Jim Beam, Kentucky

Jim Beam Double Oak

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Finished Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a vanilla rich oakiness surrounding a sweet and slightly dusty center part. There’s a nail polish remover note within and a minty note floating around on top. When it settles there’s a small liquorice note floating around, as well as tiny bread note. The vanilla rich oakiness really comes through as a nice frame to the whole. This is a nice nose. It’s an easy to access Bourbon with a lot of classic characteristics.

Mouth: It starts out with a very soft mix of cherries, oak and vanilla. The oakiness is really strong and makes everything a bit astringent and dries out the palate. Underneath it feels a bit rough and ethanol heavy, even though it’s very mild. The loquorice note pushes through after a while, but everything just gets overrun by the vanilla oakiness. It becomes slightly bitter in the back and the minty notes still floats around on top.

Finish: The tranisiton is the best part of the journey. There’s a mix of oak spices and black pepper increasing the spicyness and brings the vanilla and cherry notes with it for a short period before the heavy oak returns once again. The dust and a corn note also appears shortly before the oak and the liquorice notes takes over. The late finish is a bit too oaky and feels very unbalanced. It does deliver on its double oak promise. This is a good bourbon which delivers quite well on the set premises. It should work well in cocktails.

Additional information
This version of Jim Beam was released in 2016 and is aged for 4 years, then put into new barrels for some time to create extra wood flavours. The mashbill consists of 75 % corn, 13 % rye and 12 % malted barley.

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Highlands, Wolfburn

Wolfburn 10 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
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 rounded sweetness and a ripe and nutty red fruitiness. Underneath there’s a fresher background with a lemon freshness. When it starts to settle vanilla and honey joins the sweetness, but the ruoe fruits shifts towards a fresher red berry fruitiness which creates a nice balance. There are notes of ginger and cinnamon floating around as well. This is a nice nose. It’s very approachable and everything is easy to access.

Mouth: It starts out with a nice spicyness and a sweet rounded center. It takes a while for it to evolve, and first out is a nutty side note with mainly hazelnuts. It clmes through with a speck of dust attached to it. After that comes the ripe red berries, vanilla and just a small hint of coffee. It’s very front heavy in the mouth. The background has a small lemon note and an umami savory note. The vanilla increases in intensity over time.

Finish: The tranisiton is very linear and the spicyness maintains a nice level. When it settles the nuttiness increases in intensity and comes through with a note of an old cellar and an oakiness. The ripe berries are still in there as well as the lemon note in the back, which increases over time. The late finish is all about the nutty, dusty oakiness, which is a very good way to end. This is a great whisky. It has a lot to offer flavour wise. It feels a bit front heavy, but it’s not a big issue.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for the full maturation. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 10 YO – Ambassador’s Choice

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first, vanilla and honey covers a base of assorted red berries and a tiny leathery peat note. After a few seconds black liquorice starts to come through. The flavours slowly build up to become very pronounced but nothing more really happens on the nose. It’s laid back from the start but really opens up with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out mild, and the first thing to come through is a dusty honey note. Soon after a maltiness comes through together with some fresh red berries and a spicyness finally shows up. The fruitiness gets more pronounced with strawberries and plums. The small peat note is still found, but it’s sitting a long way back. There’s also a salty note somewhere in the middle of the palate.

Finish: A mix of the leathery peat note and dark fruits flare up. Now it’s ripe plums and raisins and they are accompanied by honey and vanilla. It takes a while for the oak to come through, and when it does it’s quite discreet. It’s sitting underneath the peat note and the dark fruits a long way down the line. It’s a nutty oakiness with hazelnuts. It’s juicy and there’s no astringency. The finish is without question the best part. This is a good solid whisky, but a bit muted and uneventful overall.

Additional information
The Ambassador’s Choice was originally only released in Sweden. It’s aged for 10 years in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks made out of american oak.

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Cardhu, Speyside

Cardhu 15 YO

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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 sweet malty center with a fresh fruitiness on top. It’s apples and pears and the sweetness consists of vanilla, honey and malt together with baking spices. It’s very dessert-like. When it settles there are notes of ginger and toffee. A hint of marzipan can be found as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of power and complexity. It’s very mild but still produces a nice array of sweet things.

Mouth: It starts out with a slight sour and bitter lemon peel note in the back and a malty sweetness and apples up front. There’s a tiny spicyness coming through and it seems connected to an oakiness which arrives together with a dusting of cinnamon. It’s got a beer-like quality to it at this point and the background peel note is pushing forward with time. It’s not as sweet overall as on the nose and the fruitiness is neither especially pronounced at this point. The ginger can still be found.

Finish: The transition is rather uneventful and the lack of power becomes rather obvious. When the flavours return it reaches a sort of middle point between the nose and the mouth with the fruity and sweet dessert-like notes sitting on top of the lemon peel note and a bitter and grey old oakiness. There are some oak notes which suggests that there are some newer casks used as well. This is a good whisky. There’s no complexity and it lacks power, but it delivers a decent mix of flavours.

Additional information
There is no additional information to be found on this whisky. The flavour profile suggest an ex-bourbon/ex-sherry cask mix.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 5 YO – Wee Beastie

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ABV: 47,4 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peaty and medicinal. At first there are notes of seaweed, minerals and smoke from a hot burning campfire. In the background there’s a sweetness with vanilla and unscented hand lotion attached to it. It’s young and quite rowdy even though there’s a very thin but dampering layer of red berries resting on top of everything else. It still leans very heavy towards the distillate and not on the cask influence. With time in the glass the minerals and a hint of iodine moves forward. This is an unsettled dram, but it’s still a welcoming and interesting nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and medicinal. It takes a second or two for the sweetness to come through and when it does, it never really becomes more than a background noise. It’s salty and the seaweed is still in there, but it’s not as coastal as the nose suggest. The campfire smoke is now creating an outer layer surrounding everything. After a second or two there is a slight ripe and dark fruitiness floating around in the back together with the vanilla sweetness and a hint of dark chocolate.

Finish: It starts out by presenting all the background flavours without anything up front. It’s a combined layer of vanilla and unscented lotion, ripe dark fruits, dark chocolate and burnt oak. After a few second the main flavours start to build up. It produces the same flavours once again with seaweed, minerals, iodine and seasalt. There is a metallic note coming through in the late finish which gives away the young age. This is not a balanced and well behaved whisky. It’s young and rowdy both in smell and taste, but it still produces a nice experience.

Additional information
Wee Beastie was added to the Ardbeg core range in 2020. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry butts. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Auchentoshan, Lowlands

Auchentoshan 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and subtle. A mild honey sweetness and a cola note are first to come through. There’s a hint of newly cut grass in the background and an outer layer of vanilla fudge. Every flavour coming through is mellow and laid back. After some time in the glass a black liquorice note starts to appear. This is very straight forward and easy on the nose.

Mouth: A very mild and almost watery start. After a second or two a touch of lemon and a prominent cola note arrive. There’s vanilla fudge in the center and it’s quite floral on the edges. A bitter note sits together with the oak in the back. It’s slightly astringent, but other than that there’s no real impact.

Finish: At first there’s close to nothing, and after a few seconds the same cola note reappears together with a thinner version of the vanilla fudge. The oak slowly emerges from behind and it has the same toned down profile as the rest of the flavours. There’s not a lot of character to the oakiness and the cola note seems to attach to it down the line. This is probably one of the best choices for people who want to get into whisky since it’s extremely mild and has a low impact on the senses.

Additional information
This 12 YO was added to the core range in 2011. It’s triple distilled and aged in mainly american ex-bourbon oak barrels, but there’s also ex-Oloroso sherry casks in the mix.

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Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 12 YO – The Wee Witchie

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ABV: 43.4 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity, sweet and floral. There’s honey on top of green apples, ripe green grapes and some fresh red berries. There’s a tiny hint of menthol. Vanilla and some liquorice comes through after a while in the glass. There’s an earthy note of dry soil sitting in the back together with dust and some heather. A savory note sits in the heart of everything making it quite complex but still very clean and easy on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out honey sweet and spicy. The fruitiness rolls in like a wave with the ripe green grapes in front, but now there’s some darker dried fruits in the mix. The oak arrives pretty early and brings a nice bitterness. There’s walnuts, dust and the savory note is still found in the middle of everything.

Finish: This goes immediatly to the oak. It’s grey weathered oak planks and walnuts. The heather and the dry soil come back for a couple of seconds. The savory note keeps on making appearances and there’s now a hint of peaches peeking through the oakiness. It’s not astringent, but it is somewhat dry on the toungue. The spicyness follows along.

Additional information
”Wee witchie” comes from the nickname of the smallest still in the Mortlach distillery. This 12 YO was first released in 2018. It’s distilled 2.81 times and aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks.

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Monkey Shoulder, Speyside

Monkey Shoulder

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
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 sweet toffee and honey mix with a fruitiness attached to it. There’s an ethanol note on top and a more gritty note underneath. This creates a nice contrast to the otherwise easy to access characteristics. It comes off as spirity and a bit thin overall though. The fruitiness is fresh pears and a squeeze of lemon. This is a decent nose and it’s extremely accessible. It lacks some sophistication but does the job of a budget whisky quite well.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness surrounding the palate. There seems to be a hole in the middle of the palate. The fruitiness and the small gritty note sits in the back and the sweetness up front. It comes through as flat and it really lacks power. A generic bitterness builds up in the rear over time. There are some baking spices floating around somewhere within but everything seems to lack purpose. It’s very ethanol heavy and comes off as harsh at this point of the journey.

Finish: The transition is mellow and a slight, and much needed, increase in intensity finally occurs. The toffee note returns in the center and the fruitiness is basically gone except for a small, slightly metallic, lemon note in the back. The oakiness arrives late and it’s a decent oakiness. It’s got a nutty side to it and scoops up the bitterness to create a decent finish once the ethanol notes die down. This is a decent whisky. It comes through as a budget alternative with corners cut but should work well as a mixer or on ice for the non-explorer.

Additional information
Monkey Shoulder is a vatted malt made by William Grant and Sons. It contains malts aged in american ex-bourbon barrels from Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich. They are vatted together for 3 months before bottling.

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Speyside, Tamnavulin

Tamnavulin Tempranillo Cask Edition

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a sweetness consisting of vanilla, malt and honey mixed with sweet red berries. There’s a tiny amount of marzipan as well. On top there’s a young spirity overtone and underneath there’s a fresher layer with
green apples, lemon and a hint of oak. With time everything becomes more sour and cinnmon arrives. At this point it feels decently balanced. The young note on top doesn’t disappear though, and pulls everything down quite a bit. This is a decent nose for a budget whisky.

Mouth: It starts out very flat and the first thing arriving is a quite harsh and young distillate together with a generic sweetness. There are red berries and lemon sitting on the edges of the palate but they doesn’t seem to penetrate the center. There’s a coffee bitterness and a hint of dark chocolate forming in the back. The oakiness is present as well which makes everything slightly astringent. The fruitiness moves back and ripen over time.

Finish: There’s a nice and mellow spicyness spreading out over the palate and the fresh apple fruitiness really shines through before the harshness of the distillate once again takes over. When that note finally resides there’s a mix of dry oak, coffee bitterness and dark cocolate left. The longer down the finish it goes, the more everything becomes a dry, bitter oakiness and the late finish isn’t all that great. This is a so-and-so whisky, but the cask finish does help it along.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in Tempranillo red wine casks. There’s no information om the aging time.

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AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 3
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and floral. At first there’s a big bucket of pears and green apples with honey, butterscotch and a speck of dust. There’s a hint of play-doh as well. After a while a vanilla sweetness takes front stage. There are some herbs in the back which creates a nice contrast to the otherwise sweet and fruity character. This is a great nose, yet it could do with a bit more power.

Mouth: It starts out surprisingly big flavour wise. It’s slightly dusty with the malt coming forward and the fruits switching over to ripe red apples and apple juice with a very floral overtone. The oak is there which is coming through as old and grey, but not dead and bitter. It’s very mild and dessert-like at this point with vanilla, honey up front and a black coffee side note.

Finish: The transition is mild and there’s a mellow spicyness rolling out over the palate. It’s still dusty and the ripe fruits soon get overtaken by the oak notes which brings the fresh fruitiness back. There are notes of hazelnuts, peaches and coffee in the late finish. This is a great whisky which overcomes its low ABV very well. It’s easy to access and very approachable.

Additional information
This whisky is made at the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in 2nd fill american ex-bourbon barrels and 2nd fill spanish ex-sherry butts. Generally, it’s made by the ratio of 8 barrels to 2 sherry butts.

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Kentucky, Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

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ABV: 58.4 %
Origin: Kentucky, USA
Type: Straight Bourbon
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich and spicy. There’s anise and cinnamon and a dry oakiness. A fruitiness with mainly cherries and green apples sit together with a dusty corn note in the middle with a veil of nail polish remover surrounding it. Honey and vanilla creates a base giving the nose depth. It feels very well balanced. It’s very pleasant in the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with honey up front with cinnamon and rye spices peeking through. The fruitiness is still filled with cherries and green apples. The oak is very dry and somewhat astringent. A bitterness slowly builds up and the anise becomes more pronounced. The cherries move forward together with the rye spices.

Finish: A layer of menthol spreads out in the mouth before the oak and a dusty corn note take lead. There’s liquorice root, honey and vanilla. Those flavours stay on the sides of a freshly cut oakiness. It’s still dry and the astringency stays a long time after everything else have subsides. There’s a hint of coffee coming through in the lady part of the finish. This is a very well balanced bourbon.

Additional information
This is a barrel proof bourbon made from whiskey aged between 6-12 years in alligator charred (#4 char, 55 sec.) barrels. The mash bill consists of 75 % corn, 13 % Rye and 12 % barley.

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Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin Legacy

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and malty. At first there’s a mix of bright, fresh fruits, ginger and vanilla. It’s young and a bit spirity, but not in an intrusive way. When it settles there are honey and baking spices added to the mix. There’s a lemony top note mixed with a hint of oak forming as well. This is a good nose. It’s straight forward, easy to access and simple, yet not boring.

Mouth: It starts out with a center part consisting of vanilla, honey and malt while there’s a fresh apple note on top. It’s quite spirity and a bitter note soon forms in the background while the apples are joined by a whole fruit basket with assorted fresh fruits. There’s a liquorice and oak layer forming on the sides and it somewhat doesn’t match the rest of the flavours. Everything feels a bit disorganised and unbalanced at this point.

Finish: A gentle spicyness spreads out over the palate and first out is a dry new oak and the bitter note in the back. The oak revives the fruit basket and when the oak and the, now quite harsh, distillate starts to fade there’s a fruity and floral finish. Vanilla and sweet liquorice are following along as well as the ginger note. This is a decent whisky which has some really nice flavours within, but it’s too spirity and unbalanced overall.

Additional information
The Legacy was relaunched in 2016 as the entry level in Tomatin’s core range. It’s been aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon oak barrels and virgin oak casks for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 14 YO – Peat Week Vintage 2003

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ABV: 48.3 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Wet leather and burning hay cover a sweet and fruity baseplate. It takes a few seconds to get through the peat, but behind there’s a big bucket of fruits with orange zest and ripe red juicy apples. There’s also notes of honey, milk chocolate and a slight hint of vanilla. A hint of sweet black liquorice shows up with time in the glass. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out very juicy and spicy. The fruitiness is in the center with wet leather surrounding it like a pouch. It’s got a bitter tang to it which gives the whole thing balance. The sweetness is surrounding everything in a thin layer. There’s dust and a general sense of age about it and that sense increases with time in the glass. There’s no oak or astringency showing up.

Finish: The fruitiness and spicyness immideatly spikes and then get replaced by the peaty flavours. Finally the oak shows up. It comes with a dark, high percentage cocoa chocolate. There’s no direct sweetness and there’s a good portion of hazelnuts in the end. There’s also a hint of tropical fruits peeking through on the tail end. The peat sits on the palate a long time after the dram’s demise. This is a very good whisky which gives the house style a nice twist.

Additional information
Balvenie makes peated whisky one week every year. This is the 2003 batch. The peat level used is 30 ppm. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bruichladdich, Islay, Octomore

Octomore 10 Years – Dialogos

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ABV: 56.8 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very peaty. At first there’s a burnt, sweet oakiness with vanilla on top. Underneath lies a very ashy and medicinal peatiness. As it settles in the glass the peatiness becomes more and more prominent and after a few seconds a complex note arrives in the center. It’s a mix of red berries, apple juice and aged cheese. There’s a freshness to it and a hint of ginger ale can be found floating around. With time in the glass the cask influence gives the peatiness a good fight for attention. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to discover, both in within the peatiness and behind the peat curtain.

Mouth: It starts out quite mild and fruity with honey, vanilla, toffee and fresh grapes. There’s some oak notes shining through as well. After a few seconds the peatiness burst through as well as a peppery spicyness. It’s an outer layer of ashy peat and a center part with leather and a complex funky note. The back of the palate fills with overripe berries as well as the medicinal notes. The intensity of the flavours keeps on growing and the pepper notes are very intense in a good way.

Finish: The peppery spicyness sort of glides over the transition and turns into a cloud of peppermint while the back of the palate still contains the ripe berries, the complex funkiness and the medicinal notes. It’s less sweet through the finish and the vanilla and toffee are barely noticable. The peatiness is now more vegetal and medicinal and less ashy. The oakiness is found in the background but it’s overrun by the intensity of the other flavours for a long time. When it shows up it mixes with the residual peat notes and gives a toasted impression. This is a fantastic whisky in every way. It’s a peat monster in a nice fancy suit.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2008 with a PPM value of 167. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-port pipes (37 %), first fill ex-cognac casks (31 %), second fill ex-bourbon barrels (20 %) and lastly, spirit aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels, then in virgin oak casks and then ex-American whiskey casks (12 %) . It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bruichladdich, Islay, Octomore

Octomore 09.3 – Dialogos

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ABV: 62.9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and oak. At first there’s a big hit of an ashy, dry woodfire peat with a surrounding layer of rounded vanilla and a thin, ripe, red berry note. It’s a very dry nose with the oakiness really accentuating the peatiness. There are notes of unscented lotion as well. With a bit of imagination some brighter fruits are detectable behind the big woodfire. This is a nice nose but it’s not especially complex or interesting. It’s very dry and very oaky.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of oak and peat, where the peat now presents itself a lot more interesting with dry soil, seasalt, ash, iodine and fresh burning wood. It’s quite astingent and mineral rich. The oakiness is really pushing itself through to the point where it almost outshines the peat. The whole thing comes through as very rich and has a nice power to it which feels essential to pulling this off. There’s still a thin, surrounding layer of vanilla and ripe fruits.

Finish: There’s a second or two of very dry and astringent oak before the peat and the spicyness take front. It’s now once again more ashy and mineral rich and less medicinal/coastal. In the background lies a complex mess of ripe fruits, malt and peat but it feels a bit irrelevant since the whole feels way too oaky and astringent. The finish is extremely long and the woodfire keeps on burning a long time down the road. This is a very good whisky but the virgin oak mixed with the high PPM level creates a big woodfire which at first is impressive bit soon gets a bit annoying.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2012 with a PPM value of 133. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-american (25 %), third fill virgin oak (25 %), second fill ex-Riversaltes (20 %), second fill Syrah (20 %) and lastly, spirit aged in second fill ex-bourbon barrels (10 %). It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt Finished in a Rum Cask

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ABV: 57.6 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a layer of vanilla, coconut and sweet fruits underneath a cloud of nail polish remover. When it settles it becomes sweeter and fruitier as well as a bit more acidic. It feels young and vibrant. It takes a while in the glass before it reaches its full potential and when it does, there’s a nice complexity in the back and a nice balance between sweet and sour in the center. At this point the sherry fruitiness, with liqueuer-soaked red berries as its main feature, is creating a thin outside layer towards the edges of the glass. This is a great nose when given time to open up.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of sweet and dusty vanilla, coconut and a nice powerful, yet pleasant, spicyness. It’s acidic overall and has a lemon sourness which contrasts the sweet flavours. The sherry notes are somewhat subdued and resides in the background together with the sour notes and an elusive cinnamon note. There’s also a small bitterness floating around. It’s not the most interesting development and it feels like the different components compete for attention instead of adding to the whole.

Finish: The transition is very logical. The sweetness increase in intensity as well as the spicyness. It’s not spikes, it’s more of a slow increase. The fruitiness then arrives around the edges and it’s a general fruitiness without any specific recognizable sorts. It still feels more like a fight between components than a cohesive character. The bitterness is still in there and it slowly turns into walnuts. The late finish is a very nutty and frankly amazing oakiness and becomes the best part of the journey. This is a very good whisky, but it feels a bit over-engineered.

Additional information
This is a single cask release. It was aged in an ex-sherry cask and then finished in a rum cask and bottled in 2004. The bottle reviewed has no. 96/260. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 12 YO – Master of Distilling II The Man With The Golden Glass

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ABV: 51.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and sweet liquorice. A veil of menthol surrounds everything at first. When it’s lifted the dark fruitiness appears. It’s a two-layered fruitiness with raisins, overripe black grapes and plums on top and a brighter layer with ripe apples and a hint of lemon underneath. The longer it stays in the glass the more a sweet liquorice note takes over. The background consists of a solid backdrop of vanilla, honey and a hint of oak. This is a very pleasant nose.

Mouth: The impact is very immidiate and the mouth fills with menthol and dark fruits. The sweet liquorice is still in there and the background still contains vanilla and honey notes. After a few seconds the fruitiness sort of makes a full 180 and becomes a lot brighter with lemon, oranges and grapefruit. There’s a speck of dust on top and it’s already a touch astringent.

Finish: The high ABV makes the menthol become really pronounced at first. When it settles it reveals a fruitiness that is even brighter than before. Even though the dark fruitiness still can be found, it’s now leaning heavily towards tropical juice with pineapples, mangos and oranges. There’s still a lemon sourness peeking through. The oak comes through quite clear, and it’s a very nutty oakiness. There’s a big hazelnut flavour and the late finish is absolutely fantastic. This is an amazing whisky.

Additional information
This expression comes from casks filled in 2006. The cask type for the first maturation period isn’t disclosed. It’s then finished in european ex-Palo Cortado sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour. It’s limited to 12 000 bottles worldwide.

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Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 21 YO – The Explorer’s Series Volume 2: Lochranza Castle

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ABV: 47,2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick layer of honey and dark fruits. There are raisins and overripe plums, but also a layer of dried apricots. There’s a nice balance between the sweetness and the fruitiness. After a few seconds in the glass there are notes of vanilla starting to come through as well as a maltiness. There’s a complexity to it and fleeting notes of leather and tobacco are found in the background. It feels very three-dimensional. This is a very nice nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a subdued lemon sourness and a sweet honey top layer. The fruitiness is a lot brighter and the darker fruit notes move into the background. There’s a black coffee note somewhere in between and there’s a dusty leather note in there as well. With time it turns darker and at one point it feels like there’s a creamy coffee liqueuer within. There’s also vanilla, sweet liquorice and just a tiny whiff of smoke.

Finish: It starts out with a layer of the dark sherry notes in the back. It takes a second or two for the front layer to appear but when it does, it reveals the same notes once again with coffee, fruits, leather and, once it settles, a nice oakiness. The oak seems to be in balance, it’s present, but it doesn’t overpower the rest of the finish which makes it a long and very rewarding experience. The oakiness is dusty with a hint of hazelnuts and there’s still a whiff of smoke. This is a fantastic whisky. It’s well balanced and full of flavour.

Additional information
This is the second release in the Explorer series. It’s limited to 9000 bottles worldwide. It has been aged in ex-sherry hogsheads and finished in ex-Amontadillo sherry casks from Bodegas Tradicion. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt The Devil’s Punch bowl Chapter II: Angels and Devils

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ABV: 53.1 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet, sour and slightly peaty. At first there’s a mix of honey and vanilla sitting on top of a base of sour candy, raisins, raspberries and a gritty note with peat mixed into it. On top a mix of nail polish remover and menthol is floating around. After a while the vanilla and a malty note increase in intensity, and so do the sherry notes, which adds butterscotch and strawberries. This makes the peatiness move out towards the edges and a chance for the oak to peek through. This is a great and complex nose which retains the Arran house style very well even though it has some unique and strong flavours from the casks.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet with vanilla, coconut and honey, but the sour side isn’t far behind. There’s a tropical fruit basket arriving in the back while a nice black pepper spicyness spreads out over the palate. In between there’s a fresh red fruitiness and some baking spices, butterscotch and malt. It’s got a quite savory background note and a slightly salty overtone. It feels very balanced and the different sensations goes well together. The oakiness is present throughout.

Finish: The sweet and sour notes really push through and takes the tropical fruitiness along. There are cinnamon and oak around the edges and there’s a speck of dust somewhere within. The peatiness is nowhere to be found at this point. When it settles the sherry notes once again come through and they’re pushed back a bit and have more of the fresh berries than the butterscotch now. The finish is long and extremely rewarding. The oakiness shows up together with the peat. It’s an aromatic oakiness with hazelnuts which feels attached to the cinnamon note and the tropical fruits. The peat is nicely balanced to add to the mix instead of taking over. This is an amazing whisky with too many flavours, sensations and small notes to describe them all.

Additional information
This whisky is a vatting of 27 casks (17 sherry hogsheads and 10 ex-bourbon barrels. The different casks holds whiskies, both peated and unpeated, distilled between 1994 and 2004. It was bottled 2013. 6660 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran 15 YO Rare Batch – French Oak: Argonne

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ABV: 53.5 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a spicy layer floating on top of a very sweet mix of vanilla, sweet liquorice, honey and dark fruits. It’s a very rich center part and it’s almost sticky sweet. There’s a complex note floating around somewhere in the back which seems to come from the wine casks. There are some blueberry notes attached to it. It takes a long time for it to settle in the glass and when it does there are floral notes floating up to the surface as well as cinnamon and lemon. This is a very nice nose which feels slightly secretive on what to expect of the rest of the journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a very sweet initial impact. The ABV spicyness comes through quite fast and almost immidiately balances out the sweetness. There are notes of old bookshelves in the background with a speck of dust on top. It’s dry and astringent at this point. After a few seconds there’s a sour lemon note revealing itself in the background which really helps it along and makes it a lot more interesting. The fruitiness now feels a bit more fresh and bright than on the nose but it still feels a bit toned down.

Finish: The start of the finish brings all kinds of fresh fruits with mango, pineapple, lemon as well as blueberries and red berries. There are floral notes on top and the lemon note is residing in the background. There are vanilla and honey notes and the book shelves are still in there. When all the sweet flavours start to fade a sprinkle of salt, cinnamon and a very nice oakiness start to take over. It’s a slightly nutty and astringent oak and it fits the other flavours very well. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer, yet it somehow feels like a slightly incomplete experience.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in french oak casks which previously held still wine from Argonne. 3060 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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