Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Cabernet 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 sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of plums and sweet malt sitting in a quite small center. The whole is spirity and sharp at first impact. After a while the center part shifts towards black and red berries together with some baking spices. There’s a black liquorice and blueberry mix forming which is quite nice, but otherwise there’s just a vanilla note and a generic apple/pear fruitiness coming through from the background. This is a decent nose. The cover-up hides any metallic note, but it feels a bit sharp and underaged underneath.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but with a sharp lemon in the back. There are immidiate notes of malt, vanilla and spices coming through as well as a mix of some ripe and fresh fruits. There’s an undifinable note which seems to come from the casks which is rather unpleasant. There’s a nice oakiness floating around somewhere around the edges and there’s a not so nice bitterness in the back. The longer it’s kept in the mouth, the more the unpleasant notes take over.

Finish: There’s a short dip in flavour through the tranisition and it once again becomes sharp and spirity before it returns to the same flavour profile as before with ripe and fresh fruits mixed with baking spices. Everything dies down quite quickly and leaves a surprisingly nice oakiness with a hazelnuts quality to it. The late finish is certainly the best part of an otherwise bumpy journey. This is a budget whisky and it shines through throughout the journey. There are some good flavours to be found, but the cracks in the armour are apparent.

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

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 10 YO – Viking Scars

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
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 layer of honey and vanilla with dried fruits and red berries within. There are raisins and molten plums coming through, but the fruitiness is shifting over time. There is also an immidiate aura of oak hovering around the main flavours. After a second or two a very mild peatiness sort of makes itself known in the background. Over time the vanilla note takes over more and more and a lemon sourness starts to appear. There is a sprinkle of dust somewhere in the middle too. This is a nice and straight forward nose without any big surprises.

Mouth: It starts out with the sweetness up front and a bitterness in the back. It takes a while before it presents any descriptable flavours. First thing to unveil is a peaty background and a dusty layer just above it. In front of that there’s a spicy and bitter oakiness and on too there’s a mix of honey, vanilla and dried dark fruits. There’s also tobacco and black coffee and a big chunk of dark chocolate. The lemon note is still in there as a nice contrast to the heavier flavours.

Finish: It starts out with a mild, cooling peppermint. When it settles it reverts to being slightly peaty and bitter in the back with the sweet notes still in focus. The dried fruits gets a little more attention here just before the oakiness takes over. When it does it brings the peat forward and the finish is much more peaty which gives the whole a much needed depth. There’s still tobacco notes within. The oakiness is rather uninteresting and doesn’t bring anything special to the table. This is a nice straight forward dram which hugely benefits from time spent in the glass before consumption.

Additional information
The ”Viking Scars” name came from a rebranding 2017. It’s matured in ex-sherry casks made from both european and american oak and have natural colour.

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AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 18 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
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 dusty vanilla and butterscotch sweetness filling up most of the center. It’s surrounded by a sweet dried fruitiness creating a thin layer. The fruitiness slowly grows bigger and mixes with the sweetness and becomes a bit darker than before. There’s also a mild menthol note floating around up above together with a floral note. The age shines through with a tiny smell of old furniture but it feels surprisingly fresh for its age. This is a pleasant and quite gentle nose, yet it still feels rich and balanced.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty mix of assorted dried fruits and berries with an outer core of honey and vanilla. It feels very big and it demands a lot more attention than it did on the nose. It’s quite spicy and there’s a nice texture to it. The fruitiness switches towards brighter and sour notes after a while. There’s a nice contrasting bitterness coming from an oakiness sitting way back on the palate at this point. There’s also a mix of kitchen spices floating around. It feels quite complex even though the baseplate feels rather simple.

Finish: The dustiness really comes through in the beginning of the finish as well as a spike in ABV spicyness. Once it settles there’s a mix of sour lemon and darker fruits taking over for a while. A black liquorice note pops up and so do the kitchen spices. The hint of old furniture pops up once again before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice and spicy oak with a hint of oakiness attached to it. It never gets overwhelming but stays for a long time. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer both as a sipper and as a tasting experience.

Additional information
This whisky was first released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and european oak ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 228 – Burgundy Finish

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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 sweet malt and dark fruits. At first there’s a thick layer of figs, raisins and dark chocolate with a sweet maltiness close behind. It takes a few minutes for the nose to balance out and when it does there’s slightly fresher red fruits starting to come up towards the edges together with an oak note. The sweetness do subside, but the whole has a very sweet character and there are honey, vanilla and a burnt caramel note within. There are baking spices in there as well. It’s very easy to approach but it isn’t boring nor flat. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers a seemingly balanced experience for those who give it time to open up.

Mouth: It starts out with a very round and sweet center part with malt, honey, vanilla and the dark chocolate. On the outside it delivers a nice complex mix of dark and dried fruits, a hint of sulfur and the burnt caramel. After a few seconds a spicyness slowly arises from the outside. It takes a bit too long to arrive which makes the first impact slightly flat. The dark chocolate moves outwards and creates a nice bitterness around the edges. It feels young and lively but it’s not unpleasant and metallic. It’s a bit top heavy and there’s a big hole in the back of the palate.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and except for a minor increase in spicyness and the dark fruitiness it sort of just keeps on givning the same flavours and the same set-up with the sweet ball in the middle firmly in focus. It dies down rather quickly though and left is a mild peppermint and a bland oakiness. There’s a misplaced sour note coming through from the back as well. This is a decent whisky, but it’s let down by a rather disappointing finish. It is leaning heavily on the finishing cask which doesn’t cut it all the way through.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in 228-litre Red Burgundy wine casks from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

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Glenrothes, Speyside

GlenRothes 12 YO

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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. Vanilla and liqueur-soaked berries lead way into a mild and laid back start. There’s a layer of honey and a hint of dust sitting in top and a darker fruitiness lurks in the background with hints of raisins and ripe plums. A sweet liquorice note comes through somewhere in the middle. There’s also a floral element with a hint of violets. This is very mild and approachable.

Mouth: A very muted start soon moves over to a thick maltiness and a touch of chili fruits. Vanilla, honey and liquorice are in there together with milk chocolate. The fruitiness stays the same as on the nose with darker fruits and raisins. The floral element is completely gone. There is a brighter fruitiness, but it is buried behind the darker, sweeter notes. The oak comes through after a few seconds. It’s a fresh oakiness and it seems to brings some anise with it.

Finish: A bit uneventful at first and the chili spicyness is subsiding as the seconds goes by. A fudge note with vanilla and honey arrives first and then soon after the liqueur-soaked berries and raisins join in. It takes a while for the oakiness to appear and when it does, it’s a bit muted and slightly dry. There’s no astringency though, but there is a nutty side to it which lean towards hazelnuts. There is also an odd note of a newly sharpened pencil in the late finish. Overall it’s a good whisky, but it is a bit underwhelming.

Additional information
This expression is a part of ”The Soleo Collection”, which is the name for GlenRothes core range released in 2018. It’s aged solely in casks seasoned with sherry. It has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mixed fruits and mellow peat. At first there’s a mix of dried tropical fruits and ripe grapes occupying most of the space in the center. The outer layer consists of vanilla and a muted leathery peat with a hint of tobacco. There is a honey sweetness somewhere in the middle, but it’s not a perticularly sweet nose over all. With time, the dried fruits become fresher and liquorice comes up on the edge of the glass. There’s not much else to it. It’s a nice, but low impact nose.

Mouth: The leather and tobacco peatiness is first to come through, and it’s way more pronounced than on the nose. After a few seconds the whole thing becomes a tiny bit dusty and slowly the tropical fruits arrive. There are some ripe plums and raisins in there and there is a green grape note coming through from the back. It still has a very low impact, but it has a lot more to offer now. The oakiness comes through from behind and a touch of sea salt can be found in the back together with some black liquorice.

Finish: At first, there’s a big gap with no taste what so ever. After a second or two, the fruitiness start to emerge again. It’s now very bright and fruity and there’s a pineapple note which slowly transforms into the oakiness. It’s a slightly dusty oak. It never really takes over and the fruits follow along through the entire finish. The leather and tobacco notes are pushed way back into the background. This is a nice dram with great flavours, but it’s a bit uneventful and never really takes off.

Additional information
Bowmore does not disclose the cask types used in their 12 YO, but it’s bulk seem to be american ex-bourbon oak barrels, and possibly some european ex-sherry casks. This is part of the standard core range.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – Dark & Intense

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and sweet. At first there’s a thick layer of dark fruits, mostly liqueur-soaked raisins and plums, together with honey and pipe tobacco. After a few seconds the peatiness changes towards leather and a warm campfire smokiness. In the background there is a lemon sourness and a salty note. There is a medicinal side to it as well. This is a very pleasant nose, but lacks a little complexity and depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a few seconds of sweet honey and vanilla before the dark fruits and the peat returns. Now it’s very much a pipe tobacco and leather kind of peat. After a while the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter and starts to move towards assorted tropical fruits. At the same time, a nice black coffee bitterness slowly emerges around the edges.

Finish: The assorted tropical fruits are immidiately the main feature and comes through together with a very characterful oakiness. The coffee note remains on the edges and the peat is now residing in the background. The dark fruits is still in there, but sort of floats around somewhere in between the other flavours. A nice savory note surprisingly pops up when everything else is about to disappear. This is a good whisky and decently priced, but it lacks some intensity, which is quite ironic.

Additional information
This is a travel retail exclusive released in 2017. It’s matured in spanish ex-sherry oak casks and hogsheads.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Dusk – Bordeaux Wine Casked

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and peat. At first there’s a quite sweet mix of dark fruits and fresh red berries with leather and tobacco notes attached. In the background there are assorted tropical fruits and a lemon sourness. There’s a peppermint layer floating around on top and just underneath some vanilla as well. It’s a powerful nose. The peatiness comes through mostly as the tobacco and leather notes, which are attached to the port notes as well. There’s a campfire smokiness in there too. It seems very stable and the different layers really don’t move or mix. This is a very nice nose, but the whole seems a bit divided.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness and an ABV punch before it starts to deliver the other flavours. When it does, there’s a long row of things queueing up. Dried fruits (both dark and yellow), dust, malt, floral notes (mainly violets), lemon, baking and cooking spices are some of the starting notes. It’s not as peaty as on the nose and the tobacco and leather notes are really pushed back at this point. The campfire smokiness can be found on the edges. When it settles the violet notes are very much in focus with the rest of the flavours backing it up. It’s a very pleasant experience at this point.

Finish: The spicyness becomes black pepper and spreads out through the transition. It soon gets pushed away by the floral notes, again with violets up front. It almost feels a bit soapy at this point, which is less than ideal. It does shift towards the darker notes as well as the fresher fruitiness which saves it. It’s a long finish and it takes a while for the oakiness to appear. It’s a slightly dry and dusty oakiness and it feels a bit underwhelming. The peatiness has basically disappeared but there are still campfire smokiness and vanilla notes on the sides. This is a very good whisky. It has a lot of blemishes, but it’s still very drinkable.

Additional information
This whisky was aged 12 years in american and spanish oak and then finished for about 2 years in ex- bordeaux wine claret casks.

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Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 12 YO – DoubleWood

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. There’s oranges, both the juice and the peel, together with honey and vanilla. It’s pretty laid back and very easy on the nose. After a while some green apples and pears join the fruity side and a soothing menthol lies as a thin layer over the fruits. There’s a small hint of cinnamon on top of the fruits and maybe just a hint of white chocolate. This is not very complex but still very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: The honey comes first and then a touch of spicyness. There’s an immediate bitterness that comes through together with the fruitiness. It’s orange peel and oak together with vanilla and a speck of dust. The cinnamon is in there as well as a butterscotch note which appears after a few seconds. There’s a small hint of darker fruits well hidden in the background. There’s no astringency and it’s got a nice feel to it overall.

Finish: There’s a small dip in flavour at first, then the orange peel and the oak come back into focus. There are red berries and dried fruits coming through but they never take over. The oakiness is dusty with a touch of bitterness. The honey and vanilla are now long gone. There’s a coffee note, but mainly there’s just a grey weathered oak feel to it. In the tail end the oranges reappears together with a small rye note and gives it a nice send off. This is a good entry level single malt.

Additional information
Released in 1993, this is one of the first wine finished whiskies made. It’s matured for 12 years in second and third fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in first fill spanish ex-Oloroso sherry butts for 9 months.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker Storm

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
The Talisker Storm was released in 2013. It’s aged in a mix of refill ex-bourbon and recharred ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 12 YO – Triple Cask

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. A big bowl of yellow pears, grapes and oranges with vanilla cream and a touch of honey on top. It’s a very fresh and vibrant nose. As time passes the sweetness move forward and a bitter note comes through. The oranges together with the sweetness and the bitterness create a marmelade note. Some apricots are also coming through as well as a thin layer of menthol. The oakiness can be found within the vanilla note, but it takes a few minutes in the glass.

Mouth: The orange marmelade is dominating the palate together with apricots and honey. A touch of spicyness is present but it never really amount to anything special. The oak comes through pretty fast with vanilla, coffee and a feint nuttiness in the back. A distant note of black liquorice resides in the back and sort of adds another dimension to the palate. There’s no astringency and it’s a very juicy dram.

Finish: An immidiate oakiness brings a freshly brewed coffee note. The fruitiness comes slowly and builds up over time, but the oak is just too strong to let it through completely. It’s a quite bitter oakiness with coffee and a touch of hazelnuts. The thin layer of menthol returns and creates an aura surrounding the finish. This is a decent and flavourful whisky.

Additional information
The 12 YO Triple Cask was released in 2013 as the entry level malt in Balvenie’s travel retail range. It’s aged in three different cask types individually; First fill and refill american ex-bourbon oak barrels and first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s then married together in a tun.

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Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 21 YO – 2020 Special Release

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ABV: 56.9 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a fruitiness coming through with mainly green pears and red apples. The fruitiness is surrounded by a sweet layer of vanilla and honey. As it opens up in the glass the sweetness increases in intensity and baking spices start to emerge. It takes a long time before it reaches its peak but when it does, it’s very rich, sweet and pleasant on the nose. It’s very dessert-like with vanilla cream on top of the fresh fruits. There are also notes of age within but it feels very fresh and sprawly. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but there’s a lot of easy access flavours to enjoy.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitterness in the back and the fruitiness up front. It’s really powerful and the age shines through from the get-go with dust, leather and old oak floating around in the middle. It’s thick and malty and it has a complex array of flavours in between the easy access ones. It delivers a fantastic mix of fresh juicy fruits, vanilla sweetness and old casks. There are floral notes as well as spices and even an umami note in the back. There’s also a hint of lemon in the back which takes the edge of the sweetness and creates nice contrasts between sensations.

Finish: The fruitiness surges through the transition together with the ABV spicyness, but it never gets too powerful. It just adds to the experience. When the spicyness starts to fade the juicy pears and apples take over and become the main attraction. There are still baking spices and floral notes floating around and orange peel is now added to the mix, which lead the finish into the oakiness. It’s an old oakiness which is bitter and fragrant. There’s almost a perfumey note attached to it. This is a fantastic and complex whisky as long as it’s given enough time in the glass.

Additional information
This whisky is a cask strength release. It was finished in a mix of ex-PX and ex-Oloroso casks. 7692 bottles were filled. The bottle tried has No. 0129/7644.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Mack

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample in queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

(Scribbles)

Nose: Ripe red apples, butterscotch, vanilla, undefined bitter note in the back. Oaky.

Mouth: Smooth butterscotch, vanilla, sweetness, citrus, oak spices, bitter note’s still in there. Still oaky.

Finish: Oak, black pepper, oak spices linger, dry mouthfeel, bitter note lingers, Hazelnuts.

Additional information
This is Mackmyra’s entry level whisky. It’s matured in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for 5 years before bottling.

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Canada, Highlands, J.P. Wiser’s

J.P. Wiser’s 23 YO Cask Strength Blend

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ABV: 59.9 %
Origin: Canada
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was made to celebrate the master distiller Dr. Don Livermore’s 23 years at JP Wiser’s. It’s made from corn and rye aged in separate casks.

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Japan, Nikka

Nikka Super Rare Old

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was aged mainly in new american oak casks but a mix of rebuilt, recharred, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks are also used. The distillate comes from Miyagikyo and Yoichi. The content is said to be ~10 years old.

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Glenlivet, Speyside

Glenlivet 12 YO – Licensed Dram

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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 mix of cinnamon, vanilla and nail polish remover all sitting in the center with an oakiness surrounding it from the get-go. Underneath lies a ripe fruitiness (mainly red apples) which comes through together with some honey and marzipan. It has a very dessert-like quality and the baking spices are very pronounced. With time in the glass it settles and reveals milk chocolate, toffee and red berries in the back. It becomes sweeter as well. This is a great nose. It’s not the most interesting experience, but delivers a nice solid character.

Mouth: It starts out with a spicyness around the edges. There’s not a lot of flavour coming through at first and it feels slightly spirity. When something finally appears, it’s a mix of oak, malt and vanilla. There’s also an anise note floating around. There’s a mild fruitiness but the whole feels a bit empty and lacks a lot of what the nose offers. It almost feels a bit hot and rushed. With time in the glass it does deliver a bit more of the flavours and mirrors the nose fairly well.

Finish: The spicyness spikes through the transition and when it settles it goes back to being quite empty on the palate. There’s a savory note in the back as well as a bitterness. There are toffee and fruit notes and lemon peel in the back. When the oak starts to take over there’s a perfumey layer attached to it. It’s a bit weird and hard to make sense of. The oakiness has a quite bitter character and without any nuttiness it really doesn’t deliver the best of notes. This is a decent whisky. It has a great nose and lacks a bit in taste. Time in the glass is of the essence.

Additional information
This is the second release from ”The Original Stories” series. It’s matured in a mix of first fill ex-bourbon barrels and first fill european ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 21 YO Château Lagrange French Oak Barriques

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ABV: 48.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet, peaty and fruity. At first there’s a tropical fruitiness in the background, a sweetness in the center and a slightly mineraly tobacco and leather peatiness up front. When it settles it becomes more homogenous and ripe red and black berries are added to the mix. It’s got a nice, dark character and the assorted bright fruits in the back create a nice contrast which still works well. Notes of salt, liquorice and dry soil floats around within and creates a quite complex character. This is an amazing nose with a lot of attention seeking things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a very round and sweet dark fruitiness up front. Underneath there are notes of tobacco, leather and campfire smoke which sits together with the brighter fruits and a dash of lemon. It’s very rich and even though it presents a lot of different sensations it still delivers a fantastic and well balanced character. Laid back notes of the age shines through with some dusty book shelves in the center. There’s still a mineraly side to it as well. The red wine notes travels outwards and makes the whole bigger as the seconds goes by.

Finish: The round and dark berry note increases in intensity through the transition together with the minerals and the salty note. It soon reverts to being a nice mix of the peat, the tropical fruits and the sweetness. It takes a good while before any of the flavours subside to give room for the oakiness. It’s a nice and competent oakiness. It feels fresh for its age. There are some hazelnuts coming through in the late finish with gives it a nice send-off. This is an amazing whisky with a character which creates a fantastic balance and richness throughout.

Additional information
This is the second limited release in a series of french oak expressions. The whisky was aged in french ex-red wine barriques for the entire aging period.

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Glencadam, Highlands

Glencadam 21 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is vanilla and dried fruits. At first there are assorted dried fruits and berries together with a layer of vanilla sitting up front. There’s apricots, raisins and a hint of coconut comes and goes. In the background there are notes of dust and oak. There seem to be a slight gap between the front and the back. With time the layers do seem to connect and cinnamon and a thicker maltiness seem to arrive at the same time. This is a lovely nose with a nice balance, once it has settled in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out sort of backwards compared to the nose. All the dust and oak and hints of the age is coming through up front and the fruitiness is now in the background. There’s a nice coffee and dark chocolate bitterness together with a thin sweetness with honey and vanilla. The fruits are darker and they are a lot different now. It’s more like prunes and raisins and they are creating an almost unnoticable layer in the back.

Finish: It transitions almost seemlessly from the mouth to the finish and the top notes of coffee and dark chocolate remain. There’s a savory note slowly increasing in intensity in the back. The fruitiness makes a quick jump up to the front layer, but immidiately gets pushed back and out on the sides. When the oak comes through it seems like it’s been in there all along waiting for its turn. It’s a somewhat sudbued oakiness with hints of pecan. This is a nice whisky, but the taste doesn’t live up to the things the nose promises.

Additional information
This is nicknamed ”The Exceptional malt”. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO – The Feis Ile Collection 2018

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ABV: 52.5 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a thick mix of dark raisins, overripe plums, tobacco and leather in the center and assorted tropical fruits in the background. There’s a peatiness spreading out towards the sides and the background and it delivers leather, campfire smoke and some minerality to the mix. There’s a nice balance between all the elements and nothing really takes the spotlight. This creates a whole which is greater than its parts, and all the parts are very good. There’s a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon floating around as well as a hint of vanilla and walnuts. This is a fantastic nose with a great cohesive profile.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild and dark center with dark chocolate and tobacco. After a few seconds a fruitiness with multiple layers start to come through on the outside. There’s the dark and sweet fruits and berries, yellow tropical fruits and some lemon. There’s also an elusive floral note floating around. There’s a chili spicyness which slowly builds up around the edges which gives it a nice power-up. The peatiness is in there, but even though it’s quite noticable it doesn’t feel protruding and just adds to the mix instead of taking over. It’s still has a leather, woodfire and minerals character. There’s a slight dustiness within as well.

Finish: The dark chocolate and the tobacco are first out once again. After a second or two the whole cycle repeats itself with the mixed fruits on the outside, the peatiness growing in all directions without taking over and the peatiness now seems to intertwine with the darker sherry notes. There’s a toffee note in the center and the floral note is still floating around somewhere within. When everything starts to reside the whole becomes a mix of dark chocolate, tropical fruits and oak. It’s a very mild oakiness which fits the journey nicely since the rest of the journey has been quite busy. This is a fantastic whisky with a lot to offer, both as just a nice dram and as an explorer’s experience.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. 3000 bottles were released for Feis Ile 2018. The Bottle tried is No. 1280.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – The Devil’s Casks Small Batch Release II

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ABV: 56.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a thick and dark layer with raisins, overripe plums, tobacco and dark syryp. There’s a mild menthol layer on top and underneath lies a fresher tropical fruitiness and a drop of lemon. When it settles a peatiness start to emerge from behind. It’s quite subdued and never really breaks through the thick sherry influence. It’s more of a side note which complements the main flavours. There’s a slight minerality to it and there’s a brine note coming through every now and then. This is a great nose which doesn’t change a lot, it just stays the same throughout the journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet dark layer in the middle and a quite noticable lemon sourness in the back. Soon the peatiness start to push through together with a tropical fruitiness around the edges. There are still raisins, plums and tobacco and a big bag of mixed dried fruits of all kinds. The balance between the peat, the sherry influence and the Bowmore house-style is amazing at this point. With time the menthol note becomes a spicyness which spreads out nicely over the palate. There’s an espresso bitterness coming through in the back as well.

Finish: The transition reveals some oak and some minerals before the dark fruits and the sweetness return. The peatiness is residing in the back together with the oakiness. With time the flavours switch places and the sherry notes make their way to the back and give room to both the oak and the peat. The tropical fruits and the lemon note return at this point and the middle part of the finish is a pure delight. When it starts to fade the coffee note returns and the oakiness takes over. It’s a nice enough oakiness but it’s not the best part of the otherwise lovely journey. This is a fantastic whisky. It’s not perfect as a whole, but offers so many great things throughout.

Additional information
This is the second release in the Devil’s Casks series. It’s aged in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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