ABV: 48 %
Origin: Speyside
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 vanilla rich sweetness with honey, fruits and oak spices within. There are fresh red berries on top as well as a thin menthol layer. The overall character is fresh and underneath lies some apples and oranges. Everything feels logical and well placed overall. With time it slightly changes character and delivers some raisins and just a hint of ginger. This is a great nose with a very welcoming and rich character.

Mouth: It starts out mild and sweet for a second or two before there’s an increase in flavour and power. It comes through as slighly different in taste than on the nose. Most of the flavours are at first situated back on the palate and it’s has a more ripe and unpolished fruitiness with overripe plums which almost feels savory. It does change after a while and the oranges and apples come back together with the oak spices, vanilla and a speck of dust. The brighter notes sit on top though.

Finish: The transition starts out with some cracked black peppers and a nice mellow increase in power. The ripe fruits stay in the back while the fresher fruits mix with oak up front. The vanilla sees a slight increase as well. The late finish becomes rather dry and slightly astringent as the oakiness reveals a very fresh woodshop oakiness, which really doesn’t match the overall character at first. After a while it sort of shifts and becomes more nutty and interesting. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer to the Explorer. It feels slightly unbalanced overall though.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon and both american and european oak ex-sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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