Etikettarkiv: Recension

Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Madeira Wood Finish

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
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 honey and vanilla note with a floral side to it. Underneath lies a black liquorice note and a slight nuttiness or maybe singed wood. On top lies a rather fresh and dry fruitiness with grapes and lemon. It’s young and feels rather top heavy, but the top does a nice job in covering up the spirity side of it. Time in the glass makes it a lot fresher and fruity. This is a good nose with a lot to offer. It’s quite pleasant.

Mouth: It starts out being flat and then a sudden explosion of fruits and spicyness. It feels a bit hot, quite spirity and young but there’s a surprisingly good arrange of flavours pushing through. There are apricots, orange marmelade, yellow pears and lemon. It still feels very top heavy but there’s a lot of flavour coming through. The floral notes are also in there as well as vanilla sweetness, but it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The story underneath is a different story though, with a rather unpleasant bitter note sitting in an otherwise half-empty space.

Finish: The spicyness rises once again as well as the fruitiness. It’s a nice mixed bag of tropical fruits at this point and it’s joined by the oakiness very quickly. It’s a very nice experience at this point, but it soon gets a bit dimishished when the oakiness takes over. It becomes a bit boring and slightly bitter. There’s a big nutty surprise though, which arrives very late in the finish. It becomes pleasantly nutty. There’s still a hole in the flavour profile throughout. This is a good whisky with a lot to offer. Sure it’s young and a bit spirity, but the cask finish does a good cover up job.

Additional information
This whisky is a travel retail exclusive release. It was first aged in ”traditional” ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Madeira casks. No maturation time is disclosed.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn, Sweden

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn MerCurious Corn Whisky

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 45.6 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Corn Whisky
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet corn and fresh mint. At first there’s a layer of sweet, dusty corn and a vanilla sweetness covering everything. The rest of the space is filled with a fresh minty cloud. After a few seconds a butterscotch note appears in the center and spreads out and merges with the vanilla. There are few changes on the nose over time. This is a simple but pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet with a pertruding corn note and a hard to define fruitiness. Soon the background gets crowded with a dry oakiness, anise seeds and dried herbs. It’s got a clear bitter note shining through. After a few seconds it becomes very dusty and slightly astringent. The corn note moves to the top layer as the bitterness increases. It becomes spicy after a while and the thin butterscotch layer returns.

Finish: a wave of bitterness and dry oak rolls in with notes of dried herbs and anise. The minty freshness returns before a sweet mix of honey and vanilla breaks through. Then it becomes very oaky. It’s a very fresh, woodshop kind of oakiness. It’s astringent and dry. This is an interesting whisky because of it’s origin, but an average whisky by taste. Kudos for the courage to venture outside the box!

Additional information
This swedish corn whisky was released in 2019. It has a mashbill of 88 % corn, 5 % wheat, 3,5 % rye and 3,5 % malted barley. Each batch (this is batch 1) consists of 14 virgin american oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered with natural color and matured between 3-8 years.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Ardnamurchan, Highlands

Ardnamurchan AD 4.21:3

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.8 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh and peaty. At first there’s a fresh green apple note, hints of dark fruits and a sweet vanilla cream note and it battles with a seaside style peatiness which comes through as mild and mineral rich. There’s a hint of seaweed within and it’s connected both to the peat and the sherry cask influence. With time in the glass there’s an oakiness slowly moving up towards the edges of the glass. A young, spirity note is present throughout but it’s not protruding or metallic. There’s a mix of assorted cooking spices in there as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of depth but offers an interesting experience.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild and sweet outer surface and a young and sprawling center. It takes a second or two before the peat shows up and it’s a very unique peatiness with a coffee note attached to it. The sweetness increases in size and brings a standard vanilla/honey mix, but it is very contrasting to the unique peatiness. The fruitiness is contained to a sour note in the back and a miniscule dark fruitiness up front. There are many small flavour circling around such as spices, chalk and anis root.

Finish: The finish starts off with a spike in intensity which hides most of the flavours for a second or two. The first thing that reappears is the peatiness around the edges of the palate. A black pepper note is residing in the back and as the sweetness slowly returns together with the green apple note, the dark fruitiness and dark chocolate. The bitterness remain throughout and the coffee note gives it a pleasant contrast to the sweet notes. This is a very good whisky with a lot to offer to the explorer. It’s not complex but it delivers a fresh take on flavour combinations found in a single malt.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in 65 % ex-bourbon barrels and 35 % ex-sherry casks. The content is ~6 years old. 17502 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bunnahabhain, Islay

Bunnahabhain Mòine

2 kommentarer

ABV: 46.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 3
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet peat with a hint of fruits. The first thing to come through is wet hay, a warm burning wood fire and mild honey sweetness. In the center there’s a savory note coming through and in the back vanilla and some red apples create a nice solid backdrop. This is not especially complex on the nose. It is nice, but needs quite a bit of time in the glass to open up.

Mouth: The honey sweetness is first to arrive and then the peatiness comes after. It’s still hay and woodsmoke, but now there’s a medicinal note attached to it. The savory note is toned down and the fruitiness is barely noticable. After a second or two a layer of bitterness builds up around the edges.

Finish: A mild spicyness creates a small introduction to a very medicinal peat note. It soon changes back to the warmer notes again with the woodfire and honey still as main flavours. A hint of the vanilla returns and together with the mild bitterness it transcends into a fresh ”wet” oakiness. There’s no astringency and the peat, the honey and the oakiness sits together in a long, very pleasant finish.

Additional information
This was released in 2015. The cask type used isn’t disclosed but smell, taste and colour suggest american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bunnahabhain, Islay

Bunnahabhain Mòine Brandy Finish

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 55.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is ashy and fruity. At first there’s an ashy layer sitting on top of a fruity center part mixed with both herbal and coastal peat notes. The fruitiness comes through as mainly ripe grapes and apples. When it starts to settle, vanilla and honey notes add to the center part and a slight dustiness appears in the back together with a floral (almost soapy) note. There’s a nail polish remover note somewhere within as well. This is a very rich and interesting nose with a lot of different roads to explore. It lacks a bit of logic and at times it feels like it’s all over the place.

Mouth: It starts out with a big peat punch with a herbal and wet peatiness growing in the center part while the ashy notes spread with a peppery note in all directions. The peatiness switch character halfway through and becomes very mineral rich. It’s dusty and after a few seconds the ripe grapes appear in the middle of the palate. It’s not especially sweet and it’s a very rough character at this point. There is a liquorice note appearing after a few sips. The floral note is still found in the back but it’s easy to miss behind the big wall of peat.

Finish: The transition is logical without any big spikes or dips. A gentle rise in the pepper spicyness occurs, otherwise the flavours carry over in a nice way. The ashy peat is still floating around on top and it’s still a mineral rich peat in the center with the ripe grapes and an apple or two.. Once the heavy peat settles the floral notes with lavender, coconut and the dustiness start to take over and becomes the main feature until the oakiness start to appear. The oakiness arrives in a nice, slow pace and seem to let the other flavours have their time to shine. It’s a nice old and dusty oakiness with a touch of hazelnuts. This is a great whisky which is really interesting to explore.

Additional information
This is a limited release aged in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-brandy casks. It was distilled in 2004 and bottled 2017. The bottle no. is 718-4152. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bruichladdich, Islay

Bruichladdich The Laddie Eight

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and savory thick. There’s a baseline of salt, rubber and grease. On top there’s honey, vanilla and a handful of Bassett’s allsorts. There’s a chili spicyness and the oak comes through as newly cut wood. There’s also a floral and herbal side to it. This is a great nose. It’s a very interresting and complex experience.

Mouth: At first there’s a thick layer of honey and chili spicyness with a lemon freshness on the side. A sweet white wine note fills the center of the palate. It’s very thick and got an oily mouthfeel. There’s still a floral side to it and savory notes show up in the back. After a few seconds milk chocolate and salted caramel are detectable.

Finish: The rubbery note comes first, then honey and after that the bassetts allsorts with focus on the liquorice. The floral side shows up as violets, but it sort of comes and goes. It’s very rich and all flavours stay a long time before the oak gets through. It’s a fresh, nice oakiness. It’s not astringent at first but after a few sips it really starts to build up. There’s no bitterness, but it’s got a good amount of saltiness. There is a dust note coming up towards the end. This is a very good whisky with a lot to offer.

Additional information
The Laddie Eight is a travel retail exclusive bottling from Bruichladdich. It was released in 2015-2016 and it’s aged in both american and european oak casks. It has natural colour and it’s unchillfiltered.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highlands, Shackleton, Unspecified Distillery

Shackleton

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s an apple and pear fruitiness mixed with some vanilla. After a while it settles and reveals a bit of caramel. It feels slightly spirity and a bit harsh. Underneath lies a subdued peat note which feels a bit herbal and easy to miss. Everything seems quite simple and straight forward and there’s a lack of complexity. It’s quite boring to explore. There are some riper notes within but they also seem to be disappearing in the whole. This is a decent nose after all, with a very easy access flavour profile.

Mouth: It starts out with a maltiness, honey and a bit of caramel. It feels a bit less spirity and has a small peppery overtone which is much needed. On the sides there are a dried fruitiness with hints of red berries, tropical fruits and baked apples. All of these are very subdued though and it’s way less fruity than on the nose. There are notes of peat, ginger and oak coming through but overall it comes through as a bit flat.

Finish: The peppery note disappears immidiately and it takes a big dip in intensity from low to very low. The same fruit notes reappear as well as the sweetness. It has a rather off-putting cardboard note at this point. The oakiness arrives quite quick and it’s a decent one with a bit too much woodshop to it. The finish consists of just the oakiness and maybe just a hint of cacao and hazelnuts. This is not the best whisky in the world. It’s drinkable, but overall too mild and lacks a cohesive direction.

Additional information
This blended malt is supposedly made from highland malts and aged for an undisclosed time in a mix of american oak and ex-sherry casks. It’s based on a whisky from over a 100 years ago found in ice.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 12 YO

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
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 honey and vanilla baseline with top notes of fresh red berries, mainly leaning towards raspberries. There’s also a citrus note floating around. When it settles it becomes more dense with a heavier vanilla and caramel note and a darker ripe fruitiness. There are some raisins and just a tiny hint of leather peeking through. It does retain its freshness as well as presenting some apple notes in the back. It feels slightly spirity on top which brings it down a notch but it’s overall a pleasant character. This is a very good nose with a decent amount of flavours to chase after.

Mouth: It starts out with a round vanilla and honey center part and a slightly peppery ouside layer. After a second or two the sherry notes arrive with ripe berries, coffee, leather and dark chocolate. The slight bitterness creates a nice contrast to the sweet base flavours and gives the fruitiness an extra dimension. The citrus note is now residing in the back. The rather low ABV doesn’t hurt the feel of it, but it could use a little bit more power to really bloom. It still has a spirity feel to it which, once again brings it down a notch.

Finish: It starts out with a mild pepper note and a fruitiness, which now feels like everything has merged into one note of baked apples with sweet custard, which is a very nice combination. There’s now a lemon peel bitterness in the back together with an emerging oakiness. The oakiness is decent and not over bearing, but it’s not the most interesting finish. It’s a rather short closure which seems a bit weird. This is a very good whisky overall with a lot of nice, interesting flavours and features. It’s not without its faults though, but they are not too bad.

Additional information
This whisky has been aged in a combination of refill casks and american ex-bourbon oak barrels and then finished in spanish ex-sherry casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Dalmore, Highlands

The Dalmore 10 YO – Vintage 2006

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very oaky and sweet. There’s honey, malt and a sort of in-between circle of toffee, caramel, cream and fudge. The fruitiness is also very much in focus, with oranges, grapefruit and lime. There’s also a somewhat odd seaweed note laying on top. It has a very noticable oakiness.

Mouth: It’s dusty and the vanilla is very up front and powerful. Beneath is the butterscotchy fudge note coming through with a fruity tang to it. There’s green apples, grapefruit, orange marmelade and lime. The oak is very bitter and astringent and somewhere in there are pure cacao and strong coffee notes.

Finish: The vanilla is still in charge and behind the grapefruit and orange marmelade lingers. The butterscotchy fudge note is quickly gone and leaves room for a very dry and astringent oak. It’s very bitter, almost like there’s a dash of tonic water in there. The cacao is still present and the coffee note swithes up a notch towards espresso.

Additional information
This Dalmore expression is matured in american ex-bourbon barrels. For most of its time it rests in refill barrels and then in first fills during a finishing period.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 12 YO – The Sweet Toast of American Oak

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first a mix of honey, vanilla and oak sits on top of a sweet and fruity mix of oranges and malt. Black liquorice creates an outer layer surrounding everything else. It’s very mild and inviting, but the oakiness is sort of overpowering it to a certain extent. With time in the glass the oranges increase in intensity and try to break through the heavy oak. A hint of cinnamon starts to emerge from the background too. This is a decent nose, but it sort of hides the Balvenie character, which is a pity.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of herbs and spices, but soon reverts back to being sweet and oaky. Vanilla, honey and malt are making up the main body, but the oak is like a blanket on top. The oranges and orange peel are sitting in the background. There’s a butterscotch note coming through as well, but it’s not very protruding. With time the oak increases in intensity and the whole thing is a bit astringent and dry.

Finish: It starts out with the bitter notes of orange peel and oak, but it quickly reverts back to being over oaked. It’s very ”bitey”, astringent and dry and the whole finish is nothing but oak. It’s a nice enough wood flavour, but it gets a little boring after a few sips. There are some vanilla and honey notes within the oakiness, but they are more of a integrated part and get lost in there. This is not the best Balvenie out there, but it certainly reflects what it says on the bottle very well.

Additional information
This release is a part of the ”Balvenie Story Range”. It’s first aged for 12 years in refill ex-bourbon casks and then finished in heavily charred virgin american oak casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Aberlour, Speyside

Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 072

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 59.1 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of sweet vanilla and red berry fruitiness surrounded by a fresh sawdust oakiness. There’s a nail polish remover sharpness floating around which really doesn’t match the other flavours. Underneath there’s a darker, more ripe plum and raisin note with leather, black liquorice and just a tiny hint of sulfur. When it settles in the glass it gets a bit more balanced and cohesive, but it basically stays the same way throughout and its main focus lies on the vanilla note. This is a nice nose, but it is a bit boring. It’s a lot of sherry, but it feels a bit forced to be a sherry bomb, instead of it naturally happening over time.

Mouth: It starts out with a hefty spicyness and a quite different character than on the nose. It’s dark and nowhere near as sweet as on the nose except for a thin sweet layer coating the front of the palate.. There are raisins, overripe plums, espresso, dark chocolate all pushing through to create a quite interesting sherry experience which more fits the premisses. There’s a black liquorice note surrounding everything else. This is not an easy access profile, but it’s quite fantastic at this point. After a few seconds the fresh oakiness starts to slightly break through and it sort of destroys the fun.

Finish: The transition starts with the oakiness and a floating coconut note before the sherry character once again pushes through. It has shifted again towards the sweeter flavours and now there’s a thin butterscotch note coming through together with the vanilla. The darker notes are still around, but are residing a bit further back. This includes dark chocolate and black liquorice which are the main flavours in the back. It doesn’t take long for the annoying oakiness to arrive and it soon outmanouvers the heavy sherry notes. It’s still a fresh sawdust oakiness which really doesn’t fit the rest of the character. This is a weird sherry bomb whisky. It really doesn’t feel genuine. It still is a decent dram though.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in first fill spanish ex-Oloroso sherry butts for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s unchillfiltered.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bergslagen, Sweden

Bergslagens Santa -18 Julmust Cask Finish

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is somewhat fruity and very spicy. The first thing coming through is rye, with anise root and spices together with the sweetness of honey and vanilla. There’s a chalk note residing in the background. The ”julmust” is not detectable on the nose, but it makes the whisky very perfumey. This is not the greatest Nose in the world.

Mouth: It starts out very spicy and it still could pass off as a rye. The chalk note is still sitting on top of some vanilla and processed sugar sweetness. The oak makes an early entrance and it comes with a hefty astringency. The perfumey notes still come through and there’s a very small, (maybe even suggestive) note of Julmust.

Finish: Finally some of the sherry notes comes through with assorted red fruits and berries. It quickly goes back to the rye notes and the chalk. A hint of the ”julmust” is still peeking through with a slight bitterness. A pleasant oak finish follows with some freshly brewed coffee. After a while when everything else is gone some tropical fruits makes a late appearance. This is not the best whisky out there, but it’s a nice innovation, a fun and kind of weird experiment.

Additional information
This is first aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for about 6 years, then finished for 12 months in third fill american ex-Oloroso sherry casks, where the second fill of the cask was the swedish seasonal beverage ”Julmust” which is made from malt and hops (It sort of tastes like a mix of Coca-Cola and a stout).

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Agitator, Sweden

Sweden Rock 22 Kastanj och Sherry

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a sweet center part with a mix of brown sugar, cherry and raspberries. On the outside there’s a sharp ethanol layer which makes it slightly unpleasant. It has a very fruity character overall and it’s a bit sticky. It feels very engineered and lacks a bit of soul. The sharpness disappears after a while in the glass. When it settles in the glass it becomes vanilla rich, and there’s just a tiny hint of dark fruits and chocolate in the back. Everything feels a bit subdued and too mellow. The fruitiness stands out though. This is a decent nose which leaves a lot more to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a hefty vanilla and brown sugar sweetness. It’s a bit bland and the volume is turned way down. The fruitiness is arriving quite fast but now, it’s just adding to the center sweetness. It’s not a bad set of flavours, but they are not interested in participating in creating a whole. A banana note floats around on top and some aromatic oak note is in there as well which creates a bit of complexity, but the whole is not interesting at all.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and at first there’s just vanilla, brown sugar and nothing else. After a while the oakiness starts to arrive and at this point none of the fruity flavours have appeared. It’s a nice enough oakiness and there’s still the aromatic side to the wood notes, but they deteriorate fast. This is a so-and-so whisky which becomes more and more bland the longer down the journey it travels. It makes a very easy mixer for those who doesn’t care about flavour intensity or taste.

Additional information
This whisky was made by the Agitator distillery for the Sweden Rock Festival. It was aged in mainly virgin oak casks, but ex-sherry and portoguese chesnut was also used. This is a limited edition.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Bergslagen, Sweden

Bergslagens 8 YO Granit

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 48 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a big sweet honey center with some ripe red berries sitting in a surrounding layer. The peatiness slowly increases in intensity towards the edges of the glass together with a vanilla note. The longer it stays in the glass the more the distillate becomes noticeable. It’s young and spirit driven and it feels quite mineral rich and has a nice power to it. With time a nice milk chocolate note can be found within the sweet core. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer but it do feel a bit shallow and it lacks some depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a peaty and sweet impact. The peatiness stays around the edges while the honey and vanilla resides in the middle. There’s a nice mix of liquorice and earthy peatiness slowly increasing in intensity in there as well. It feels rich and quite powerful. The sherry cask fruitiness mixes nicely with the peatiness and creates a nice outer layer. There is a complexity with tobacco, sulfur and a fresher fruitiness, but the background seems hollow and somewhat empty.

Finish: The finish starts with a mild spicyness. It’s not spiking but it fills the palate with a nice powerful sensation. The sweetness and the ripe berries are joined by dried fruits and a more sweet and haylike peatiness. The finish feels very warm and comforting. The vanilla notes slowly shifts into an oakiness and the casks give away a nice nuttiness as well. This is a very good whisky. It has a lot of nice flavours, but it seems a bit shallow overall.

Additional information
This is a limited edition whisky aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Finland, Teerenpeli

Teerenpeli Kaski

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 43 %
Origin: Finland
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and mild peat. At first there’s a round vanilla, liquorice and butterscotch sweetness with a mixed bag of dried fruits and the whole thing has a fruitcake vibe to it. When it settles a distinct, yet pleasantly approachable, peat start to appear around the edges and in the back. The peatiness is a mix of herbs and burning wood. A minty freshness sits on top and the whole feels extremely well balanced between the different elements. This is a great nose. It’s not the most adventurous experience and it’s a bit too mild, but it doesn’t need to be bold when it’s this well made.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild butterscotch and vanilla center with the peat in an outside layer. It has a very nice gritty complex note in the back and a nice and hefty sherry sweetness up front. There’s raisins and fresh red berries, tobacco and just a hint of sulfur. It does feel somewhat top heavy and a young distillate shines through the otherwise poised exterior. After a few seconds a black coffee note starts to shine through in the back as well as some wood spices and a fresh oakiness.

Finish: The menthol layer and the wood spices create a nice spread of spicyness through the transition and the dried fruits fills the center together with the vanilla and butterscotch. After a second or two the nice gritty complexity returns which creates a nice three-dimensional feel to it. It’s a slow finish and it takes quite a while before the oakiness start to take over. It’s a slightly boring oakiness which doesn’t match the rest of the dram. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer. It feels top heavy throughout but the complexity of the background notes makes up for it to a big degree.

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

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Limousin

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 49.2 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and oaky. At first there’s a hefty fruitiness popping out of the glass which is quite acidic and sour at one hand, but mellow and round on another. In between there’s a fudge note and on the outside there’s an aromatic oakiness. It takes a good while in the glass before everything gets put together to a homogenous profile. At this point the mellow fruits gets more pronounced with some ripe berries. The aromatic oakiness is ever present and sort of gets in the way of the other flavours which is a bit sad, because underneath lies a very nice concoction of flavours. This is a nice nose which feels slightly unbalanced, but it’s really fun to explore.

Mouth: It starts out with a sour note in the back and a nice, mellow berry mix in the center. On top a peppery spicyness gives it just the right amount of power. It feels great and oily on the palate. After a few seconds there’s vanilla appearing in the center and a distinct oakiness out towards the edges. It feels way more balanced at this point compared to the nose and everything has it’s own space, yet seem to fit together. A small amount of orange zest and tropical fruits start to appear in the background.

Finish: The transition is logical without any spikes or dips. The berry fruitiness and the vanilla is constant and creates a very easy to follow center part. In the back there’s a slow increase of tropical fruits with pineapples and mangos sitting together with some zest and black coffee. The aromatic oakiness is still residing on the edges of the palate but soon joins the tropical fruitiness and when that happens they basically overrun everything else. The late finish is just the aromatic oakiness and the tropical fruits. This is not a bad thing. This is a really good whisky with a lot to offer to the explorer. It’s not an easy sipper by no means.

Additional information
This was first aged in limousin ex-cognac casks from 2008 and then finished in old ex-Oloroso sherry casks and saturated in both ex-raspberry wine casks.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Campbeltown, Longrow, Springbank

Longrow Peated (2021 Release)

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
The Longrow Peated is a NAS core range release from Springbank. There’s no information about which casks are used. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Clan MacGregor, Scotland, Unspecified

Clan MacGregor

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and grainy. At first there’s a vanilla and butterscotch center with a big, unpleasant grain spirit layer surrounding it. It’s very ethanol forward despite its low ABV. It’s metallic and spirity which takes center stage. There’s a feint aura of a public urinal somewhere within. There’s not much of a fruitiness to be found, maybe a hint of baked apples. This is a bad nose which most certainly doesn’t promote the next steps of the journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a shell of very unpleasant ethanol forward grain spirit with a vanilla center part within. In the back there’s a bad bitterness and a metallic note. In the center the baked apple comes through after a few seconds. There’s a malty bisquit note within as well. It’s flat but not watery and there is a thin peppery note coming through for those who are brave enough to wait.

Finish: For a second or two it’s just the bad grain spirit notes which show up. The vanilla, butterscotch and red apples do appear but everything breaks down fast and leaves a very bitter and bad oakiness behind. The metallic notes in the back does shift slightly towards a lemon note but it’s barely noticable. This is a bad whisky. It’s on the cheapest end of the spectrum and rightly so. It should not be comsumed, at least not neat.

Additional information
This whisky is a blend of fifteen unnamed malts and grain whiskies from the highlands, lowlands and Speyside.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Speyside, Tamnavulin

Tamnavulin Sherry Cask Edition

Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and fruity. There are big buckets of fresh red berries, bananas and a hint of raisins. There’s a vanilla and caramel overlay sitting on top of the fruits. Behind, there’s a backdrop of a young and slightly harsh distillate with a green apple center. A small hint of rye bread comes through after a while on the glass.

Mouth: It’s watery at first, but then an ABV spicyness comes through from the young distillate. Luckily, the sherry notes come marching in quite fast. It’s dry and the sherry notes are more dark with plums, raisins and liquorice. There’s a slight bitterness sitting in the back but it’s not connected to an oak note. A butterscotch note appears after some time in the glass.

Finish: The harsh spirit notes come through once more. It’s quite unpleasant for a couple of seconds before the sherry notes kick back. Finally an oak note comes through and it’s a pretty nice and fresh oakiness. A hint of dustiness comes through in the late finish. This is a dram that is a step up from cheap blends. The cask finish hides a lot, but not everything.

Additional information
Being a distillate primarily used in blends this is now the second single malt release from the distillery in over 20 years. It’s first aged in ex-bourbon american oak and then finished in ex-sherry butts from three different cooperages in Spain.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Full Volume

Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 47.2 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first there’s a floral heathery core with a sweet honey and vanilla shell. Underneath lies a mild and herbaceous peatiness. Buried within there are notes of liquorice and oak. With time in the glass the sweetness retreats and the floral notes move forward. This is a nice nose but there’s not much more to discover outside the initial impression.

Mouth: It starts out sweet with liquorice and heather coming through once again. The peatiness is still extremely mild and it takes some time for it to increase in intensity. The peat never leaves the background but at its peak it creates a very nice three-dimensional experience. The oakiness do come through and brings a small hint of coconut but it takes a while to ger there.

Finish: There’s a spicyness which feels very balanced and gives the finish a nice send of. When it slowly subsides the floral notes and a hint of tropical fruits returns together with the sweetness. There’s a small and subtle bitterness in the back together with the peat. It stays consistant for a long time before the oak takes over. It’s a long and nice oakiness altough it’s generic flavourwise. This is a very good whisky although it feels quite far off from its heritage.

Additional information
Full Volume is a 1999 Vintage bottled in 2017. It’s aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads. 481 casks were selected. It was filtered at +4 C and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button