Arran, Islands

Arran The Explorer’s Series Volume 4 – Drumadoon Point

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ABV: 49.5 %
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 layer of dried fruits and red berries with cinnamon and vanilla mixed in. It’s raisins and raspberries, but when it settles in the glass it becomes more of a sweet and sour mix with mixed baking spices and lemon peel. Underneath lies a complexity and rich background with notes of age as well as a spicy oakiness. There are a lot of tiny fleeting notes passning by along the way like ginger, oranges and freshly cut grass. It feels extremely balanced and well made. This is a fantastic nose with a clear direction, yet it goes off script and produces nice little surprises here and there.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and spicy mix of malt, vanilla and a row of dusty old books. The sweet and sour mix is very much the main focal point with lemon peel and fresh raspberries as a contrast to the sweetness. It feels oily and has a great depth and texture to it. It almost feels savory at times. The oakiness follows along in the background and creates a nice amount of background noise to create a base for the other flavours to stand on. There’s a nice bitterness coming through. The whole basically gives all the sensations a run for their money.

Finish: A gentle spicyness oversees the transition while the malty sweetness and the lemon peel once again creates a rich and oily center core. It still is quite complex and there still are a lot of small nudges to other fruits and spices. The oakiness is residing around the edges with a bitter nuttiness and a spicyness attached to it. The flavour profile stays in the mouth for a very long finish and the oakiness bides its time and prolongs it even further. This is just pure magic. It’s a fantastic whisky and it doesn’t get much better than this in the unpeated category.

Additional information
This is the fourth release in the Explorer series. It’s limited to 9000 bottles worldwide. It has been aged in ex-sherry puncheons directly from Jerez, Spain which probably means first fill. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Islands

Arran The Smuggler’s Series Volume 1 – The Illicit Stills

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ABV: 56.4 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly peated. At first there’s a vanilla, honey and sweet liquorice mix sitting on top of a mild herbal peat and some fresh red berries. When it settles it becomes maltier and a vanilla fudge note comes through in the center. There’s a squeeze of lemon and a slight dustiness in the background as well as a gritty note, which gives the whole a nice complexity. There’s also a hint of nail polish remover floating around on top. The peatiness resides after a while and becomes more of a floaty top note. This is a great nose with a lot of nice, small things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness up front and a quite strong sour lemon in the back. The spicyness is strong at first but once it settles reveals a very funky mix of herbal peat, rubber, dark ripe fruits and leather sitting together with vanilla fudge in the center. There’s also a savory note in the background and a mild bitter black coffee note close by. It feels slightly dusty, complex and interesting but the spicyness interfers with the exploration. It gives it a nice powerful character though.

Finish: The spicyness carries over without any spikes and very generously lets everything through early on. There’s still a nice contrast between sweet and sour as the main feature while the ripe dark notes and the herbal peatiness merges and creates the same complexity found earlier. It’s still dusty and the sweet liquorice note returns at this point. When it starts to fade out the lemon note comes forward together with a newfound oakiness. The oak feels like a mix of old and new. There’s a slightly bitter walnut note which lingers when everything else die down. This is a very good whisky which feels like it’s trying to be everthing at once, which results in a disarray of flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2015. This is made from both peated and unpeated distillates. It was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-port pipes for an undisclosed amount of time. 8700 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran Amarone Cask Finish

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and sweet. At first there’s a honey and vanilla sweetness with a dark fruitiness sitting just behind. There’s a mix of sugared blackberries, black grapes and a twist of lemon. On top there’s a cloud of mild menthol. With time in the glass it becomes a bit sweeter with toffee and a hard to pinpoint floral note floating around in the back. It continuously changes but never strays from the main path. This is a great nose with a lot of things to Discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of honey sweetness and dark berries. It’s very rich and textured from the get-go. There’s also a bitter lemon note as well as a gritty layer in the back with notes of wood, sulfur and rubber. After a while there’s a tropical fruitiness emerging from the back which slowly moves towards the center. There’s a complexity to the whole thing and it feels very three-dimensional. All of the sensations are coming through to a various degree.

Finish: The finish starts out with the red wine dark fruitiness in the back and it sort of grows bigger and bigger in a forward motion. The sweetness ,the menthol and a sprinkle of dusty earth notes come through as well. It takes a few seconds before the gritty notes and the tropical fruitiness once again join in. The bitter lemon is still residing in the back. The oakiness arrives late and never takes over. It just seem to create another layer of complexity. This is a fantastic whisky with an array of complex flavours floating around.

Additional information
This is part of the Arran Wine Cask Finish series. It’s aged for around 8 years in traditional ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in Amarone red wine casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran 15 YO Rare Batch – French Oak: Bordeaux

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ABV: 52.8 %
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 there’s a menthol layer sitting on top of a sweet and fruity layer which consists of vanilla and liqeuer-soaked red berries. In the background there’s a small, dark and gritty complexity which consists of raisins, oil and just a hint of sulfur. When it settles it becomes sweeter and slightly sour. The lemon note can be found as a part of the center and in the back. The whole thing is a bit laid back and doesn’t pop out of the glass, but it still comes through as quite easy to access. This is a great nose with a little bit of everything nicely put in its place.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet shell of coconut and vanilla. It’s a big contrast between the richness of the nose compared to the initial impact in the mouth. It’s immidiately rich and complex and there’s too much going on to really describe what’s happening. There’s a mix of fresh fruits, lemon, dark fruits and everything sits in a nice, floral vanilla and lemon center part. There’s also the oily and gritty note within, as well as notes of age, like dust, old wood and leather. It almost feels slightly smoky as well. It’s just an absolutely amazing experience at this point.

Finish: At the start of the transition the dusty notes move first and take seat on top. There’s a surge of spicyness which for the first time reveals its high ABV. It does hide some of the other flavours for a while before it starts to fade. The coconut is still in there and sits together with the dust and the floral notes on top of everything else. The center part is very sweet and fruity but it’s now moving towards the sour lemon note. The finish is long and it sort of sits in this manner for a good while without any changes. When it finally fades it reveals a slightly bitter and dry oakiness which feels slightly underwhelming. This is a great whisky with a fantastic middle part of the journey. It’s an explorer’s dram through and through.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in french oak casks which previously held red wine from The mêdoc region north of Bordeaux. 2580 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Islands

Arran The Smuggler’s Series Volume 2 – The High Seas

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ABV: 55.4 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly peaty. It starts out with a sweet layer of vanilla, honey and coconut. Underneath lies a nail polish remover note and a mild earthy peat. When it starts to settle in the glass the nail polish remover mixes with the vanilla and becomes like a minty piece of candy. It becomes maltier and a bit peatier over time. There is a fruity side to it but it’s somewhat hidden by the other flavours. When it shows, it’s a whiff of peaches as a top note. This is a nice but slightly sharp nose with a nice development in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a juniper note and soon becomes quite peppery. The sweetness mixes with a bitter tang in the center and while the peatiness builds up in the back. There’s a savory note in the back as well as some seasalt. It soon becomes slightly astringent and oaky. The peach note and the coconut are still in there but gets overrun by the spicyness quite quick. It’s feels a bit double-edged where one side feels young and rough while the other is aged and delivers dusty notes and leather.

Finish: The peppery notes spike as the dusty and fruity notes finally make a real appearance. It’s lemon (with a metallic note) on the outside and peaches, now attached to a dusty wood note in the back. The peat is still savory and resides on top of the palate. The sweetness is generic sugar sweetness mixed up in everything else and it’s very toned down. It still is a bit salty in the finish and stays that way while the oakiness takes over with the peach note still attached to it. It’s a nice mixed oakiness with a bitter note and some vanilla still in there. This is a very good, yet very weird, whisky. It’s both amazing and mediocre all mixed up in one.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2016. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-bourbon barrels and ex-rum casks (with peated whisky) for an undisclosed amount of time. 8700 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt 12 YO Cask Strength Batch 4

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ABV: 53.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a vanilla heavy sweetness with oak and honey sitting on top of a quite powerful and thick center part with a lemon backdrop. There’s a nice harmony between everything and it’s very well balanced. After a few seconds a nail polish remover note creeps up from behind. There are notes of coconut and green fruits as well, which mainly resides out on the edges of the glass. This is a great nose which really accentuates the Arran house style.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild honey sweetness. This lasts for about a second before a big hit of everything arrives. It’s a malty mix of lemons, oranges, honey, sweet liquorice with a dusty coating. It’s quite spicy and powerful which adds to the experience. The oakiness peeks through every once in a while. A tiny amount of a black coffee and almond bitterness starts to shine through After a while as well as some milk chocolate.

Finish: The transition is warm and spicy. It’s a slow increase not a spike and it lasts for a long time. The continuation of flavours is logical and the balance between sweet and sour is superb. There are some baking spices popping up somewhere along the way which is a very nice surprise. It’s a very long and rewarding finish and it takes a while before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice oakiness with a touch of assorted nuts within. This is an amazing whisky with a lot to offer to both the drinker and the explorer. It’s extremely well balanced and delivers very approachable flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was bottled in 09/14. Cask type is not stated. 15 000 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt Non-Chillfiltered

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a sweet layer of malt, honey and vanilla wrapped around a sour green apple and lemon core. There are hints of gooseberries in there as well. It feels young and fresh without being ethanol driven or metallic. When it settles there are notes of freshly cut grass and vanilla cream added to the whole. It’s a lemony dessert which feels well balanced between the sensations. A hint of sweet liquorice and a mild oakiness are detectable as well. This is a great nose. It’s not complex, but really pleasant.

Mouth: It starts out with a hit of lemon in the back together with a mild spicyness and a slightly bitter note. The sweetness then arrives and makes it quite rich. There are still notes of honey, vanilla and liquorice. The fruitiness is mostly citrus fruits at this point and it’s slightly subdued by the sweetness. It doesn’t feel young and there are signs of time spent in the casks. It’s a slightly dusty dessert-like character which feels very balanced and poised.

Finish: The spicyness mellows out and a fruit explosion ensues. There’s citrus fruits, tropical fruits and gooseberries in spades and it’s a very nice surprise, yet it feels quite logical. The sweetness moves out towards the sides and it just seems to grow the further down the road it goes. When the oakiness arrives it seems to amplify the fruitiness even further and when it finally gets to shine it manages to produce a fantastic nuttiness with mainly hazelnuts. This is a fantastic whisky which just gives more and more the longer it goes. There’s not a lot of complexity but it’s just absolutely delicious.

Additional information
There is not much information to be found about this whisky. It’s an older NAS release from the distillery. It’s unchillfiltered has natural colour.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

The Arran Malt St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe Wine Cask Finish (2008 Vintage)

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ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a mix of red ripe grapes and ripe plums with a fresher blueberry note attached. There’s also vanilla mixed with a sweet and sour maltiness. The fruitiness sort of releases the fresher parts which after a while start to float on top. Underneath everything else there’s a black coffee bitterness and a smidge of milk chocolate. The vanilla moves out on the edges and leaves room for even more fresher fruits with a fleeting glimpse of peaches and mangoes somewhere on top. This is a nice nose. It’s not as well balanced and appealing as other Arrans tends to be though.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemon sourness in the back and a big peppery impact coming from the high ABV. It’s dusty and there’s a dark fruitiness and black coffee spreading out over the palate. There’s no sweetness and it’s a very hard to access arrange of flavours. There’s a nutty oakiness peeking through and the milk chocolate has turned into a bitter dark chocolate. After a while the sweet and sour Arran house style shines through which really makes the experience a lot better.

Finish: The transition is slightly weird, where the spicyness somewhat increases in intensity but the rest is just a mess of flavours which sort of brings out a strange funky taste. It’s quite spirity at this point as well. When all the weirdness subsides there are notes of toffee, ripe fruits and a slightly nutty oakiness with coffee and walnuts. It just feels a bit too bitter and unbalanced. This is a good whisky, but it really doesn’t measure up to the normal quality of Arran Single malts.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 8 years and then finished in grand cru wine casks for 12 months. 6636 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Islands

Arran The Smuggler’s Series Volume 3 – The Exciseman

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ABV: 56.8 %
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 sweetness coming through behind a quite powerful ABV spicyness. It takes a while in the glass for it to open up and first out is vanilla on the outside and ripe grapes and and a sticky sweetness in the center. A fresh oakiness and spices are floating around as well. In the background there are notes of ginger, lemon and oranges which makes it very three-dimensional. The whole feels very much like a mix of old and new. This is a very nice nose but it takes a good while in the glass before it delivers most of the flavours.

Mouth: It starts out quite mild and sweet before the ABV kicks in. First through is a dark note with blackberries, pipe tobacco and sweetend coffee. There are notes of vanilla and fresh oak and underneath lies notes of dust and leather. After a few seconds it becomes floral and violets join up together with apricots to create a very nice floaty top layer. There’s a savory note in the back and it sits there together with the fresh oak note. There are a lot of sensations happening all at once and it somehow works very well.

Finish: The transition begins with another ABV spike, it’s powerful but it doesn’t attack the palate. After it settles it’s once again delivers blackberries and tobacco as well as the violets and apricots. The coffee note is now more bitter than before which is good because the fruitiness and the vanilla needs it to create balance. When it starts to settle there’s a beautiful mix of old and new oak coming through. It delivers vanilla, coconut, cinnamon, oak spices, sawdust, dust and hazelnuts all at once. There’s even a hint of bananas in there. This is a great whisky and it’s a wild one. It delivers a huge array of flavours in a quite chaotic way.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2017. It was aged in a mix of quarter casks and ex-Madeira casks for an undisclosed amount of time. 8700 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Arran, Islands

The Arran Malt 21 YO – Limited Edition Exclusively Bottled for Sweden

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ABV: 52.5 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. The first thing to come through is a mild vanilla sweetness together with liquorice and assorted dried fruits. It’s a gentle nose and it’s not popping out of the glass. After a few minutes it grows a tiny bit more confident and start to deliver a bigger array of nuances with black currant, ripe red berries and a slightly gritty background. A menthol note is also present. It feels quite young and lively for its age and the distillate is really showing through. It becomes a bit sweeter over time but it’s the fruitiness which is the main note. This is a great nose if it gets a lot of time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and dusty malt note in the center. There’s a fresh sour fruitiness coming through around the edges which develops into a mix of red and black berries. A black coffee bitterness and an oak note build up in the back. There’s a mild black pepper spicyness sprinkled in as well. The sweetness subsides and it becomes quite complex after a few seconds when an earthy note gets added to the center. The fruitiness is not as pronounced at this point and still resides at the edges.

Finish: The finish starts out with the dusty note in the center and the sweet malty note up front. It then turns up the volume on everything else and gives a nice push of spicy pepper, liquorice and a black coffee bitterness. The vanilla is still in there as well as the berries. When everything subsides, all that remains is a slightly bitter and dusty oakiness, which isn’t the greatest end to an otherwise pleasant journey. This is a great whisky with both ups and downs throughout.

Additional information
This is a single cask release. It’s aged in an ex-sherry hogshead. It was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2017. Cask no. 187. The bottle tried has no. 15 out of 327.

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Speyburn, Speyside

Speyburn 16 YO Travel Exclusive

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ABV: 43 %
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 fresh apples and pears fruitiness with a surrounding of honey, vanilla, baking spices and marzipan. When it starts to settle the sweetness increases and the fruits ripen. Notes of old dusty oak slowly emerges from the back as well as a sour lemon which creates a nice contrast to the sweetness. Everything seems to fit together nicely and there’s a nice balance between the different components. This is a nice nose. It’s very dessert-like and easy to approach.

Mouth: It starts out very mild, vanilla rich and sweet. The fruitiness is still ripe apples and pears. It soon turns astringent and it pulls moisture out of the mouth while a bitterness forms in the back together with a zesty lemon sourness. There’s a lot of cinnamon and wood spices floating around. It’s not as balanced as the nose suggests. Everything becomes a bit perfumey after a while, but the age really comes through overall with a dusty old character.

Finish: The tranisiton comes with a dip in flavour but a nice spicyness spreads out on the palate. When it subsides the whole becomes very fruity and floral with tropical fruits attached to a dusty oakiness and floral, perfumey notes floating above. After a few seconds the lemon zest arrives in the back and follows the fruity oak notes far along the finish. This is a very good whisky with an easy to read palate without being boring. It lacks balance in taste and it could do with a bit more power to give the flavours a push forward.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels. It’s a travel retail exclusive release.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare Bourbon Cask (Selected Swedes)

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ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single grain (four grain)
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a vanilla and honey center with a very pronouned oakiness from the start. It’s young and quite powerful which creates a menthol overlay and a slightly harsh spirit note underneath. There’s a dusty corn note floating by together with hints of liquorice and banana. With time in the glass a nice candy cane sweetness forms in the center. This is a decent nose with a good array of flavours to be found.

Mouth: It starts out very distillate heavy and very different from the nose. It’s harsh and spiky and it mostly delivers spicyness, a weird bitter background note and a dry oakiness. After a while there are some honey, vanilla and dusty corn notes arriving, but at this point the mouth is too overrun with oak and spirit notes to really appreciate what’s happening.

Finish: The finish starts out with a steep increase in the very dry oakiness, which luckily delivers some assorted nuts. The bitter background notes increase as well. Otherwise it’s mostly notes of a harsh distillate seeping through the cracks. The late finish is very oaky but the nutty side of it is a nice little addition, mainly because it refuses to go away. This is a not-so-good whisky with a surprisingly nice nose. Unfortunatley that only adds to the disappointment when it comes to taste.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in bourbon casks for just over 3 years (2018-09/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and no colour was added.

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Famous Grouse, Scotland, Unspecified

Famous Grouse Sherry Cask Finish – Christmas Release (2023)

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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 sticky sweet and fruity. At first there’s a lid of sticky sweet sherry syryp with vanilla and assorted dried red fruits. When it settles, it reveals harsh grain spirit as well as a fresher fruitiness, malt and toffee. It’s very top heavy and the extra maturation never really feels attached to the other parts. The sherry does give some seasonal spices and fruits which help it along. This is a decent nose for a cheap blend. It’s a major cover-up though.

Mouth: It starts out very mild with heavy vanilla and fruit syryp notes up front and oak, together with a slight bitterness, out on the edges. The fresher fruitiness starts in the back and then slowly wraps around the center part. it’s quite sour and metallic in the back. It doesn’t take long before the harsh grain spirit overruns most of the palate and everything becomes rather unpleasant. There is a spicyness to be found but it takes a long time before it arrives. There is a malty and fruity side within but it’s not enough to fight the unpleasantries.

Finish: The start of the finish is quite flat with just a touch of spicyness. The heavy vanilla notes carry over and do a good job of covering up the unpleasant spirit underneath. It doesn’t take long before the facade breaks though. The late finish is just a tedious oakiness, harsh grain spirit and a thin veil of sherry surrounding everything. This is a not-so-good whisky. The cover-up is blatantly obvious. It’s just famous grouse with a sherry clown mask on top. It certainly improves on the original though.

Additional information
The Grouse Brand was released in 1896 and two years later the name was changed to The Famous Grouse because of its popularity. Edrington generally uses Glenturret malt in its blends.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare PX Casks (Selected Swedes)

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ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and sawdust. At first there’s a thick lid of fresh oak, very sweet dried fruits and mixed spices. There are liqeuer-soaked rasisns and figs with a hint of chocolate and heavy vanilla from the extreme oakiness (which grows even bigger with time). Underneath a young and slightly unpleasant and spiky distillate peeks through. The whole is extremely unbalanced and over-oaked. The sherry notes are strong but they haven’t had enough time to mix with the distillate, yet they still can’t compete with the oakiness. This is a manufactured nose typical to the new craft whisky era.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate oakiness and a hefty peppery spicyness. Soon after, a dark mix of raisins, figs and really dark chocolate arrives. Underneath lies the young distillate. It’s pointy and lacks refinement. Everything feels unbalanced and extremely top heavy. The oakiness is attacking the palate and ruins most of the other flavours. The vanilla is not as pronounced in taste as on the nose.

Finish: The transition elevates the young, harsh distillate for a second or two before the oak and sherry mask returns. The dark, dried fruits and dark chocolate is actually quite nice at this point but once again the oakiness return to overrun everything. The late finish is like chewing on a newly plained oak plank without the possibility to stop. This is a rather bad whisky. It’s too young, top heavy and over-oaked.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in PX sherry casks for just over 3 years (2018-10/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has no colour added.

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Islands, Ledaig, Tobermory

Ledaig 15 YO (2000) (Auld Rare)

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ABV: 57.0 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is peaty and sweet. At first there’s an ashy peatiness with floral character. It’s quite powerful from the start. Underneath lies a different, moist peatiness together with heather honey and vanilla. The background consists of a rather rowdy and gritty complexity. It feels a bit younger than its age statement with a fresh and vibrant character. Notes of liquorice and tar floats around within as well. This is a great nose. It’s missing some telltale signs of age though.

Mouth: It starts out with the ashy peat with the same floral notes found on the nose. Soon after the spicyness rushes in at full speed. The moist peatiness then arrives together with a peachy kind of fresh fruitiness and the gritty, ripe notes to create a nice backbone. It still feels fresh and vibrant but now there are notes of dust and old oak furniture coming through. The floral notes becomes heathery as it mixes with vanilla, a slight bitterness and a malty note.

Finish: The spicyness towers through the tranisiton and it’s very powerful. When it settles there are lemons and violets in the back together with a bitterness. The center part fills with notes of age and wet peat. It doesn’t take long before a grey, slightly nutty, oakiness start to come through. The late finish is filled with oak and floral notes and it takes a long time before everything dies down. This is a great whisky with a really interesting character. It’s not without its faults though.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a single ex-bourbon barrel. The cask no. is 71. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare Ex-Islay Casks (Selected Swedes)

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ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and peaty. At first there’s a mineral rich peatiness and a spiky ethanol spicyness. It’s somewhat sweet and there’s a malty and vanilla rich center. There’ also some coastal notes with seaweed and ocean air floating around. The sweetness grows with time in the glass. A mild fruitiness can be found but it’s not really definable. This is a decent nose. It feels quite simple and the peatiness rescues it from being too sharp and boring.

Mouth: It starts out with a peppery spicyness and it comes through as ethanol heavy. The vanilla sweetness is joined by a funky maltiness and creates a nice mid palate experience. There is a slightly metallic lemon sourness in the back. It’s not the greatest note but it does create a depth and makes the whole a bit more three dimensional. The peatiness is covering the outside of the palate and it comes through as mineral rich with a coastal character in taste too.

Finish: The transition doubles down on just about everything. When it starts to settle the peat, the lemon and a dry oakiness take over and creates a sour woody log fire. The funky center expands slightly but everything dies down rather quickly and a quite boring oakiness remains. This is a decent whisky with a nice enough set of flavours. It feels a bit brittle which contrasts the otherwise robust peaty character.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-islay casks for just over 3 years (2018-12/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and no colour was added.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine the Murray Double Wood Edition – The Marquess Collection 2005-2020

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a big vanilla sweetness up front and honey and butterscotch underneath. The sweetness is intertwined with a dark fruitiness consisting of raisins and overripe plums. The darker notes get mixed with dark chocolate as well. It feels slightly top heavy, but it still has some nice things underneath to discover like a malty richness and baked apples. There’s a small gritty note in there as too. This is a great nose with a lot of small things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out a bit fresher and more powerful than on the nose. First out is dark chocolate and raisins soon followed by lemon zest in the back. The apples are now fresher as well. Underneath there’s a small rubbery gritty note which adds to the complexity and creates depth to the experience. The oakiness is present around the edges and after a while the whole becomes very peppery and slightly astringent.

Finish: The transition is logical and the spicyness spreads out over the palate. The gritty notes, the dark chocolate and the ripe fruits come back for a second or two before they get pushed back by the oakiness. The zesty notes and the apples are still in there, but they also get demoted by the oak. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness. It’s astringent and really doesn’t suit the dram at all. This is a great whisky with a slightly disappointing ending.

Additional information
This is whisky aged for the entire maturation period in first fill ex-bourbon barrels mixed with whisky which are finished in first fill ex-sherry casks. 17550 bottles were made for this release.

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Arran, Arran Malt, Islands

Arran 1998 (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a mild lemony sweetness with honey and vanilla at the base. There’s also a fresh fruitiness, mainly pears, sitting in the center with a sprinkle of cinnamon within. The whole is very dessert-like. It’s also very top heavy and the background comes through as quite spirity. A very vanilla rich oakiness forms around the edges of the glass and brings some coconuts with it. This is a nice nose. It lacks a bit of balance between the components and there’s no apparent complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and sour mix with the coconut surrounding the palate. It’s more lemony in taste than on the nose. Honey, vanilla and a smidge of toffee makes out the bulk of the flavour. The sour note travels backwards with time. It still feels very spirity and harsh though. It lacks refinement and comes through as a bit unpleasant in the mouth. The flavours that exist are very dessert-like and nice. There’s a dusty note floating around as well.

Finish: The transition doubles down on the ethanol notes and the start isn’t all that pleasant. It soon reverts to the dessert-like character with the lemony sweetness, pears and coconut. It dies down just as quickly though. The oakiness is very shy and it doesn’t come through until the late finish. It’s a grey old oakiness with a bit of dust and a miniscule nuttiness. This is a good whisky which really doesn’t do the distillery any justice. It’s simple and slightly harsh but still puts on a nice array of simple flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2007 which makes it ~ 9 YO. It’s aged in refill ex-sherry hogsheads.

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Glenlossie, Speyside

Glenlossie 10 YO Flora & Fauna (2023)

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and malty. At first there’s a mild toffee sweetness sitting in the center with a mix of ethanol, vanilla and a mild perfumey floral note on top. Underneath lie some earthy notes and sour lemon. With time there’s a smoky note unraveling on top which pushes the spirity note away. There are fresh apples and a peat note slowly forming in the middle as well. This is a decent nose. Everything feels a bit unbalanced and it certainly lacks power and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out very spirity and quite harsh. There’s a bitterness in the back and it takes a while for the malt and toffee to arrive. It’s quite peppery and everything is just in disarray from the get-go. The bitterness morphs into a zesty note and a vanilla note forms out on the edges of the palate. There are still some perfumey floral notes floating around, but they are too weak to battle against most of the unpleasantries.

Finish: The spicyness peaks through the transition. When it dies down the toffee, malt and vanilla notes come through once more. They are now joined by an oakiness which doesn’t have much character to it. It mixes with the bitterness and the zesty lemon. The earthy notes peek through as well. This is a so-and-so whisky. It’s not especially easy to access, it’s a bit hot and unbalanced over all.

Additional information
There is no information to be found on the aging process of this whisky. It’s the only standard release of Glenlossie, yet it is limited.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Reserve Swedish Oak/Elegant

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ABV: 55.6 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a spicy oak with sweetness surrounding it. There’s an unpleasant piney side to it which makes the wood notes pointy and aggressive. It doesn’t help that the spirit is young and quite harsh. There’s a peppermint note on top and a hint of sweet liquorice underneath with a small spot of funky complexity attached to it. This is a boring nose, which lacks balance is way over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with a big spicyness and a very aggressive piney oakiness. When it settles there’s a young, harsh distillate in the center and a slight generic bitterness in the back. There’s a hint of honey and tropical fruits floating around but they are not highlighted in any way. It feels simple and lacks any complexity.

Finish: The transition makes the spicyness disperse and gives way to a massive, dry and astingent oakiness. There still is a hint of the young, harsh distillate but it’s all about the oak. After a while the oakiness switch to a more tropical fruit version with hints of coconut and the late finish is actually the best part of the journey. This is a so-and-so whisky. It’s just harsh and over-oaked. This should only be used as a mixer.

Additional information
This single cask whisky was aged for just shy of 2 years in a 30L swedish oak cask (2020-12/2022-09).

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For the love of all things whisky/whiskey