Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 15 YO (2018 Release)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet, salty and savory. There are rubber, motoroil and ash notes together with assorted dark fruits, red berries and salt. It’s got a sweet aura of honey and peat, but it’s so well integrated it almost feels like it’s coming from within every other flavour. There’s a tiny minty note hiding in the background. This is a well balanced, complex nose with a phenolic touch.

Mouth: At first it’s got the honey sweetness up front and soon the savory note shows up as a baseline. All the other flavours then comes through one after another. First red berries and ripe plums, then salt, ash, rubber and a squeeze of lemon. There’s a spicyness coming through after a few seconds.

Finish: A whiff of ashy smoke comes through before getting back to the savory notes and the sweet fruitiness. The rubber note flares up and goes back down again. The fruitiness comes through, but now it’s more leaning towards tropical fruits. It’s still very savory and now slightly astringent. The ash note hangs on when the oak starts to take over. This is nothing short of absolutely fantastic.

Additional information
This is distilled 2.5 times and matured in ex-oloroso sherry casks for the entire 15 years. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bruichladdich, Islay, Octomore

Octomore 11.1 – Dialogos

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ABV: 59.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2014 with a PPM value of 139.6. It was aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels for 5 years. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Agitator, Blind Seal, Sweden

Blind Seal Rye

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Straight Rye
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was aged for at least 3 years in american oak casks. It was made by Agitator distillery.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker Distiller’s Edition 2010/2020

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and peaty. At first, there’s a mix of darker red berries and dried fruits. Behind there’s a layer of vanilla and honey with some salt and dry soil. Even further back there are some brighter fruits like green apples. The peatiness is creating a an outside layer of tobacco and woodfire smoke. A medicinal note comes through after some time in the glass.

Mouth: At first there’s a syrypy sweetness together with a touch of black pepper. The darker fruit notes are up front and after a second or two the peatiness starts to build up once again. The tobacco is present as well as the coastal salty notes. There’s some vanilla coming through as well as salted caramel. There’s a thin note of tropical fruitiness peeking through as well.

Finish: Black pepper together with the coastal notes lead way into the finish. There’s a quite noticable saltiness and it’s still got an earthy feel to it. The sherry is now a bit toned down and the fruitiness is much brighter than before with dried apricots and dried red berries. After some time the oak comes through. It’s a mild oakiness accompanied by the coastal notes all the way to the end. In the late finish the tobacco notes reappear as well as some walnuts. This is a great whisky with a nice fruity twist to an otherwise rowdy experience.

Additional information
This is basically the Talisker 10 YO finished for about a year in ex-Amaroso sherry casks. It has around 20 ppm. It’s aged for 10 years in reconstructed american ex-bourbon oak barrels before the finishing period.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker x Parlay Wilder Seas

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ABV: 48.6 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This limited release whisky was first aged in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-french oak XO Cognac casks.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 18 YO (2019)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity with a funky complexity to it. A big fruit basket with green grapes, oranges and assorted tropical fruits is first to come through. On top of those there are also layers of vanilla, honey and hint of sweet liquorice. There’s also a floral side with an almost perfumey freshness to it. In the background the Springbank rubbery/oily funk creates the complexity together with a gentle peat. A hint of menthol creates a cooling effect in the nose. This is quite beautiful on the nose.

Mouth: A bitter tang and a pleasant spicyness arrive first and they are soon joined by the fruitiness and the oily rubbery note. There’s a dusty old book note sitting on top of everything. There’s honey and vanilla but they’re not as sweet as on the nose. The fruitiness is now leaning heavily towards citrus fruits with grapefruit, oranges and a hint of lemon. The peat is present but it’s not very prominent. After a few seconds the oakiness peeks through from behind. It’s a soft, fresh oak and it sort of just emerges from within the vanilla.

Finish: A big dollop of the Springbank funk and peppermint flare up and soon after the fruitiness takes over. It still produces a lot of citrus fruits with grapefruits and oranges. The lemon is a bit toned down and replaced by sweeter tropical fruits like mangoes. The old dusty books still sit on the top shelf and stays there for the entire finish. The oak arrives fashionably late but when it does it really fits the perfect profile. There’s no astringency whatsoever, and the whole thing is very thick and juicy all the way through. As always a great dram from Springbank with a lot to discover.

Additional information
The different releases of the Springbank 18 YO varies. This version was bottled in 2019 and it’s been aged in american ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Aberlour, Speyside

Aberlour Casg Annamh Batch 0009

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a vanilla rich sweetness with honey, fruits and oak spices within. There are fresh red berries on top as well as a thin menthol layer. The overall character is fresh and underneath lies some apples and oranges. Everything feels logical and well placed overall. With time it slightly changes character and delivers some raisins and just a hint of ginger. This is a great nose with a very welcoming and rich character.

Mouth: It starts out mild and sweet for a second or two before there’s an increase in flavour and power. It comes through as slighly different in taste than on the nose. Most of the flavours are at first situated back on the palate and it’s has a more ripe and unpolished fruitiness with overripe plums which almost feels savory. It does change after a while and the oranges and apples come back together with the oak spices, vanilla and a speck of dust. The brighter notes sit on top though.

Finish: The transition starts out with some cracked black peppers and a nice mellow increase in power. The ripe fruits stay in the back while the fresher fruits mix with oak up front. The vanilla sees a slight increase as well. The late finish becomes rather dry and slightly astringent as the oakiness reveals a very fresh woodshop oakiness, which really doesn’t match the overall character at first. After a while it sort of shifts and becomes more nutty and interesting. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer to the Explorer. It feels slightly unbalanced overall though.

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

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Cragganmore, Speyside

Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition (2023)

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
The Distiller’s Edition is part of the Diageo series ”The classic malts of Scotland” finished in special ways. This is matured in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Port pipes. It no longer discloses the vintages.

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Islands, Jura

Jura 12 YO Sherry Cask

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ABV: 43.5 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 10 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 2 years in ex-Oloroso casks from Jerez, Spain. It was released for the swedish market.

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Amrut, India

Amrut Raj Igala

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The batch tried is no. 26, from june 2022. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Grábrók, Iceland

Grábrók 8 YO

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky is distilled in Scotland and diluted with icelandic water. It was bottled in Iceland. There’s no information on what casks were used.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker Skye

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a slightly wet peatiness and a mild honey sweetness. Underneath there’s a thin peachy fruitiness. There are salty coastal notes on top. It feels slightly spirity and the whole doesn’t pop out of the glass from the start. When it starts to open up ginger and toffee arrives in the center, but it never loses the spirity feel. This is a decent nose which feels unbalanced, young and with the components in disarray.

Mouth: It starts out with the wet peatiness and a mix of tobacco and toasted bread within. There’s a hint of the toffee and fruits, but the mouth goes dry almost immidiatly and the mouthfeel isn’t the greatest. The burnt oakiness is already taking over which is a bad sign for the rest of the journey. It’s salty and the coastal notes are still sitting on top, but the mix of oak spices and the young spirity notes ramps up the oakiness even more when it sets of.

Finish: The oak makes the transisiton very spicy and dry. The other flavours doesn’t seem to be able to push through. There’s an apricot fruitiness floating around on top when it finally starts to calm down. There’s still a saltiness, but the peatiness shifts and becomes more mineraly in the late finish. The toasted oak is just too strong to make everything accessible. This is a so-and-so whisky which feels over-oaked and unbalanced.

Additional information
The Skye was released in 2015. It’s matured in a combination of refill and toasted american oak casks with a slightly higher proportion of toasted casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

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AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 24 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: A row of old and dusty leather books and a dense, thick fruitiness are the main focal points. There’s black liquorice, raisins and a mix of red ripe fruits and berries. The sherry cask influence is strong, but there’s vanilla and honey notes coming through from the bourbon barrels used. It’s not overly sweet and the differences complement each other very well.

Mouth: The sweet and spicy arrival comes with a base of black coffee bitterness. The old leather books is still present and the oak arrives after a few seconds. It’s very dusty and the astringency increases with every sip. There’s still a black liquorice note but the vanilla and honey has disappeared and the dark fruits have taken a step back.

Finish: It’s still pleasantly spicy and the musty dark fruit notes (raisins and now also almost molten plums) come forward. It’s still very dusty and the leather note is still present and creates a red thread throughout. The oakiness comes with black coffee and walnuts. It’s like old and grey, weathered wood planks. The astringency increases, and in the tail end of a very long finish it switches over and releases an assorted tropical fruit note. It really shows it’s age all the way through.

Additional information
This was distilled at the Knockdu distillery in 1992 and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 10 YO – Master of Distilling Jim McTaggart’s 10th Anniversary Limited Edition

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ABV: 54.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich honey sweetness and vanilla with a minty overlay. Black liquorice and a hint of anise create depth and adds to the sweetness. A brighter fruitiness is hiding in the background. It’s quite hard to break it down but there’s some green apples and a hint of lemon. The cask influence is amazing.

Mouth: Dense sweetness and black liquorice. The high ABV creates a layer of spicy chili pepper and it comes rushing in quite fast. It rests on a base of vanilla and honey and a hint of tropical fruitiness with pineapples and lemon zest shine through. A discreet savory note sits in the back. A small note of bitterness comes through. It’s dusty and the texture is oily and thick.

Finish: First comes a spicy kick, then a chalk note. The sweetness and black liquorice return together with the tropical fruitiness. The oak comes fashionably late. It’s a very pleasant oakiness, just a smidge dry and without astringency. There’s hazelnuts coming through in the late finish. This is an absolutely fantastic whisky.

Additional information
This whisky comes from the first casks filled by James McTaggart when he started working at the Arran distillery in 2007. It’s matured in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It’s a limited edition with just 12 000 bottles released worldwide.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker 8 YO – Special Release 2021

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ABV: 59.7 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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Additional information
This whisky is one of Diageo’s special releases 2021. The is no information about which casks are used. It’s bottled at natural cask strength.

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Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Original

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh and fruity with a big basket of pears and green apples. Behind the fruits notes of vanilla and honey creates a laid back sweetness. It feels a bit shallow and the distillate comes through as young and with a tiny hint of cardboard. It’s becomes more dense and sweet with time in the glass. It’s easy on the nose but comes off as a bit uninteresting.

Mouth: It’s a bit watery at first, but then it’s becomes quite spicy together with pears, green apples and a hint of watermelon. It’s very bitter at first, but with time it becomes more malty and sweet. The vanilla has disappeared but the honey is still found in the back together with a speck of dust. It’s a tiny bit unpleasant and a little bit dry, even though the oakiness is nowhere to be found yet.

Finish: A savory note comes through together with a very immidiate oakiness. The fruitiness is now turning towards assorted tropical fruits with pineapples as the main feature. It’s dry and astringent and the unpleasant bitterness is still in there. When the bitterness finally subsides the oak and tropical fruits stay for a very nice and tasty finish. This is a good entry level single malt.

Additional information
The Loch Lomond Original is the distillery’s entry level malt in core range. There’s no information on the maturation length or the specific cask type, other than it’s aged in american oak.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig 10 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 3
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is honey sweet and medicinal. At first there’s a layer of honey smeared on a piece of burnt oak. It’s surrounded by a medicinal iodine note and brine. When the initial flavour rush settles there are vanilla, butterscotch and green apples to be found in a background layer. There’s also a rubbery/oily note floating around. The peatiness gets more intense with time in the glass. It’s got a savory aura and even though it’s richely flavoured the low ABV makes it mild and approachable.

Mouth: At first there’s a honey sweetness and a fresh hay note. The initial impact has a bitter backbone. The peatiness starts to emerge around the edges as the vanilla/butterscotch takes over the middle. There’s still a medicinal aura. The savory notes has changed to become more like dry soil. The green apples are almost gone but come through as a sour note in the back. The whole thing grows sweeter after a few seconds. It’s very mild yet produces a lot of flavours. It makes it a bit flat though.

Finish: The peatiness speads out over everything. It’s not an aggressive peat and it’s connected to the vanilla, the honey and the oakiness. The oily, savory notes make an appearance in the back before the oak starts to take over. It’s a warm, fresh oakiness. The sour green apples do return, but as everything else they get swallowed by the whole. The finish is not so medicinal. This is a well put together dram but it’s way milder than its reputation.

Additional information
The Laphroaig 10 YO is aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. The ppm for the peat is around 40.

Deanston, Highlands

Deanston 18 YO Batch 3

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ABV: 46.3 %
Origin: Highland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first theres’s a big honey, vanilla and baked red apples mix. When it starts to settle there are notes of ginger and cinnamon added. An old, slightly dusty oakiness floats around in the back. With time it becomes slightly malty and a fresh tropical fruitiness gets added to the mix. It’s has a peppery top note which gives it a nice touch. This is a fantastic nose with a great mix of sensations.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemony background and a dusty maltiness in the middle. There are ginger, honey, vanilla, pipe tobacco and almonds in the center. It shows its age immidiatly with the dusty character and an old oakiness gently sprinkled within. There are still baked apples and cinnamon  and a mild tropical fruitiness. It still delivers a nice peppery spicyness which never become unpleasant but still gives it a really nice sense of power. It feels rich and has an oily texture adding to the experience.

Finish: The tranision is logical and the spicyness remain constant. The lemon in the back are also retaining the same level of intensity throughout the early finish. All the main flavours gently fade in the center and the old dusty oakiness, which seems to be mixed with a newer oak, slowly take over coming from the back moving forwards. It’s a really pleasant oakiness with a mix of old and new. It becomes slightly astringent after a while. This is an amazing whisky with an extremely well thoughout balance and character. It’s very easy to sip, yet has a lot to explore. The perfect mix.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged in hogsheads and then finished in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig An Cuan Mòr

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Smoke and ashes from a burnt out campfire, iodine and salt. Behind that there’s a hay note together with some honey and vanilla. There’s a clear oakiness shining through all the way from the start. A fresh peppermint is peeking through from the back together with a thin layer of fruitiness. It’s hard to pick out a specific fruit, but maybe a hint of raspberries and maybe a hint of mango. This is a very good nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: A wet hay together with burnt out coal makes the peatiness thick and dense. There’s a lemon note piercing through. It’s somewhat spicy and the salt, iodine and the vanilla notes are still in there. It’s very bitter and the oak is spreading out in the background. The honey is in there too and it gets sweeter with time in the glass. The fruitiness is basically nowhere to be found at this point.

Finish: It starts out with a big dip in flavour but soon pick up pace again. The spicyness comes first followed by the heavy bitterness and after that the peat notes follow. The finish is filled with espresso, iodine and wet hay. The oak itself is fairly invisible for a long time. When all other flavours reside a vague honey sweetness reappears together with a hint of fruit and the long sought after oakiness. It’s quite nice in the tail end.

Additional information
This is a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged for around 8 years in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished for about 2 years in virgin european oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered. It’s said that it’s the same whisky as the 1815 Legacy Edition.

Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig Select

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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 sweet and peaty. Smoke and ashes from a burnt out campfire, iodine, salt and menthol are first to arrive. There’s vanilla, butterscotch and honey behind. It’s a bit underwhelming compared to other Laphroaigs. Far behind there are notes of some red molten fruits. There’s an oakiness that’s detectable within the peat notes and it moves forward with time in the glass. This is a decent but slightly subdued nose.

Mouth: It starts out a bit watery. A lemon note comes through just before the peatiness kicks in. It’s kind of fruity but it doesn’t reveal which specific fruits it is. It’s wet ashes, fresh oak and after a while it becomes very salty. The honey note comes through after a few sips and the spicyness builds up slowly and prickles the tip if the toungue.The vanilla and butterscotch is far behind in the background.

Finish: An uneventful start moves over to lemon and ashes, the menthol note returns and stays all the way down the line. The oak isn’t up front, but brings a little bitterness without it being noticed as a specific flavour. It’s still honey sweet. There’s a metallic note left in the mouth together with the menthol and ashes. This is a decent whisky. It’s a little ambigous and feels like a laphroaig wearing fake glasses with a big rubber nose attached to them.

Additional information
The Select is created from blending different styles of Laphroaig. The main whisky is drawn from american oak casks and then mixed with Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood and the 10 YO. Natural color.

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