Etikettarkiv: whisky review

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Legend

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is lemon fresh and fruity. A layer of peat, mostly leather and smoke from a hot campfire, is sitting in between the fruitiness and the sweetness. The fruitiness is mostly lemon and star fruits and the sweetness is a classic mix of honey and vanilla. There is a thin layer of mint sitting on top. This is mild and easy on the nose.

Mouth: Bitterness hits the mouth directly and then it turns to the peaty notes and they are leaning more towards leather now. It’s salty and the fruitiness is still the same as on the nose but with some pinapple and grapefruits added. There’s a small hint of a dry oakiness in the back. The vanilla and honey is nowhere to be found. It’s still very mild.

Finish: A spike of fruitiness passes by and then the mint and peat takes over. The lemon note stays for a long time and surrounds all the other flavours. The oak starts to push through and brings a big bag of tropical fruits with it. The oak itself is dry and a bit muted. The last part of the finish is all about the fruitiness. This is not especially complex and it’s a bit too mild. It’s still a decent dram though.

Additional information
There’s not much information to be found on this bottling. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Gold Reef

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits in a leather pouch. It starts out very fruity with pineapples, mangos and a hint of ripe bananas. The leathery peat notes are subtle and sits with some honey and vanilla in the back. There is a savory, quite complex center behind everything else, which gives it a nice depth. This is very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: A spicy note sort of slingshots in before the whole thing turns very fruity and quite dusty. It really shows some age with some dusty leather-bound books. The tropical fruits are still the main focal point and they are joined by some ripe red apples and lemon zest. It’s salty and got a small note of seashore residing in the back. It’s very mild and easy on the palate, yet still quite rich and with an oily texture. The oak do show up, but it takes quite the patience to find it and when it finally shows up it comes with a bitter note and a piece of milk chocolate.

Finish: A big burst of tropical fruits sets the pace. There’s smoke coming from a warm burning campfirein the back. It also still got a hint of leather. The oak comes slowly and settles down around the tropical fruits. It’s a very nice oakiness with a small bitter note to it. It’s a dusty, slightly astringent oak with notes of chalk, hazelnuts and old grey wooden planks. The salty note is still in there and the fruitiness stays for a long finish.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s primarily aged in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Independent bottlers, Islay, Port Ellen, Signatory Vintage

Port Ellen 1979 (Signatory Vintage)

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
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 rather pointy and fresh fruitiness up front with a mild vanilla surrounding it. It’s fresh orchard fruits as well as assorted dried berries. In the background there’s a slight paint thinner note which becomes more medicinal as time passes in the glass. There’a also a light peatiness and a touch of salt and sulfur sitting beneath the fruitiness. This is a great and accessible nose with a complexity to keep the explorers occupied for a good while.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla and a hint of coconut in the center and a very complex mix of medicinal peat, minerals and rubber on the outside. After a few seconds there’s almost a mix of white wine and pilsner coming through which at first comes off as a bit weird but when it merges with the vanilla becomes rather interesting. It’s less fruity and more peaty than on the nose but the fruitiness in there now comes through as orange peel. The whole thing has a sprinkle of dust on top.

Finish: A mild peppermint cloud spreads across the palate as the other flavours try to settle on which one should go first. The white wine and beer notes moves up a bit as well as the vanilla and orange peel. The fruitiness is now residing on the edges of the palate. The peat notes have once again taken a big step back and never really affects the palate in much in the finish. This makes the oakiness come through clearer. It’s a nice oakiness but it kind of brings up the paint thinner note once again. There are some assorted nuts and a hint of orange peel left in the late finish. This is a great whisky with a pretty quirky character. This makes it more fun to explore but less of a balanced High quality dram.

Additional information
This is aged for 22 years in a refill ex-sherry cask (Butt no. 5536). This is bottle no. 612/738. It has natural colour.

Ardbeg, Islay

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice – Ardbeg 1995

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and ashy. At first there’s a mineral rich and ashy peatiness covering the edges of the glass. On the inside there’s a fresh fruitiness, vanilla and liquorice. It’s quite mild and easy on the nose. In the background there are coastal notes. With time the ashy notes subsides as the peat slowly evolves into a distant woodfire note. A darker red fruitiness can then be found in the outer edge. This is a rather uncomplicated yet pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet and slightly bitter outside layer and a fruity and mineral rich center. It’s very mild and gentle even though there’s a peatiness peeking through from behind. It’s salty and the sherry casks are producing a hint of dark fruits and sulfur. The bitter notes increase in intensity over time as well as the sweetness. There’s an old and grey oakiness with a hint of dust on top shining through as well.

Finish: The finish starts out with a mild peppermint on top and the dark sweet fruits surrounding the edges. The bitterness have moved back into the background and sits together with the old oakiness. The center is filled with minerals and seasalt. It gets less sweet as the finish moves along. The sweetness stays a long time and accompanies the oak through the late finish. When all else disappears the ashy note is once again revealed. This is a great whisky, but it lacks some of the telltales of its heritage.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2005 making it 10 YO. It’s aged in refill ex-sherry casks.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Black Rock

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there are tropical fruits mixed with raisins and dark chocolate. Honey, vanilla and black liquorice sits in the back and create a nice rich backdrop. A brigther note of red berries with some raspberries sort of comes and goes on top of the dark fruitiness. The peat manifests as a leather note and sits in between the layers of sweetness. The focus lies on the heavy sherry overlay.

Mouth: At first honey, red berries and a slight bitterness turn up. It then slowly changes into black liquorice, vanilla and raisins. There’s a lemon note surrounding the other flavours. The oakiness comes through together with leather and tropical fruits. It’s a nice oakiness with a slight bitterness that sits well with the other flavours.

Finish: A thin note of menthol passes by before moving directly into a big bowl of assorted tropical fruits. The oakiness comes through as well as the darker sherry notes and the leather, but the main focus is all about the pineapples and mangos and a slight hint of grapefruits. There’s a chalk note sitting on top of the oak in the finish and the oak is somewhat dry and bitter with some coffee and hazelnuts. There’s no astringency until after a few sips. This is very good for an entry level NAS travel retail release.

Additional information
Black Rock is the entry level of the travel retail exclusive range released in 2014. It’s primarily aged in ex-sherry casks. It was discontinued in 2017.

Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Still Young

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ABV: 56.2 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a mineral note sitting together with ashy peat on top of a young spirit note. On top of that, in the center, there’s a sweet honey and vanilla note. When it settles the peat notes switches to a warmer burning woodfire smokiness and gentle coastal notes. There’s a mild menthol note spreading out like a cloud above everything else and a hint of unscented lotion somewhere within. This is not a complex nose but it’s an interesting whisky nontheless.

Mouth: It starts out with very sweet and spicy. The honey is up front together with a chili spicyness. Underneath a green apple and lemon fruitiness tries its best to fight through a very rowdy and young peat. It’s still young (pun intended) in character. There’s a savory note in the back and a mineraly and ashy peat with coastal notes within. It’s a bit more complex on the palate than on the nose and has a bigger impact as well.

Finish: The fruitiness spreads out over the palate and it’s now more of an assorted fruit note. The menthol and chili spicyness moves to the back and sort of stays there throughout the finish. The peat is still coming through as a mix of burnt wood, minerals and coastal notes. The finish is less sweet than before which gives a very nice oakiness a chance to peek through. It’s a mix of old and new wood. It feels fresh at first and after a while it becomes a bit dusty and nutty. In the late finish there’s a beer note coming through unexpectedly. This is a great whisky with a nice peat and ABV punch. The series it belongs to makes it even better.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2006. It’s the second release in a series that lead up to the Renaissance 10 YO. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Lasanta

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ABV: 43 %
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 sweet base with malt, vanilla and honey sitting underneath a sweet layer of mixed fruits. There are raisins and raspberries detectable within the fruitiness. There’s also a fresh lemon peeking through from behind as well as an undefinable herbal note. With time the sweetness moves forwards and mixes with the fruits which becomes a bit darker. It feels quite round and accessible. It’s a clean and well behaved dessert in a glass. This is a good nose. It’s not especially complex but does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of dark fruitiness surrounding a sweet and malty core. It feels darker and more powerful than on the nose with a contrasting fresh lemon note piercing through the center from the back. It’s leaning more towards vanilla than honey within the core and it’s not as sweet anymore. There’s a bitterness coming from the background and it feels somewhat dusty. It’s a generic bitterness not connected to any other flavour. It still fits in with the rest of the palate though.

Finish: There’s a small flare of spicyness at first but it subsides rather quickly. When it subsides there’s room for the bitterness to increase in intensity. It’s now connected to a nutty oakiness. It feels like a mix of hazelnuts and walnuts. There’s also a fresher oakiness to be found later in the finish. The lemon note is still there as well as the dark fruits, but they are pushed out towards the edges and to the back. This is a very good whisky. It’s not complex but really well put together. It has a light and quite clean character which is in line with its premisses.

Additional information
The Lasanta is a part of Glenmorangie’s Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Kildalton 1980

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ABV: 57.6 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and medicinal. At first there’s a mix of iodine and peppermint sitting on top of sweet vanilla and liquorice root. There’s also a fruitiness coming through in the center. It’s a mix of lemon and lighter red berries. There is a charcoal as well but it’s not especially peaty or smoky. With time the charcoal and vanilla mixes with an oak note and the liquorice note now shows up in the center. The fruitiness moves forward as well. It feels maritime and there are notes of salt and seaweed as well. This is great, complex nose with a lot to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet mix of vanilla, honey and oranges. It’s quite spicy from the get-go and it really packs a punch. At first, it feels very fresh despite the 23 years in casks, but after a while there’s a thin veil of dust sort of sprinkled on top of everything on the palate. There’s also a black coffee bitterness showing up in the background. The fruitiness becomes quite sticky and complex and for those who wait it becomes assorted dried fruits and bitter orange peel.

Finish: The peppermint spicyness flare up and then settles down quite quickly. First out after that are the dried fruits with orange peel and coconut flakes. It’s still quite dusty and the age is really shining through. There’s a tiny toffee note in the center. The oakiness moves slowly forward together with the bitterness. It’s a nice old and grey, nutty oak which matches the fruitiness very well. When all else fades the maritime and medicinal peaty notes peeks through once again. This is an absolutely fantastic dram with a nice journey and great complexity.

Additional information
This was aged for 23 years and released in 2004. It was limited to 1300 bottles. It’s made from both unpeated and lightly peated barley. Cask type(s) isn’t disclosed. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 Stellar Release

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ABV: 58,9 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and very peaty. At first there’s a big hit of ashy peat and a medicinal young distillate with a mineral note somewhere within. In the background there’s vanilla and burnt wood. There’s also a cooling mint note hovering above everything else. After a few seconds the ashy peat mellows out a bit and it becomes slightly sweeter. It’s not a complex nose, but for those who search there’s a fruity note way back in the distance as well as some hazelnuts. This is nice and rowdy, yet straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet with vanilla cream and a nice ABV spicyness. It’s very ashy on the edges and the peat also fills the center with burnt wood and sort of a funky complex cheese note. It’s very different from the nose. There’s a bitterness coming through from the back and after a few seconds it moves out towards the edges which leaves place for the medicinal and mineral notes. It’s extremely peaty all over the palate and it still comes through as young and spirity.

Finish: At first there’s a slight dip in the ABV spicyness which leaves room for the vanilla sweetness and the funky note to take center stage. The cooling minty top note slowly returns and the peat punch once again comes through with ashes, iodine and a hint of seasalt. It’s still bitter in the back but as time passes by it more and more becomes burnt wood with an ashy overtone. This is a very good whisky and a massive peat monster. It is a bit young and spirity as expected.

Additional information
This is an Ardbeg with a PPM level over 100. It’s aged for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg 17 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and peaty. At first there’s a fresh juicy pear note with a base of burnt wood. It’s very mild and easy on the nose but it’s not thin or brittle. After a few seconds there’s a vanilla cream coating forming around the pears. There’s also a hint of unscented lotion, but it sits in the background behind the peat together with a tiny medicinal note. In the end all the flavours seem to level out and create a complex mix of sweet, fruity and peaty. This is a great nose which slightly suffers from the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with the fruity pear note sitting together with burning wood in the center. It’s surrounded by vanilla cream and a quite noticable oakiness. The whole thing comes through as quite mineraly and way too mild to make an impact. The lotion note as well as the medicinal is not present on the palate. The fruitiness develops over time and moves towards a more acidic fruitiness. There’s also a slightly bitter note in the background.

Finish: The tranisiton is seemless and it just seems like the flavours keeps on going without a big kick or anything flaring up. It’s still pears, now with a twist of lemon, with a peaty and oaky exterior with a dash of vanilla added. There seem to be a separation between the fruity center and the burnt wood and vanilla after a few seconds and when the fruitiness fades out there’s just a nice mellow woodfire burning in the background. This is a great whisky which would have been fantastic with a bit more bite to it. The nose is the best part of the journey.

Additional information
This whisky was part of the Ardbeg core range but it’s now discontinued. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

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Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and dark fruits. A mellow peatiness with leather and tobacco notes sits in the middle of a dark fruitiness with overripe plums and raisins. A row of old books and a tropical fruitiness (with a twist of lemon) sit in the background. The contrast between the dirrerences make this a complex nose. All flavours seem integrated and they fit nicely into the whole. The dark fruits become more pronounced over time and they bring a black liquorice sweetness. This is a fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild yet flavourful. It’s very sweet with the dark fruitiness up front. A lemon note shoots through the dark fruits and, together with a saltiness and the peat, it creates a complex sensation. The old books still sit in the back and after a few seconds the tropical fruitiness return. The peat is now leaning towards tobacco with a hint of burning charcoal. It becomes spicier with time. The oak is not yet present.

Finish: At first, it becomes very dusty and the age is coming through clearly. The darker fruitiness is immidiately toned down to make room for a brighter tropical fruitiness with pineapples as the main flavour. Within this fruitiness the oak slowly emerges. It’s a dry oak with a hint of walnuts and black coffee, but it still got a freshness to it. The bitter notes never really take over, they just seem to add another layer. In the late finish the leather returns. The tropical fruitiness stays in the mouth long after everything else has subsided. This is well made, and a great dram. It is a bit too mild, but still delivers complexity and a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2007. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks separatly and then mixed together.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 17 YO – White Sands

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is Lemon and leather. The fruitiness soon turns into assorted tropical fruits and the leather note expands to include smoke from a warm burning campfire. There’s a layer of honey, vanilla and butterscotch, but it stays in the back seat. It shows some age with a somewhat elusive note of dusty old books. The fruitiness grows clearar as time passes and there are mango and pineapple found together with the lemon note. It grows sweeter and gets more of the vanilla with time in the glass.

Mouth: It’s very mild and honey sweet at first. The leather note comes through and creates a nice layer around the palate. In the center the fruitiness is even more pronounced than on the nose. It’s still a tropical fruitiness with mango, pineapple and lemon. It’s got a nice backbone of vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. The spicyness is lacking in intensity and never really picks up speed.

Finish: A whiff of the old books passes by before going back to the tropical fruitiness. It grows even fruitier and sweet over time and when the oak arrives it adds to that sensation. The oak is very pleasant and interacts well with all the other flavours instead of bringing a contrasts. It feels very well balanced all the way through and just about every flavour follows along to the now slightly bitter end.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a part of the distillery’s travel exclusive series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

India, Rampur

Rampur Indian Single Malt

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: India
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dill pickle juice. It’s very acidic and it takes a long time to open up. There’s a strong vanilla note, toffee and a sugar sweetness. Green apples and grapes appear after some time in the glass. There’s a hint of black liquorice around the edges. After a while some milk chocolate appears.

Mouth: It also tastes like dill pickle juice. There’s anis, sugar, dust and a herbal spicyness. The green apples and the grapes is residing in the background. It’s extremely astringent and acidic and it’s very oak forward. It almost feels and tastes like a mild rye.

Finish: After an initial herbal spice burst, some vanilla, anis and liquorice root comes through. It’s bitter and unpleasantly astringent. The dill pickle juice comes back and just won’t go away. The oak is over the top in the end. It gets way better after opening up in the glass, but it’s very strange for a single malt.

Additional information
Rampur Distilllery is the former name of the Radico Khaitan. This whisky is produced, and matured in bourbon casks, in Uttar Pradesh near the Himalaya and is the first single malt released by the distillery.

Ballantine’s, Glenburgie, Speyside

Ballantine’s Glenburgie 18 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very fruity and vanilla sweet. Ripe red apples and sweet oranges share the main space with a piece of vanilla fudge. There’s a touch of honey but it’s not the main sweetness. It’s very mild and lacks some complexity expected from the high age statement. It’s simple and straight forward.

Mouth: It starts out very watery then slowly builds up as the seconds goes by. First to come through is pears, then spices, then oranges and grapefruits. After a few seconds the age starts to shine through with some complexity and some musty background notes. The oak is in the back and it comes through as grey old dry oak planks. It’s flat and really lacks a lot of power.

Finish: The vanilla fudge comes first and then it moves towards the fruitiness once again. It almost feels like a lightly carbonated soft drink. Honey and pears appear before the oranges completely takes over. When the oakiness comes back, it’s still grey wooden planks. There’s no astringency and no bitterness. This is very drinkable, but it’s not especially interesting.

Additional information
The Glenburgie 18 YO was released in 2019. It’s aged in traditional (refill) casks. This bottle is labeled with ”Series 001”.

Ireland, Teeling

Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask Finish

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Ireland
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a slightly bready vanilla, honey and malt note. The grain spirit shines through from behind but it’s not harsh or unpleasant. There’s a spicy top layer with a peppermint touch to it. There is a slight dried fruitiness floating around somewhere in the center but it’s not making a big impact on the nose but it moves forward after a while. With time coconut sweetness start to emerge and it becomes very noticable after a while. This is a nice nose for a blend and it is a rather interesting experience.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of fresh oak and grain sprit spreading out on the edges of the palate. A spicy but gentle pepper note quickly builds up in the center which gives is a nice power-up. The main body still consists of honey, malt and vanilla with the coconut still in there but much less pronounced than on the nose. There’s liquorice coming through as well. The fruitiness is now more like a mild red baked apple. A bitter note builds up around the edges over time.

Finish: The sweetness creates a round center part and it now has a butterscotch note added. The coconut is not a big part anymore and the baked red apples cover the palate on an outside layer. The grain spirit is for the first time coming through as a bit unpleasant. The oakiness has always seemed to be in there and when it starts to come through it brings up the cocnut once again as well as a nice bitter touch. The mild peppermint note hovers above the oak a long way down the late finish. This is a good blend with some good casks involved.

Additional information
This irish blend is aged for about 6 years in american ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished for 6 months in ex-rum casks. It’s unchillfiltered. The bottle tried was bottled 06/2017.

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India, Paul John

Paul John Bold – Peated

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: India
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 warm peatiness coming through with hay, campfire smoke and a savory note coming from the back. There’s honey and vanilla covering the peat. There’s also a medicinal iodine note coming through. After a few seconds a thin veil of unidentifiable fruitiness becomes detectable. This is a very straight forward, slightly uninteresting nose.

Mouth: It starts out with the peatiness filling up the edges and a spicyness with a young distillate in the center with lemon, wet cardboard and a metallic note. The sweetness is subdued and sits near the peat on the edges. It’s quite bitter in the background with hints of coffee and the medicinal side to it remain.

Finish: The peatiness subsides rather quickly and leaves a bitter oakiness in the middle. There are still notes of the distillate coming through with mainly cardboard and the metallic note, which is becoming more and more noticable as the finish progresses. There’s still a medicinal iodine note and after a few seconds there’s a toothpaste note somewhere on top. The peatiness return in the late finish but it really can’t make up for the rather bad finish. This is not a great whisky by any means. It’s peaty, but it’s not especially bold.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2015 as a core range whisky. It’s made with indian barley smoked with islay peat. The PPM level is 25. It’s aged in first and second fill ex-bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

France, G Rozelieures, Gallet-Dupic

G. Rozelieures Fumé Collection

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and sweet peat. At first there’s a perfumey floral note sitting on top of dried dark dried fruits like raisins and prunes. There’s a cloud of earthy peatiness surrounding the edges. There’s also a dry touch to it and a small hint of pine in the background. With time in the glass a vanilla note starts to rise in the center together with a hint of sweet liquorice. The sherry notes also increase in intensity after a while. This is a different and original nose, yet it doesn’t really impress.

Mouth: at first it’s sweet with just a hint of the dry, earthy and herbacous peatiness. After a second or two the sherry notes start to pick up as well as the peatiness. There is a sulfur and rubber greasyness which gives it a nice depth. The dark fruitiness is somewhat subdued. There is a hint of lemon on the edges and a bitter background note which doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the profile.

Finish: A mix of dark fruits, sulfur and herbacous peat flare up and gives it a nice complex profile from the get-go. It feels a bit ”hot” which brings it down a notch or two. After it settles it moves over towards dry soil and bitter oak. There is a nutty quality to it, but it’s not any specific kind of nuts. The sulfur and rubber note stays on top for the late finish. This whisky is a roller coaster with a great finish. It’s well made and very original. Maybe it just takes a bit getting used to.

Additional information
This is a whisky made by the Grallet-Dupic Distillery. It has a peat level of 20 ppm and has natural colour. It’s aged in a mix of ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Jimenez cherry casks for 8 years.

Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park 1998

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and floral. At first there’s a sweet mix of honey, vanilla and heather coming through from the center and a very mild whiff of peat and tobacco slowly rising up towards the edges. It takes a few seconds for them to meet up to create a whole. When they do the floral notes are pushed forwards together with a fresh fruitiness. The sweet layer moves slightly backwards and gets a butterscotch note added within. There’s also a menthol layer hovering above everything else. This is a very nice nose and it’s shaped like a cone; With a wide sweet bottom and a fresh pointy top.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer with everything mixed in. There are notes of heather, assorted tropical fruits, tobacco, peat, honey and vanilla. There’s even a fresh saw dust oakiness and they’re all coming through at once. After a few seconds it starts to once again create the same cone as on the nose with the fruitiness and heather up front and the sweetness in the back. The tobacco and peat smoke is a bit heavier in taste than on the nose. The oakiness is floating around outside of the cone.

Finish: The menthol returns for a quick visit but it’s soon pierced by the fresh tropical fruitiness and the floral notes. The oakiness is still very fresh with plenty of wood spices and it’s creating a woody scenery in the background. There’s also a hint of ripe fruits somewhere in the middle but maybe it’s the tobacco notes and the peat creating an illusion. This is a very good whisky despite its low ABV. It’s a bit mild and a bit too oaky, but it never feels flat and/or over-oaked.

Additional information
The Highland Park 1998 was bottled in 2016 so it’s a 12 YO expression. It’s a travel retail exclusive which focuses on maturation in first fill ex-american bourbon barrels.

Japan, Suntory

Suntory Whisky Toki

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a nice rounded layer of honey and vanilla with a thin fruity and floral layer on the outside. In the center there’s a mix of a harsher grain spirit and a delicate malt note. After a while it sort of balance itself out and everything comes together to create a more compact experience. The fruitiness moves forward and it’s a mixed bag of green and red apples. There’s also something in the background which presents itself as something a bit riper. This is a nice nose which improves greatly with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a hit of the grain spirit as well as a thin green fruitiness. It’s dry and bitter with some assorted cooking spices in there as well. It’s less sweet compared to the nose, but the honey and vanilla is still in there. With time the spicyness shifts towards a black pepper note. It feels a bit harsh and very unbalanced. The oakiness is in there and it seem to be connected to the bitterness.

Finish: The finish is mainly focused around a bitter center part and a peppermint floating around on top. The fruitiness is still in there as well as the sweetness. When it starts to fade, a thin note of orange peel pops up somewhere down the line but mainly it’s just a bitter and slightly nutty oakiness which is left behind. It’s a hazelnut/almond nuttiness but it’s too little too late. This is a decent blend with a nice nose. There are some good casks involved, but it still leaves a lot more to offer.

Additional information
Toki is primarily a blend of Hakushu malt aged in American oak and grain whisky from Chita. The blend also includes single malt from Yamazaki aged in American and Spanish oak.

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Black Bottle, Unspecified

Black Bottle

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland Unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is oaky and sweet. At first there’s a massive new oak layer sitting on top of a harsh grain spirit note. The oakiness feels prickly and has a piney smell to it. After a few seconds a middle layer starts to form with a vanilla and butterscotch sweetness. There’s also a whiff of peat somewhere within. There’s a fresh lemon fruitiness in the back but it’s easily mistaken for a metallic note. With time the sweet layer expands a bit which is much needed to balance out the oak. This is not the greatest nose, not even in the budget blend catergory.

Mouth: It starts out with the same prickly and piney oakiness creating a thick layer around the palate. On the inside all the other flavours fight for attention. There’s still a sweet vanilla/butterscotch note as well as a thin peatiness. There’s also a thin flowery note floating around on top and the lemon is still found in the back. The grain spirit is very subdued and the background consists of a nice gritty layer with a hint of rubber and sulfur.

Finish: The oakiness flares up to another level and becomes truly unpleasant at first. The peatiness can’t compete with the oak so it just becomes a background noise. The sweet layer and the floral note has disappeared and all that’s left is a dry woodshop oakiness with the pine notes still within. This is a bad whisky which is way over-oaked (on purpose probably) to create the illusion of a spicy and flavourful whisky to use in drinks and cocktails.

Additional information
This whisky is said to contain several islay and Speyside malts. The grain spirit part comes from the lowlands. Bunnahabhain is mentioned as the main islay malt in this blend.