Czech Republic, Trebitsch

Trebitsch

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and oaky. At first there’s a young metallic note and a rather protruding oakiness covering everything else. It’s very spirity and sharp around the edges. After a while a small sweet and malty note starts to come through and it gets accompanied by a caramel sweetness. The oakiness is quite spicy and fresh and the whole thing is over-oaked by a big margin and it overpowers a small peat note somewhere in the center. As time passes it becomes more and more vanilla rich and hints of marzipan is added to the mix as well as minty sweets. There’s no easy to find fruitiness. Maybe some red over-cooked apples in the background. This is a very unbalanced nose which needs a lot of time in the glass to be tolerable.

Mouth: It starts out with a thin vanilla note and a spicy oakiness. It feels thin and flavourless except for the oak. It’s very spirity and metallic and it’s quite unpleasant. It quickly grows a bit bitter in the back and the oakiness is astringent and too much a part of the whole. This is, in this case, a good thing. There’s a mix of anis root, a mild smokiness and coffee in the back which develops over time and the vanilla note gets accompanied by the caramel note as well.

Finish: The vanilla and the spicy oakiness is dominating the tranisition. It still is very unpleasant, young and metallic in the back. It fortunately dies down rather quickly and leaves the oakiness as the main feature all through the finish. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness and it’s dry and astringent. In the back There are still notes of coffee with a hint of cacao and marzipan as well. This is not a good whisky in any way. It’s too young and way over-oaked.

Additional information
This whisky is aged in heavily charred barrels for 4 years. It’s made from gently peated moravian malt. It has natural colour.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Quinta Ruban Port Cask Finish

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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 sweet layer of honey and malt mixed with black and red berries sitting on top of a fresh lemon sourness. The whole feels very cohesive and there are no sharp edges at all. There are som mild baking spices present as well as a more ripe raisiny fruitiness. With time in the glass vanilla starts to get noticed. The main focus lies on the berries and lemon though. This is a very nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers everything in a very pleasant way.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild dark raisin and coffee note before the sweetness comes creeping up around the edges. After a second or two the sour lemon note starts to take over the background. It creates a nice contrast between the sweet, sour and bitter notes. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it takes a while for the whole to reach its potential. It’s slightly dusty and the fresh berries do arrive for those who decides to wait. The fruitiness shifts towards liqeuer-soaked cherries after a while as well.

Finish: The dark raisin note shows up in the middle while the coffee bitterness now move to the back of the palate where it meets up with the lemon. All along the sides there’s a nice nutty oak increasing in intensity as well as a honey sweetness. It becomes slightly astringent. The oakiness brings hazelnuts and vanilla to the finish. The cross-section between the oak and the lemon produces a touch of tropical fruits with mango and pineapple. There’s a mild spicyness following along the finish but it never interferes with the rest of the flavours.

Additional information
This is one out of three expressions in the Glenmorangie ”extra matured” series. It’s aged 10 years in ex-bourbon casks and finished for 2 years in ruby port pipes. It’s now replaced by a 14 YO.

Bruichladdich, Islay

Octomore Masterclass_08.2

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ABV: 58.4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and fruits. At first there’s a mix of leathery peat and red berries. Soon an ashy overtone arrives as well as a very complex and funky note in the center. It’s almost an aged cheese note. Underneath lies a sweet vanilla oakiness and on top there’a a medicinal iodine note. The fruitiness ripens over time and the whole turns darker with time in the glass and everything seem to switch places. Even though it’s powerful in every way it does a good job of balancing the flavours. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to offer to the explorer.

Mouth: It starts out with a quick burst of red fresh berries and a touch of honey before the peatiness kicks in. On top it’s an ashy peat and in the center there’s the funky cheese note mixed with leather and raisins. In the back it feels savory and slightly bitter. It’s not as sweet as on the nose and the oakiness is not as prominent. The spicyness is there but it’s a nice and complementary chili kick which never interrupts the other flavours. The whole is rich, extremely flavourful and still manages to be balanced.

Finish: The chili spicyness keeps on increasing in intensity and it happens slowly. A cloud of ashy peat floats by before the complex center once again takes over. It seems like there’s a thousand small little flavour nuggets passing by (fresh apples, dust, coastal notes etc) before it settles with oak, leather and an ever increasing chilibase. It’s still got complexity a long way down the late finish with most of the senses working overtime. As a nice bonus, the oak delivers a nice and nutty end to an eventful journey. This is an amazing whisky which transcends the written word.

Additional information
This is a limited release of 36 000 bottles. It has a healthy 167 ppm and is aged for 8 years. The first 6 years 3 different cask type were used: French Mourvedre, french Sauternes and Austrian sweet wines. The last 2 years it rested in Italian Amarone casks.

Dalmore, Highlands

The Dalmore 10 YO – Vintage 2004

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. There’s honey, malt and a sort of in-between circle of toffee, caramel, butterscotch and fudge. The fruitiness is also very much in focus, with dried oranges, grapefruit and raisins. There’s also a somewhat odd seaweed note laying on top. This is a decent nose, but it lacks a bit of umpf.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness up front and the vanilla is very pronounced and up front. Beneath is the butterscotchy fudge note coming through with a fruity tang to it. There’s dried apples, orange marmelade and lime. The oak is a bit bitter and somewhere in there are cacao and black coffee notes.

Finish: The vanilla is still in charge and behind the sweet front there’s orange marmelade and the butterscotchy fudge note. It disappears quickly and leaves room for a dry and slightly astringent oak. It’s bitter, almost like there’s a dash of tonic water in there. The cacao is still present even though it’s not especially strong. This is a decent whisky which is a bit too mild and a tiny bit uninteresting.

Additional information
This Dalmore expression is matured in american ex-bourbon barrels. For most of its time it rests in refill barrels and then in first fills during a finishing period.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Almost There

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ABV: 54.1 %
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 mix of heavy, ashy peat together with vanilla and oak. The emphasis is on the peat. It settles down a bit after a few minutes in the glass. There’s a peppermint freshness on top and an unscented lotion note somewhere in the middle. There’s also a complexity within which comes through as a mix of pears, honey and coastal notes, which give it a salty touch. The peat also delivers a medicinal side with a hint of iodine. The oakiness moves out towards the sides along the way. This is a great, typical ardbeggian nose with a nice peat punch as the main attraction.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild spicy kick and a medicinal note before the ashy peat and oak notes return. The sweetness arrives shortly after with vanilla, honey and now also a liquorice note. The fruitiness is still in there but it’s a background note which doesn’t add too much to the experience. There’s a savory side to it as well. The coastal notes are in there but are not as pronounced as on the nose. It feels slightly less balanced in taste than on the nose.

Finish: The spicyness increases and there’s a chili kick to it. The savory note and a sprinkle of dust stays in the center and the fruity pear note appears once again. The sweet notes flare up but subsides rather quickly and leaves the peatiness in its full glory with ashy, medicinal qualities as well as a salty coastal side. The oakiness is attached to the peaty notes and it takes a good while for it to shine. It’s a nice coconut and vanilla oak which gives it a nice and pleasant late finish. This is a fantastic whisky which sits firmly within the Ardbeg house style. It’s aggressive yet sweet, warm and welcoming.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2007. It’s the third release in a series that lead up to the Renaissance 10 YO. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenfiddich, Speyside

Glenfiddich 14 YO – Rich Oak

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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 malty. At first there’s a heavy vanilla and honey sweetness sitting on top of baked red apples and malt. A mild oakiness floats around out on the edges. It comes with some baking spices, and it’s mainly cinnamon. After a while in the glass the whole seems to merge together and it becomes more balanced and the fruitiness becomes a bit fresher with some yellow pears added. The oakiness becomes more noticable over time. This is a nice nose which doesn’t feel flat or too mild even though it only has a low ABV to back it up.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat with a slight astringency and a clear cut oakiness coating the palate. In the center it’s malty and sweet and the age shines through. There’s a black coffee bitterness spreading out slowly but steadily as well. The whole is not as fruity as on the nose and the main focus lies on the oak. Tofee and oak spices do take over for those who decides to wait around for them.

Finish: There’s no spikes during the transition and the toffee and oak mix continue to dominate the palate. It still has a lot of oak spices floating around and the bitterness, albeit a bit subdued, is clinging on in the back. The fruitiness is very dull and doesn’t contribute much to the whole at this point. The oakiness is slightly nutty but it takes up too much space from the start. This is a decent whisky which has too much oak influence and low ABV, which makes it unbalanced in taste and in sensation. It does deliver what the name implies though.

Additional information
The Glenfiddich 14 Rich Oak was released in 2010. It has first been matured for 14 years in american ex-bourbon barrels, then finished for 12 weeks in new European oak and six weeks in new American oak.

Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine Sovereign

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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 fruity. At first there’s a layer of sweet vanilla and honey. Underneath lies a young and fruity distillate which gives notes of green apples and pears. The fruitiness increases in intensity over time and a lemon sourness is slowly getting more and more attention. There’s also a floral side to it with a hint of violets coming through after a while. This is a good nose but it feels a bit shallow and lacks a bit of texture and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a very mild vanilla and the start is slightly underwhelming. It’s quite ethanol driven and gets a bit prickly and metallic after a few seconds. The honey sweetness is pushed out on the edges. The fruitiness is pushed back and it feels like there’s a cardboard note connected to a chewy oakiness in the back. There’s a savory note somewhere in the back which adds a much needed extra dimension to the whole.

Finish: The fruitiness with vanilla increase in intensity for a second or two before it returns to the previous state, once again with the young and metallic distillate up front and the cardboard, oak and the savory note in the back. It disintegrates rather quickly and leaves the oakiness to fend for itself. The metallic sour note is still in there for the late finish and it doesn’t help the rather uninteresting oakiness along. This is a so-and-so whisky with a nice nose.

Additional information
This whisky is the entry level in the Tullibardine core range. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels for about 5 years. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Gordon & MacPhail, Highland Park, Independent bottlers, Islands

Highland Park 18 YO – 2002 (Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength Connoisseur’s Choice)

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ABV: 58.1 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a mix of baking spices and menthol floating on top of a sweet center. It consists of ripe red fruits, fresh summer berries and icing sugar. There’s a hint of oakiness and caramel as well. A floral, heathery peat sits in the back but it’s not pronounced at all. The whole feels dessert-like, but it’s not overly sweet. It’s not a heavy nose and it feels poised and laid back even though the High ABV helps it along. This is a nice nose overall which feels younger than its age.

Mouth: It starts out with a big and powerful spicyness and a sweet layer of vanilla and caramel. On the outside there’s a layer of sweet syryp-soaked fruits. The center part grows slowly as the spicyness peaks and the fruitiness gets pushed away. There’s a peaty note in the background but the other flavours keep it subdued for the most part at this point. The oakiness is detectable but it’s sort of mixed with the spicyness.

Finish: The spicyness start to subside almost immidiately and gives room to the other flavours. It’s now a bit dusty and the age is finally shining through with a complexity in the center. The baking spices return and together with the sweet vanilla/caramel center and the fruitiness it creates a very pleasant finish, which is the best part of the journey. The oakiness makes a nice entrance at the end and even though it’s not the most special thing, it works both with the lingering fruitiness and the small peatiness which resides around the edges. This is a really good whisky. It’s sort of hard to identify as a Highland Park though.

Additional information
This is a single cask release. It was aged in a refill ex-sherry butt. It was distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2021. Cask no. 6431, batch no. 21/053. 572 bottles were released.

Auchentoshan, Lowlands

Auchentoshan 18 YO – Limited Release

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Lowlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and floral. At first there’s a mix of fruity red apples cola and honey. It’s quite floral and fresh. A hint of vanilla and butterscotch is somewhat hiding in the background. It becomes more musty and dark with time in the glass and it shows its age quite clearly. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a fruitiness with ripe apples which sits together with sweet butterscotch, vanilla and honey. A tiny hint of chili spicessalted caramel. A slightly bitter oakiness is detectable in the back, the age is once again coming through with a dusty old note in the center.

Finish: The sweetness continues and the whole thing is very mild. It’s butterscotch, vanilla and honey mixed with fresh fruits, slightly bitter dry oak mixed with the cola note. The finish shows the age, with remembrance of dusty bookshelves and old books but it’s a bit too mild to really give an impression. This is a very good whisky. Especially for people who wants to experience what age does to a whisky.

Additional information
Triple distilled and aged in american ex-bourbon barrels for the entire 18 years. It was launched as part of the core range in 2008.

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Cragganmore, Speyside

Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition 2005/2017

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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. At first there are raspberries and strawberries and a hint of liquorice,honey and vanilla. Underneath lies a sweet white wine note as well as a tiny, leathery mix of smokiness and oak. There’s also an outside layer of citrus fruits, with both oranges and lemons surrounding the edges. This is a mild nose with a pretty decent array of things to be found.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla, caramel and a funky ripe note of red berries and a nice and bright fruity layer on the outside. It’s very mild and slightly smoky. It’s still leather and now also a hint of pipe tobacco. It feels like it contributes to the funky ripeness as well. The oakiness is detectable as a top note throughout.

Finish: The transition passes without spikes and the malty vanilla and caramel center is first to come through. A hint of the dark fruits mixed with oak is in there as well, but the fresher, brighter fruits are dulled down. The oak eventually takes over and brings a nutty touch with hazelnuts which makes the tail somewhat dry. The smokiness gets more noticable in the later part of the finish. This is a good whisky. It’s a bit too round and mild to be interesting but it’s a nice and easy sipper.

Additional information
The Distiller’s Edition is a limited yearly release 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.

Caol Ila, Islay

Caol Ila 12 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is lemon, honey and peat. The nose comes through as a layered experience. The first layer delivers the peat, which is a honey sweet smokiness from burning wood and hay. Not far behind is a layer of fruits, especially lemon and sour green apples. In the third layer, which is a bit further back, there’s dry soil, vanilla and a salty caramel. The vanilla moves up a layer with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet with honey and vanilla. The fruitiness comes forward on the sides, while the peat starts to fight with the sweetness in the middle. The citrus fruits, together with a malty note, bring through sort of an IPA note. They also create a white wine aura surrounding everything. There are still notes of earthy dry soil and a small hint of oak.

Finish: There’s no real impact at first. A mild chili pepper spicyness gently spreads and a mix of peat and lemon fills the mouth. It still has the IPA note in the middle. The vanilla and honey are both toned down. The oak comes through in a good place and it overpowers the peat and the lemon to become the focal point. The oak turns the fruitiness towards assorted tropical fruits. It has a nutty quality to it. It’s a very juicy finish and there’s no astringency. This is not as dramatic as the peat level would have you believe.

Additional information
This is the base level of Caol Ila’s core range. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels for the full maturation. The ppm level is around 35.

Campbeltown, Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia Double Cask

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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 fruits and spicy oak. At first, honey and malt arrive with a thin layer of red berries on top. The oak is present from the start and it comes with assorted kitchen/baking spices, like anise and a hint of cinnamon. With time the whole thing becomes darker and sweeter and turns towards butterscotch, liquorice and overripe plums. This creates a nice and interesting transition.

Mouth: It starts out quite peppery and sweet. A small wave of grapefruit and lemon pass by in the background before it settles in a butterscotch and vanilla sweetness. The fruitiness is not as pronounced as on the nose and it sits in the background together with a nice, nutty oakiness. The kitchen spices have changed into a black liquorice note. The whole thing has a nice creamy texture.

Finish: Black pepper and butterscotch completely takes over from the start. They hold on quite well down the road and sort of seamlessly slide towards the sides when the oak arrives. The oakiness brings bitter coffee notes and walnuts. In the late finish the sherry fruitiness return together with a nice vanilla cream sweetness. This is a solid dram and it really benefits those who take their time throughout.

Additional information
This is the entry level whisky in Glen Scotia’s core range. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a thin sweet layer of honey and vanilla. Underneath there’s a lemon sitting side by side to a savory note. It feels young and lively without being ethanol driven and metallic. Over time the sweet and sour notes seem to merge but the lemon sourness is dominating. The savory note stays in the background. A liquorice note slowly arrives around the edges and an oakiness creates a thin top note. This is a nice and straight forward nose. It’s a bit too mild it feels a bit unbalanced.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and sweet and first out is a rather flat vanilla note. After a second or two the sour note arrives but it stays in the back. There’s a lot of the distillate coming through. There’s a spicyness, yet extremely mild, coming from a the oakiness, which sits in the center together with a now more rich vanilla and a slight dustiness. It feels a bit uninteresting at this point.

Finish: The oak steps forward early in the transition and the sour lemon note steps forward from the start. It’s dusty and sweet with the honey and vanilla. It’s still mild and it never really takes off. The oak spices are still in there though. When the oakiness takes over it reveals a fresh woodshop oakiness. It’s slightly astringent but mostly it comes through as a generic oak note. This is a good whisky but it is a bit too mild and unbalanced to be really interesting.

Additional information
There is not much information to be found about this whisky. It’s an older NAS release from the distillery. It has natural colour.

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Macallan, Speyside

The Macallan Sienna

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is ripe fruits and berries. A thick layer of vanilla, overripe plums and raisins stretch out over a fresh fruity base. In the back there are green grapes and red apples. There’s a gentle spicyness surrounding everything and in the background the oakiness peek through. There’s also a ginger note binding everything together. This is most certainly a sherry bomb, even though it’s quite mild to the nose.

Mouth: It starts out very thick and creamy. It’s vanilla heavy and the ripe fruitiness is still prominent, but it has taken a small step back. A sour lemon note is now sitting in the background. There is a floral note floating around in the middle. The spicyness builds up and it’s coming from the oak, not the ABV. It becomes slightly astringent after a while. The oakiness has a nutty side to it with walnuts coming through and they bring along a nice bitterness.

Finish: The bitterness is joining the vanilla and the sherry fruitiness as the main attraction. The spicyness travels on a downward slope and gets further and further away. It’s a very nice spicyness and it feels more powerful than it is. The oakiness is somewhat ananomous and just push forward the walnuts as a representative. It’s a very nice, nutty flavour though. The finish is long and rewarding. This is surprisingly good.

Additional information
This expression is a part of the Macallan 1824 series. It’s aged in a mix of first fill ex-sherry casks made from american and european oak. It has natural colour.

Highland Park, Islands

Caol Ila 11 YO (The Maltman)

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ABV: 54.4 %
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 peat with notes of hay and wet dirt. There’s a big sweetness with vanilla, honey and mixed red berries. They are somewhat subdued at first but gets a bit more bold as time goes by. A black liquorice note is found somewhere in the back. The oak is detectable as a top note. The ashy note is in charge but the whole feels balanced and there’s no sharp edges. This is a nice nose with a lot of the house style shining through.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and then a mild spicyness spreads out evenly throughout the palate. There’s a bitter tang in the back and it’s a dark chocolate bitterness. A lot of hay and earthy notes is found within the center part. The berries are now much darker and hides along the edges and mixes with the dark chocolate note in the back. The oakiness is still in there and gives it a nice extra dimension. The sweetness eventually switches to a butterscotch note in the center. It’s doesn’t feel as balanced as on the nose.

Finish: The spicyness increases slowly and gives it a nice power-up at the beginning of the transition. The oakiness comes early and fills an outside layer together with the hay and the ashy note, which now has returned. The dark chocolate note is still sitting in the back. After a while the ashy note once again takes over and spreads out over the palate. The fruitiness gets lost in everything else and almost disappears throughout the finish. This is a good whisky with a nice mix of grown-up flavours. It’s got a quite demanding flavour profile but that’s not a bad thing.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a sherry butt between 2009-2021. This is cask no. 322973 and it’s limited to 493 bottles.

Auchentoshan, Lowlands

Auchentoshan Springwood

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is green fruits and cola. At first there’s a vanilla and cola sweetness with sour green apples and a metallic note piercing through. There’s a cloud of mild menthol covering everything else. With time in the glass some honey comes through. Deep in the background there’s some cardboard to be found. It’s a very uneventful nose and it feels young and lacks complexity.

Mouth: It starts out somewhat flat and it takes a second or two before a sweetness builds up around the edges. It’s starts out as a generic sweetness, but ends up in a honey note. In the center, the cola note and the sour apples gets accompanied by the oak. It’s bitter and it seems to cling to the cola note. It feels a bit underaged. A toffee note comes through after a fair amount of time and the apples gently disappear into the background.

Finish: The menthol flare up before it reveals a quite bitter finish. The cola note is still in there and the toffee note grows stronger. The fruitiness is now residing a long way back. The oakiness is a bit astringent and bitter. There is a black coffee note in there, but overall it’s not a pleasant bitterness. There’s a dusty sprinkle coming through in the late finish and the apple/cola combination return in the late finish. It still feels underaged and a bit too simple. This is not a great dram.

Additional information
The Springwood was a travel exclusive release matured in north american ex-bourbon casks. It’s no longer part of the distillery’s line-up.

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Macallan, Speyside

The Macallan 12 YO – Sherry Oak 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 dark sherry fruity. At first there’s a mix of vanilla and sweet liquorice together with liqueur-soaked cherries, raisins, ripe plums and just a small hint of marzipan. Some fresh berries come through on the edges and maybe a hint of red apples too. The cask influence really covers most of the distillate. There’s a seeweedy note on top that brings it down a few notches. This is not complex, just mild and sherry-driven.

Mouth: The intro is quite flat and watery and it takes a while to get to the flavours. First out are vanilla and cherries, then a bitterness builds up and leads way directly to the oakiness. The sweet liquorice is still prominent in the mix as well as raisins. Some dried figs are now also detectable. A tiny spice note and a hint of cinnamon tries to fight the bitter oak for attention. It’s somewhat astringent, but it only shows after a few sips.

Finish: A dry oak almost immediately takes front seat. Plums, figs and raisins are creating a baseline together with the sweet liquorice. There are coffee, cinnamon and brown syryp notes. It’s quite dry and astringent. There is a spicyness but it starts out on a low level and then moves on a downslope through the entire finish. The oak is wet, grey wooden planks. This is a decent dram but the nose is much better than the rest.

Additional information
This expression is matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain. It rests in the same cask for the entire maturation period.

Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 16 YO – Distiller’s Dram

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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 rich and fruity. At first there are dark and dried fruits overpowering everything else. There are raisins, dades, prunes and a dried tropical fruit mix with pineapples and nectarines. After a few second a top layer forms with oak, vanilla and a sprinkle of dust. It feels very thick and it almost feels savory behind the fruity exterior. This is a fruitcake whisky and there are baking spices coming through to accentuate that. This is a lovely nose, but it lacks a tiny bit of depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and malty core and a fruity outer layer. The dried tropical fruits remain, but they are more integrated in the sweet core with vanilla and honey. The darker fruit notes have moves towards the edges where they interact with notes which could be described as leather-bound books on a dusty shelf. There is a hint of butterscotch coming through for those who are patient. The spices are more and more leaning towards cinnamon.

Finish: The first thing to pop up is the leather-bound books and dust. There’s now also a hint of tobacco. Inside it’s now a much fresher fruitiness with the dried tropical fruit mix very much in focus. It stays like that until the oakiness arrives. It’s a dry and quite pleasant oakiness which isn’t making a big impact, but brings a soft nuttiness and a mild bitterness to the otherwise fruity finish. This is really a great whisky, but all the flavours feels like they are sitting close to the front and it leaves a slightly empty space in the background.

Additional information
This ”Distiller’s dram” is a part of the Mortlach core range. It was released in 2018. It’s aged in a mix of first fill and refill ex-sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Dawn – Port Casked

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ABV: 51.5 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a mix of leathery peat and tobacco. There’s also a thick undefined sweetness. When it starts to settle there’s first a dark fruitiness and then a fresher tropical fruitiness as well. It feels a bit sticky sweet on top but it’s not top heavy. After a while it seems like everything finds it place and it becomes nicely balanced. The sweetness is now vanilla rich and connected to the fruitiness. Dried tropical fruits like pineapple and mango together with blackberries and raisins are now detectable. This is a great nose which improves greatly with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with the peatiness first. It’s still a leather and tobacco peat and it is a very pleasant combination. There’s a mild spicyness hovering above which gives it a nice aura. After a second or two the fruitiness starts to shine through. It’s a dusty mix of lemons and dried dark fruits. There’s also vanilla and a hint of scented soap somewhere in between. The balance found on the nose isn’t really there anymore and the character has slightly shifted. There is a complex note within which seems to be connected to the peat.

Finish: It starts out with the soapy note which isn’t all that great. A bitter and sour lemon peel note builds up in the background while the peat moves out towards the edges. It still carries the mild spicyness along but it doesn’t spike through the transition. Some baking spices floats around and a hint of the tropical fruitiness can be found just when the oakiness starts to break through. The oakiness is very nice and has a lot of character. It’s coming through in a big manner but it unfortunatly carries the soapy note along through the late finish. This is a decent whisky with a great nose.

Additional information
This is an older release from Bowmore. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in Ruby Port casks.

Auchentoshan, Lowlands

Auchentoshan American Oak

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is light and sweet. There’s a floral layer with heather in the back. Up front it’s Coca cola, honey and vanilla. There’s a ginger note somewhere in the middle and some lemon comes through after a while with a metallic side to it. It’s quite shallow and there’s not much to go hunt after. It’s extremely mild. This is a boring but acceptable nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite watery and then the honey sweetness is first to come through. A small spicyness prickles the tip of the tounge. There’s a little more substance in the taste compared to the nose. The Coca Cola note and the honey is still in there. A tiny hint of oak rests in the back. There’s also a backdrop of lemon and flowers.

Finish: It starts out mild with a tiny veil of menthol and then it turns over to a honey sweetness before switching to the oak. The oakiness is quite fresh and it almost feels like it’s been sitting outside in the rain. There’s a small nutty tone to it’s but not leaning towards any specific kind. This is way too mild and a little bit boring. It’s a good whisky to offer as an introduction to Scotch.

Additional information
As all Auchentoshan whiskies, this is triple distilled. It’s the entry level whisky in the core range and it’s matured in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was released in may 2014.

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