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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and complex. At first there’s a sharp layer of nail polish remover sitting on top of a dark raisins and overripe plum fruitiness. In the beginning there’s a certain unpleasant vibe to the whole which is hard to pinpoint. A mixed wood note comes through with both pine and oak. After it settles down the nail polish remover disappears and leaves a menthol cloud floating around. After a long wait there are notes of mixed dried fruits and berries, leather and tobacco taking over. There’s also a sweetness hiding behind the fruits. This is a nose which at first feels very weird. The lack of sweetness really makes it sharp and one-dimensional. This changes a lot with time in the glass and when it settles it’s quite nice.

Mouth: It starts out with a pine and oak note surrounding a dark and sweet center. It’s got a nice spicyness to it. The center part brings black coffee, dried fruits and tobacco together with a nice salted caramel note. It’s dark and slightly inaccessible and the absense of sweetness is tangible but after a good 20 minutes in the glass it balances itself out and becomes quite lovely. There are some damp and dusty notes in the background which reflects the age, but the dark and bitter center part is not giving away the limelight easily. It’s quite nutty as well. For those who wait there’s a salty sensation arising from within and the texture is absolutely to die for.

Finish: The spicyness becomes a mild chili heat but never spikes through the transition. The fruitiness is not as dark as before and the start of the finish is really complex and interesting. It’s still a mix of dried fruits, salty butterscotch, black coffee, leather and tobacco. There’s a nice nutty side to it with walnuts leading in to the oakiness. It’s a mellow oak which is slightly dry. This is a great Jekyll and Hyde whisky. Which one you get depends on how long you wait before you approach the glass.

Additional information
This whisky is supposedly ”small batch distilled”. There are ex-sherry casks involved in the aging, but no cask types are disclosed. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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