ABV: 50 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
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Additional information
This whisky is a limited peated release exclusive to travel retail. There is no information about maturation period or casks used. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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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 peaty and sour. At first there’s a hefty, yet slightly brittle, peatiness. Underneath lies a sweet and sour honey and lemon mix. The whole thing feels very clean and well made but it is quite simple and straight forward. There’s vanilla, and an ashy side to the peat is coming through, but not much more than that. When it starts to settle in the glass there’s oakiness slowly emerging around the edges. This is a nice nose which feels decently balanced but it lacks complexity and feels a bit boring.
Mouth: It starts out with a much bigger and powerful character compared to the nose. It’s peppery and quite bitter in the background. In the middle the peatiness feels chewy and unrefined. After a while there’s a return of the vanilla. The oakiness is pushing through strong at this point and the whole comes through as a bit unpleasant. Underneath there’s a hint of the sweet and sour notes and a thin green apple note. There’s a weird undefined note floating around in the back as well.
Finish: The spicyness shifts to become a pepparmint throughout the transition. When it settles the peat once again turns a bit brittle and has no chance against a quite strong oakiness. It feels unbalanced and the lack of age is really shining through here. There are notes of leather and hay, but all in all it’s just the oakiness which is left in the end. It’s a bland oakiness which lacks character. This is a good inaugural release which shows some promise going forward. But this as a standalone whisky is not the best thing in the world.
Additional information
This whisky is the first release from Arran’s new distillery. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The PPM value is 50. 10 000 bottles was released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 51.8 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is green fruits and peat. At first there’s a green pear and apple fruitiness with a spicy, mineral heavy peatiness. When it settles a layer of minty candy cane gets mixed into the fruitiness. There’s vanilla and, when given time, an unscented lotion note as well. The oakiness is present as an outside layer together with the peat which create a warm burnt woodfire note. The rye is also in there, but it’s not especially ”bready”. This is a great nose which feels lively and there’s a lot of things to discover.
Mouth: It starts out sweet and spicy with a big dose of peppermint spreading out. Underneath the peat still comes through as mineral heavy with an aura of burnt wood. The rye sits a bit back on the palate and gives the whole thing a quite unique character in combination with the peatiness. There’s a bitterness coming through from the back as well as some coastal notes. The fruitiness is now almost completely gone.
Finish: The transition starts with small increase of the spicyness before it turns to a mix of oak, peat and rye bread. The sweetness has subsided and it’s more focused on the bitter side which has a hazelnut vibe to it when combined with the oakiness. The longer the finish last, the more of the rye bread and the oak comes through. The fruitiness peeks through as well. The peatiness moves out to an outer layer and stays a good while down the late finish. It becomes somewhat astingent in the end. This is a great whisky with a very interesting profile.
Additional information
The Arrrrrrrdbeg! is a limited committee release celebrating Mickey Heads retirement. It’s aged for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-rye casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 3
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and malty. At first there’s a very clean and simple sweetness with a mild vanilla and honey tone mixed with a slightly sour maltiness. It’s very laid back and never really pops out of the glass. When it settles there’s a lemony freshness on top of a very balanced center with the sweetness and a hint of liquorice. This is a good nose. It lacks power and complexity but comes through as very deliberate in its simple profile.
Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness and a very clear maltiness. A sweet and sour character quickly forms and it feels logical in comparison to the nose. It’s still fresh and simple and, even though it’s a bit too mild, it has a gentle spicyness spreading out over the palate. The sour notes is stronger in the back and the sweetness occupies the front, but they come together nicely in the center.
Finish: The transition is mild and the spicyness keeps on spreading throughout the palate. It’s still a mild experience through. The mix of sweet and sour becomes even more integrated and when a nice, gentle oakiness arrives out on the edges, it seems to match the other flavours balance wise. The oakiness is a mix of dried old grey oak and slightly younger oak, but they mix well and never becomes too oaky. There’s a slight hazelnut note coming through as well. The honey and liquorice notes follow along throughout the finish. This is a very good whisky. It lacks power and complexity but feels well made, clean and made with thought.
Additional information
This is the base for Glenmorangie’s core range. It’s aged in first and second fill american ex-bourbon barrels. It’s distilled in the highest stills in Scotland, which makes it a very refined whisky.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5
Tasting notes
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Additional information
This was released in 2018 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s aged in a mix of first fill sherry-seasoned european and american oak casks and refill casks. It has a higher proportion of peated malt. It has natural colour.
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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Lowlands
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 delicate mix of fresh yellow and green fruits and vanilla with a maltiness attached to it. When it settles the vanilla increases in intensity and the fruits shift and become a mix of juicy yellow pears and a lemon freshness with a light floral note on top. There’s a big spoon of honey as well. This is a nice nose with a balance between the flavours overall. It lacks complexity and does have the characteristics of a small artisan distillery with a hard to describe ”unpolished” maltiness.
Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness surrounding the palate and a slightly astringent center part. The lemon sourness is also found around the edges, but mainly in the back. The vanilla are joined by a dark chocolate, liquorice, ginger and a nice peppery spicyness. The yellow pears are not especially noticable at this point. There’s an oakiness which feels integrated in the whole which makes it very tannic and astringent.
Finish: The lemon starts the transition from the back together with a dark chocolate bitterness. The oakiness is immidiatly taking over with a vanilla rich new oak note. It becomes more and more tannic and astringent over time and the late finish is not pleasant at all. The dark chocolate note comes and goes and almost become a black coffee note at times. The liquorice note is following along as well. This is a good whisky which clearly has the small distillery vibe to it. The oakiness is too aggressive overall which brings it down a little.
Additional information
This whisky was aged in 25 ex-bourbon barrels. It was distilled in 2010 and bottled in 2021. 6250 bottles were released. It has natural colour.
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ABV: 54.1 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Blended Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a very savory, honeyglazed liquid bacon peatiness with an ashy campfire overlay. It’s mineral rich with a young and spirity iodine note. There’s not much complexity to the whole and it’s slightly metallic in the back. This is a very good nose with a straight forward, well executed peat driven character.
Mouth: It starts out by coating the palace with a mixed sweetness. It doesn’t take long before a very spicy and dry peatiness arrives. It’s very ashy and has tobacco, minerals and umami notes within. Honey and a touch of vanilla are present, as well as a dried oak note. It’s young and rowdy and still come through as very straight forward with a focus on the peat effect.
Finish: The ashiness increases throughout the transition and the character becomes slightly different. The peatiness loses many flavours and becomes a bit boring. There’s a bitterness in the back and a weird, slightly unpleasant note somewhere in the middle. In the late finish it’s just a burnt oak dried oak. This is a good whisky which delivers its promise. The peat have interesting sides to it which makes the experience a nice experience.
Additional information
Douglas Laing released Big Peat Christmas Edition for the first time in 2011. This 2017 edition contains whiskies from 7 islay distilleries. Named distilleries are Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen. It’s cask strength, has natural colour and it’s unchillfiltered.
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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Lowlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Sample added to queue. Tasting notes pending.
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Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of first fill ex-bourbon barrels, ex-Oloroso sherry casks and STR rioja barriques. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a rounded sweetness and a ripe and nutty red fruitiness. Underneath there’s a fresher background with a lemon freshness. When it starts to settle vanilla and honey joins the sweetness, but the ruoe fruits shifts towards a fresher red berry fruitiness which creates a nice balance. There are notes of ginger and cinnamon floating around as well. This is a nice nose. It’s very approachable and everything is easy to access.
Mouth: It starts out with a nice spicyness and a sweet rounded center. It takes a while for it to evolve, and first out is a nutty side note with mainly hazelnuts. It clmes through with a speck of dust attached to it. After that comes the ripe red berries, vanilla and just a small hint of coffee. It’s very front heavy in the mouth. The background has a small lemon note and an umami savory note. The vanilla increases in intensity over time.
Finish: The tranisiton is very linear and the spicyness maintains a nice level. When it settles the nuttiness increases in intensity and comes through with a note of an old cellar and an oakiness. The ripe berries are still in there as well as the lemon note in the back, which increases over time. The late finish is all about the nutty, dusty oakiness, which is a very good way to end. This is a great whisky. It has a lot to offer flavour wise. It feels a bit front heavy, but it’s not a big issue.
Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for the full maturation. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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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. At first there’s a sweet malty center with a fresh fruitiness on top. It’s apples and pears and the sweetness consists of vanilla, honey and malt together with baking spices. It’s very dessert-like. When it settles there are notes of ginger and toffee. A hint of marzipan can be found as well. This is a nice nose which lacks a bit of power and complexity. It’s very mild but still produces a nice array of sweet things.
Mouth: It starts out with a slight sour and bitter lemon peel note in the back and a malty sweetness and apples up front. There’s a tiny spicyness coming through and it seems connected to an oakiness which arrives together with a dusting of cinnamon. It’s got a beer-like quality to it at this point and the background peel note is pushing forward with time. It’s not as sweet overall as on the nose and the fruitiness is neither especially pronounced at this point. The ginger can still be found.
Finish: The transition is rather uneventful and the lack of power becomes rather obvious. When the flavours return it reaches a sort of middle point between the nose and the mouth with the fruity and sweet dessert-like notes sitting on top of the lemon peel note and a bitter and grey old oakiness. There are some oak notes which suggests that there are some newer casks used as well. This is a good whisky. There’s no complexity and it lacks power, but it delivers a decent mix of flavours.
Additional information
There is no additional information to be found on this whisky. The flavour profile suggest an ex-bourbon/ex-sherry cask mix.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Lowlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and subtle. A mild honey sweetness and a cola note are first to come through. There’s a hint of newly cut grass in the background and an outer layer of vanilla fudge. Every flavour coming through is mellow and laid back. After some time in the glass a black liquorice note starts to appear. This is very straight forward and easy on the nose.
Mouth: A very mild and almost watery start. After a second or two a touch of lemon and a prominent cola note arrive. There’s vanilla fudge in the center and it’s quite floral on the edges. A bitter note sits together with the oak in the back. It’s slightly astringent, but other than that there’s no real impact.
Finish: At first there’s close to nothing, and after a few seconds the same cola note reappears together with a thinner version of the vanilla fudge. The oak slowly emerges from behind and it has the same toned down profile as the rest of the flavours. There’s not a lot of character to the oakiness and the cola note seems to attach to it down the line. This is probably one of the best choices for people who want to get into whisky since it’s extremely mild and has a low impact on the senses.
Additional information
This 12 YO was added to the core range in 2011. It’s triple distilled and aged in mainly american ex-bourbon oak barrels, but there’s also ex-Oloroso sherry casks in the mix.
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ABV: 43.4 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity, sweet and floral. There’s honey on top of green apples, ripe green grapes and some fresh red berries. There’s a tiny hint of menthol. Vanilla and some liquorice comes through after a while in the glass. There’s an earthy note of dry soil sitting in the back together with dust and some heather. A savory note sits in the heart of everything making it quite complex but still very clean and easy on the nose.
Mouth: It starts out honey sweet and spicy. The fruitiness rolls in like a wave with the ripe green grapes in front, but now there’s some darker dried fruits in the mix. The oak arrives pretty early and brings a nice bitterness. There’s walnuts, dust and the savory note is still found in the middle of everything.
Finish: This goes immediatly to the oak. It’s grey weathered oak planks and walnuts. The heather and the dry soil come back for a couple of seconds. The savory note keeps on making appearances and there’s now a hint of peaches peeking through the oakiness. It’s not astringent, but it is somewhat dry on the toungue. The spicyness follows along.
Additional information
”Wee witchie” comes from the nickname of the smallest still in the Mortlach distillery. This 12 YO was first released in 2018. It’s distilled 2.81 times and aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-sherry casks.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Blended malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet toffee and honey mix with a fruitiness attached to it. There’s an ethanol note on top and a more gritty note underneath. This creates a nice contrast to the otherwise easy to access characteristics. It comes off as spirity and a bit thin overall though. The fruitiness is fresh pears and a squeeze of lemon. This is a decent nose and it’s extremely accessible. It lacks some sophistication but does the job of a budget whisky quite well.
Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness surrounding the palate. There seems to be a hole in the middle of the palate. The fruitiness and the small gritty note sits in the back and the sweetness up front. It comes through as flat and it really lacks power. A generic bitterness builds up in the rear over time. There are some baking spices floating around somewhere within but everything seems to lack purpose. It’s very ethanol heavy and comes off as harsh at this point of the journey.
Finish: The transition is mellow and a slight, and much needed, increase in intensity finally occurs. The toffee note returns in the center and the fruitiness is basically gone except for a small, slightly metallic, lemon note in the back. The oakiness arrives late and it’s a decent oakiness. It’s got a nutty side to it and scoops up the bitterness to create a decent finish once the ethanol notes die down. This is a decent whisky. It comes through as a budget alternative with corners cut but should work well as a mixer or on ice for the non-explorer.
Additional information
Monkey Shoulder is a vatted malt made by William Grant and Sons. It contains malts aged in american ex-bourbon barrels from Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich. They are vatted together for 3 months before bottling.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a sweetness consisting of vanilla, malt and honey mixed with sweet red berries. There’s a tiny amount of marzipan as well. On top there’s a young spirity overtone and underneath there’s a fresher layer with
green apples, lemon and a hint of oak. With time everything becomes more sour and cinnmon arrives. At this point it feels decently balanced. The young note on top doesn’t disappear though, and pulls everything down quite a bit. This is a decent nose for a budget whisky.
Mouth: It starts out very flat and the first thing arriving is a quite harsh and young distillate together with a generic sweetness. There are red berries and lemon sitting on the edges of the palate but they doesn’t seem to penetrate the center. There’s a coffee bitterness and a hint of dark chocolate forming in the back. The oakiness is present as well which makes everything slightly astringent. The fruitiness moves back and ripen over time.
Finish: There’s a nice and mellow spicyness spreading out over the palate and the fresh apple fruitiness really shines through before the harshness of the distillate once again takes over. When that note finally resides there’s a mix of dry oak, coffee bitterness and dark cocolate left. The longer down the finish it goes, the more everything becomes a dry, bitter oakiness and the late finish isn’t all that great. This is a so-and-so whisky, but the cask finish does help it along.
Additional information
This whisky was first aged in american oak ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in Tempranillo red wine casks. There’s no information om the aging time.
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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 3
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and floral. At first there’s a big bucket of pears and green apples with honey, butterscotch and a speck of dust. There’s a hint of play-doh as well. After a while a vanilla sweetness takes front stage. There are some herbs in the back which creates a nice contrast to the otherwise sweet and fruity character. This is a great nose, yet it could do with a bit more power.
Mouth: It starts out surprisingly big flavour wise. It’s slightly dusty with the malt coming forward and the fruits switching over to ripe red apples and apple juice with a very floral overtone. The oak is there which is coming through as old and grey, but not dead and bitter. It’s very mild and dessert-like at this point with vanilla, honey up front and a black coffee side note.
Finish: The transition is mild and there’s a mellow spicyness rolling out over the palate. It’s still dusty and the ripe fruits soon get overtaken by the oak notes which brings the fresh fruitiness back. There are notes of hazelnuts, peaches and coffee in the late finish. This is a great whisky which overcomes its low ABV very well. It’s easy to access and very approachable.
Additional information
This whisky is made at the Knockdhu distillery. It’s matured in 2nd fill american ex-bourbon barrels and 2nd fill spanish ex-sherry butts. Generally, it’s made by the ratio of 8 barrels to 2 sherry butts.
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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and malty. At first there’s a mix of bright, fresh fruits, ginger and vanilla. It’s young and a bit spirity, but not in an intrusive way. When it settles there are honey and baking spices added to the mix. There’s a lemony top note mixed with a hint of oak forming as well. This is a good nose. It’s straight forward, easy to access and simple, yet not boring.
Mouth: It starts out with a center part consisting of vanilla, honey and malt while there’s a fresh apple note on top. It’s quite spirity and a bitter note soon forms in the background while the apples are joined by a whole fruit basket with assorted fresh fruits. There’s a liquorice and oak layer forming on the sides and it somewhat doesn’t match the rest of the flavours. Everything feels a bit disorganised and unbalanced at this point.
Finish: A gentle spicyness spreads out over the palate and first out is a dry new oak and the bitter note in the back. The oak revives the fruit basket and when the oak and the, now quite harsh, distillate starts to fade there’s a fruity and floral finish. Vanilla and sweet liquorice are following along as well as the ginger note. This is a decent whisky which has some really nice flavours within, but it’s too spirity and unbalanced overall.
Additional information
The Legacy was relaunched in 2016 as the entry level in Tomatin’s core range. It’s been aged in a combination of american ex-bourbon oak barrels and virgin oak casks for an undisclosed amount of time.
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ABV: 48.3 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. Wet leather and burning hay cover a sweet and fruity baseplate. It takes a few seconds to get through the peat, but behind there’s a big bucket of fruits with orange zest and ripe red juicy apples. There’s also notes of honey, milk chocolate and a slight hint of vanilla. A hint of sweet black liquorice shows up with time in the glass. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer.
Mouth: It starts out very juicy and spicy. The fruitiness is in the center with wet leather surrounding it like a pouch. It’s got a bitter tang to it which gives the whole thing balance. The sweetness is surrounding everything in a thin layer. There’s dust and a general sense of age about it and that sense increases with time in the glass. There’s no oak or astringency showing up.
Finish: The fruitiness and spicyness immideatly spikes and then get replaced by the peaty flavours. Finally the oak shows up. It comes with a dark, high percentage cocoa chocolate. There’s no direct sweetness and there’s a good portion of hazelnuts in the end. There’s also a hint of tropical fruits peeking through on the tail end. The peat sits on the palate a long time after the dram’s demise. This is a very good whisky which gives the house style a nice twist.
Additional information
Balvenie makes peated whisky one week every year. This is the 2003 batch. The peat level used is 30 ppm. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 56.8 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very peaty. At first there’s a burnt, sweet oakiness with vanilla on top. Underneath lies a very ashy and medicinal peatiness. As it settles in the glass the peatiness becomes more and more prominent and after a few seconds a complex note arrives in the center. It’s a mix of red berries, apple juice and aged cheese. There’s a freshness to it and a hint of ginger ale can be found floating around. With time in the glass the cask influence gives the peatiness a good fight for attention. This is a fantastic nose with a lot to discover, both in within the peatiness and behind the peat curtain.
Mouth: It starts out quite mild and fruity with honey, vanilla, toffee and fresh grapes. There’s some oak notes shining through as well. After a few seconds the peatiness burst through as well as a peppery spicyness. It’s an outer layer of ashy peat and a center part with leather and a complex funky note. The back of the palate fills with overripe berries as well as the medicinal notes. The intensity of the flavours keeps on growing and the pepper notes are very intense in a good way.
Finish: The peppery spicyness sort of glides over the transition and turns into a cloud of peppermint while the back of the palate still contains the ripe berries, the complex funkiness and the medicinal notes. It’s less sweet through the finish and the vanilla and toffee are barely noticable. The peatiness is now more vegetal and medicinal and less ashy. The oakiness is found in the background but it’s overrun by the intensity of the other flavours for a long time. When it shows up it mixes with the residual peat notes and gives a toasted impression. This is a fantastic whisky in every way. It’s a peat monster in a nice fancy suit.
Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2008 with a PPM value of 167. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-port pipes (37 %), first fill ex-cognac casks (31 %), second fill ex-bourbon barrels (20 %) and lastly, spirit aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels, then in virgin oak casks and then ex-American whiskey casks (12 %) . It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
ABV: 62.9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5
Tasting notes
Nose: This is peat and oak. At first there’s a big hit of an ashy, dry woodfire peat with a surrounding layer of rounded vanilla and a thin, ripe, red berry note. It’s a very dry nose with the oakiness really accentuating the peatiness. There are notes of unscented lotion as well. With a bit of imagination some brighter fruits are detectable behind the big woodfire. This is a nice nose but it’s not especially complex or interesting. It’s very dry and very oaky.
Mouth: It starts out with a mix of oak and peat, where the peat now presents itself a lot more interesting with dry soil, seasalt, ash, iodine and fresh burning wood. It’s quite astingent and mineral rich. The oakiness is really pushing itself through to the point where it almost outshines the peat. The whole thing comes through as very rich and has a nice power to it which feels essential to pulling this off. There’s still a thin, surrounding layer of vanilla and ripe fruits.
Finish: There’s a second or two of very dry and astringent oak before the peat and the spicyness take front. It’s now once again more ashy and mineral rich and less medicinal/coastal. In the background lies a complex mess of ripe fruits, malt and peat but it feels a bit irrelevant since the whole feels way too oaky and astringent. The finish is extremely long and the woodfire keeps on burning a long time down the road. This is a very good whisky but the virgin oak mixed with the high PPM level creates a big woodfire which at first is impressive bit soon gets a bit annoying.
Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2012 with a PPM value of 133. It was aged in a mix of first fill ex-american (25 %), third fill virgin oak (25 %), second fill ex-Riversaltes (20 %), second fill Syrah (20 %) and lastly, spirit aged in second fill ex-bourbon barrels (10 %). It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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ABV: 57.6 %
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 layer of vanilla, coconut and sweet fruits underneath a cloud of nail polish remover. When it settles it becomes sweeter and fruitier as well as a bit more acidic. It feels young and vibrant. It takes a while in the glass before it reaches its full potential and when it does, there’s a nice complexity in the back and a nice balance between sweet and sour in the center. At this point the sherry fruitiness, with liqueuer-soaked red berries as its main feature, is creating a thin outside layer towards the edges of the glass. This is a great nose when given time to open up.
Mouth: It starts out with a mix of sweet and dusty vanilla, coconut and a nice powerful, yet pleasant, spicyness. It’s acidic overall and has a lemon sourness which contrasts the sweet flavours. The sherry notes are somewhat subdued and resides in the background together with the sour notes and an elusive cinnamon note. There’s also a small bitterness floating around. It’s not the most interesting development and it feels like the different components compete for attention instead of adding to the whole.
Finish: The transition is very logical. The sweetness increase in intensity as well as the spicyness. It’s not spikes, it’s more of a slow increase. The fruitiness then arrives around the edges and it’s a general fruitiness without any specific recognizable sorts. It still feels more like a fight between components than a cohesive character. The bitterness is still in there and it slowly turns into walnuts. The late finish is a very nutty and frankly amazing oakiness and becomes the best part of the journey. This is a very good whisky, but it feels a bit over-engineered.
Additional information
This is a single cask release. It was aged in an ex-sherry cask and then finished in a rum cask and bottled in 2004. The bottle reviewed has no. 96/260. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.
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William’s Whisky Database 