Etikettarkiv: Recension

Springbank 12 YO – Cask Strength (2019 Release)

augusti 21, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 54,2 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
(Old Scribbles)

Nose: Sweet Liquorice, vanilla, butterscotch, dark berries, raisins,and ripe red apples. A soft breeze of a campfire, leather and some maltiness.

Mouth: Honey, vanilla, chili fruit, oak, raisins and dades. Springbank’s ”funky” complex note is very much present, but a bit toned down.

Finish: Big puff of peat smoke, sweet sherry notes, mint that changes into a mild oakiness, walnuts. The finish is long and dry.

Additional information
This whisky is a 50/50 mix between american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks (previous releases have had a 30/70 ratio). It’s distilled 2.5 times. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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azerbaijan, Tovuz

Tovuz 15 YO

augusti 15, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Azerbaijan
Type: Unknown
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
(Needs to be revised)

Nose: Very sweet, rum, harsh spirit note in the back, dark fruits, raisins, Coca cola, vanilla, a feint reminiscense of raspberries.

Mouth: Prickly, Coca cola, very sweet, very bitter. It lacks malt, grain, rye or corn flavours.

Finish: Unpleasant, still taste like Coca cola aged in oak casks. Very long finish of wet cardboard and bitterness.

Additional information
Not much is known about this whisky. The company announced that they were going to start making whisky in 2010. This bottle was purchased in 2018. That means the age statement probably isn’t stating the correct aging time.

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Bruichladdich, Islay

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie – Scottish Barley

augusti 6, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is a mix of sweet and salty. At first there’s a layer of honey and vanilla with a mild cloud of peppermint on top. The base consists of coastal notes, like seaweed and salty ocean air. It’s not especially fruity, but there is a hint of citrus fruits floating around somewhere in between together with a slightly perfumey floral notes. The nose is very consistant over time and it doesn’t evolve too much in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a sour tang, but soon becomes savory. It feels rowdy and a bit rough around the edges, but in a very good way. There’s tar, motoroil and coastal notes, which are still very much in focus. It’s not as sweet as on the nose and the honey and vanilla notes move out towards the edges. There’s a bitter oakiness coming through and after a few seconds there’s a black pepper spicyness starting to build up. With time there’s a bitter black liquorice emerging from the back.

Finish: The savory notes are first to appear and they are accompanied by peppermint and brine. It’s very salty, but it starts to lean away from the coastal notes and lean more towards a herbaceous character. It takes a second or two for the oakiness to arrive, but when it does it packs a punch. It becomes very pronounced in the finish. It’s a nice oakiness and it feels genuine and almost like it’s coming from a ship wreck, since it’s mixed with the savory and salty notes. This is a great, albeit young, whisky which doesn’t cater for people who want an easy sipping experience. This is rough around the edges, and that’s a very good thing.

Additional information
The Classic Laddie is mainly aged in first and second fill american ex-bourbon casks. There’s also a couple of ex-wine casks in the mix. The batch of the tested bottle is 19/192.

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Balvenie, Speyside

The Balvenie 21 YO – PortWood

augusti 6, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a very big bucket of mixed fruits. There are raisins, blackberries, cherries, oranges, lemons and ripe nectarines. The bucket sits on a dusty bookshelf together with som leather-bound old books. The whole thing seems to be wrapped up in a nice layer of honey and vanilla. There’s also a malty note in the background. This is a complex, wonderful nose. It really makes up for the lack of power with some big flavours.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla, dust and a hint of lemon. After a few seconds it starts to grow and the maltiness together with honey and orange peel create a very nice core flavour. With time, the bitter side sort of takes over as the oakiness starts to come through. The red and darker fruits are not as present as on the nose and the orange peel note is very pronounced. It’s got a thick texture to it and it feels very rich.

Finish: It kind of starts out with a flavour arc where the sweetness starts out on a low level and then after increasing moves over to become a sweet orange peel bitter fruitiness. It then seemlessly turns over to a dusty oakiness as the flavour intensity decreases. The darker sweet fruits show up in the late finish and the oakiness becomes nutty and brings some hazelnuts down the road. This is a fantastic, quite complex whisky even though it lacks some power.

Additional information
This 21 YO was first released in 1996. It’s aged in ex-bourbon casks and then finished for a couple of months in 30 YO ex-port pipes. This version shouldn’t be mistaken for the travel retail version, which is sold with higher strength and is unchillfiltered.

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Glenallachie, Speyside

Glenallachie 10 YO Cask Strength Batch 7

augusti 5, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.8 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-PX and ex-Oloroso sherry puncheons, ex-Rioja red wine barriques and virgin oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Valfather

augusti 3, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 47 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is floral and peaty. At first there’s a honey sweetness surrounding a core of heathery peat with additional tobacco and coastal notes. There’s also a fruity layer which sits beneath everything else. It’s a fresher fruitiness with a mixed apple and pear juice vibe to it. A thin veil of oakiness can be detected around the edges of the glass as well as vanilla. This is a very nice nose with a variety of flavours coming through.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and it takes a second of two before everything else starts to push through. The heathery peat is first, the honey and vanilla notes are second and lastly the fruits, which now lean more towards the apples. There’s a saltiness as well. The tobacco notes are not very prominent at this point. For those who are patient the oakiness builds up in an outer layer and becomes very noticable. The whole thing is very mild and easy on the palate.

Finish: The peat is first to push through with heather and tobacco within but they are subdued by a somewhat hard-to-pinpoint complex savory note. The floral notes swirl around and the heather is joined by a hint of violets and a feint taste of tropical fruits. The honey sweetness and the vanilla increase in intensity before the oakiness once again starts to take over. There’s bitter coffee note in the back and a pretty generic oakiness up front. This is a good whisky with a lot of good things within but it just doesn’t feel very well balanced overall.

Additional information
The Highland Park Valfather is made from 100 % peated barley. It’s aged in refill casks for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 12 YO – Viking Honour

juli 30, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and mild peat. Fresh red berries and vanilla create a thick layer up front. There’s also a lemon note in the middle and some dried fruits a bit further out. The mild peatiness seems to sit in between everything else and it brings notes of leather and a hint of tobacco. After a while all flavours seem to merge and agree on a sweet orange fruitiness. The vanilla stays out of it though and mellows out a bit. This is a mild and very pleasant nose.

Mouth: At first it’s just sweet vanilla for a second or two. The first thing arriving is a thin bitter note and the red berries and dried fruits, now presented as dried apricots with a hint of raisins. It soon changes towards oranges again and now the peel is included. The peat is much more noticable here and it now sits on the outer edges. It’s leather, tobacco and a hint of rubber. There’s no oakiness present yet and there’s no perticular change over time.

Finish: The peat slowly spreads out over the palate and then ends up towards the edges again. The frutiness is the same as before with red berries, dried apricots, raisins and orange peel. It takes a second or two for the oak to come through, but when it arrives it’s a great dry and nutty oak. It’s walnuts and a hint of assorted tropical fruits in there as well. The mild peaty aura with leather and tobacco is consistant through it all. This is mild but never boring. This is a great whisky for a tired brain.

Additional information
The 12 YO was first released in the 1970’s as a core range whisky. The ”Viking Honour” name was added in 2017. It’s mostly matured in european ex-sherry oak casks. It’s bottled with natural color.

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Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 1976 Family Casks #3111

juli 29, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 49.4 %
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 thick layer of sticky sweet dried fruits and just a hint of nail polish remover. There are raisins and raspberries. There’s a complexity sitting within the dark fruitiness with notes of prunes, coffee and very dark chocolate. As it settles in the glass there’s a slightly chalky note floating around on top. The whole is quite rich and lively despite its age. There are some old wood notes coming through towards the sides. The red fruits are joined by strawberries and a squeeze of lemon as well. A hint of black liquorice can be found underneath everything else. This is a great nose with a lot to offer for lovers of sherry cask matured whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with fresh sherry notes with a floral note on top and a lemon sourness in the back. It’s very mild but there’s a thin peppery layer on top. It’s not as rich as on the nose. The age shines through with notes of leather and dust all over the palate. There’s an espresso bitterness in the back which sits together with an old grey oak note. The fruitiness is in there but it sort of falls back and becomes a secondary feature together with a cinnamon note. It’s quite complex even though it consists of very traditional sherry flavours.

Finish: The peppery spicyness spreads out over the palate. Underneath, the floral notes are first to come through and they spread out over the whole palate. The darker notes slowly rise from the back with coffee, raisins, leather and dust. The mix of fresh and dark stays balanced for quite a while before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a slightly astringent old grey oakiness with a bitter side to it. It really feels old and dusty at this point. In the late finish there’s a lot of different spices popping up connected to the oak. The late finish is a very long continuious strong of old bookshelves and dust. This is a great whisky with a lot of subjective notes attached to it. The nose is quite different from the rest of the journey.

Additional information
This single cask release was distilled on 22nd of April 1976 and bottled on 28th of February 2007 which makes it ~30-31 years old. It was aged in a refill sherry butt. Cask No. 3111. 595 bottles were released.

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Bunnahabhain, Islay

Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dhà

juli 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is red fruits and sweet peat. The full impact is immidiate and it brings liqeuer-soaked red fruits, raisins and a sweet and smoky peatiness. The peatiness is coming through with notes of vanilla and pipe tobacco. There’s a background layer with dry soil and a touch of sea salt. It’s quite mild on the nose, yet very rich even though there’s a youthness shining through in the background. The nose remains very consistant and doesn’t change with time, except for it becoming slightly sweeter.

Mouth: It starts out with the liqeuer-soaked red berries and a hint of lemon but soon the peatiness starts to roll through to become the main feature. The dry soil is still found in the background. After a while a bitter note starts to emerge to, ever so slightly, take over the background together with a rubber/oily note. It’s still salty, but there’s no vanilla and the whole thing is less sweet than on the nose.

Finish: The rubbery/oily note is making an appearance before the sweet side of the peatiness comes through once more. A mild pepper spiciness spreads out and the red berry fruitiness is now residing in the back together with the bitter note. The oakiness arrives and steps forward after a few seconds. It’s a spicy oak and it brings a nutty quality to the finish. This is a great mix of sherry and peat, and a very nice overall experience.

Additional information
The Toiteach A Dhà is aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an undisclosed amount of time. This is a sequel to the Toiteach expression. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Bunnahabhain, Islay

Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair

juli 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.3 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is red fruits and salty ocean air. The first thing to come through is sweet red berries and vanilla with a coastal backdrop of salt, seaweed and driftwood. There’s also a grapefruit note somewhere in the middle. It’s not a sweet nose but there is a sweetness which seems connected to the sherry notes. It becomes brighter and fruitier with time in the glass and the grapefruit is soon accompanied with a squeeze of lime. There’s a small hint of cardboard coming through from behind, which probably is a sign of some younger malts used. This is an interesting nose, which brings two differences together to make one whole.

Mouth: It starts out oaky and malty. It’s dry and there’s a green pine youthness coming through. The outer layer is still very much a coastal thing with the salty notes and dry weathered oak. It’s honey sweet but the vanilla is barely noticable. The fruitiness is still coming from fresh red berries, but it’s not as pronounced as on the nose. There is a spicy side to it, but it takes a bit of time for it to show up. The fresher citrus notes is still in there and they create a much needed contrast to the other flavours. It becomes sweeter with time and a couple of sips.

Finish: It’s still malty with a bitter tone sitting in the middle. There’s a chili pepper spiciness building up as the other flavours arise. The pine note is all too present and the coastal notes is still residing in the outer layer. It’s a touch astringent and dry. When the oak starts to emerge it seems to be attached to the pine note. The fruitiness returns in the late finish and somewhat rescues the oak from the green, young pine note. The vanilla also make an appearance down the road. This is an interesting dram, but the pine note brings it down a notch or two.

Additional information
The Stiùireadair is aged in first- and second fill ex-sherry casks. The ages varies between the casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Cabernet Cask Finish

juli 22, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
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 a mix of plums and sweet malt sitting in a quite small center. The whole is spirity and sharp at first impact. After a while the center part shifts towards black and red berries together with some baking spices. There’s a black liquorice and blueberry mix forming which is quite nice, but otherwise there’s just a vanilla note and a generic apple/pear fruitiness coming through from the background. This is a decent nose. The cover-up hides any metallic note, but it feels a bit sharp and underaged underneath.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but with a sharp lemon in the back. There are immidiate notes of malt, vanilla and spices coming through as well as a mix of some ripe and fresh fruits. There’s an undifinable note which seems to come from the casks which is rather unpleasant. There’s a nice oakiness floating around somewhere around the edges and there’s a not so nice bitterness in the back. The longer it’s kept in the mouth, the more the unpleasant notes take over.

Finish: There’s a short dip in flavour through the tranisition and it once again becomes sharp and spirity before it returns to the same flavour profile as before with ripe and fresh fruits mixed with baking spices. Everything dies down quite quickly and leaves a surprisingly nice oakiness with a hazelnuts quality to it. The late finish is certainly the best part of an otherwise bumpy journey. This is a budget whisky and it shines through throughout the journey. There are some good flavours to be found, but the cracks in the armour are apparent.

Additional information
This version of the Elgin Classic is aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and is finished in ex-Cabernet red wine casks.

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AnCnoc, Highlands, Knockdhu

AnCnoc 18 YO

juli 16, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

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 dusty vanilla and butterscotch sweetness filling up most of the center. It’s surrounded by a sweet dried fruitiness creating a thin layer. The fruitiness slowly grows bigger and mixes with the sweetness and becomes a bit darker than before. There’s also a mild menthol note floating around up above together with a floral note. The age shines through with a tiny smell of old furniture but it feels surprisingly fresh for its age. This is a pleasant and quite gentle nose, yet it still feels rich and balanced.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty mix of assorted dried fruits and berries with an outer core of honey and vanilla. It feels very big and it demands a lot more attention than it did on the nose. It’s quite spicy and there’s a nice texture to it. The fruitiness switches towards brighter and sour notes after a while. There’s a nice contrasting bitterness coming from an oakiness sitting way back on the palate at this point. There’s also a mix of kitchen spices floating around. It feels quite complex even though the baseplate feels rather simple.

Finish: The dustiness really comes through in the beginning of the finish as well as a spike in ABV spicyness. Once it settles there’s a mix of sour lemon and darker fruits taking over for a while. A black liquorice note pops up and so do the kitchen spices. The hint of old furniture pops up once again before the oakiness starts to take over. It’s a nice and spicy oak with a hint of oakiness attached to it. It never gets overwhelming but stays for a long time. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer both as a sipper and as a tasting experience.

Additional information
This whisky was first released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and european oak ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 228 – Burgundy Finish

juli 16, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase 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 malt and dark fruits. At first there’s a thick layer of figs, raisins and dark chocolate with a sweet maltiness close behind. It takes a few minutes for the nose to balance out and when it does there’s slightly fresher red fruits starting to come up towards the edges together with an oak note. The sweetness do subside, but the whole has a very sweet character and there are honey, vanilla and a burnt caramel note within. There are baking spices in there as well. It’s very easy to approach but it isn’t boring nor flat. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers a seemingly balanced experience for those who give it time to open up.

Mouth: It starts out with a very round and sweet center part with malt, honey, vanilla and the dark chocolate. On the outside it delivers a nice complex mix of dark and dried fruits, a hint of sulfur and the burnt caramel. After a few seconds a spicyness slowly arises from the outside. It takes a bit too long to arrive which makes the first impact slightly flat. The dark chocolate moves outwards and creates a nice bitterness around the edges. It feels young and lively but it’s not unpleasant and metallic. It’s a bit top heavy and there’s a big hole in the back of the palate.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and except for a minor increase in spicyness and the dark fruitiness it sort of just keeps on givning the same flavours and the same set-up with the sweet ball in the middle firmly in focus. It dies down rather quickly though and left is a mild peppermint and a bland oakiness. There’s a misplaced sour note coming through from the back as well. This is a decent whisky, but it’s let down by a rather disappointing finish. It is leaning heavily on the finishing cask which doesn’t cut it all the way through.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in 228-litre Red Burgundy wine casks from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

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Glenrothes, Speyside

GlenRothes 12 YO

juli 16, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

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. Vanilla and liqueur-soaked berries lead way into a mild and laid back start. There’s a layer of honey and a hint of dust sitting in top and a darker fruitiness lurks in the background with hints of raisins and ripe plums. A sweet liquorice note comes through somewhere in the middle. There’s also a floral element with a hint of violets. This is very mild and approachable.

Mouth: A very muted start soon moves over to a thick maltiness and a touch of chili fruits. Vanilla, honey and liquorice are in there together with milk chocolate. The fruitiness stays the same as on the nose with darker fruits and raisins. The floral element is completely gone. There is a brighter fruitiness, but it is buried behind the darker, sweeter notes. The oak comes through after a few seconds. It’s a fresh oakiness and it seems to brings some anise with it.

Finish: A bit uneventful at first and the chili spicyness is subsiding as the seconds goes by. A fudge note with vanilla and honey arrives first and then soon after the liqueur-soaked berries and raisins join in. It takes a while for the oakiness to appear and when it does, it’s a bit muted and slightly dry. There’s no astringency though, but there is a nutty side to it which lean towards hazelnuts. There is also an odd note of a newly sharpened pencil in the late finish. Overall it’s a good whisky, but it is a bit underwhelming.

Additional information
This expression is a part of ”The Soleo Collection”, which is the name for GlenRothes core range released in 2018. It’s aged solely in casks seasoned with sherry. It has natural colour.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 12 YO

juli 14, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mixed fruits and mellow peat. At first there’s a mix of dried tropical fruits and ripe grapes occupying most of the space in the center. The outer layer consists of vanilla and a muted leathery peat with a hint of tobacco. There is a honey sweetness somewhere in the middle, but it’s not a perticularly sweet nose over all. With time, the dried fruits become fresher and liquorice comes up on the edge of the glass. There’s not much else to it. It’s a nice, but low impact nose.

Mouth: The leather and tobacco peatiness is first to come through, and it’s way more pronounced than on the nose. After a few seconds the whole thing becomes a tiny bit dusty and slowly the tropical fruits arrive. There are some ripe plums and raisins in there and there is a green grape note coming through from the back. It still has a very low impact, but it has a lot more to offer now. The oakiness comes through from behind and a touch of sea salt can be found in the back together with some black liquorice.

Finish: At first, there’s a big gap with no taste what so ever. After a second or two, the fruitiness start to emerge again. It’s now very bright and fruity and there’s a pineapple note which slowly transforms into the oakiness. It’s a slightly dusty oak. It never really takes over and the fruits follow along through the entire finish. The leather and tobacco notes are pushed way back into the background. This is a nice dram with great flavours, but it’s a bit uneventful and never really takes off.

Additional information
Bowmore does not disclose the cask types used in their 12 YO, but it’s bulk seem to be american ex-bourbon oak barrels, and possibly some european ex-sherry casks. This is part of the standard core range.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – Dark & Intense

juli 14, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and sweet. At first there’s a thick layer of dark fruits, mostly liqueur-soaked raisins and plums, together with honey and pipe tobacco. After a few seconds the peatiness changes towards leather and a warm campfire smokiness. In the background there is a lemon sourness and a salty note. There is a medicinal side to it as well. This is a very pleasant nose, but lacks a little complexity and depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a few seconds of sweet honey and vanilla before the dark fruits and the peat returns. Now it’s very much a pipe tobacco and leather kind of peat. After a while the fruitiness becomes a bit brighter and starts to move towards assorted tropical fruits. At the same time, a nice black coffee bitterness slowly emerges around the edges.

Finish: The assorted tropical fruits are immidiately the main feature and comes through together with a very characterful oakiness. The coffee note remains on the edges and the peat is now residing in the background. The dark fruits is still in there, but sort of floats around somewhere in between the other flavours. A nice savory note surprisingly pops up when everything else is about to disappear. This is a good whisky and decently priced, but it lacks some intensity, which is quite ironic.

Additional information
This is a travel retail exclusive released in 2017. It’s matured in spanish ex-sherry oak casks and hogsheads.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Dusk – Bordeaux Wine Casked

juli 14, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase 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 dark fruits and peat. At first there’s a quite sweet mix of dark fruits and fresh red berries with leather and tobacco notes attached. In the background there are assorted tropical fruits and a lemon sourness. There’s a peppermint layer floating around on top and just underneath some vanilla as well. It’s a powerful nose. The peatiness comes through mostly as the tobacco and leather notes, which are attached to the port notes as well. There’s a campfire smokiness in there too. It seems very stable and the different layers really don’t move or mix. This is a very nice nose, but the whole seems a bit divided.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness and an ABV punch before it starts to deliver the other flavours. When it does, there’s a long row of things queueing up. Dried fruits (both dark and yellow), dust, malt, floral notes (mainly violets), lemon, baking and cooking spices are some of the starting notes. It’s not as peaty as on the nose and the tobacco and leather notes are really pushed back at this point. The campfire smokiness can be found on the edges. When it settles the violet notes are very much in focus with the rest of the flavours backing it up. It’s a very pleasant experience at this point.

Finish: The spicyness becomes black pepper and spreads out through the transition. It soon gets pushed away by the floral notes, again with violets up front. It almost feels a bit soapy at this point, which is less than ideal. It does shift towards the darker notes as well as the fresher fruitiness which saves it. It’s a long finish and it takes a while for the oakiness to appear. It’s a slightly dry and dusty oakiness and it feels a bit underwhelming. The peatiness has basically disappeared but there are still campfire smokiness and vanilla notes on the sides. This is a very good whisky. It has a lot of blemishes, but it’s still very drinkable.

Additional information
This whisky was aged 12 years in american and spanish oak and then finished for about 2 years in ex- bordeaux wine claret casks.

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Islands, Talisker

Talisker Storm

juli 8, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 45.8 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
The Talisker Storm was released in 2013. It’s aged in a mix of refill ex-bourbon and recharred ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

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Mortlach, Speyside

Mortlach 21 YO – 2020 Special Release

juli 2, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 56.9 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a fruitiness coming through with mainly green pears and red apples. The fruitiness is surrounded by a sweet layer of vanilla and honey. As it opens up in the glass the sweetness increases in intensity and baking spices start to emerge. It takes a long time before it reaches its peak but when it does, it’s very rich, sweet and pleasant on the nose. It’s very dessert-like with vanilla cream on top of the fresh fruits. There are also notes of age within but it feels very fresh and sprawly. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but there’s a lot of easy access flavours to enjoy.

Mouth: It starts out with a bitterness in the back and the fruitiness up front. It’s really powerful and the age shines through from the get-go with dust, leather and old oak floating around in the middle. It’s thick and malty and it has a complex array of flavours in between the easy access ones. It delivers a fantastic mix of fresh juicy fruits, vanilla sweetness and old casks. There are floral notes as well as spices and even an umami note in the back. There’s also a hint of lemon in the back which takes the edge of the sweetness and creates nice contrasts between sensations.

Finish: The fruitiness surges through the transition together with the ABV spicyness, but it never gets too powerful. It just adds to the experience. When the spicyness starts to fade the juicy pears and apples take over and become the main attraction. There are still baking spices and floral notes floating around and orange peel is now added to the mix, which lead the finish into the oakiness. It’s an old oakiness which is bitter and fragrant. There’s almost a perfumey note attached to it. This is a fantastic and complex whisky as long as it’s given enough time in the glass.

Additional information
This whisky is a cask strength release. It was finished in a mix of ex-PX and ex-Oloroso casks. 7692 bottles were filled. The bottle tried has No. 0129/7644.

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