol Ila 25 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
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 sooty peat with a fresher hay note within. The whole feels dry and mineral rich at first. When the peatiness settles there’s room for a honey sweetness and just a hint of marzipan and sponge cake underneath. An apple and pear fruitiness is in there as well as orange marmelade. There’s a ginger note floating around as well. Everything is quite laid back and mellow. This is a very nice nose. It feels a bit younger than the stated age though.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of ginger and peat and it’s quite spicy even though it has low ABV. It’s lemon peel in the back, mineraly peat on the edges and a slightly spirity, aromatic and very sweet center with honey and vanilla. It feels way younger than its age at this point. There is some old oak notes floating around and there’s a hint of cooking spices attached to it, but at this point this isn’t the greatest experience. It feels pointy and unbalanced and nothing feels like it’s sitting in the right place. There’s a savory note arriving in the back for those who wait.

Finish: The transition is a continuation of the existing spicyness and the old oak, which is now increasing in intensity. It’s finally really showing its age with a lot of dusty oak notes and a hint of leather. The peat is still residing at the edges and never really feels like a part of the whole. The sweetness fades quickly and the late finish is all about a nice old bookcase and some lemon peel notes. This is a good whisky, but it really doesn’t deliver as a high end expensive islay whisky should. It’s all over the place, and it lacks power and complexity.

Additional information
This core range was aged for mostly in ex-bourbon barrels with some ex-sherry casks added as well.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran 10 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a nice and rich honey, malt and vanilla layer up front with sour lemons and oranges underneath. There’s a nice top note of a fresh cooling mint even though the whole thing comes through as dense and slightly dusty. It’s very complex and the background is made up by several notes like charcoal, sour dough bread and a hint of iodine. This is a fantastic nose with a lot of things to discover. It feels very homogenous even though there are a lot of things floating around within.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet honey and vanilla mix in the center with the citrus fruits residing out on the edges. It’s still malty and textured and the sweet and sour contrast works together and makes it both dense and refreshing at the same time. The complex mix of flavours are still found within. Charcoal, salt and sour dough bread especially. The oakiness starts to make itself known at this point and adds another dimension to the array of flavours.

Finish: The transition seems very logical and everything sort of melts together and after a second or two it creates a lemon and honey cake. It’s got a dessert-like quality to it. It’s still a bit dusty and there’s still a bit of charcoal left behind. The oakiness adds some tropical fruit notes on top as well as a dry, yet fresh, oaky layer in the background. When most of the flavours starts to fade out the oak, the sour lemon and the tropical fruits stay behind. This is a fantastic whisky with an almost perfect balance between contrasting flavours and sensations.

Additional information
This 10 YO is part of the Arran core range. There’s no information to be found about the cask type(s). It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Myken, Norway

Myken 4 YO Sweet Peat 2021

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ABV: 47 %
Origin: Norway
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and mildly peated. At first there’s a very spirity top layer coming from a young distillate. Underneath lies a thin mix of vanilla, oak, peat and anise. It feels quite robust despite being young and there’s some weird spices and herbs coming from the oak notes. When it settles in the glass there’s a more noticable vanilla and green fruit note taking over. There’s a big improvment to the nose with time in the glass. This is a decent nose overall. The peat is too mild to help the young notes along though.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and there’s an immidiate sour fruitiness with sour grapes and lemon pushing through together with a more hefty peat note compared to the nose. There is still a weird spices and herbs combination coming from within the oakiness, which sits in the back at this point. It’s got a coffee bitterness and anise in the back as well. It still feels very robust and it produces a big flavour profile.

Finish: The transition starts out with a big increase in oakiness and the weird spices and herbs come along for the ride. It’s a very aromatic oakiness. The peat moves to the back and the whole becomes quite savory. There are still vanilla, sour grapes, coffee and anise in there but the oak overruns everything quite quickly and the rest of the finish is all about the weird wood notes. This is an interesting whisky. It’s got a big profile but it doesn’t produce the greatest of flavours.

Additional information
This whisky is a vatting of 5 casks (2 Ex-Sauternes, 2 ex-bourbon and 1 hungarian oak). Both peated and unpeated distillate was used for a 23 ppm level. 1850 bottles were released. The bottle tried is no 1277. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Clontarf, Ireland

Clontarf 1014 – Blended

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a shiny ethanol note sitting on top of a sweet vanilla note. There’s a malty note sitting around the edges of the glass and a bread note develops in the center together with a thin note of baked red apples and some baking spices. It feels pretty harsh and cheap overall though. After a while there’s a lemon note in the back as well. This is a bad nose overall, but there are some decent notes somewhere deep within. But it’s too little to make a difference.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitter note in the back and a very present and unpleasant ethanol layer sitting on top. There’s still a lemon note in the back but here it’s mixed in with a metallic note. In between there’s a generic sweetness and a dry cardboard note. There’s still a bread note and some vanilla within and the apples are detectable, but there’s no incentment to go hunting for them. A weird savory note comes and goes as well.

Finish: The transition starts with a spike of ethanol and oak spicyness and then it gives away some fruity apple and lemon notes. There’s a maltiness pushing through before everything switches to a mix of oak and cardboard with the harsh ethanol notes attached. The oakiness is a bad one and from this point on the experience is really boring and unpleasant. This is a bad whisky. It’s cheap and makes no effort to hide it.

Additional information
This whiskey was triple distilled and filtered through charcoal made from oak. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran Port Cask Finish

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there are assorted dark red berries and vanilla along with a thin cooling mint layer on top. Underneath lies a subtle but nice earthy layer of dry soil and herbs. There are also a honey and liquorice sweetness somewhere in between. Both increase in intensity over time and it ends up quite sweet. This is a fantastic nose which feels like it’s gentle but extremely volyminous when it’s allowed to open up in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy impact of dark fruits and berries together with honey sweetness. A peppery spicyness accompanies it as well as a quite gritty and roudy background with a mix of very dark and ripe fruits, anise and a hint of sulfur, oil and soil. There’s also a hint of dust and dried fruits floating around. A light and floral note is in the as well. It feels very rich and has a nice texture. The flavour impact is impressive.

Finish: It starts out peppery with an even mix of sweetness, dark fruits and the earthy and dirty notes. The impact is immediate. It’s not as sweet as before but there’s now room for additional dried fruits like raisins and nectarines. A hint of lemon peeks through as well. Everything seem intertwined with the dark ripe berries to create a very nice whole. The oak makes a nice entrance from back to front and it’s a very potent oakiness with walnuts, mild coffee and even a sort of savory note on the tail end. This is just a fantastic whisky.

Additional information
This is part of the Arran’s range of wine finishes. It’s aged in refill casks for 8 years then finished in ex-port pipes. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Ban Xanghai, Laos

Ban Xanghai Thai Artisan Village Whiskey

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ABV: 55 %
Origin: Laos
Type: Rice Whiskey (Lao-Lao)
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is harsh and sweet. At first there’s a butterscotch sweetness popping out of the glass with a sharp ethanol note underneath. After a while everything merges together and becomes a slightly funky distillate with an unplacable fruit note within. There’s a metallic note in the back as well. After that, the nose doesn’t change at all. This is a better nose than expected, but it’s still not something which should be nosed or consumed neat.

Mouth: It starts out with a wet cardboard kind of taste with a mild sweetness underneath. With time the whole thing becomes s lot sweeter. There’s a harsh and bitter note in the back and the whole thing tastes a bit chalky and cheap. There’s really nothing to help it along so it’s just ethanol without any interesting side notes.

Finish: It doubles down on everything throughout the transition and it’s just very unpleasant at this point. Luckily everything dies down quite quickly. All that’s left is a chalky note and a dry mouth with what feels like a wood note within the chalk but it’s hard to pinpoint anything of substance. The unpleasantries stay and just won’t go away. This is bad whisky. This is moonshine. It’s not a pleasant drink and it shouldn’t be consumed neat. Or at all.

Additional information
This is a rice whiskey made in the famous Ban Xanghai Whiskey Village in Laos. There are several producers located in this tourist attraction.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO The Accord

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and spicy oak. At first there’s a dark fruitiness with red ripe berries mixed with some fresh ones. There are christmas spices and fresh oak floating around within. It feels quite sticky and sweet overall and there’s a small top note of nail polish remover. When it settles the whole becomes more balanced but it feels a bit engineered and top heavy. The background seems to be missing due to this. A floral note can be found every now and then but it’s quite elusive. This is a nice nose but it lacks depth and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a bit underwhelming compared to the nose. It starts out with a mild sweetness and a hint of oak. First out after that is a lemon note in the back and then a red berry fruitiness arrives up front. It feels way too oaky at this point which really makes it less appealing. The spicyness arrives soon and it mainly comes from the oak. There’s a maltiness in the middle and a hint of tropical fruits start to come through for those who wait.

Finish: The transition is mellow and there are no spikes or dips. The oak and red berry mix continues for a while before the tropical fruitiness kicks in and becomes really pronounced. It comes from within the oak and finally a vanilla note arrives as well. The late finish is all about a sawdust oakiness and is quite boring. This is a good whisky. It’s the new kind of single malt which is way too oaky with a lot of top heavy flavours, which works as a drinker’s dram but not for an interesting and genuine whisky experience.

Additional information
This started out as a travel retail exclusive whisky. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Arran, Islands

Arran Sauternes Cask Finish

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a thick layer of sweetness with honey, vanilla and sweet, green grapes sitting on top of a mix of fresh lemon and tropical fruits. There are pineapple, mango and passion fruit notes within the fruitiness. It feels rich and there’s a spicyness somewhere out towards the edges and it comes from a fairly fresh oakiness. There’s also a salty caramel floating around somewhere on top. This is a very nice nose. It’s not complex and it’s a bit too sweet, but it still feels decently balanced.

Mouth: It Starts out with sweet green grapes and gooseberries and a sweet honey and vanilla richness. Behind the sweetness there’s lemon in the back, now with a bit of zesty bitterness. The tropical fruits can still be found as well. There’s a slight dustiness, some malt and a pinch of salt in the center. It very much has a white wine aura from the finishing casks. After a while a quite complex mix of savory and sour starts to arise in the background and it has a gritty note attached to it. A mild spicyness builds up around the edges for those who wait.

Finish: The spicyness slowly intensifies and it doesn’t take long before the whole array of flavours follow. The tropical fruits gets to shine but they do have the lemon zest in the background as back-up. The front of the palate consists of the honey and vanilla sweetness, but it feels slightly more generic at this point. It’s a long finish and when the flavours start to fade the oak, lemon and spicyness stays behind and gives it a very nice send of. The oak is competent and brings a nice coconut flavour to the late finish. This is a great whisky. It’s a little bit too sweet but overall gives a nice journey throughout.

Additional information
This whisky was aged for around 6 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 8-12 months in Sauternes wine barriques. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig 10 YO Cask Strength Batch 015

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ABV: 56.5 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a sweet vanilla and menthol layer sitting on top of a hot burning campfire. When it starts to settle the whole becomes more medicinal, but the sweetness and the menthol remain on top. There are iodine and tar notes sitting in the center together with a hint of green sour apples. It’s quite mellow despite the heavy peatiness and the high ABV, which makes it very balanced in regards to the sweetness and the rowdy peat notes. Dry soil, liquorice and fresh oak is part of the main character as well. This is a great nose. It’s not very complex, but it delivers a lot of nice flavours.

Mouth: It starts out with a medicinal and mineral rich peatiness building up in the back while the sweetness and warm campfire notes stay at the edges. There’s a spicyness slowly increasing in power and when it reaches its peak becomes a nice powerful effect. It’s not as sweet as on the nose but there’s a nice little tropical fruitiness peeking through in the back. Otherwise there’s still iodine, dry soil and vanilla floating around and they never seem to reside anywhere for a long period of time. This makes it very nice to explore.

Finish: The spicyness increases through the tranisiton and hides most of the flavours. When it slowly disappears it gives room to a nice oakiness which has tiny tropical fruitiness attached to it. There’s a lemon note in the back and an anis root note up front. There’s also a slightly nutty quality to the oakiness, but it’s mostly a grey old oakiness coming through. The finish is still mineral rich with the dry soil note ever present. This is a fantastic whisky which gives a rowdy impression, but it’s a very balanced and flavourful. It’s a brute, but a sophisticated one.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It was bottled in december 2021. This is a limited release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Thorabaig

Torabhaig Allt Gleann – The Legacy Series

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a heavy honey and vanilla sweetness and a dry smoke peatiness. Soon there are notes of mixed fruits arriving in the center. It’s mainly apples and grapes but also a thin ripe note from red berries. It’s young and slightly spirity but it feels really well made which creates an added volume and it does not come through as harsh. There are notes of pipe tobacco and dry soil within the peatiness. The whole feels balanced and well thought out. This is a great nose with a very nice character.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemon note in the back and black pepper up front. In between lies a mix of wet peat and the same fruit mix as on the nose. It’s a slightly more pronounced fruitiness and the fresher fruits are more defined. It’s less peaty in taste than on the nose but there are still tangible peat notes, especially around the edges. There are notes of a very young distillate shining through at this point, but it still doesn’t come through as harsh.

Finish: The transition features a nice increase in intensity without being intrusive. When it settles the peatiness flares up and the ripe grape notes return. It feels quite savory at this point. It doesn’t take long before the oakiness returns and it’s a very nice oakiness with a weird but lovely side note of beer. As time passes the oakiness really get defined and it delivers a great late finish.

Additional information
This whisky was mostly aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels, but ex-sherry and ex-Madeira casks were also used. 2500 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bruichladdich, Islay, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte 16 YO Feis Ile 2020

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ABV: 55.8 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a mineral rich peatiness with a base of honey and vanilla. There’s a minty overlay and a fruitiness in the back. A hint of nail polish remover floats on top at first, but settles as the whole gets sweeter after some time in the glass. The fruitiness is sweet and bright but stays in the back. It’s lemon and sweet ripe grapes. A rounded and mellow oakiness is also found. Everything feels very integrated and well composed. This is a very nice nose with a lot of small things to discover, but has a big character.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and sour initial impact with a peppery overlay and a hint of black liquorice. The peat comes next and it resides at the edges of the palate. The whole is mineraly and slightly medicinal, but the heavy and gritty notes are nicely balanced with the sweetness and the fruitiness. It’s still a honey, vanilla and sweet grapes mix with a twist of lemon in the back. It feels quite oily and rich and after a while there’s a dry soil note floating around as well.

Finish: The transition offers a slight increase in intensity but just sort of continues along the same path as before. The peat spreads inwards a bit more and the fruitiness stays in the background. It comes a bit more ripe than before and the lemon note is overrun at this point. The peat paves way for the oakiness, which seems to emerge from within the peat, first as a campfire, then as a fresh woodshop oakiness. The late finish is nice, with the peat and oak sticking around for a bit. The oak is a bit uninteresting in the end though. This is a great, well put together whisky. It somewhat feels like a thug in a fancy suit.

Additional information
This whisky was made with three different cask combinations: Refill hogsheads/first fill ex-bourbon, first fill ex-bourbon/ex-Sauternes and ex-sherry/ex-bourbon/Virgin Oak. 3000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Auchroisk, Speyside

Auchroisk 23 YO (Dun Bheagan)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is thin and sweet. At first there’s a very mild honey and vanilla sweetness and a spirity top layer. The whole is very laid back and nothing is popping out of the glass. When it starts to settle there are some apples and baking spices slowly emerging. There’s a malty center, but just as the other things it seems to be embaressed to be in there. It really feels younger than its age. There’s a minty note floating around as well. Over time it seems like the whole mostly increases in sweetness. This is a decent nose, but it’s quite simple and straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet center and with a few drops of elderflower juice floating around on top. It feels a bit watery at first but the spicyness and flavours do increase over time. There’s the standard vanilla and honey sweetness and after a few seconds there’s a not so nice bitterness starting to occupy the background. Overall it gets sweeter with time in the glass and it makes a huge difference to the intensity of all flavours. There’s grapefruit and liquorice coming through as well. It feels a bit weird and oddly put together. It does make it fun to explore at this point of the journey though.

Finish: The start of the transition makes the spicyness spread out over the palate. When it settles a nice vanilla and apples dessert-like taste arrive with some baking spices on top. When it starts to fade the elderflower juice pop up once again together with notes of age and oak. There are some dusty bookshelves and they are actually pushing the elderflower note up front. The finish is very nice and really accentuates the age statement. This is a weird whisky. It’s up and down and in disarray most of the time. It’s interesting to explore, but not the best tasting whisky out there.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a single hogshead for the full maturation time. The cask No. is 2061 and it yielded 236 bottles. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glen Grant, Speyside

Glen Grant 12 YO (Travel Exclusive Version)

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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 fruity. At first there’s a mild honey sweetness sitting in top of a fruitiness with apples and pears. As it sits in the glass there’s a top note of ethanol and baking spices slowly emerging. It feels quite dessert-like at this point. It’s rather fresh and lively. Notes of marzipan and coconut are also detectable. When the fruitiness spreads out it also reveals a floral note floating around on the center. This is a very nice nose. It’s not complex nor especially interesting to explore, but works well and has a pretty solid character.

Mouth: It starts out with a big honey sweetness with a malty center. There are notes of vanilla, marzipan and pears, but the fruitiness is toned down a bit from the start. There’s a nice spicyness and it has a nice amount of power coming from the ABV although the ethanol note on top is all too detectable. There’s some notes of age in there as well, but it still feels young and lively. There’s not much happening at this point in the journey. It pretty much stays the same throughout.

Finish: The fruitiness and the marzipan increase in intensity at the beginning of the transition. There’s a late increase in intensity as well. When it fades it almost immidiately moves towards the oakiness. There’s a thin dusty coating over some grey old oak planks. There are hazelnuts as well. This is a good whisky which feels a bit spirity and simple. The late oak finish salvages a lot though.

Additional information
This whisky is a travel retail exklusive version of the standard 12 YO. The cask types aren’t disclosed. It’s has higher ABV than the original and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Jura

Jura 18 YO

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ABV: 44 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and mild peat. At first, a mix of overripe dark berries and raisins create a top layer above a sweet core of vanilla and honey. There are baking spices and a slight dustiness within. A funky complex note is sitting in the middle of it all which makes this quite interesting even though it seems to lack some flavours from the long maturation. The peat is creating a nice backdrop. It feels like the red wine finish sort of creates a lid on top instead of being integrated with the rest of the content.

Mouth: It starts out with a nice and mild spicyness. The peat comes through as a mild bottom layer with a touch of sulfur, leather and tobacco. The main part is still a sweet honey and vanilla core with the ripe berries and raisins on top. The cinnamon is not detectable anymore. It does a better job in taste than on the nose to create a whole. After a second or to there’s a bitter coffee note coming up from the back. It still feels a bit younger than its age.

Finish: It picks up where it left off and the flavour profile is intact all the way through. There’s still a mix of vanilla and honey together with ripe grapes and raisins. The peat is still very mild and creates a nice surrounding layer of leather and tobacco as the oak starts to show up. It’s a very nice oakiness with a walnut nuttiness and a coffee bitterness to it and the late finish is the first time it feels like its age. This is a great whisky, yet it feels a bit manufactured to cover up less active casks used for the long maturation period.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2018. It’s matured for 18 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux red wine casks.

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Glenallachie, Independent bottlers, Signatory Vintage, Speyside

Glenallachie 2008 13 YO (Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection)

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ABV: 63.7 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and powerful. At first there’s a hefty cloud of high ABV floating around on top of a dark pool of espresso, ripe and dried fruits and cacao. When it starts to settle the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter with some fresh fruits mixed with raisins and overripe plums. A vanilla sweetness starts to rise out towards the edges and a leather note appears in the center. The whole is very rich on the nose. The oak is also detectable and it’s a mild oakiness without any sharp edges. This is a fantastic nose which never seems to stop morphing into something different, yet within the same flavour profile.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of the high ABV and it’s almost over the top. Underneath the spicyness it feels very balanced between the dark sherry notes and the fruity distillate. There are dark chocolate, leather and raisins mixed with fresh apples, malt, vanilla, toffee and some dusty wooden shelves. There are some almonds floating around as well. The background has a lemon sourness and a coffee bitterness. It’s not as dark on the palate as on the nose but it feels like a logical and interesting development.

Finish: The powerful spicyness spreads out nicely. It’s certainly making a statement at this point but doesn’t feel like it’s attacking the palate. It’s a dusty and bitter start to the finish but it soon shifts towards a mix of lemon, leather, almonds and oak. A floral note is floating around on top as the oakiness start to take over. It’s a dry oakiness which has a nice mix between new and old. It stays around for a long finish. This is a fantastic whisky which is really fun to explore. (It becomes even better with a splash of water!)

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a single ex-Oloroso sherry butt (No. 900372). It was distilled 2008 and bottled 2022. The bottle tried is no. 487/678. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Klichoman

Kilchoman Sweden Small Batch Release No. 3

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ABV: 48.2 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mild and sweet center core with a soft berry fruitiness, vanilla and oak. On the outside there’s a layer of peat with ashy notes towards the edges and savory ones nearer the middle part. When it settles a very young and spirity distillate shines through and the the top layer gets more accentuated with ashes, peat, vanilla and oak. The sherry notes are quite subdued but mixes nicely with the other notes. This is a good nose which comes through as a bit too young to be great.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy peatiness with a mix of ashes and minerals attached to it. It feels really young and spirity at this point. There’s a sweet and soft fruitiness with red berries and a slight nuttiness, but it’s not enough to hide a harsh spirit note. There’s a bitter note in the back and the peatiness increases in intensity throughout and a savory note is floating around which really doesn’t make any sense.

Finish: There’s a nice amount of spicyness showing up through the transition. The middle part becomes larger and now presents a mix of vanilla, honey, gentle fruits and earthy peat. The outside stays the same as before with the ashy notes on the edges. A floral note is hiding somewhere in between. The late finish is not the most interesting part. It’s the same notes fading out and they leave peat and oak behind. It’s a nice enough oak. This is a good whisky. It’s too young and not very balanced, but offer a nice peat punch whenever one needs it.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso and ex-PX casks for an undisclosed amount of time. Batch size was 1260 bottles. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig 25 YO (2019)

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ABV: 51.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh fruits and peat. At first there’s a fresh fruitiness with green apples and a hint of tropical fruits. There’s a nice, mild peatiness with a tobacco character and just a tiny amount of iodine. Every note seems to be intertwined and it fits together nicely. After a good while in the glass there’s a lemon and elderflower freshness arriving, as well as the ambience of a dusty old cellar. A sweet side completes the whole. It consists of milk chocolate, vanilla and honey. A lot more fleeting and illusive notes pass by throughout. This is a fantastic nose which feels complex and extremely balanced.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness up front while a nice spicyness gently spreads out over the palate. A tropical fruitiness starts at the edges and moves in towards the center where green apples and lemons meet up. The peat is integrated in both the sweetness and the fruitiness and brings iodine and minerals to the mix. At this point it feels fresh and lively for its age but there are notes of age in the back with some dusty old bookshelves. It’s a sweet and sour character overall.

Finish: The transition feels logical and there are no surges or dips in flavour. The tropical fruitiness and the lemon note are really taking charge up front while the peatiness lingers out on the edges. It’s almost a sweet white wine character in the early finish. When it starts to fade the fruitiness hangs on, and so does the peat, while the oakiness starts to emerge from the back. It merges with the fruitiness and brings some notes of age with it. It’s a slightly nutty and dusty oakiness which seems to fit perfectly with everything else. This is a fantastic whisky. It’s extremely balanced and brings with it a wide arrange of sensations and flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon casks and it’s a cask strength release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength – Release No.2

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ABV: 63.9 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a big hit from the high ABV spicyness. After a few seconds it mellows out and reveals a mix of dark fruits surrounding a sweet honey and vanilla core. There are raisins and overripe plums with some dark chocolate and earthy notes within. The sweet core has some toffee coming through. There’s also a heathery floral side to it. The high ABV creates a medicinal character which gives the whole another dimension. With time the sherry cask influence increases. This is a great and powerful nose which gives the explorer nice layers to peel off one by one.

Mouth: It starts out with a very spicy ABV kick which affects all parts of the mouth. The front of the palate is now full of fresh lemon while the back part houses the dark fruits, pipe tobacco and dark chocolate. In between lies the floral notes. It is almost too powerful at first impact which makes it somewhat hard to approach even for a seasoned whisky drinker. If water is added there are mixed dried fruits and cinnamon arriving and for those who persevere it becomes very balanced between the different flavour elements.

Finish: The spicyness spreads and creates a nice warm blanket on top. It immidiately becomes darker and the focus lies on the raisins, overripe plums and the dark chocolate. The sweet side is subdued throughout the finish. After a while a very nice damp and dusty oakiness starts to emerge. It evolves into a big hazelnuts and old cellar combination which fits the flavour profile extremely well. The late finish consists of dark chocolate, tobacco and the nutty oakiness and it delivers an extremely long and rewarding finish. This is a great whisky. It’s young and rowdy, but has been given a very nice suit to grow in.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of both european and american oak ex-sherry casks and a small portion of ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 18 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a mild honey and vanilla base with a nice ripe berry fruitiness. There’s a grittier side to it as well with raisins, a hint of rubber and dry garden soil. When it starts to settle there’s a nice cinnamon note on top and some fresher fruits in the back. The vanilla evolves into a fudge/toffee note. It feels quite vibrant for its age and it takes a good while before notes of age appears. This is a very nice and well balanced nose which delivers a nice experience overall.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild toffee sweetness. Everything grows quickly and becomes quite big and rich. There’s a nice pepperiness approaching from the back while the ripe fruitiness starts to push through the sweetness in all directions. There are raisins and overripe plums as well as a lemon peel bitterness in the back. It really shows age at this point with some dusty leather books mixed in with everything else. The cinnamon note is still in there as well. It still feels very balanced.

Finish: The spicyness spreads slowly over the palate and a fresh orange/lemon fruitiness mixed with the dusty book notes arrive first. The ripe fruits and the gritty notes have moved backwards and now creates a nice dark backdrop. Everything is in its place and the movements almost feels orchistrated. The oakiness is fashionably late which is a good thing. It lets everything shine to its fullest before taking over. It’s a nice slightly hazelnutty oakiness which feels… very well balanced. This is a really great whisky which is very well put together. It feels almost too predictable at times.

Additional information
This whisky has been aged in refill casks and then finished in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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For the love of all things whisky/whiskey