Glenkinchie, Lowlands

Glenkinchie Distiller’s Edition 2008/2020

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there are mixed fruits and berries in the center with a sweet honey and vanilla layer surrounding it. There’s also a thin veil of pipe tobacco and menthol around the edges of the glass. After some time in the glass the fruitiness mellows and becomes a bit rounded and darker. There’s also a nutty quality to it. The fresher fruits are still detectable in the background and with time a floral note also appears. This is a very nice nose with a light, yet interesting character.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of fresh berries together with vanilla and honey. In the background there’s an overripe fruitiness with plums and raisins peeking through. After a few seconds the layers sort of switch places. There’s still a whiff of pipe tobacco and a nutty oakiness to be found for those who wait. It’s got a nice texture to it and even though it still got a light character it doesn’t feel watery or too mild.

Finish: The finish starts with the menthol returning. It creates a nice cloud together with a floral note, sitting on top of the rest of the flavours. It mirrors the rest of the journey with the mix of fresh and dark ripe fruits, the vanilla and the honey all coming through nicely in the center. It does feel somewhat top heavy at this point though. When it starts to fade out the oakiness returns and it’s a nice hazelnut oakiness with just a hint of bitterness and black coffee. This is a very good whisky with a light character. It feels somewhat unbalanced at times during the journey, but it’s not a big issue.

Additional information
This distiller’s edition is double matured with an initial aging period in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Amontadillo sherry casks.

Glen Grant, Speyside

Glen Grant 12 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a ripe red apple fruitiness together with a malty base and a coating of vanilla and honey. There’s also a fresher fruitiness surrounding the core. It’s very dessert-like and there are some baking spices floating around somewhere inside. It feels very homogenous and everything lies close to the core. With time a marzipan note start to emerge around the edges of the glass. This is a very pleasant nose. It isn’t complex but delivers the profile without flaws.

Mouth: It starts out with lemons and oranges on the edges and a rich malty core with vanilla, honey and red ripe apples in the center. It’s got a nice texture and feels ”larger” than on the nose. After a few seconds the outside fruitiness turns slightly bitter and creates an orange peel note. A hint of baking spices are in there as well and it still feels like a dessert, but it’s not too sweet.

Finish: The finish starts the same way as the mouth with a nice orange peel fruitiness exploding around the palate before the sweet honey and vanilla returns in the center. It’s less malty and more fruity and it stays that way all the way through. The only shift is when the oakiness start to come through, which is fashionably late. It’s a nice aged wood oakiness with a hint of mixed nuts. The fruitiness follows along all the way through. This is a great whisky. It’s not complex nor an explorer’s whisky, but as an easy sipper it’s a perfect background whisky.

Additional information
The cask type isn’t stated anywhere but the taste profile suggests ex-bourbon american white oak. There is another version of this whisky which is only sold in travel retail, but that one is unchillfiltered and the ABV is 48 %.

Japan, Nikka

Nikka All Malt

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and malty. At first there’s a big round center of butterscotch and honey. There’s a ripe red apple note somewhere close behind. It’s very mild and there are no sharp edges what so ever. The oakiness is already present and it creates a thin layer on top of everything else. The butterscotch increase in intensity with time in the glass. This is not a complex nose and it is a bit bland and boring.

Mouth: It starts out with the butterscotch and a honey sweetness up front and a lemon sourness in the back. When the fruity note settles it becomes more like green apples. It feels a bit metallic and sharp in the background. It’s very dry and the oakiness is coming through very early. It soon basically takes over. The oakiness itself is not a pleasant one and it basically kills every other flavour.

Finish: The butterscotch comes through once again but is soon overpowered by the very dry and astringent oak. The oak is still not very nice and all that comes though in the finish is a metallic note in the back, presumed to be a telltale sign of a young distillate. This is an uninteresting whisky and it feels a bit over-oaked to push flavours through. The nose is the best thing about the experience.

Additional information
This is a vatted malt. The malts are from the Yoichi distillery and from the Miyagikyo distillery. It includes both pot stilled and coffey stilled malt from Miyagikyo. Cask type isn’t stated.

Auchentoshan, Lowlands

Auchentoshan Dark Oak

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and off-brand cola. At first there are assorted dark fruits on top of a light and floral background with notes of violets and heather. The cola note floats around somewhere in the middle. After some time in the glass there’s a honey sweetness slowly building up around the edges of the glass. The dark fruits also increase in intensity and there are notes of ripe red grapes within. This is a nice nose although it feels young and a bit thin.

Mouth: It starts out with honey, liquorice and cola up front and a lemon peel sour bitterness in the back. It’s very mild and light. There’s not much of a body and there’s a cardboard note coming from the back. The dark fruits are now almost hidden. There’s a hint of gooseberries somewhere within. After a while the bitter notes create a black coffee and walnut background to discover for those with patience.

Finish: The finish starts with a mild whiff of the floral notes and just a tiny appearance of the sweetness and the dark fruits. It then directly moves towards coffee and oak once again. The walnuts are still there but they decrease in intensity as the coffee notes move forward. It’s a mild bitterness. In the late finish the floral notes return and creates a nice overlay. This is not a great whisky by any means, it’s somewhat thin and young, but there are nice notes floating around in there.

Additional information
The Dark Oak expression was released in 2019 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a mix of ex-Pedro Jimenez sherry casks, ex-Oloroso sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 18 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and lemon fresh. There’s a very nice and thick layer of vanilla, caramel, honey and sweet liquorice and it’s intertwined with lemons and oranges. A hint of fresh oak comes through from the back together with a sprinkle of sea salt. There’s a white chocolate note appearing after some time in the glass. This is very rich and full bodied.

Mouth: A squeeze of lemon passes by before a black pepper spicyness takes over. It’s not as sweet as on the nose but it’s still very rich. The lemon note comes back together with malt, sweet liquorice and some caramel. It comes off as a bit dry and dusty. The lemon note is now leaning more towards the zest with a bitter tang to it. The oranges are gone. In the background a hint of the oak is coming through together with white chocolate.

Finish: At first, black pepper and lemon is creating a cloud that takes up the entire space. It takes a second or two before the other flavours make themselves known. There are vanilla, honey and caramel notes as well as an oakiness building up. It’s a very nice fresh oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts and a hint of chalk. In the late finish it finally shows some age with a row of dusty old books. This is an extremely well made and very tasty whisky.

Additional information
This is part of The Arran Malt’s core range and it’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg An Oa

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat, fruits and creamy vanilla. At first there’s a really big dollop of vanilla cream and a core of oakiness. just outside there’s a ring of fresh red berries. It’s mainly raspberries but there’s also a darker side to it. Surrounding everything is a sweet and warm peatiness with a hot burning fire and a hint of fresh hay. In the background there’s a creamy soft note, like unscented lotion. This is a beautifully rich and welcoming nose.

Mouth: It starts out with sweet vanilla cream and a fresh hay peatiness. It’s quite mild at first and it gives room for the complexity to build up. After a few seconds the fruitiness arrives. It’s a mix of fresh raspberries, overripe black grapes and a hint of lemon. The peatiness increases over time and gently fills the mouth from the outside layer working inwards. A hint of salt is added along the way. The oakiness is hiding in the background and it’s sending out a bitter note and some spicyness.

Finish: The finish starts out with a cloud of peatiness together with a sligthly bitter and spicy oakiness. The fruitiness is pushed back and the unscented lotion returns. This gives it a soft and creamy contradiction to the dry oakiness. After a few seconds the oak is very much the main attraction, accompanied by the peat. It remains a dry, spicy and bitter oakiness with a speck of dust on it. The finish is not as nice as promised by the nose and mouth, but this is still a very nice dram.

Additional information
An Oa is made from whiskies matured in Pedro Ximenez ex-sherry casks, new charred american oak barrels and american ex-bourbon barrels. The varieties are put together in a french oak marrying vat before being bottled. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 19 YO – Traigh Bhan (Batch 2)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.2 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is heavy peat and fresh red berries. At first there’s a heavy peatiness with minerals, leather and campfire smoke surrounding around a small core of ripe red berries. There’s also vanilla, honey and unscented lotion sitting slightly behind and to the sides. With time the peatiness and fruits retreat and the sweetness comes forward. In the background there are coastal notes with ocean air and a hint of seaweed. This is a fantastic and rich nose with a lot of details to explore.

Mouth: It starts out with the peatiness, mainly minerals and leather, together with a fresher batch of berries and a hint of lemon in the back. It takes a few seconds for a pepper note to arrive but when it does it creates a nice spicy side to the otherwise well-rounded character. The lotion, vanilla and honey notes are still in there but they have taken a step back into the background. It still carries its roudy, coastal heritage with iodine and brine floating around even though the age has mellowed everything out.

Finish: A big hit of the minerality and the brine are soon followed by black prepper, honey and the rest of the peatiness. The red berry fruitiness is sort of wedged in between the peat and the sweetness. When most of the flavours settle the oakiness start to come through and it’s accompanied by campfire smoke, the minerals and an ashy back note. The finish is long and rewarding. This is an absolutely fantastic whisky which balances the age and the rowdy heritage extremely well.

Additional information
The Traigh Bhan is released in small batches. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. The batch number is TB/02-18.09.00/20.JT.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 21 YO Committee Release 2001

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
This is fruity and peaty. It’s a very complex whisky with a lot of different sensations and flavours. It’s a lot fruitier than later releases from the distillery. It was tasted in a big Ardbeg blind test which means there are no detailed tasting notes taken. It won against 17 other Ardbeg releases.

Additional information
This Ardbeg was released in 2001 and was limited to 2500 bottles. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Famous Grouse, naked malt, Scotland, Unspecified

The Naked Malt (Naked Grouse)

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of vanilla and dried fruits and berries. There are raisins as well as tropical fruits and lemons. There’s also cinnamon, a whiff of tobacco and a piece of sponge cake. Underneath, the distillate comes through as rather flat and uninteresting. There’s a metallic note coming through as well. It’s extremely top heavy and the sherry cask covers everything else. This is a nice enough nose, but it’s just a big fruity and sweet lid on top of a flat whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with the distillate peeking through with a surrounding sweet layer. It feels a bit young and spirity yet flat from the low ABV. The fruitiness is residing on the edges and stays there. It’s a fresher fruitiness than on the nose and reveals a larger portion of tropical fruits and lemon. The vanilla coats the palate together with a hint of the oakiness. The ripe notes can be found in the back but they are somewhat subdued. A slight spicyness will come for those with patience.

Finish: The sweetness carries over and are immidiately joined by a fresh oakiness and a hint of sulfur. The fruitiness is now once again leaning towards ripe and dried darker fruits. It doesn’t take long before the oakiness takes over and the late finish becomes very oaky and a bit clingy. There’s not much to it other than that. This is an ok whisky which is obviosly a cover-up. The (presumably) seasoned sherry cask is doing a good job, but in the end it just makes the whisky top heavy with a shallow bottom.

Additional information
This is the rebranding of The Naked Grouse. The malts used are not entirely specified but Macallan, Highland Park and Glenrothes are known. It’s finished in first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bruichladdich, Islay, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte 10 YO Heavily Peated

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 50 %
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 a very round and gentle honey and vanilla sweetness with a savory note mixed in. It’s surrounded by a dry and earthy peatiness which gives it a nice contrast between sensations. There’s an ocean spray saltiness, as well as mixed fruits, floating around somewhere in between the other layers. They sort of act like a cohesive between everything else. The fruitiness is coming through as fresh, leaning towards green apples and pears with just a hint of ripe plums. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a rich maltiness together with honey and vanilla as a core. The peatiness is somewhat subdued and lets the fruitiness come through towards the edges. It’s overripe red grapes and blueberries and the fruitiness is a lot different compared to the nose. With time a mild spicy black pepper note arrives together with a dry smoke and earthy peatiness. The backbone has a complexity to it with a salt and savory character.

Finish: The finish starts out with the ripe fruitiness on the edges and in the back while the peatiness and the sweetness sort of dips down for a few seconds. When they once again increase in intensity it’s the peatiness that picks up pace and takes over. The sweetness creates a caramel note in the center though. It moves along together with the oakiness which shows up fashionably late. At first it’s a rather anonymous oakiness but in the late finish it shifts towards a nice walnut nuttiness. This is a great whisky for the explorer and there are tons of small things to discover.

Additional information
The Port Charlotte 10 YO is aged in a mix of 65 % first-fill and 10 % second-fill ex-bourbon barrels together with 25 % second fill french ex-wine casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a mix of vanilla and ripe apples and pears. There’s also a second layer behind the fruitiness with honey and fresh oak. It feels quite young and spirity. There are some wood spices coming through as well as liquorice. This is a decent nose but there’s not much happening in the glass. It stays the same throughout which makes it a bit uninteresting.

Mouth: It starts out with the same ripe apples and pears covered in vanilla and oak. It’s quite spicy with black pepper and wood spices. The oak is a bit hard to pinpoint and it feels a bit dry and weird. The whole feels a bit more homogenous at this point but there’s still not much to discover other than what is presented from the start. For those who wait there’s a hint of toffee and a savory note emerging from the back.

Finish: The fruitiness dies down rather quickly and all that’s left is the oakiness and the black pepper spicyness. It’s a dry oak with a perfumey character which actually makes the finish a bit weird. It still feels young and the cask influence feels rushed. This is an ok whisky but it feels a bit boring and rushed for flavour. It should be good as a base in longdrinks and cocktails.

Additional information
10 % of this whisky is aged for 18 months in new heavily charred swedish oak casks. The rest is aged in ex-bourbon american oak barrels.

Islands, Jura

Jura Prophecy

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a leathery and slightly ashy peat dominating the palate. It’s quite rowdy but it doesn’t feel protruding or sharp. There’s a vanilla and honey sweetness which slowly becomes noticable. The same goes for a soft and mild, slightly ripe, red berry fruitiness. When it settles there’s a dry soil earthiness floating around somewhere within. There’s also a sweet liquorice note coming through towards the edges. This is a rich and full flavoured nose which has a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a hit of the dry soil peatiness with a peppery spicyness on top. The sweetness is still in there but it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The sweetness eventually creates a butterscotch layer on the edges. After a few seconds the leather note appears as well as a sulfuric background note. There are ripe red berries up front and a thin sour lemon note in the back. The whole is slightly astringent and sort of hard to reach with a rock-like minerality to it.

Finish: The minerality and the dry soil never budges through the transition. The other flavours take a slight dip before returning. The peatiness has become a bit more herbaceous at this point and the fruitiness is residing a long way back on the palate. This gives the oakiness room to be noticed and it brings a fantastic hazelnuts and old oak combination. The oakiness is joined by the peat a long way down the line and the late finish is the best part of the journey. This is a really good whisky with a not so commersial composition. This makes it stand out in a very good way.

Additional information
The Prophecy is aged ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and limousin oak. The whisky is unchillfiltered and more peated than other Juras.

Cotswolds, England

Cotswolds Founder’s Choice – Batch 01/2018

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 60.9 %
Origin: England
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is high ABV spicy. There are peppermint and rye spices with anise and liquorice root. There are also honey and vanilla and a thin toffee note in the back. The oak peeks through but there’s no direct sign of the red wine casks on the nose at first. A smell of wet clothes after walking in the rain resides in the back. It gets sweeter with time in the glass and a thin savory note builds up as well. There’s no apparent sign of the young distillate.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and honey sweet for about a second before the high ABV brings a hefty spicyness. There’s still anise and liquorice found, but It’s almost directly pushed out of focus and gets overrun by a very pronounced fruitiness mixed with honey and vanilla. The oakiness is shining through and the rejuvinated red wine casks creates a fruitiness with red berries and tropical fruits. There’s a bitter side to it and some dark chocolate notes appear after a couple of seconds.

Finish: It basically gets even fruitier. This is full of every fruit imaginable. There are mangos, pineapple, peaches, raspberries, grapefruit and lemons. The oak arrives late in the finish and isn’t dominant. It’s a fresh oak that doesn’t leave too much of an impression. After everything dies down there’s a slight metallic note left in the mouth giving away the young age. This is a well made whisky.

Additional information
The Founder’s Choice is a cask strength Limited edition whisky. 2850 bottles were produced in this batch. The distillery was founded in 2014 which makes this a maximum of 5 years old. It’s aged in recondtitioned american oak red wine barriques. It’s not coloured and it’s unchillfiltered.

Golden Shoe, Unspecified

Golden Shoe Blended Scotch Whisky

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is harsh, sweet and grain spirit heavy. A massive vanilla note dominantes together with what could be described as rubbing alcohol. The sweetness is just generic white sugar-like. There’s no fruitiness nor oak. There’s a hint of cardboard coming from behind. It’s one-dimensional and lacks both depth and complexity on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out very watery with just a touch of sweetness. The vanilla continously move forward and a tiny spicyness appears on the tip of the toungue. A bitterness builds up in the back. The grain spirit is very pronounced and ”boozy”. It’s not a very nice mouthfeel.

Finish: The harsh grain spirit flare up and soon gets replaced with vanilla once again. It quickly switches over to a very bitter and somewhat unpleasant oakiness. The oakiness stays for a pretty long finish, which in this case isn’t a good thing. This is a bad whisky and it should not be consumed neat.

Additional information
The Golden Shoe/Golden Goal whiskies are released as limited editions for soccer championships. The content is not disclosed, but it’s bottled by Schwarze & Schlichte Markenvertreib GmbH & Co. KG.

Cardhu, Speyside

Cardhu Gold Reserve – Game of Thrones House Targaryen

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly fruity. Honey, vanilla and toffee are sitting on top of some baked red apples. It’s very mild and nothing really pops from the glass. It’s dusty and there’s just a hint of oak in the back. The toffee note moves forward with time in the glass. It’s very rounded around the edges even if it has a youthness sitting in the back, which manifests as a thin metallic note.

Mouth: A very sweet start with honey and a lemon note quickly passing by. It stays very sweet for a long time with vanilla and toffee slowly moving forward. There’s a white pepper spicyness, but it never really amounts to anything. When it finally sets some of the sweetness aside it slowly reveals a slightly bitter oak, but it just stays in the back. It’s still extremely mild and round like a marble.

Finish: The finish is just a continuation of the sweet and mild parade. A few seconds of honey, vanilla and toffee goes by before it lands in a bland oakiness. It’s a little dusty, but otherwise laid back and it feels like it doesn’t want to be noticed. The toasted flavours do come through though, but they do not do much to create anything. This is too mild and too well rounded to be interesting. It’s definitely a good dram if someone needs an introduction into scotch.

Additional information
The Gold Reserve was first released in 2014 for the european market and they now use the same whisky as a GoT special release. It’s aged in toasted oak barrels.

Box, High Coast, Sweden

Box Dálvve

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and peaty. At first there’s a menthol layer sitting above a fresh herbaceous peatiness. There’s vanilla and some green fruits starting to come through after a few seconds. There’s also a small hint of play-doh floating around in the middle of everything. The peatiness evolves slowly towards ashes and burning tobacco and the smoke mixes with the menthol. It becomes sweeter with time in the glass. This is a nice and interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy with a fruity bottom layer. The peat arrives right away and it’s creating an outer layer together with honey and vanilla. It’s still herbaceous with a side note of tobacco. In the middle there’s a maltiness and a savory note. There’s also a bitter black coffee note and freshly planed oak. It still feels young and unsettled, but there are a lot of flavours seeking attention.

Finish: The menthol returns for a quick but substancial visit and then just sort of lingers through the entire finish. Next to come through are both the peaty outer layer and the honey sweet and malty core. The fruitiness is still there, but never really breaks through the big flavours up front. Eventually the oak shows up and it’s nice enough, but feels a bit characterless. The bitter coffee note is not as pronounced in the finish as it is in the mouth. This is a great, albeit young whisky with a lot to offer.

Additional information
This whisky is matured for about 5 years in american ex-bourbon barrels. The distillate is made from 24 % peated malt and 76 % unpeated. The peated malt has a ppm level of 39. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. This is batch 003.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Glen Deveron, Highlands, MacDuff

Glen Deveron 16 YO – Royal Burgh Collection

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and honey. At first there’s a dense sweetness with malt, vanilla and honey with a thick layer of dark ripe fruits on the outside. It’s raisins and overripe, almost molten plums together with a black liquorice note. It’s got a dusty and damp feel to it and after it settles it also produces a slightly fresher fruitiness as a nice contrast. It’s fresh, but still dark, berries like blueberries. This is a really nice and rich nose, but it presents itself a bit too mild due to the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild and sweet approach. The sherry notes with raisins and plums are next to arrive and they bring a thin layer of sulfur along. After that some kitchen spices and a nice bitter note come through. The dusty feel is still in there, but it’ not as dense as on the nose. The oakiness is detectable and it brings a hint of walnuts to the table. The fresh fruits are not present anymore.

Finish: The first impact is somewhat muted and it’s a seemless trasition to the finish. There is a mild spicyness on top but the main flavours are still the sweet honey and vanilla mix in the middle and the dark fruitiness and sulfur on the outside. It stays that way until the oakiness starts to push through. It’s a nice, slightly astringent oak with hints of walnuts and black coffee. It never turns over to become bitter though and the finish is quite long and rewarding. This is a fantastic whisky, but it’s hurting a little bit by the low ABV. It puts up a fight against it though and delivers quite a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This is made by the Macduff distillery and was released in 2013 as a part of their travel retail exclusive range ”The Royal Burgh Collection”. It’s aged in ex-sherry casks.

Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond 15 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and mildly peated. At first there’s a center of mixed red fruits with a soft and sweet layer of honey, vanilla and malt surrounding it. The peat is creating an outer layer which also covers the background. It’s a herbaceous peat with a back note of assorted flowers. When it settles it also reveals a lemon note in the back. With time in the glass everything slowly merges together to create a very nice and interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a nutty bitterness in the back and the herbaceaous peatiness on the sides. It takes a second or two for the fruitiness and the sweetness to arrive and when they do, they’re a bit more subdued than on the nose. The fruitiness is a mix of darker dried fruits with a twist of lemon and the sweetness is somewhat undefinable. There’s also a slightly dusty note coming through from behind. A thin butterscotch note makes for a nice surprise for those who are patient.

Finish: It starts out quite dusty with a mild toffee and vanilla sweetness. The fruitiness is still a bag of mixed dried fruits, now with an orange peel bitterness attached to it. The peatiness is still present in the background but it’s a bit less noticable. The oakiness comes through in a very subtle way, emerging through the dust and orange peel. It’s a very pleasant nutty oakiness which never overshadows the other flavours. This is a great whisky with a lot of flavours to find.

Additional information
The Loch Lomond 15 YO was launched in september 2018 as a swedish market exclusive. It’s created by a mix of different unpeated and peated distillates. It’s aged in a mix of refill barrels, refill hogsheads and recharred hogsheads.

Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 15 YO

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is vanilla and dried fruits. At first a layer of vanilla and dried exotic fruits sit beneath a thin veil of menthol. There’s a fresh lemon and peach note as well. It becomes fruitier with time in the glass. There is a tiny hint of salty caramel in the background. There is a sweeter side to it as well, like an icing sugar on top of a fruit cake. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a darker fruitiness with raisins and overripe plums. There is a clear sulfur note sitting in the back. It’s oily and the lemon is still detectable. The dried exotic fruits are still in there, as well as the vanilla, but they are not especially pronounced. The salty caramel note is completely gone. There is a speck of dust in the middle and as well as a honey sweetness. It gets somewhat spicy after a few seconds.

Finish: A mix of both dark and dried fruits flare up together with the menthol. When it settles it reveals the sulfur as well as a savory note. It then switches over to the oakiness, which is a nice dry, slightly bitter oak with notes of coffee and hazelnuts. The sherry notes stay as a top layer throughout the long oak finish. There is a hint of smoke coming through in the late finish. This is a liquid fruit cake, and a great whisky.

Additional information
The Glenfarclas 15 YO is aged in european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s lightly peated with 4 PPM. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Speyside, Tamnavulin

Tamnavulin Red Wine Cask Edition – Grenache

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mixed fruits and butterscotch. At first there’s a bright and slightly pointy fruitiness hitting the nose. Behind that there are notes of oranges, red fruits and butterscotch. A cooling mint is hovering above everything else. With time in the glass the red wine berries start to be more detectable as a single entity. This is a very approachable and quite fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out very sour. There’s a big layer of lemons sitting on the outside. In the center there’s a mix of butterscotch and ripe red grapes together with grey oak planks. There’s also a coffee bitterness. It feels quite young and a little bit prickly on the tongue. It becomes honey sweet after a few seconds.

Finish: A honey sweetness fills the mouth and it is soon joined by a butterscotch note. The ripe red fruitiness comes through almost as a part of the butterscotch. The lemon sourness is not as pronounced in the finish but it still creates a layer surrounding everything else. The oakiness is still dry and brings the mind towards dry grey oak planks. This is a good whisky with a fantastic nose.

Additional information
This is a single malt first aged in american ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Grenache red wine casks. There is no information on aging time. This bottle is from batch 001075.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

For the love of all things whisky/whiskey