Islay, Lagavulin

Lagavulin 9 YO – Game of Thrones Limited Edition: House Lannister

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is savory peat and honey sweetness. At first, the peat shines through with savory honey-glazed meat and ashes from a burnt out campfire. There’s a fruitiness coming through from behind. It’s a mix of green apples and ripe green grapes. There’s an overlay of vanilla which makes it feel very desserty even though the peaty flavours are present. The vanilla grows more intense as time passes in the glass. The contrast works and it feels quite balanced.

Mouth: The vanilla and the fruitiness are the first things to come through, but they are soon replaced by spicy notes and ashy peatiness. It’s less savory and sweet in taste than on the nose. It’s a little bit dry even though the oakiness is hidden behind the peat at this point. It’s a touch bitter and a touch dusty, but the main features are intact.

Finish: A dusty start goes by and then it goes back to the savory peatiness. There are vanilla, honey and black liquorice sitting in the back and the finish is not fruity at all. The oakiness is maintaining and adding to the dry mouthfeel. It’s a very nice oakiness which is intertwined with the peatiness all the way to the end. It steers towards a leathery note in the finish. This is a very good whisky and the tie-in to the GoT series was worrying, but they executed it in a good way.

Additional information
This Lagavulin 9 YO is a limited edition from the Game of Thrones whisky range. It’s been aged in first fill american ex-bourbon barrels.

Campbeltown, Springbank

Hazelburn 14 YO – Oloroso Cask Matured (2019 Release)

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ABV: 49,3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is heavily sherried. A thick layer of liqueur-soaked dark fruits is the main focal point. There are cherries, ripe plums and some black grapes together with a handful of raisins, vanilla and sweet liquorice. A fresh note of menthol comes through but this is all about the Oloroso sherry cask influence. There’s also a perfumey note somewhere within, but it’s too thin to pinpoint. There’s a note somewhere in the middle which is leaning towards notes of rubber and motor oil.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. The dark fruits coming through are now leaning towards more of the raisins and it’s quite spicy. There’s a dustiness sitting together with the same rubber/oily note as on the nose. There’s a hint of grapefruit in the back. The oak is subtle and the bitterness also brings some freshly brewed coffee notes.

Finish: A big wave of the rubber/oily note and a chili spicyness rolls by before quickly switching over to the dark fruitiness again. The oak is starting to move forward. It’s dusty with a bitterness that is just about perfectly balanced. The grapefruit is still in there and so are the coffee notes. It’s still spicy and the very long finish includes the hint of rubber/oil, the oaky bitter note and the grapefruit. This is a very well made whisky.

Additional information
This is a triple distilled whisky that is matured exclusivly in first fill spanish ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s limited to 9900 bottles worldwide.

Glenglassaugh, Highlands

Glenglassaugh Revival

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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 young and very sweet. At first there’s a cloud of young, albeit well made, spirit sitting on top of a base consisting of sweet honey and butterscotch notes. The oakiness is coming through strong from the beginning. There is a sweet fruitiness somewhere in the mix but it’s hard to define. Sweet strawberries maybe. With time in the glass it leans more towards the butterscotch, honey and a nice vanilla. This is a very pleasant nose for such a young whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with a flare of the oakiness before it moves back to the butterscotch and honey. There is now a black liquorice note mixed in and the vanilla hovers on top. There’s also a rubbery/oily note far in the back which gives it some complexity. A hint of grapegruit seems to appear, but the earlier fruity notes with strawberries has disappered. Afterwards it switches over to becomes very oaky.

Finish: At first there are grapefruits and a peppermint cloud. When it settles it almost immidiately becomes oaky, but the baseline stays sweet with honey, vanilla and butterscotch. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness with a little bit of grey oak planks mixed in. The grapefruits return in the late finish. This is a really good whisky for its age. It offers a lot of flavours and it presents a well made and tasty distillate with a lot of potential.

Additional information
This is the first whisky to be released with spirit made after the reopening of the distillery in 2008. It’s aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels for three years and then finished for 6 months in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Islands, Scapa

Scapa Skiren

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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 fruity and floral. At first there’s a floral note sitting on top of a cola and honey layer. Somewhere in between there’s a hint of cherries and mild ginger. In the background there is an earthy soil note which gives the whole thing a dry character. With time it becomes sweeter and the honey note is increasingly getting stronger and eventually joined by a vanilla creaminess. This is a nice and pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild without giving anything away. The first thing to come through is the honey and vanilla cream sweetness. It takes a while for the fruity and floral side to arrive. It’s quite savory and the fruitiness is more leaning towards apples and a hint of coconut. The mild ginger and the cola note are now in the background but they are still detectable. A hint of citrus fruits is also in there. The oakiness do peek through, but it takes some time.

Finish: A mild spicyness and a sour note is first to arrive. After a second or two the ginger and the cola note start to build up and they stay in the mouth for a long time. They are eventually joined by a pretty anonymous oakiness. There is a slight nuttiness, but the cola note is sort of surpressing it. The fruitiness and the floral notes are almost completely invisible. After a few sips there is a small build up of a greasy oily note in the back, which gives it an extra dimension. This is an nice whisky with some good notes in there, but it lacks some complexity.

Additional information
Scapa Skiren was released in september 2015. It’s aged in first fill american ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

Evan Williams, Kentucky

Evan Williams Bottle-in-Bond

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This straight bourbon is made by Heaven Hill. There’s no age statement, but bottle-in-bond means that it must be aged at least 4 years. The mashbill consists of 78 % corn, 12 % malted barley and 10 % rye.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO – Mariner

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and tobacco. At first there’s a ripe plums and raisins center and a peaty outer layer with notes of tobacco and leather. There’s also smoke from a burning hot campfire coming through. In the background there are seashore notes with salt and ocean air together with some assorted tropical fruits. It feels somewhat dry on the nose. With some time in the glass the sweetness moves forward and notes of vanilla and honey appear. This is a nice nose, with a nice dark fruity character.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of lemon sourness and a very mild and sweet center part. It’s ashy and the peatiness is very different from the nose. There’s still a leather note and a dark fruitiness coming through, now together with black liquorice. There’s also the tropical fruitiness coming through and it moves forward after a few seconds. This gives it a nice transition from dark to bright. The oak is also noticable in the background, but it doesn’t intrude on the other flavours.

Finish: The tobacco notes return and show up together with a hint of the ashes and the raisins and plums. It changes rather quickly towards the tropical fruitiness once again and the salty background notes also reappear. It takes a short amount of time before the oakiness start to shine through and when it does it’s a nice oakiness but it doesn’t bring much to the table. The tropical fruits linger together with a mellow peatiness and a touch of seasalt. This is a great whisky which delivers a lot of flavour even though it lacks some power.

Additional information
This is a discontinued travel retail exclusive release from Bowmore. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Highlands, Ian Macleod Distillers, Independent bottlers, MacLeod’s (Highland)

Macleod’s Highland

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and sweet. At first there’s not much coming out of the glass except a mild and sweet floral note. After a few seconds vanilla and red berries start to appear in the center, but they are not recognizable as specific kinds. The floral note is leaning towards elderflower and a hint of lemongrass. It’s a nice nose but it lacks some depth and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with vanilla, honey and malt. There’s a toffee note sitting in the middle. There’s a dustiness in the back and a floral note up front. The fruitiness increases with time and after a while it comes through as sweet oranges. In the back there are feint notes of oil and soot and that gives it a nive depth which makes up for the low impact.

Finish: A burst of the orange fruitiness together with the vanilla take lead and afterwards it basically moves directly to the oak finish. It’s a very nice oakiness with some nuttiness to it. It’s mainly hazelnuts. There’s also a fruity quality to the wood which makes it a nice compliment to the nose and the mouth. This is actually a very good whisky considering it’s decently priced and has low ABV.

Additional information
This is a NAS single malt from an undisclosed highland distillery. It’s released by the independent bottler Ian Macleod Distillers.

Dunstone, Germany

Dunstone Finest Blended Whisky

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is anise and cough syryp. At first there are heavy anise and liquorice root notes. The grain spirit is sitting on top and creates a thin layer of butterscotch. After a few seconds a hint of raisins and red berries comes through, but they are feint and almost disappears in the heavy liquorice. The sweet notes are dark like molasses and the entire thing kind of smells like a cough syryp. This is not an especially nice nose.

Mouth: Vanilla and the heavy liquorice note are really protruding and take place up front. There’s not much else coming through for a good amount of time. A dark fruitiness seems to exist, but isn’t really placeable. The oak does shine through for those who wait and it becomes somewhat astringent when that happens. It still feels like it’s a cough syryp more than it feels like an actual whisky.

Finish: Once again it’s vanilla and liquorice root with a dark sweet note as company. The oak comes through quite quickly which is very welcome. It’s a very dry oak and it feels pretty fresh. The astringency increases over time. This is not a pleasant experience in any stage of the tasting process. Fortunatly the finish is very short and most of the flavours are gone soon after swallowing. After a few sips it leaves a feint note of butterscotch from the grain spirit though.

Additional information
This is made by Braun Spirituosen in Germany (Wilhelm Braun Erben GmbH & Co. KG). There’s no information on the content or cask type or if there’s sourced whisky included.

Highlands, Independent bottlers, Staile Uisge

Staile Uisge – The Drum

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sour and young. At first, there’s a big basket of lemons and a splash of vinegar. There’s also green grapes and a white wine aura surrounding everything. In the background there is a honey and vanilla sweetness, but it’s very discreet. This is very fresh and the sourness is the main character throughout. It becomes sweeter with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out a bit watery and then it becomes very sweet and malty. There are vanilla and honey notes as well as sweet liquorice all mixed up in the center. The white wine notes are still in there but the lemons are now reciding in the background. It needs time in the mouth to reach its potential and when it does it’s actually pretty rich and tasty.

Finish: It starts out with the sweet liquorice and the lemon notes return to the front. It’s not as sweet anymore and there’s not much happening in the finish. The liquorice stays all the way through and an anonymous and rather flat oakiness appears for a short time, but it disappears rather quick. This is a nice whisky for its price, but it feels a bit incomplete and ambigous.

Additional information
Staile Uisge is a brand of the swedish independent bottler Granqvist Beverage House. The Drum is a NAS whisky sourced from an undisclosed highland distillery.

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Glenlivet, Speyside

The Glenlivet 21 YO – Archive

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a fruitiness with apples and pears up front. Beneath there’s a sweeter layer with honey, vanilla and fresh red fruits. There’s also cinnamon and a hint of marzipan. With some time in the glass it becomes floral and perfumey. A top layer of black liquorice start to form and becomes more pronounced over time. This is a very pleasant nose but it’s feels younger than its age.

Mouth: The first impact is honey sweet and malty. The fruitiness is now oranges and overripe red berries and it is not as fruity as on the nose. There are feint notes of dust and old books in the back. A hint of lemon comes through on the sides. There is also black liquorice coming through and a bitterness builds up in the back which merges with the oranges to give hints of peel. It’s very rich and full bodied.

Finish: It starts out mild and sweet once again. Honey and vanilla sits in the middle together with a fruitiness still leaning towards oranges and ripe berries. The maltiness moves forward with time and it sticks around when the oakiness starts to come through. It’s a very nice oakiness with hints of nuts and a thin coffee bitterness. The finish is very long and very rewarding. Overall it feels somewhat younger than its age and it lacks some complexity, but it’s still a great whisky and it offers a lot of flavours.

Additional information
The Glenlivet 21 YO is aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. There are both american and european oak casks used. Since it’s created in batches made by selected casks the content varies over time. This bottle is drawn from batch 1016P.

Glenlivet, Speyside

The Glenlivet Nàdurra – First Fill American White Oak Casks

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ABV: 60.3 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first impact the high ABV hits the nose. When it settles there’s a sweet mix of honey and vanilla together with a slight hint of fruits. With time in the glass it becomes fruitier though, and it’s a green apples and pears kind of fruitiness. There’s also a hint of cinnamon somewhere in the middle. It’s quite young and the distillate is very much the main focus of the presentation, even though good casks are used.

Mouth: It starts out with honey and ripe red apples. It’s got a thick maltiness and there’s a beer note coming through. The vanilla is still in there and there’s a nice oakiness shining through every once and a while. The ABV makes it quite spicy, but it takes a while for it to really bite back. It’s oily and it’s got a savory note sitting in the back. This gives it a great texture and a nice depth.

Finish: The high ABV shoots by but soon leaves place for the sweet and fruity flavours once again. It’s the same flavours as before with vanilla, honey, a beer note and the ripe red apples. The oily texture and the savory note is still in there. The oak arrives late, but it is a fresh and nice oakiness. The pear notes return in the background in the late finish. This is a young powerhouse. It’s well made and has a lot of flavours to offer.

Additional information
This cask strength release is aged in first fill ex-bourbon sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. The bottle tried was from batch FF0717.

Ian Macleod Distillers, MacLeod’s (Speyside), Speyside

Macleod’s 8 YO Speyside

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a bright fruitiness with citrus fruits and raspberries sitting on top of a darker fruitiness with plums and prunes. There is a malty funkiness in the background and there is a small note of hay somewhere in the center. It gets sweeter with time in the glass and that reveals honey, vanilla and just a hint of sweet liquorice. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat, with just a sweetness and a white bread note. The honey arrives pretty early as well as a bitter note. There is way less fruitiness compared to the nose. A small hint of lemons and maybe a thin layer of tropical fruits do come through, but it goes rather fast towards the oakiness. The liquorice comes through if it’s kept in the mouth for a good amount of time.

Finish: It starts out with vanilla and honey and with the darker, sweeter fruit notes. It then, via a malty note, trancends into an undefinable tropical fruitiness connected to the upcoming oak flavours. It’s a very nice oakiness that feels fresh and fruity. The dark fruitiness creates a backdrop for the final part, in which a nice oaky flavour stays in the back of the palate. This is a good whisky, but it feels a little thin at times, especially at first impact on the palate.

Additional information
This is a single malt from an undisclosed Speyside distillery. It’s released by the independent bottler Ian Macleod Distillers.

Queen Margot, Unspecified

Queen Margot 3 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is butterscotch and liquorice. The first thing to come through is a rather unpleasant cloud of badly aged grain spirit. When the nose gets used to it the butterscotch and liquorice start to shine through. There are notes of overripe fruits and honey too. All the notes feel artificial and overshadowed by the grain spirit.

Mouth: It starts out with the same butterscotch and badly aged grain spirit as on the nose. It takes a while for the liquorice to penetrate the other flavours. There is a vague sign of sherry casks being in the mix, but they are just contributing to the butterscotch and not a fruitiness. It’s quite bitter and not in a good way. It doesn’t promote swallowing.

Finish: The artificial butterscotch and the grain spirit still dominate. It soon switches over to a bland and bitter oakiness. The finish is not too long, which is a good thing. This should only be used as a mixer and not consumed neat. Kudos for the bold age statement though.

Additional information
This blend is bottled by Wallace & Young Distillers Co. and the content is not disclosed. It’s sold by the supermarket chain Lidl.

Deanston, Highlands

Deanston Virgin Oak

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and spirity. At first there’s a vanilla and honey oakiness and a clean young distillate coming through. There’s a green apple note but it’s very feint and it sits in the center together with an equally thin toffee note. After some time in the glass there are notes of lemongrass and liquorice appearing. This is not a complex nor especially interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness and a fresh maltiness. There’s a toffee layer and a tang of sour lemon on the sides. The oak is ever so present and gives it a nice fresh frame. It’s got some ABV spiciness together with a mix of kitchen spices and a hint of cinnamon. It doesn’t hide its young spirit, but it’s a clean and well made distillate.

Finish: The toffee and the maltiness is first to come through and the lemon sourness is still covering the sides. After a second or two the oak completely takes over. It’s still a very fresh woodshop oakiness. It becomes slightly astringent down the line. When the oak flavours start to subside the maltiness returns once again and gives it a beer like finish. This is a rowdy, young and unapologetic whisky. It’s not complex, but it covers some ground by being well made and nicely presented.

Additional information
This whisky is first aged in american ex-borubon casks for an undislosed amount of time and then finished in virgin oak casks for 6-9 months. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Fettercairn, Highlands

Fettercairn 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first it comes through as very low key and everything seems to be a bit distant. There’s a thin layer of butterscotch and heather. It’s a very clean nose and after a few minutes in the glass there’s a lemon note starting to emerge, but even the lemon sourness is not daring to take the main stage. It get’s more floral with time. This is a quite thin, but nice nose.

Mouth: It starts out much more flavourful than on the nose. A big bucket of butterscotch with a floral touch to it, with scents of assorted wild flowers. There’s lemon, some vanilla and a dusty oakiness peeking through. There’s a gentle spicyness on the tip of the toungue. After a while, a nice malty note appears in the center of it all.

Finish: A honey sweetness flares up and then it turns into the same butterscotch as before. There’s a nice gentle spiciness. The main character persists and still just sticks to the mellow floral and lemon character until the oak arrives. It’s a dry oakiness with a savory note and a walnut nuttiness. The finish is quite nice. This is too mild and it’s rather uninteresting until the finish. It’s a decent background sipper and ought to be a great gateway whisky for beginners.

Additional information
This 12 YO standard expression was first released in August 2018. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon casks.

Glentaucers, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glentaucers 15 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a big citrusy explosion with lemons and oranges. When it settles a background of vanilla and honey reveals itself. There’s a black liquorice layer somewhere in between and a maltiness which is really helping everything along. This is a very clean and simple fruit bomb. It’s nice and mellow, without ever being boring.

Mouth: It starts out with a toffee note and a dusty maltiness. The fruits are not as protruding as on the nose and it’s now leaning more towards the black liquorice note. There’s a lemon sourness in the background though. The oakiness shows through after a few seconds and it has a nutty character. There is a spicyness which gives the whole thing enough power and intensity to give it a nice mouthfeel.

Finish: The fruitiness returns and it’s back to lemons and oranges, with a bit of the peels too. The oak comes very early and the maltiness is tagging along. The black liquorice is still creating the same middle layer as before. Just about every flavour follows along down the road. Hazelnuts and oranges are the flavours left when all else disappear. This is a fruity fanfare and it brings a lot of flavour to the table even though it has got low ABV.

Additional information
This is a single malt from one of the distilleries that makes whisky for the Ballantine’s finest blend. The casks used is not disclosed. This is series No. 003.

Glenlivet, Speyside

The Glenlivet Nádurra – Peated Whisky Cask Finish

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ABV: 62.0 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and mild peat. At first there’s a mild bonfire smoke on the edges of the glass and a cardboardy note in the center. The high ABV creates an intense, yet rounded, cooling effect, but even though it sits up front it doesn’t hide everything else. There are red baked apples, vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. There’s also a lemon sourness coming through from the back. This is a pleasant nose that comes with a youthness and a big punch.

Mouth: It starts out honey sweet and the peat is still creating a surrounding circle out on the edges. The peat is much more present in taste than on the nose and it’s more of a hay and dry soil peatiness at this point. The power of the high ABV is there but it’s not as powerful as the number suggests. There’s a maltiness combined with vanilla and a complex, deep note that’s leaning towards overripe apples.

Finish: A lemon note, a spicy cloud and a maltiness really pushes through from the start and it takes a while for it to settle. When it finally lets other flavours through it reinstates the outer circle of peat and the vanilla and butterscotch in the center. The oak does come through, but it takes a long time for it to show up. It’s a pretty anonomous oakiness and it’s not especially interesting. The peat lingers after everything else have died down. This is a young powerhouse with a lack of clear direction. It’s still a tasty dram in its own right though.

Additional information
This cask strength release is aged in casks which previously held peated whisky for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. The bottle tried was from batch PW1016.

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Campbeltown, Private Cask, Springbank

Springbank 19 YO – Lyrik (Fresh Sherry Hogshead)

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ABV: 47.5 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is cooling mint and dark fruitiness. The first thing to come through is an extremely dark layer of sherry with a minty overtone. It’s a big chunk of black liquorice and raisins with surrounding notes of fresh oranges and a hint of lemon. In the dead center the oily/rubbery Springbank signature shines through. It gets fruitier and fresher with time in the glass. The darker notes sort of slip to the sides to make room for the rest. There’s also a clear trace of the oakiness in the background. This is a nice, complex nose.

Mouth: At first there’s a hefty dark fruitiness coming through, but the oranges is soon pushing the black liquorice and the raisins to the sides. The oily rubbery note is still sitting in the center and the age is now present as a dusty, old leather chair. It takes a few seconds for the peat to show up but when it arrives, it lands on the egdes with the dark sherry notes. The oakiness is still in the back and it feels fresh but there is a tiny speck of dust on it. With time the lemon note increases in intensity.

Finish: It starts out quite hot and it takes a while for the other flavours to come through. First to come through are the oranges and after those the black liquorice and raisins notes arrive. They are not as pronounced as before though. The peat is taking a step forward as well as the oakiness. The old leather chair comes back in the late finish together with the lemon. There’s also a hint of tobacco leaves. A tiny espresso note creates a bitter tang in the end. This is a great sherry bomb through and through.

Additional information
This is a bottling of Springbank drawn from a private fresh sherry hogshead from 2001. This was bottled in 2020.

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King Robert II, Unspecified

King Robert II

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very metallic with an unpleasant butterscotch up front. There’s a very harsh grain spirit coming through and the young distillate is very cardboardy. There’s a very unpleasant smell of a public urinal in the background. There’s some vanilla in the mix making it slightly more bearable. A strange note of burnt plywood appear with time in the glass.

Mouth: Still very metallic. The butterscotch is accompanied by toffee, vanilla and a tiny spice note. It’s flat in taste and the butterscotch is clinging to the mouth. There’s a bitterness coming through but it seems not to be connected to any specific flavour. With some imagination there’s a lemon note to be found in the back. It’s not as unpleasant in the taste as on the nose. There’s no oak notes present yet.

Finish: It starts out kind of bland and watery. The Butterscotch is still clinging to the mouth. There’s a tiny oak note finally appearing, but it’s flat and the entire thing sort of crumbles like a house of cards. In the end there’s just the metallic note left. This should not be consumed neat or on the rocks. I would use it as a mixer only.

Additional information
The brand was created in 1968 and it’s a blend made by Ian MacLeod Distillers. It’s stated that this blend uses older malts to give it a robust taste, but it’s not stated how old and which ones.

Campbeltown, Private Cask, Springbank

Springbank 12 YO – Poesi (Fresh Sherry Hogshead)

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ABV: 51.4 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is deep, dark overripe fruits. The thick sherry layer is covering everything at first. It’s overripe plums, black liquorice and liqeuer-soaked raisins. There’s an overlay of menthol which gives a balance to the darkness. After a while it becomes possible to break through to the other flavours that’s been hiding in the back. A nice fresh citrus fruitiness peeks through together with a note of rubber and oil. This is a powerful but slightly unbalanced nose.

Mouth: It’s starts out sweet with a powerful spicyness and a sour note in the back. A coconut note flashes by before it’s back to the dark fruits and black liquorice, with the fresh fruits breaking through slightly. There’s a bitter espresso note in the background. A small layer of vanilla and a dust spread out over the palate. The oily rubbery note is still in there and the peatiness is now slightly detectable on the outside layer, but still struggling to break through the dark fruitiness.

Finish: The menthol note spreads out and soon leave room for a hefty bitterness tied to the darker notes. The overripe plums and liqeuer-soaked raisins move towards the edges and leaves the center for a lemon note and an oakiness with espresso and just a hint of hazelnuts. The coconut note returns for a second or two before the peat finally shows up in the late finish. The peat and the rubbery note stays for a very long and rewarding finish. This is an over the top sherry bomb with a complex heart. It feels a little hot and unbalanced, but it still is a great dram overall.

Additional information
This is a bottling of Springbank drawn from a private fresh sherry hogshead from 2001. This was bottled in 2013.

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