Islands, Talisker

Talisker 18 YO

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ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mellow peat and fresh fruits. At first, there’s an array of fruits sitting inside a circle of gentle peat. It’s oranges and grapefruits side by side with ripe apples, dried apricots and just a hint of overripe plums. The peatiness is a warm, burning bonfire, but it’s out in the distance and not very protruding. The whole thing is kept together with vanilla and oak. With time in the glass it gets fruitier. There is a coastal, salty note but it’s buried deep within. It feels a bit fresher than its age and it’s a very nice, complex nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite mild and sweet but after a few seconds the flavours start rushing in. The fruitiness is now leaning heavily towards grapefruits and dried apricots with just a hint of raisins. The peat is creating a thin oily outside layer. In the dead center there’s a dusty oak note. It’s spicy but it’s a slow build up, which makes it easy to handle throughout. The oakiness seems to be connected to a malty beer note. It becomes sweeter and with time in the glass brings a honey note aswell.

Finish: It starts out quite spicy with a nice transition of flavours from before. It’s still grapefruits and apricots with a hint of darker notes and the peat is still creating the oily outside layer. The coastal note becomes more clear in the late finish, as well as the dusty oakiness, which fits nicely together with the bitterness coming from the grapefruits. The malty beer returns in the late finish as a nice little surprise. The late finish leaves a hint of peat and lemons. This is a complex dram with a lot to offer.

Additional information
The Talisker 18 YO is aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks. There not much information other than that to be found.

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Talisman, Unspecified

The Talisman

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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 sweet malt and butterscotch. At first there’s a heavy layer of grain spirit with a base of vanilla and butterscotch. There’s a feint hay note in the background. With time in the glass a sweet maltiness builds up. There’s an unpleasant note somewhere in the middle which seem to come from within the grain spirit. It also seems like there are ex-sherry casks in the mix because there are overripe berry notes buried deep within. This is an overly sweet nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and it sort of prickles the toungue. The butterscotch comes marching in and it is accompanied with the maltiness and the unpleasant grain spirit note. The small hay note sits around the edges and it’s now clear that it’s coming from peat. This outer layer works itself inwards and actually makes it an okay experience after a while. The oakiness do come through here, but it’s quite anonomous and uninteresting with a bland bitterness to it.

Finish: Vanilla and just a feint hint of raisins pass by before it becomes a fight between the unpleasant grain spirit and the bland, bitter oakiness. All the flavours die down quickly and all that’s left is a mild cloud of ethanol and a hint of butterscotch. The peaty hay note return in the late finish as a thin outer layer. The finish is by far worst part of an otherwise decent put together cheap blend.

Additional information
The Talisman is made by J&W Hardie, which is owned by Tomatin. It contains 25 malt whiskies that make up 40 % of the blend. The other 60 % consists of 4 grain whiskies. 1 % of the blend is an unnamed islay malt. The youngest component is 5 YO.

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Dundee, Unspecified

For Peat’s Sake

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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 very vanilla heavy with an artificial butterscotch note attached to it. There’s a wet peatiness surrounding everything, which kind of masks the unpleasant harsh young grain spirit notes. There’s still a cardboardy smell coming through though. There’s a lack of depth and it’s not promoting a wider search for things within.

Mouth: It’s just watery and bland. The main focus is still on the vanilla and an unpleasant sweetness is now added. The butterscotch is still there. A small fruit note briefly passes by and the peaty touch is there, but more subtle than on the nose. After a few sips the peatiness is nowhere to be found. There’s also a metallic note coming through.

Finish: There’s an increase of the already heavy vanilla from the start and a slight spicyness shows up. The whole thing then basically collapses leaving just a tanniny oak and some scattered peat notes. The butterscotch reappears and clings to the mouth and together with a metallic note makes the finish rather unpleasant.

Additional information
This is made by Angus Dundee Distillers. They tell a story about a maltman nicknamed Mr. Peat, who shuffled way too much peat into the Kiln, and thus created a heavily peated whisky. The content is not disclosed, but the company owns two single malt distilleries, which probably contributes to the taste. Those are Tomintoul and Glencadam.

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Bell’s, Unspecified

Bell’s Blended Scotch Whisky

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This Is sweet and unpleasant. A mix of harsh grain spirit and menthol fight with butterscotch and vanilla for the attention. A hint of baked red apples and pie crust come through after some time in the glass, but it remains one-dimensional and shallow.

Mouth: Watery at first then the overly sweet butterscotch note comes marching in. There’s a hint of fruitiness behind the unpleasant harshness. A tanniny oakiness slowly builds up. It’s very bitter, but not in a good way. The vanilla notes is kind of surrounding everything in a thin outer layer.

Finish: Everything except the oak and the harshness dies quite quickly and things just end in an unpleasant oakiness. There are traces left of butterscotch and vanilla, but they just kind of make the bitterness worse. There are hints of good things within, but they are well hidden.

Additional information
Bell’s consists of malts from the islands as well as speyside. Blair Athol, Dufftown, Glenkinchie, Caol Ila and Inchgower are identified as parts of the whole.

High Commissioner, Unspecified

High Commissioner

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 4
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is overly sweet and metallic. The first thing to hit the nose is the grain spirit. After that, it’s butterscotch with a sharp metallic smell to it. Around the edges there’s a hint of peat and a fruity and floral layer sits just inside. It’s hard to pinpoint, but there is a thin note of clementines. In the background there is a wall of cardboard shining through. This is somewhat unpleasant on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a sharp bittness and a huge chunk of butterscotch. The peat is still sitting in an outer layer, but it’s not as noticable as on the nose. The fruity and floral notes are still detectable, but they are further back. With time there’s a honey/vanilla note emerging. It still very metallic and the grain spirit is dominating.

Finish: At first there’s just the taste of young grain spirit together with the butterscotch clining to the mouth. After a second or two, the oak takes over. It’s grey oak planks with a speck of dust on them. A hint of hazelnuts can be found with some imagination. It’s still very metallic and there’s also a hint of bitter lemon shining through. The peat is not present at all in the finish. This tastes like the cheap blend it is.

Additional information
The High Commissioner brand is owned by the Loch Lomond group. The content of this blended whisky is not disclosed.

Dundee, Unspecified

The Dundee Finest Blended Whisky

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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 sweet and grainy. At first the grain spirit really hits the nose. It’s harsh and a bit unpleasant. After a few seconds vanilla and butterscotch build up. The sweetness coming through feels somewhat like a generic artificial sweetener. A feint smell of seashore and a metallic note both reside far away in the back.

Mouth: It starts out very watery with a metallic note as the only thing coming through for a second or two. After this it becomes very grain heavy with a clingy butterscotch, a hint of bitter oak and a soft vanilla base, which actually isn’t too bad. There’s a hint of sweet liquorice surrounding the edges. This is quite unpleasant.

Finish: A big hit of the butterscotch and vanilla soon disappears and a very bitter oak together with the grain spirit take over. There’s not much more to be found. This should be used as a mixer and not be consumed neat. It’s a cheap blend and that really shines through.

Additional information
This is made by Angus Dundee Distillers. The content is not disclosed, but the company owns two single malt distilleries, which probably contributes to the taste. Those are Tomintoul and Glencadam.

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John Lee, Kentucky

John Lee Straight Bourbon

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and sweet. At first it’s very ”grainy” and the distillate is very pronounced. When the flavours start to come through it’s vanilla, toffee and dusty corn together with honey and a thin fruity note. There’s not much to be found. It’s very flat and muted.

Mouth: It starts out very watery and it takes a few seconds before any flavour come through. Grain sweetness and vanilla create a baseline with a tiny dusty corn note and a tiny hint of cherries above. A small spicyness build up over time and a small hint of anise lies on top. A honey note is in there as well.

Finish: A mild minty cloud flies by and soon the grainy sweetness returns. Once again honey and vanilla appear but the whole thing is still very thin. The oak do make an appearance in the finish, but it lacks character. The tiny cherry note is somewhat noticable in the late finish. This is a poorly made bourbon that is powerless and uninteresting.

Additional information
This seems to be sourced from Kentucky by a french company, Bardinet SAS. There’s no more information on what’s in the bottle except that it’s straight bourbon, which means that it’s aged at least 2 years in new american oak and contains at least 51 % corn.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 25 YO

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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 tropical fruits and leathery peat. The smoke is dry and feels like it’s coming from a hot, burning campfire. Within the smoke the age shows with old leather and dusty old books. It’s a sherry driven nose with dark fruits, such as raisins, dades and ripe plums, liquor soaked cherries, sugar and liquorice. There’s also a big bowl of tropical fruits coming through, with mangos, pineapple and peaches.

Mouth: It’s a mild and very fruity start with all the tropical and dark ripe fruits creating a very nice mix. There’s leather and dust, but the smoke notes are otherwise toned down. A maritime feel is lurking in the back (which mainly brings a hint of saltiness). A spicyness comes through after a couple of seconds.

Finish: The tropical fruits are dominating, which makes it feel younger than its age. It’s very vibrant and it takes a while, but when the oak finally shows up it’s like old grey planks that bring quite bitter notes with walnuts, espresso and toasted coconuts. It’s dusty and astringent. The smoke is still in there, but toned down as a nice base flavour throughout the experience.

Additional information
This 25 YO expression of Bowmore sits at the top end of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon oak barrels and european ex-sherry casks.

Campbeltown, Springbank

Springbank 11 YO – Local Barley 2nd Edition

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ABV: 53,1 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and complex. It’s vanilla heavy with honey and some ripe red apples in the back. The signature Springbank rubbery note is clearly sitting in the dead center of everything. Sweet liquorice comes through as the cask influence becomes more dense. There’s a touch of dry soil and just a tiny hint of peat. It’s milder than the ABV suggest.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and spicy. The rubbery note comes through together with a heavy dustiness and the vanilla and honey sweetness. The liquorice becomes really pronounced with time in the glass. After a second or two it turns to the bitter side, but the oak never really pushes through. Green apples and green grapes sits in the back and the peat is still in there, but very subtle.

Finish: A burst of ABV spicyness goes by before it returns to sweet honey and sweet liquorice. The rubber note is now toned down a bit. There’s a lemon note in the back. Then the oak starts to roll in and it’s a very nice, fresh oakiness with just a hint of bitterness. The peat peeks through in the late finish. This is a great dram overall, but not the best Springbank has to offer.

Additional information
This is the 2nd release in a 5 part series. The first release was a 16 YO. This whisky is distilled 2.5 times and it’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

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Speyburn, Speyside

Speyburn 10 YO (Travel Exclusive Version)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is malty and fruity. This is apples and pears with a base of maltiness and a thin note of honey. It’s quite perfumey and fresh. There’s a thin layer of vanilla sitting on top of the fruits. After a while the sherry notes start to appear. The apples and pears gets accompanied by fresh raspberries and ripe plums. A thin note of cardboard comes through in the back.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and sweet. Honey and vanilla is dominating and the maltiness is still working as a base. A pepper spicyness builds up over time. A bitterness creates an outside layer and it’s connected to a slightly dusty oakiness. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it’s leaning more towards ripe fruits.

Finish: The peppery spicyness flare up and then quickly subsides. The fruitiness returns as apples and pears once again, together with vanilla and a hint of fudge. Then it quickly turns to a bitter oakiness. When it arrives it takes over completely and the late finish is nothing but the oakiness. It’s dry grey oak planks with notes of coffee and walnuts. This is a nice solid experience with the extra ABV helping it along the way.

Additional information
This version of the Speyburn 10 YO was released in 2018 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s stated that it’s a limited edition. The maturation is done in both american ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered.

AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc Peatheart

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Thick honey and savory peat are both very pronounced from the start. There is also a hay note coming from within the peatiness. In the background there are green fruits and yellow pears with some dust on top. After a few seconds vanilla and mint start to appear. The fruitiness keeps on moving forward until the whole thing almost becomes a peated dessert. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and it takes a second or two for the main flavours to push through. There’s a savory peatiness and dry soil and they both help create an outer layer. On the inside there are yellow juicy pears and lemons. The desserty notes are still there and the vanilla is now joined by butterscotch and a hint of the oakiness. It’s not as sweet as on the nose.

Finish: The spicy mouthfeel doesn’t carry over to the finish. It starts out quite dusty with dry soil and the savory peat as main flavours. The fruitiness is almost completely gone. After a few seconds a very clean and fresh oak note appears and basically takes over everything except a thin peaty layer on the outside. It’s a freshly cut oak with hints of hazelnuts. It’s still very juicy and there’s no astringency. This is a solid peaty whisky with a fruity heart, but it feels a bit undecided on what it’s supposed to be.

Additional information
This is made by the Knockdhu distillery and it’s part of the AnCnoc core range. The barley used has 40 ppm. It’s aged for more than 10 years in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

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Mekhong, Thailand

Mekhong

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ABV: 35 %
Origin: Thailand
Type: Thai ”Whiskey”
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is paint thinner and herbs. At first it’s very sharp and unpleasant. Behind the sharp front there’s liquorice root and thyme swimming in dark syryp. It kind of smells like vegetable broth made in a newly painted kitchen. This is absolutely vile.

Mouth: The arrival is extremely sweet. The liquorice root and anise notes are still in there but the herbs are now gone. There’s a cardboard note coming from the distillate and a very thin lemon note sits in the back. The is a small wood note coming through but it feels like it’s coming from glued plywood. It still got the paint thinner base and it doesn’t promote actually swallowing it down.

Finish: A very sharp and unpleasant taste of badly made distillate moves over to glue and paint thinner again. It’s still sweet and the raw liquorice and anise is still in there. The finish is quite long, which in this case isn’t a good thing. It leaves a metallic note in the mouth that stays until something else is consumed. This should not be had neither neat nor as a mixer.

Additional information
Mekhong is a spirit made with 95 % molasses and 5 % rice. Herbs and spices are also added. The style is called Thai Whiskey even though it mostly isn’t a grain spirit. It’s made at the Bangyikhan Distillery. The bottle tried is sun bleached from sitting in a store window in Thailand.

Highlands, Royal Lochnagar

Royal Lochnagar 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 fresh and fruity. Apples and pears sit together with red berries on top of butterscotch and vanilla. As time passes in the glass the vanilla moves to the sides and the fruitiness stays in the center. There’s a pine note coming through the fruitiness and a honey sweetness adding to the vanilla. This is very mild on the nose and there’s no complexity. It’s very straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy with a thin taste of cardboard and it takes a while before other flavours start to come through. It’s a touch bitter and not as fruity as on the nose. Butterscotch and a small dark fruitiness with raisins and prunes is in there as well as vanilla and honey, but all those flavours are quite muted. The oak is also present and it’s a bitter oak with notes of coffee. It feels a bit medicinal and sharp and it doesn’t mirror the nose very well.

Finish: The spicyness stands alone once again and there’s almost no flavours coming through before the oakiness takes over. It’s a slightly dry, quite tasty oakiness with coffee and walnuts. In the tail end the dark fruitiness and butterscotch slowly return. This is not bad but it lacks some balance. The nose is by far the best thing about it.

Additional information
Made at the smallest of Diageo’s distillery this 12 YO is the only single malt in its core range. It’s aged in a mix of american ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks.

Bruichladdich, Islay, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte MC:01 2009

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peaty, fruity and quite complex. At first there’s a savory peatiness and a very dark fruitiness. Raisins and black liquorice sit together with a nice funky note and an almond nuttiness in the middle. There’s vanilla, coffee beans and way in the back there’s a thin note of green apples. There’s also an overlay of coastal notes with a sense of a seashore. This is an extremely beautiful nose.

Mouth: There’s an immediate savory peatiness creating an outer layer with vanilla, a honey sweetness and a black pepper spicyness just within its boundaries, which leave the middle open for the dark and funky fruit notes. It comes through as very nutty with almonds and now also with hazelnuts which contribute to a dry mouthfeel. The peatiness adds a rubbery, oily note after a few seconds. The fruitiness comes through as raisins and ripe black grapes.

Finish: Black pepper and raisins are the first thing to come through before the savory peatiness swoops in and takes over. It turns quite medicinal for a while, with iodine and salt, before it moves over to the oakiness. The oak brings a big bag of nuts with hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts. The rubbery note is still in there and it creates complexity together with the red wine notes. This is a very tasty whisky and it really rewards those who explore.

Additional information
The MC:01 2009 is a travel retail exclusive release from Bruichladdich. It’s aged in american whiskey casks and french oak casks for 6 years and then combined and finished for 2 years in sicilian ex-wine casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Johnny Walker, Unspecified

Johnny Walker Red Label

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and metallic. The first thing to come through is a grain sweetness and a hint of peat. Behind that is a rather unpleasant metallic note. There’s a butterscotch layer, but it’s much more toned down campared to other cheap blends. A hint of red apples and some honey can be found in the back. It’s not offensive on the nose, but it does tell the tale of a cheap whisky.

Mouth: The metallic youthness and the grain sweetness are first to arrive. They are accompanied with a spicy note. Soon after butterscotch comes through. The peat is building up and creats an outside layer giving it a nice frame. This is a rollercoaster ride between good and bad. The fruitiness is completely gone and there is a struggle between the grain and the malt for attention.

Finish: The spicyness mellows out and becomes a menthol note. Then it once again turns to grain sweetness and butterscotch. The oakiness arrives after a few seconds and it’s a fresh, slightly dry oak. It’s not unpleasant, but doesn’t produce any complexity. This is actually a bit better than its reputation, but it’s by no means a very good tasting whisky.

Additional information
The Red Label is the best selling scotch in the world. The content isn’t disclosed but it’s said to contain 35 different kind of whiskies. It was created in 1906 as the ”Special Old Highland Whisky”.

Islay, Laphroaig

Laphroaig Port Wood

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. A cold, put out, ashy campfire is first to arrive together with a funky sweet red berry note. It’s medicinal and iodine and brine are sitting in the middle of it all. After a few seconds dark fruits come through mixed with a quite pronounced vanilla note. Liqueur-soaked cherries and sweet liquorice are also found which make it a bit rounder. This is very approachable.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and ashy. It’s slightly spicy with a black pepper touch to it. It still produces plenty of dark fruit notes and a nice vanilla layer surrounding everything. It’s not as medicinal and salty as on the nose and there’s a tiny hint of toffee coming through together with the liqueur-soaked cherries and the vanilla. It’s a touch dry, but there’s no astringency.

Finish: A big ashy peat punch is followed by a very sweet note of the same sweet, ripe, darker fruits together with vanilla and now also with honey. The ashy note steps to the side, but still holds its ground. A tropical fruit note appears together with a nice oaky finish. The funky sweet notes with red berries return in the late finish and lingers in the background while the oakiness slowly subsides. This is a great, approachable version of Laphroaig.

Additional information
Laphroaig Port Wood is the replacement for Brodir, and the content is said to be the same. It’s a travel retail exclusive matured in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in european ex-Ruby port oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. It has about 45 ppm.

Hibiki, Japan

Hibiki Japanese Harmony

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dense and overly sweet. A thick desserty layer of baked red apples, marzipan and a thick layer of sweetness covers most of the nose. There’s caramel, honey and vanilla, but it’s mostly just a grain sweetness coming through. There’s a different kind of fruitiness sitting in the back, but it’s harder to pinpoint. It seems to come from the ex-sherry casks though. It’s leaning towards overly ripe plums. A hint of the mizunara oak comes through in small flashes.

Mouth: A mild start with vanilla and minty freshness soon changes into a grain note. After a few seconds the fruitiness comes through together with a now much stronger Mizunara oakiness. It’s very distinct and hard to miss. It brings a touch of bitterness to the mix. The fruitiness is now coming from ripe red fruits. An anise note has now appeared. It’s not as grain heavy as on the nose and it’s less sweet. There are still notes of honey and caramel though.

Finish: First there’s just a big hole where the taste should be and then the sweetness returns. The fruitiness is now residing in the back. It then quickly becomes quite oaky. It’s a slightly dry oak with a clear note of anise attached to it and it is a touch bitter. The finish is quite short and just a feint hint of the oakiness stays around. The whole thing feels a bit a unbalanced throughout and the grain spirit really brings down what could have been a great whisky. It’s still a better blend than many alternatives out there.

Additional information
Japanese Harmony is a blend made with malt whiskies from Yamazaki and Hakushu and grain whisky from Chita. It’s aged in 5 different cask types. Disclosed types are american white oak casks, ex-sherry casks and Mizunara oak casks.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Leif Eriksson Release – Limited Edition

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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 fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of liqueur soaked cherries, raisins and ripe red apples. In the back there are notes of rye, vanilla and toasted almonds. After a few seconds a brighter layer of green fruits appear and sort of rests on top of the sweeter, darker base. There’s also milk chocolate present somewhere in the middle. It’s very mild and very approachable.

Mouth: It’s a very watery start and it takes a while before a gentle black pepper spicyness and some vanilla notes finally show up. It feels a bit underaged and it’s not as fruity and pleasant as on the nose. Gets a little dry when hints of the oak arrives together with and a tiny leather peatiness. There are small notes of green apples and pears and a small pinch of salt. It feels a bit muted overall.

Finish: The mild black pepper, which is quite nice, is dominating the first part of the finish. A small bitterness sits behind with some assorted fruits and a small hint of dry earthy peatiness. The whole thing moves quite quickly towards a bright, very welcoming oakiness. The toasted almonds return and some salted caramel suddenly show up in the late finish. It then ends with a dry, nutty finish. This really lacks some power, but it’s a very easy whisky to get aquainted with.

Additional information
The Leif Eriksson was released in 2011 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks made from american oak.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Drum

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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 sweet and medicinal. At first approach it’s iodine and honey sweetness with a warm woodfire burning in the background. A peppermint note sits on top of everything and a cinnamon note resides in the far distance. When it settles in the glass it grows sweeter and vanilla starta to come through. It feels quite young and the rum cask finish is not very prominent, but it adds a roundness to the whole. A small thin layer of fruitiness can be found somewhere in the middle, but it needs some hunting to be found.

Mouth: At first it’s honey sweet and spicy with a touch of vanilla and caramel. It’s not as peaty as on the nose. Soon after, it turns around and becomes quite strict and medicinal. Iodine, bitterness, ashes, oakiness and seasalt create a high impact mix. It still feels very young and it’s very rowdy and it’s kind of diappointing compared to the nose.

Finish: The peppermint comes back for a quick visit. The sweetness is now nowhere to be found. It’s salty and medicinal. It’s very bitter and there’s espresso and hazelnuts found in the oakiness. A small touch of tropical fruits do come through after the initial impact, but they are easily missed. The peatiness turns towards the ashy notes in the late finish. The nose promises a lot more than the taste can deliver, but it most definitly makes an impact.

Additional information
This limited edition Ardbeg was released for Ardbeg Day, june 1st, 2019. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon casks and then finished in ex-rum casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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