Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Renaissance

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ABV: 55.9 %
Origin: Islay
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 an ashy peatiness on top with a sweetness underneath. There are coastal notes from the get-go, but the main peatiness has a mix of campfire smoke, ashes and dry soil. The sweetness consists of vanilla, honey, oak and an unscented lotion note. The ABV spicyness floats on top and creates a peppermint layer. When it settles there’s a squeeze of lemon peeking through which fits nicely as a contrast to the thick and heavy notes already there. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but the whole is very flavour- and powerful.

Mouth: It starts out with honey in the center with a bitterness underneath. There’s an immidiate spicy kick with a lot of peppermint top. It’s got a mineral rich peatiness and a burnt wood note within. It feels extremely powerful and the flavours are really pronounced. The coastal notes are gone and the lemon notes are buried deep within. There are notes of vanilla and anise coming through after a while and it really feels like an Ardbeg at this point.

Finish: The peppermint peaks through the transition and underneath the vanilla, honey and unscented lotion returns. The peatiness sort of fills the rest of the palate with a wide arrange of unruly flavours like tar, ocean spray, campfire smoke, minerals and ashes. The bitterness and the lemon note merge into a peel note in the background while the other flavours slowly start to fade. In the late finish the campfire note once again shifts towards burnt oak and it stays that way for a long time. This is an amazing whisky. It’s not the most complex thing in the world but it delivers flavours as subtle as a smack to the face, and it’s just a treat to recieve the punch.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2008. It was the last release in the ”Young Ardbeg Series”. 21000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Cambodia, Holly Creek

Holly Creek Silver Label

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Cambodia
Type: Corn Whisky
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a thin spirity note and a mild vanilla. There’s a shiny and slightly unpleasant distillate in the back with a metallic note within. There’s a tiny hint of caramel and cherries in between the distillate and the vanilla. It’s quite shallow and doesn’t pop out of the glass. There are notes of honey, oak and liquorice as well, but it comes out a bit flat overall. This is a so and so nose which really suffers from the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with a really unpleasant and young distillate and a tiny spicyness coming from the immidiate oakiness. There’s caramel with a weird hard-to-place flavour within which really doesn’t fit. It seems to come from the oak but doesn’t belong there. The whole is sharp and pointy and slightly bitter in the back. The caramel increase in intensity after a while.

Finish: The unpleasant distillate take front through the transition and fortunatly dies down rather quick. It does stick around in the back for a while. The finish is all about a very dry new oakiness. It’s not a bad oakiness, just a standard one. It feels like a relief since it covers up some of the initial unpleasantries. This is a bad whisky which unsuccessfully tries to mimic Jack Daniels. It doesn’t come close.

Additional information
This is the first release from the distillery. It’s a mixed mashbill corn whisky aged in both american and european oak. It’s charcoal mellowed.

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Carpathian, Romania

Carpathian Romanian Wine Cask Collection – Feteasca Neagra

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness on top of a mix between a young distillate and assorted baked fruits. The initial impact is original and hard to place. When it settles there’s a big liquorice note which, together with the vanilla, becomes the main focal point. The liquorice arrives together with honey and the wine finish. This brings out some blackberries as well. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer. It’s young and a bit shallow, but still delivers a decent amount of things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a very sour background note and a mild spicyness up front. In the center there’s the vanilla and honey sweetness and a tiny amount of fresh grapes. The different parts doesn’t really seem to connect to each other and floats around by themselves. It’s quite oaky on top and it’s a dry, spicy oakiness which isn’t all too pleasant. The wine finish is really showing up mid-palate and the wine character really doesn’t suit the distillate. The whole just comes through as a bit weird.

Finish: The transition starts with a big dip in flavour. The spicyness, mainly from the oak it seems, is the only thing coming up for a few seconds. The sour notes and the grapes arrive first but stays in the background throughout the finish. The wine notes and the dry oakiness take over when the spicyness starts to fade. It still feels like the wine and the distillate is a mismatch. This is not the best whisky in the world and it’s a bit strange and weirdly put together, but it’s a good start and a nice try from the distillery.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in ex-Feteasca Neagra wine casks. Cask no. 3801. The bottle tried is no. 136/405.

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Benromach, Speyside

Benromach Contrasts: Organic 2013/2022

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a mild vanilla and a toasted oakiness with a piney side note. It’s young and spirity and there’s a minty candy cane layer floating around as well. There’s a sour note in the back. It’s not especially fruity but there’s a hint of green apples within the sour notes. It feels a bit too simple and lacks complexity. This is a decent nose, but it feels a bit overoaked.

Mouth: It starts out with a nice peppery spicyness from the ABV. When it settles a sweet and oaky center part is revealed. There’s a hint of toffee and coconut. It’s very sour in the back and the oakiness really contributes to the spicyness. It feels a bit astingent from here on out. The piney note persists and there’s a bitterness developing in the back After a few seconds.

Finish: The peppery spicyness slowly spreads out. When it settles there’s a mix of toast, oak, banana and lemon. As the finish progresses the flavours merge and creates a nice tropical fruitiness and a dry oakiness. The bitterness in the back is still there and it mixes with the lemon note and becomes zesty. It still feels astringent and the late finish is a dry woodshop oakiness. This is a good whisky, but it’s way to unbalanced and oaky.

Additional information
This is the first certified organic whisky since 2006. It was aged in virgin oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Cardhu, Speyside

Cardhu 15 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. At first there’s a sweet malty center with a fresh fruitiness on top. It’s apples and pears and the sweetness consists of vanilla, honey and malt together with baking spices. It’s very dessert-like. When it settles there are notes of ginger and toffee. A hint of marzipan can be found as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of power and complexity. It’s very mild but still produces a nice array of sweet things.

Mouth: It starts out with a slight sour and bitter lemon peel note in the back and a malty sweetness and apples up front. There’s a tiny spicyness coming through and it seems connected to an oakiness which arrives together with a dusting of cinnamon. It’s got a beer-like quality to it at this point and the background peel note is pushing forward with time. It’s not as sweet overall as on the nose and the fruitiness is neither especially pronounced at this point. The ginger can still be found.

Finish: The transition is rather uneventful and the lack of power becomes rather obvious. When the flavours return it reaches a sort of middle point between the nose and the mouth with the fruity and sweet dessert-like notes sitting on top of the lemon peel note and a bitter and grey old oakiness. There are some oak notes which suggests that there are some newer casks used as well. This is a good whisky. There’s no complexity and it lacks power, but it delivers a decent mix of flavours.

Additional information
There is no additional information to be found on this whisky. The flavour profile suggest an ex-bourbon/ex-sherry cask mix.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker 10 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. A mild peatiness and some seasalt are the first things to come through. There are leather and black liquorice together with a fruity backdrop of apples and a squeeze of lime. Honey and vanilla act as fillers and sits in the gap between the peat and the fruits. A medicinal note comes forward after a while as well as a savory one. It’s nicely balanced and quite pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: A slightly bitter start, with a bit of spicyness to it, is followed by a very pronounced medicinal iodine note. The peat is not as present on the palate as on the nose but it’s still easily detectable. Now it leans even more towards the leather note. Both the spicyness and the bitterness continously move forward over time. There’s also a sweeter side to it with honey, vanilla and a complement in some salted caramel. There’s dry oak and it’s slightly astringent. The fruitiness is basically hidden by everything else but there’s still a lime note in the back.

Finish: There’s an initial dip in flavour before it picks up speed again. The bitterness comes first and then the medicial note follows. It soon moves over to a dusty oakiness that kind of lacks character. The savory note returns and sits in the center of the palate together with honey and baked apples. It’s still a bit spicy and astringent. The peat notes return in the tail together with the oak. A nice surprise pops up and black liquorice suddenly appears a long way down the line.

Additional information
This is a part of Diageo’s ”The classic malts of Scotland” series. It has around 20 ppm. It’s aged in reconstructed american ex-bourbon oak barrels. The reconstructed casks are made into a larger size than the original barrels.

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Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 12 YO – The Wee Witchie

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ABV: 43.4 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity, sweet and floral. There’s honey on top of green apples, ripe green grapes and some fresh red berries. There’s a tiny hint of menthol. Vanilla and some liquorice comes through after a while in the glass. There’s an earthy note of dry soil sitting in the back together with dust and some heather. A savory note sits in the heart of everything making it quite complex but still very clean and easy on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out honey sweet and spicy. The fruitiness rolls in like a wave with the ripe green grapes in front, but now there’s some darker dried fruits in the mix. The oak arrives pretty early and brings a nice bitterness. There’s walnuts, dust and the savory note is still found in the middle of everything.

Finish: This goes immediatly to the oak. It’s grey weathered oak planks and walnuts. The heather and the dry soil come back for a couple of seconds. The savory note keeps on making appearances and there’s now a hint of peaches peeking through the oakiness. It’s not astringent, but it is somewhat dry on the toungue. The spicyness follows along.

Additional information
”Wee witchie” comes from the nickname of the smallest still in the Mortlach distillery. This 12 YO was first released in 2018. It’s distilled 2.81 times and aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks.

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Speyburn, Speyside

Speyburn 16 YO Travel Exclusive

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ABV: 43 %
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
This whisky was aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels. It’s a travel retail exclusive release.

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Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig Cairdeas Master Edition Feis Ile 2010

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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

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Bruichladdich, Islay, Octomore

Octomore 09.3 – Dialogos

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ABV: 62.9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and oak. At first there’s a big hit of an ashy, dry woodfire peat with a surrounding layer of rounded vanilla and a thin, ripe, red berry note. It’s a very dry nose with the oakiness really accentuating the peatiness. There are notes of unscented lotion as well. With a bit of imagination some brighter fruits are detectable behind the big woodfire. This is a nice nose but it’s not especially complex or interesting. It’s very dry and very oaky.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of oak and peat, where the peat now presents itself a lot more interesting with dry soil, seasalt, ash, iodine and fresh burning wood. It’s quite astingent and mineral rich. The oakiness is really pushing itself through to the point where it almost outshines the peat. The whole thing comes through as very rich and has a nice power to it which feels essential to pulling this off. There’s still a thin, surrounding layer of vanilla and ripe fruits.

Finish: There’s a second or two of very dry and astringent oak before the peat and the spicyness take front. It’s now once again more ashy and mineral rich and less medicinal/coastal. In the background lies a complex mess of ripe fruits, malt and peat but it feels a bit irrelevant since the whole feels way too oaky and astringent. The finish is extremely long and the woodfire keeps on burning a long time down the road. This is a very good whisky but the virgin oak mixed with the high PPM level creates a big woodfire which at first is impressive bit soon gets a bit annoying.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2012 with a PPM value of 133. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-american (25 %), third fill virgin oak (25 %), second fill ex-Riversaltes (20 %), second fill Syrah (20 %) and lastly, spirit aged in second fill ex-bourbon barrels (10 %). It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – Tempest I

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ABV: 55.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a layer of honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice. Underneath lies a mix of tropical fruits, lemon and a mild leathery peat. It’s malty and round in the middle and the whole thing comes through as warm and welcoming. There’s a mixed spices note coming through towards the edges as well. With time in the glass the vanilla and honey sweetness grows bigger. This is a great nose which makes a good introduction to the rest of the journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness up front and the peatiness sitting in the back together with a lemon note. The peat is now a mix of leather and campfire smoke. It’s a lot more powerful and rich compared to the nose but a bit less sweet and a bit more mineraly. There’s a nice and mellow bitter note in the background and a sprinkle of seasalt too, which adds another dimension to the otherwise dessert-like character.

Finish: A big burst of mixed tropical fruits spread across the palate. The spicyness is rather consistant through the transition and so is the peatiness. It still feels very warm and approachable. The campfire smoke side of the peat soon start to take over and mix with the now detectable oakiness and the tropical fruits. This creates an extremely nice and fruity background note with a nice and mellow vanilla oakiness within. This set-up stays for a long and absolutely amazing finish. This is a fantastic whisky through and through.

Additional information
This whisky comes from the first batch of six in the Tempest series. It was aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. 12000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Islands, Ledaig, Tobermory

Ledaig 19 YO – 1998 PX Cask Finish

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ABV: 55.7 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a sweet minty layer and a vanilla note mixed with a warm campfire peatiness. In the background there are coastal notes with a hint of salty air and seaweed. In between there are nuts, leather and a sticky liqeuer sweetness. It’s not overly sweet though, and the nose is very rich, pleasant and extremely well balanced. With some time in the glass everything sort of joins together. It’s a very unorthodox mix of flavours which works very well together. There’s a darker, gritty note showing up in the back with dried fruits attached to it, but the main focus stays on the sweet and minty wood fire peatiness. This is a fantastic and original nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a fresher fruitiness in the back with some assorted tropical fruits. The sweet and minty peatiness sits up front together with vanilla and honey. In between there are sweet dried fruits, leather and pipe tobacco. It’s salty and rowdy and it’s quite mineral rich. It’s not as sweet as on the nose but it’s got more complexity to it. It feels savory in the back and after a few seconds it becomes peppery as well. It still feels very original and interesting and it’s very lively for its age.

Finish: The center part with dried fruits, leather and tobacco really steps forward in the transition. The minty layer and the peppery spicyness just keep their levels and there are no sharp edges. There are notes of heather and honey sitting together with the warm peatiness out on the edges. The center part is still mineral rich and there’s still a savory note in the back. The finish is long and rewarding and it takes a long time before any flavour gives way. When the oakiness start to break through, it starts out directly from the peatiness and spreads inwards. It’s a nice, nutty oakiness with a sprinkle of dust and for the first time there are notes of age shining through. This is an amazing and original whisky with so many notes floating around that it’s impossible to catch them all.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled 2018. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in ex-PX sherry casks. It’s a limited release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 15 YO Viking Heart

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ABV: 44 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and floral peat. At first there’s a floral peatiness with notes of heather, tobacco and rubber. There’s also a top layer of red, sweet and sticky fruitiness with fresh sugared berries and baked apples. This layer increases with time in the glass. The whole is very mild and easy to access from the start. Underneath lies a malty mix with vanilla and honey, as well as mixed herbs and cinnamon. This is a great nose which feels slightly top heavy.

Mouth: It starts out very mild. First out is the vanilla sweetness which are soon followed by the floral peat and the fruitiness. There’s a lemon note which soon becomes slightly bitter and cesty. It’s not as sweet and sticky as on the nose and it feels a bit more balanced at this point. There’s still a lot of fragrant spices and herbs within and there’s a nice mix of sensations going on.

Finish: The transition increases the intensity at first, but not too much. It’s a nice and needed power boost. The peat lingers around the edges while the fruitiness now feels more fresh and tropical. The lemon zest is still residing in the back while a spicy and herbal oakiness start to take over. This is the first time the age makes itself known. It’s a very nice and aromatic oakiness with signs of some age to it. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer for both the explorer and the drinker, yet it lacks a bit of power and presence.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in sherry seasoned european and american oak casks as well as refill casks. It has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 13 YO – Fermutation Committee Release

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ABV: 49.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and green fruits. At first there’s a powerful and mineral rich peatiness with notes of campfire smoke, ash and iodine. Underneath lies a sweet layer of oak, vanilla and unscented lotion mixed with a salty maritime note. When it settles in the glass it becomes a bit fruitier with green apples, lemons and gooseberries. It’s cereal rich and feels very well put together. There’s a minty fresh layer floating around on top and small notes of nuts and green banana seems to come through in the center. This is a fantastic and interesting nose with a lot to discover underneath the peat punch.

Mouth: It starts out with a savory note in the back and the mineral rich peatiness up front together with coastal notes. The ashy campfire smoke comes though out on the edges together with a quite spicy black pepper. The fruitiness sits in the center surrounded by the vanilla, some honey and the unscented lotion note. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it’s a lot more zesty with a bitter tang in the back of the palate. The gooseberries are still in there. The whole comes through as rich and slightly dry.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge in the mineral rich peat and the ABV spicyness. When it settles the campfire and ashy notes return. They stay towards the edges and gives room for the fruity and zesty notes in the center. It becomes more ashy and fruity as the finish progresses. The vanilla is still in there but it just acts as a nice filler between other sensations. It’s dry and slightly astringent throughout and when it starts to fade there’s just a beautiful mix of laid back nutty oak, gooseberries and ashy peat. This is a fantastic whisky and one of the better committee releases as of late.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2007 and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. 8000 bottles were filled in 2021 and released in 2022. The fermentation period was prolonged for this release. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Cask Strength – Release No.3

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ABV: 64.1 %
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 was aged in first-fill seasoned american and european oak casks as well as refill casks. This release has a higher peat content than the previous releases. It has natural colour.

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Craigellachie, Speyside

Craigellachie 10 YO (The Single Malts of Scotland)

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ABV: 68.9 %
Origin: Speyside
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 aged between the years 2011 and 2022 in a sherry butt. 563 bottles were filled. The cask reference is 900094. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 13 YO – Green

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dirty, dark fruits. At first there’s a top layer of fresh red berries and dried dark fruits. A gritty layer of soil, motoroil and sulfur fills up the background and gives the immidiate feel of depth and complexity. As it opens up there are sweeter notes appearing somewhere in between and sort of ties everything together. There’s a hint of vanilla and a rubber note in there as well. It creates a funky experience overall with a lot to discover. This is a great nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a quick sweetness before the background notes comes rushing forward. The funkiness is really demanding attention and the oily, rubbery, dirty notes are up front. The fruitiness is now residing at the edges and it’s more like a mixed bag of dried fruits with a dash of lemon. Raisins and overripe plums are definitely in there as well as brighter fruits. There is a peppermint element and a thin vanilla sweetness floating around. A thin bitter note can be found in the back and this really involves all the different sensations.

Finish: The finish starts out somewhat uneventful before any flavours start to return. First out is the sweetness and the dried fruits on the edges. The peppermint comes in shortly after and then the complex dirty center come along as well. It’s much more toned down and tame and doesn’t deliver what the nose and mouth promises. That leaves room for the oakiness though and it’s a very pleasant oak with a savory note and hazelnuts as well. There’s a very thin chalk layer on it which isn’t all that great but it disappears down the road. The sherry notes come back as a top layer in the late finish. This is a great, well made whisky but the finish lets it down a tiny bit.

Additional information
This Springbank was released in 2015. It’s made from organic barley and aged in ex-sherry casks for the whole aging period. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Abasolo, Mexico

Abasolo

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

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

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

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Bunnahabhain, Islay

Bunnahabhain 12 YO

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ABV: 46.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is salted caramel, red fruits and vanilla oak. From the start there’s a fruity front of raspberries and a salt and vanilla base. The oakiness is found somewhere in between and it’s very much present from the start. It has a tiny pine note attached to it, as well as some anise. After a few seconds a sweet caramel and honey note builds up in the middle together with some sweet oranges. There is also a backdrop with ocean air and a hint of oil and seaweed. This is a very interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet, salty and slightly bitter. It’s also peppery and there’s an immidiate astringency. There are grapefruits and oranges a-plenty and the raspberries get pushed back into the background. The vanilla and caramel are still in there, but not as pronounced as on the nose. The sweetness is mainly honey driven. There’s a speck of dust and the oily note is still acting as a backdrop. Overall, it’s quite hot and intense.

Finish: The salty caramel takes a step forward and creates a fruity dessert together with grapefruits, oranges, raspberries and just a hint of tropical fruits. The intensity rises slowly but steadily in the first part of the finish. When the oak arrives it brings an espresso note and it sort of transforms the fruitiness towards a more sour experience. It’s grey, weathered, dry oak planks. In the late finish there’s a smokiness coming through. This is a great expression, but it really demands your attention.

Additional information
This expression is distilled in small batches and aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 14 YO The Elementa – New Charred Oak Cask Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a hefty vanilla oakiness sitting on top of a malty and honey driven sweetness. There’s a hint of lemon in the back, but the oakiness overruns everything for a long time. It’s very top heavy and the new oak finish makes the quite long maturation time useless. There’s a caramel added to the sweetness after a while, but it really does nothing. This is a weird nose. It’s not very bad, it’s just way over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate caramel sweetness and a very spicy and protruding vanilla oakiness. Underneath lies a bitter coffee note and maybe just a drop of lemon in the back. There’s not much more happening at this point. It’s still way too oaky which makes it uninteresting and slightly unpleasant. The caramel sweetness grows over time.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge of the bitter notes in the back before the oakiness once again attacks the palette. At this point it’s actually very unpleasant and the late finish just consists of too much oak and a wait for it to disappear. This is a bad whisky which is completely destroyed by the new oak finish. There’s no complexity nor balance, just a big piece of oak to chew on. This could work well as a mixer though.

Additional information
The Elementa is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail series called Legends. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in charred virgin oak casks.

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