Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Still Young

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mineral note sitting together with ashy peat on top of a young spirit note. On top of that, in the center, there’s a sweet honey and vanilla note. When it settles the peat notes switches to a warmer burning woodfire smokiness and gentle coastal notes. There’s a mild menthol note spreading out like a cloud above everything else and a hint of unscented lotion somewhere within. This is not a complex nose but it’s an interesting whisky nontheless.

Mouth: It starts out with very sweet and spicy. The honey is up front together with a chili spicyness. Underneath a green apple and lemon fruitiness tries its best to fight through a very rowdy and young peat. It’s still young (pun intended) in character. There’s a savory note in the back and a mineraly and ashy peat with coastal notes within. It’s a bit more complex on the palate than on the nose and has a bigger impact as well.

Finish: The fruitiness spreads out over the palate and it’s now more of an assorted fruit note. The menthol and chili spicyness moves to the back and sort of stays there throughout the finish. The peat is still coming through as a mix of burnt wood, minerals and coastal notes. The finish is less sweet than before which gives a very nice oakiness a chance to peek through. It’s a mix of old and new wood. It feels fresh at first and after a while it becomes a bit dusty and nutty. In the late finish there’s a beer note coming through unexpectedly. This is a great whisky with a nice peat and ABV punch. The series it belongs to makes it even better.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2006. It’s the second 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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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Lasanta

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet base with malt, vanilla and honey sitting underneath a sweet layer of mixed fruits. There are raisins and raspberries detectable within the fruitiness. There’s also a fresh lemon peeking through from behind as well as an undefinable herbal note. With time the sweetness moves forwards and mixes with the fruits which becomes a bit darker. It feels quite round and accessible. It’s a clean and well behaved dessert in a glass. This is a good nose. It’s not especially complex but does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of dark fruitiness surrounding a sweet and malty core. It feels darker and more powerful than on the nose with a contrasting fresh lemon note piercing through the center from the back. It’s leaning more towards vanilla than honey within the core and it’s not as sweet anymore. There’s a bitterness coming from the background and it feels somewhat dusty. It’s a generic bitterness not connected to any other flavour. It still fits in with the rest of the palate though.

Finish: There’s a small flare of spicyness at first but it subsides rather quickly. When it subsides there’s room for the bitterness to increase in intensity. It’s now connected to a nutty oakiness. It feels like a mix of hazelnuts and walnuts. There’s also a fresher oakiness to be found later in the finish. The lemon note is still there as well as the dark fruits, but they are pushed out towards the edges and to the back. This is a very good whisky. It’s not complex but really well put together. It has a light and quite clean character which is in line with its premisses.

Additional information
The Lasanta is a part of Glenmorangie’s Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Kildalton 1980

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ABV: 57.6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and medicinal. At first there’s a mix of iodine and peppermint sitting on top of sweet vanilla and liquorice root. There’s also a fruitiness coming through in the center. It’s a mix of lemon and lighter red berries. There is a charcoal as well but it’s not especially peaty or smoky. With time the charcoal and vanilla mixes with an oak note and the liquorice note now shows up in the center. The fruitiness moves forward as well. It feels maritime and there are notes of salt and seaweed as well. This is great, complex nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet mix of vanilla, honey and oranges. It’s quite spicy from the get-go and it really packs a punch. At first, it feels very fresh despite the 23 years in casks, but after a while there’s a thin veil of dust sort of sprinkled on top of everything on the palate. There’s also a black coffee bitterness showing up in the background. The fruitiness becomes quite sticky and complex and for those who wait it becomes assorted dried fruits and bitter orange peel.

Finish: The peppermint spicyness flare up and then settles down quite quickly. First out after that are the dried fruits with orange peel and coconut flakes. It’s still quite dusty and the age is really shining through. There’s a tiny toffee note in the center. The oakiness moves slowly forward together with the bitterness. It’s a nice old and grey, nutty oak which matches the fruitiness very well. When all else fades the maritime and medicinal peaty notes peeks through once again. This is an absolutely fantastic dram with a nice journey and great complexity.

Additional information
This was aged for 23 years and released in 2004. It was limited to 1300 bottles. It’s made from both unpeated and lightly peated barley. Cask type(s) isn’t disclosed. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Stellar Release

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ABV: 58,9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and very peaty. At first there’s a big hit of ashy peat and a medicinal young distillate with a mineral note somewhere within. In the background there’s vanilla and burnt wood. There’s also a cooling mint note hovering above everything else. After a few seconds the ashy peat mellows out a bit and it becomes slightly sweeter. It’s not a complex nose, but for those who search there’s a fruity note way back in the distance as well as some hazelnuts. This is nice and rowdy, yet straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet with vanilla cream and a nice ABV spicyness. It’s very ashy on the edges and the peat also fills the center with burnt wood and sort of a funky complex cheese note. It’s very different from the nose. There’s a bitterness coming through from the back and after a few seconds it moves out towards the edges which leaves place for the medicinal and mineral notes. It’s extremely peaty all over the palate and it still comes through as young and spirity.

Finish: At first there’s a slight dip in the ABV spicyness which leaves room for the vanilla sweetness and the funky note to take center stage. The cooling minty top note slowly returns and the peat punch once again comes through with ashes, iodine and a hint of seasalt. It’s still bitter in the back but as time passes by it more and more becomes burnt wood with an ashy overtone. This is a very good whisky and a massive peat monster. It is a bit young and spirity as expected.

Additional information
This is an Ardbeg with a PPM level over 100. It’s aged for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 17 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and peaty. At first there’s a fresh juicy pear note with a base of burnt wood. It’s very mild and easy on the nose but it’s not thin or brittle. After a few seconds there’s a vanilla cream coating forming around the pears. There’s also a hint of unscented lotion, but it sits in the background behind the peat together with a tiny medicinal note. In the end all the flavours seem to level out and create a complex mix of sweet, fruity and peaty. This is a great nose which slightly suffers from the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with the fruity pear note sitting together with burning wood in the center. It’s surrounded by vanilla cream and a quite noticable oakiness. The whole thing comes through as quite mineraly and way too mild to make an impact. The lotion note as well as the medicinal is not present on the palate. The fruitiness develops over time and moves towards a more acidic fruitiness. There’s also a slightly bitter note in the background.

Finish: The tranisiton is seemless and it just seems like the flavours keeps on going without a big kick or anything flaring up. It’s still pears, now with a twist of lemon, with a peaty and oaky exterior with a dash of vanilla added. There seem to be a separation between the fruity center and the burnt wood and vanilla after a few seconds and when the fruitiness fades out there’s just a nice mellow woodfire burning in the background. This is a great whisky which would have been fantastic with a bit more bite to it. The nose is the best part of the journey.

Additional information
This whisky was part of the Ardbeg core range but it’s now discontinued. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

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Jack Daniel’s, Tennessee

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Legacy Edition – 1st Edition

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Tennessee, USA
Type: Tennessee whiskey
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and fruity. There’s a handfull of hard fruit candies and it’s surrounded by brown sugar and cinnamon. There’s an overlay of ripe bananas and a hint of nail polish remover. The oakiness is residing in the background together with charcoal and some dust. This is very easy on the nose.

Mouth: At first there’s just a sweetness and the whole thing comes through as a bit watery. The spicyness and the cinnamon breaks the silence and lead way to dusty corn and oak. The ripe banana note is still present. It is quite dry and astringent and the oakiness brings some bitter notes.

Finish: It’s still very dry and astringent. A mild spicyness comes first, then vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar take over. The oakiness still got a bitter side to it and the dusty corn notes move forward with time. The oakiness stays a long time in the end and the banana note returns for a revisit. This is not complex, and not a heavy hitter by any means, but it’s a very drinkable whiskey.

Additional information
This is a bottling of the classic Old No. 7 with the label as it were somewhere before 1904. The ABV is slightly higher than the standard version, but otherwise it’s the same whiskey.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and dark fruits. A mellow peatiness with leather and tobacco notes sits in the middle of a dark fruitiness with overripe plums and raisins. A row of old books and a tropical fruitiness (with a twist of lemon) sit in the background. The contrast between the dirrerences make this a complex nose. All flavours seem integrated and they fit nicely into the whole. The dark fruits become more pronounced over time and they bring a black liquorice sweetness. This is a fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild yet flavourful. It’s very sweet with the dark fruitiness up front. A lemon note shoots through the dark fruits and, together with a saltiness and the peat, it creates a complex sensation. The old books still sit in the back and after a few seconds the tropical fruitiness return. The peat is now leaning towards tobacco with a hint of burning charcoal. It becomes spicier with time. The oak is not yet present.

Finish: At first, it becomes very dusty and the age is coming through clearly. The darker fruitiness is immidiately toned down to make room for a brighter tropical fruitiness with pineapples as the main flavour. Within this fruitiness the oak slowly emerges. It’s a dry oak with a hint of walnuts and black coffee, but it still got a freshness to it. The bitter notes never really take over, they just seem to add another layer. In the late finish the leather returns. The tropical fruitiness stays in the mouth long after everything else has subsided. This is well made, and a great dram. It is a bit too mild, but still delivers complexity and a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2007. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks separatly and then mixed together.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 17 YO – White Sands

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is Lemon and leather. The fruitiness soon turns into assorted tropical fruits and the leather note expands to include smoke from a warm burning campfire. There’s a layer of honey, vanilla and butterscotch, but it stays in the back seat. It shows some age with a somewhat elusive note of dusty old books. The fruitiness grows clearar as time passes and there are mango and pineapple found together with the lemon note. It grows sweeter and gets more of the vanilla with time in the glass.

Mouth: It’s very mild and honey sweet at first. The leather note comes through and creates a nice layer around the palate. In the center the fruitiness is even more pronounced than on the nose. It’s still a tropical fruitiness with mango, pineapple and lemon. It’s got a nice backbone of vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. The spicyness is lacking in intensity and never really picks up speed.

Finish: A whiff of the old books passes by before going back to the tropical fruitiness. It grows even fruitier and sweet over time and when the oak arrives it adds to that sensation. The oak is very pleasant and interacts well with all the other flavours instead of bringing a contrasts. It feels very well balanced all the way through and just about every flavour follows along to the now slightly bitter end.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a part of the distillery’s travel exclusive series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

India, Rampur

Rampur Indian Single Malt

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: India
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dill pickle juice. It’s very acidic and it takes a long time to open up. There’s a strong vanilla note, toffee and a sugar sweetness. Green apples and grapes appear after some time in the glass. There’s a hint of black liquorice around the edges. After a while some milk chocolate appears.

Mouth: It also tastes like dill pickle juice. There’s anis, sugar, dust and a herbal spicyness. The green apples and the grapes is residing in the background. It’s extremely astringent and acidic and it’s very oak forward. It almost feels and tastes like a mild rye.

Finish: After an initial herbal spice burst, some vanilla, anis and liquorice root comes through. It’s bitter and unpleasantly astringent. The dill pickle juice comes back and just won’t go away. The oak is over the top in the end. It gets way better after opening up in the glass, but it’s very strange for a single malt.

Additional information
Rampur Distilllery is the former name of the Radico Khaitan. This whisky is produced, and matured in bourbon casks, in Uttar Pradesh near the Himalaya and is the first single malt released by the distillery.

Ballantine’s, Glenburgie, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glenburgie 18 YO

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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 very fruity and vanilla sweet. Ripe red apples and sweet oranges share the main space with a piece of vanilla fudge. There’s a touch of honey but it’s not the main sweetness. It’s very mild and lacks some complexity expected from the high age statement. It’s simple and straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very watery then slowly builds up as the seconds goes by. First to come through is pears, then spices, then oranges and grapefruits. After a few seconds the age starts to shine through with some complexity and some musty background notes. The oak is in the back and it comes through as grey old dry oak planks. It’s flat and really lacks a lot of power.

Finish: The vanilla fudge comes first and then it moves towards the fruitiness once again. It almost feels like a lightly carbonated soft drink. Honey and pears appear before the oranges completely takes over. When the oakiness comes back, it’s still grey wooden planks. There’s no astringency and no bitterness. This is very drinkable, but it’s not especially interesting.

Additional information
The Glenburgie 18 YO was released in 2019. It’s aged in traditional (refill) casks. This bottle is labeled with ”Series 001”.

Ireland, Teeling

Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask Finish

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Ireland
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a slightly bready vanilla, honey and malt note. The grain spirit shines through from behind but it’s not harsh or unpleasant. There’s a spicy top layer with a peppermint touch to it. There is a slight dried fruitiness floating around somewhere in the center but it’s not making a big impact on the nose but it moves forward after a while. With time coconut sweetness start to emerge and it becomes very noticable after a while. This is a nice nose for a blend and it is a rather interesting experience.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of fresh oak and grain sprit spreading out on the edges of the palate. A spicy but gentle pepper note quickly builds up in the center which gives is a nice power-up. The main body still consists of honey, malt and vanilla with the coconut still in there but much less pronounced than on the nose. There’s liquorice coming through as well. The fruitiness is now more like a mild red baked apple. A bitter note builds up around the edges over time.

Finish: The sweetness creates a round center part and it now has a butterscotch note added. The coconut is not a big part anymore and the baked red apples cover the palate on an outside layer. The grain spirit is for the first time coming through as a bit unpleasant. The oakiness has always seemed to be in there and when it starts to come through it brings up the cocnut once again as well as a nice bitter touch. The mild peppermint note hovers above the oak a long way down the late finish. This is a good blend with some good casks involved.

Additional information
This irish blend is aged for about 6 years in american ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished for 6 months in ex-rum casks. It’s unchillfiltered. The bottle tried was bottled 06/2017.

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India, Paul John

Paul John Bold – Peated

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a warm peatiness coming through with hay, campfire smoke and a savory note coming from the back. There’s honey and vanilla covering the peat. There’s also a medicinal iodine note coming through. After a few seconds a thin veil of unidentifiable fruitiness becomes detectable. This is a very straight forward, slightly uninteresting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with the peatiness filling up the edges and a spicyness with a young distillate in the center with lemon, wet cardboard and a metallic note. The sweetness is subdued and sits near the peat on the edges. It’s quite bitter in the background with hints of coffee and the medicinal side to it remain.

Finish: The peatiness subsides rather quickly and leaves a bitter oakiness in the middle. There are still notes of the distillate coming through with mainly cardboard and the metallic note, which is becoming more and more noticable as the finish progresses. There’s still a medicinal iodine note and after a few seconds there’s a toothpaste note somewhere on top. The peatiness return in the late finish but it really can’t make up for the rather bad finish. This is not a great whisky by any means. It’s peaty, but it’s not especially bold.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2015 as a core range whisky. It’s made with indian barley smoked with islay peat. The PPM level is 25. It’s aged in first and second fill ex-bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

France, G Rozelieures, Gallet-Dupic

G. Rozelieures Fumé Collection

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and sweet peat. At first there’s a perfumey floral note sitting on top of dried dark dried fruits like raisins and prunes. There’s a cloud of earthy peatiness surrounding the edges. There’s also a dry touch to it and a small hint of pine in the background. With time in the glass a vanilla note starts to rise in the center together with a hint of sweet liquorice. The sherry notes also increase in intensity after a while. This is a different and original nose, yet it doesn’t really impress.

Mouth: at first it’s sweet with just a hint of the dry, earthy and herbacous peatiness. After a second or two the sherry notes start to pick up as well as the peatiness. There is a sulfur and rubber greasyness which gives it a nice depth. The dark fruitiness is somewhat subdued. There is a hint of lemon on the edges and a bitter background note which doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the profile.

Finish: A mix of dark fruits, sulfur and herbacous peat flare up and gives it a nice complex profile from the get-go. It feels a bit ”hot” which brings it down a notch or two. After it settles it moves over towards dry soil and bitter oak. There is a nutty quality to it, but it’s not any specific kind of nuts. The sulfur and rubber note stays on top for the late finish. This whisky is a roller coaster with a great finish. It’s well made and very original. Maybe it just takes a bit getting used to.

Additional information
This is a whisky made by the Grallet-Dupic Distillery. It has a peat level of 20 ppm and has natural colour. It’s aged in a mix of ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Jimenez cherry casks for 8 years.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 1998

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first there’s a sweet mix of honey, vanilla and heather coming through from the center and a very mild whiff of peat and tobacco slowly rising up towards the edges. It takes a few seconds for them to meet up to create a whole. When they do the floral notes are pushed forwards together with a fresh fruitiness. The sweet layer moves slightly backwards and gets a butterscotch note added within. There’s also a menthol layer hovering above everything else. This is a very nice nose and it’s shaped like a cone; With a wide sweet bottom and a fresh pointy top.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer with everything mixed in. There are notes of heather, assorted tropical fruits, tobacco, peat, honey and vanilla. There’s even a fresh saw dust oakiness and they’re all coming through at once. After a few seconds it starts to once again create the same cone as on the nose with the fruitiness and heather up front and the sweetness in the back. The tobacco and peat smoke is a bit heavier in taste than on the nose. The oakiness is floating around outside of the cone.

Finish: The menthol returns for a quick visit but it’s soon pierced by the fresh tropical fruitiness and the floral notes. The oakiness is still very fresh with plenty of wood spices and it’s creating a woody scenery in the background. There’s also a hint of ripe fruits somewhere in the middle but maybe it’s the tobacco notes and the peat creating an illusion. This is a very good whisky despite its low ABV. It’s a bit mild and a bit too oaky, but it never feels flat and/or over-oaked.

Additional information
The Highland Park 1998 was bottled in 2016 so it’s a 12 YO expression. It’s a travel retail exclusive which focuses on maturation in first fill ex-american bourbon barrels.

Japan, Suntory

Suntory Whisky Toki

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a nice rounded layer of honey and vanilla with a thin fruity and floral layer on the outside. In the center there’s a mix of a harsher grain spirit and a delicate malt note. After a while it sort of balance itself out and everything comes together to create a more compact experience. The fruitiness moves forward and it’s a mixed bag of green and red apples. There’s also something in the background which presents itself as something a bit riper. This is a nice nose which improves greatly with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a hit of the grain spirit as well as a thin green fruitiness. It’s dry and bitter with some assorted cooking spices in there as well. It’s less sweet compared to the nose, but the honey and vanilla is still in there. With time the spicyness shifts towards a black pepper note. It feels a bit harsh and very unbalanced. The oakiness is in there and it seem to be connected to the bitterness.

Finish: The finish is mainly focused around a bitter center part and a peppermint floating around on top. The fruitiness is still in there as well as the sweetness. When it starts to fade, a thin note of orange peel pops up somewhere down the line but mainly it’s just a bitter and slightly nutty oakiness which is left behind. It’s a hazelnut/almond nuttiness but it’s too little too late. This is a decent blend with a nice nose. There are some good casks involved, but it still leaves a lot more to offer.

Additional information
Toki is primarily a blend of Hakushu malt aged in American oak and grain whisky from Chita. The blend also includes single malt from Yamazaki aged in American and Spanish oak.

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Black Bottle, Unspecified

Black Bottle

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland Unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is oaky and sweet. At first there’s a massive new oak layer sitting on top of a harsh grain spirit note. The oakiness feels prickly and has a piney smell to it. After a few seconds a middle layer starts to form with a vanilla and butterscotch sweetness. There’s also a whiff of peat somewhere within. There’s a fresh lemon fruitiness in the back but it’s easily mistaken for a metallic note. With time the sweet layer expands a bit which is much needed to balance out the oak. This is not the greatest nose, not even in the budget blend catergory.

Mouth: It starts out with the same prickly and piney oakiness creating a thick layer around the palate. On the inside all the other flavours fight for attention. There’s still a sweet vanilla/butterscotch note as well as a thin peatiness. There’s also a thin flowery note floating around on top and the lemon is still found in the back. The grain spirit is very subdued and the background consists of a nice gritty layer with a hint of rubber and sulfur.

Finish: The oakiness flares up to another level and becomes truly unpleasant at first. The peatiness can’t compete with the oak so it just becomes a background noise. The sweet layer and the floral note has disappeared and all that’s left is a dry woodshop oakiness with the pine notes still within. This is a bad whisky which is way over-oaked (on purpose probably) to create the illusion of a spicy and flavourful whisky to use in drinks and cocktails.

Additional information
This whisky is said to contain several islay and Speyside malts. The grain spirit part comes from the lowlands. Bunnahabhain is mentioned as the main islay malt in this blend.

Speyburn, Speyside

Speyburn Bradan Orach

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and spirit driven. At first there’s a rather flat fruity pear note with some vanilla and malt attached to it. The distillate is young and very pronounced and it comes with an unpleasant cardboard note. With time in the glass the fruity note grows a bit more noticable and a tiny sweet liquorice note comes through around the edges. The vanilla turns into a thin toffee note after a while. This is a rather thin and uninteresting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness taking up most of the palate and the distillate sits up front. It really tastes like cardboard and it’s very flat. The fruitiness is coming through as ripe yellow pears but it’s beaten down by most of the other flavours. The oak is already present and it’s a very bitter and unpleasant oakiness in the background. The sweetness do turn into the same vanilla and toffee note as before but they are still overridden by all the other unpleasantries going on.

Finish: The distillate pushes through once again and it brings the cardboard note with it. It’s very young and harsh. The sweetness and the fruitiness flickers by but fortunatly it completely falls apart rather quickly and it doesn’t take long before the (not in a good way) bitter oakiness is all that’s left. To be fair, after a couple of minutes the oakiness settles down and becomes a bit nutty, which is a good thing. This is a really bad whisky and it certainly presents itself as a budget alternative.

Additional information
Bradan Orach means golden salmon in Gaelic. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and was added to the core range in 2009.

Islay mist, Unspecified

Islay Mist

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland Unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is butterscotch and peat. At first there’s a whiff of peat sitting on top of a clingy butterscotch note. There’s a metallic vanilla attached to it. The peat is leaning towards a coastal character with seaweed and a pinch of salt. After some time a fruity layer comes though somewhere in between the peat and the butterscotch. It’s a generic fruitiness and can’t attached to a specific fruit. This is a decent nose for a cheap blend with the grain spirit toned down by the peat.

Mouth: It starts out with a surge of fruitiness with a quite peaty outside layer with medicinal iodine as well as burning hay. The fruitiness still feels generic, but it fits rather nicely together with the peat. After a few seconds the clingy butterscotch and the metallic vanilla comes through. It stays in the center and never really pushes forward which is a good thing. It becomes a bit ”chalky” as well. A bit of black pepper spicyness shows up for those who wait.

Finish: It takes a second or two before any flavour shows up. It starts from the outside with the peatiness and then the fruitiness. The metallic note is much clearer than before and when the butterscotch arrives it becomes a bit unpleasant. The oakiness comes late and when it does, it feels like it’s rescuing the last part of the finish. It’s not the most characterful oak, but it’s good enough. This is a decent blend which is slightly better than its peers.

Additional information
This whisky was originally made with whiskies from Laphroaig, GlenGrant and Glenlivet by Ian Hunter in the 1920’s. What goes into the whisky today is not revealed except that Laphroaig is in the mix.

Japan, Nikka

Nikka From The Barrel

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ABV: 51.4 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and herbal. At first the high ABV together with the grain spirit create a cloud of acetone on top of a sweet vanilla butterscotch. The backbone is quite earthy with dry soil and dried herbs. There is an outside layer of assorted dark and dried fruits, but they are no way dominating the whole. There’s also a speck of dust floating around. This is a ”something good/something bad” kind of nose.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and with a big vanilla flavour. After a few seconds the earthy, dry soil note returns and so do the dried herbs. There’s an anise note coming through quite early and it’s not especially pleasant. It sort of switches towards pine and dust after a few seconds which doesn’t help. There is a nice hint of ripe fruits coming through, but it’s not taking any steps forward. It’s way milder on the palate than on the nose. The oak do arrive, but it’s covered by the pine and anise.

Finish: A cloud of the acetone passes by and then it goes straight to a slightly astringent and vanilla sweet oakiness. There’s still an outer layer of dark and dried fruits and they’re more present in the finish. The oak delivers an extremely fresh oakiness, but there is still a dust note left behind. The pine note return in the finish and makes it take a turn for the worse. This is a well made blend with some good components, but it’s still suffering from its big grain spirit part.

Additional information
This blend was created in 1985. It consists of 40 % malt and 60 % grain. A batch is made from 120 casks, mostly first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels mixed with sherry butts and refill hogsheads. The whisky is aged between 10-12 years, and the leading malt is Miyagikyo from the Sendai Distillery and whisky from the Yoichi distillery is also included.

Clynelish, Highlands

Clynelish Reserve – Game of Thrones House Tyrell

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ABV: 51,2 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and juicy. At first there’s a thick vanilla, honey and butterscotch layer sitting on top of a basket of fresh fruits. It’s mainly oranges, but with a sour lemon in the background. It’s very mild to the nose and there’s no sharp edges anywhere. It’s very concentrated to the center part and lacks some depth. This is a mild, lovely nose without much complexity.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and all the flavours are showing up in the front. It’s sweet and malty and it’s very juicy. It mimics the nose very well with oranges, honey and vanilla. After a few second it starts to spread out over the palate and a zesty bitterness is added to the fruitiness. It feels rich and textured. There’s grapefruit as well. It still has a fairly straight forward and uncomplicated profile.

Finish: The high ABV finally reveals itself and gives it a nice little kick. When it settles, it’s leaning more towards the bitter zesty notes and the sweetness has somewhat subsided. There’s still some orange juice left in the back and when the oak comes through it sort of emerge from the zest. It’s a nice and easy to approach oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts, but mainly just produces a middle of the road oak flavour. This is a very approachable whisky with a great texture to it. It’s a high ABV easy sipper.

Additional information
The Game of Thrones series was released by Diageo in 2018. This Clynelish is a NAS whisky aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

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