Etikettarkiv: whisky review

Highlands, Tomatin

Tomatin 14 YO – Port Casks

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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 sweetness and dark fruits. There are raisins and vanilla with a minty overlay. Behind that there are notes of honey and sweet liquorice which create a nice depth and richness. Black grapes show up after a while and they come through somewhere in the middle of the vanilla note. The liquorice is moving forward and becomes darker and more concentrated. There is a brighter fruitiness showing up in the back with a hint of green apples. This is nice and quite complex.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and peppery. The fruitiness comes through, at first bright then moving towards the dark side. Ripe plums are now added to the raisins and black grapes. The sweetness is dark syryp. A savory and ”rubbery” note is sitting in the dead center of everything and it’s surrounded by vanilla and raisins. After a few seconds it turns a bit bitter when the dry oak comes through.

Finish: A minty breeze pass by before a thick sweetness with syryp and honey takes over. The fruitiness is consistant throughout with the same notes coming through. There’s still a savory note in the middle. The oak is dry and dusty with a chalky texture and taste. There’s a nice amount of bitterness and some hazelnuts. And as a surprise, a tobacco note is found at the very end.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2014 and is matured in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for 12-13 years and finished in first fill Tawny port pipes for up to 2 years.

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Knockando, Speyside

Knockando 15 YO – Vintage 1999

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ABV: 43 %
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 mix of sweet liquorice, fruits and vanilla with a minty freshness on top. The fruitiness is a mix of green apples and ripe berries with an emphasis on the apples. There’s also a gentle oakiness which sits along the edges of the glass surrounding everything else. A hint of dusty old books can be found but it’s well hidden in the background. With time in the glass it becomes a bit sweeter and a honey note starts to emerge. This is a nice nose with plenty of things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out very mild, sweet and malty. After a few seconds a ripe fruitiness comes through as well as a mild black pepper. There’s a floral undertone and a vanilla and honey background. It’s got a nice texture to it and there’s a nice richness overall. The oakiness is present but it lets the other flavours shine. There’s also a pinch of salt somewhere in the middle. The fruitiness is very hard to pinpoint and it feels like a basket of assorted fresh fruits with some ripe berries on top.

Finish: The minty freshness return from the start of the finish as well as the malty and sweet core. The fruitiness is still a mixed bag of different varieties. The old books comes through as well as the oakiness and the vanilla. There’s also a feint marzipan sweetness within. In the late finish all the flavours slowly fade except for the oakiness which stays constant throughout. It a nice oakiness with a nutty character without being bitter or protruding. There’s also a savory note which lingers in the background. This is a very nice whisky which never gets boring.

Additional information
This expression is part of the Knockando core range and it’s aged in european ex-sherry casks and american refill ex-bourbon barrels.

Ballantine’s, Miltonduff, Speyside

Ballantine’s Miltonduff 15 YO

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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 sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet layer with honey, vanilla and black liquorice. Underneath a baked red apple and a maltiness gets mixed with yellow pears and a decent amount of oak. With time in the glass it just grows sweeter and it feels very dessert-like. It’s a nice enough, very straight forward nose without any shifts or surprises.

Mouth: It starts out with the maltiness up front with a sprinkle of black pepper on top. A somewhat unpleasant bitter oakiness spreads in the back. The fruitiness is subdued and doesn’t contribute much to the whole. There’s also an ethanol layer coming through which isn’t all that nice. It feels way younger than its age and it just doesn’t produce anything good at this point. After a few seconds a hint of vanilla and honey shows up but it’s too little too late.

Finish: A small increase in fruitiness, the same red apples and yellow pears, starts out the finish but it disappears as fast as it shows up. Afterwards the maltiness together with a thin honey and vanilla sweetness takes over. Everything except the oak disappears quite fast. The oakiness is still a bit bitter but not in an especially good way. In the late finish the oak actually becomes a bit nutty with a hazelnut quality to it which is nice. This is a so and so whisky which doesn’t live up to the age statement. The nose is simple but by far the best part of the experience.

Additional information
Miltonduff is one of the cornerstones of the Ballantine’s blends. This 15 YO was released in 2017 and is aged in american ex-bourbon barrels.

Highlands, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Heavily Peated

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh and peaty. At first there’s a big and hebacious peatiness. There’s fresh grass and hay with a back note of ashes and fruits. The fruitiness is undefinable, but leaning towards something like green fruits. There is a generic sweetness within and everything is put closely together without a lot depth and width to it. It feels somewhat young and it lacks the medicinal, coastal notes needed to make peaty youth interesting. It’s a warm, fairly straight forward nose. It’s a one-dimensional but otherwise decent nose.

Mouth: It starts out very mild and sweet with the peat clinging to the sides and the back of the mouth. It’s very round and apologetic about its peat level. The herbacious nature of the peat makes it warm and easy to approach. The ashy note is just not pushing through at this stage. The green fruits are still in there but they are more subdued compared to the nose. It’s still a fairly one-dimensional experience. There is a thin bitterness slowly rising in the back, but it never pushes through or changes anything. Vanilla and honey do arrive after a long while.

Finish: A thin layer of apples and vanilla sits above a savory note in the back. After a second or two the peat returns and now with the ashy notes attached. There still is a grassy hay note floating around and an oakiness sitting in the back with the savory note. It’s a pretty anonymous oakiness but it’s not offensive in any way. The finish is actually not that bad. This is a whisky which lacks some key elements and some depth, but delivers a budget friendly peat punch.

Additional information
The Loch Lomond heavily peated was released in 2020. There’s no information on the maturation length or the specific cask type. It’s PPM level is said to be around 50.

Islands, Jura

Jura 10 YO – Origin

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is vanilla sweetness and ripe fruits. At first there’s a mix of ripe red apples and dark red berries with a honey and vanilla sweetness on top. There are floral notes floating around as well as a cinnamon note. The whole thing is very centered and it feels like there are flavours missing around the edges. The vanilla note moves forward with time and there’s a gritty complexity which kind of builds up in the background but never seems to spread out. This is a straight forward and pleasant nose, which really benefits from time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a somewhat thick layer of honey. After a few seconds the fruitiness breaks through and it’s still ripe apples and berries. The vanilla is still in there and there’s a thin smoky note floating around as well. It feels a bit narrow and it still refuses to spread out over the palate. After a while the honey and vanilla becomes a toffee note. There’s a tiny hint of tropical fruits coming through from the back but it’s very subdued and miniscule.

Finish: A fresher tropical fruitiness pushes through in the start of the transition but it’s soon covered by the honey and vanilla sweetness. It takes a couple of seconds before the sweetness start to break down and for the tropical fruitiness return. It now sits together with a very nice and nutty oakiness. It’s mainly hazelnuts but there’s a mixed nuts quality to it. The late finish is by far the best part of the journey. This is a decent whisky which suffers from being to mild and quite narrow on the palate.

Additional information
This Jura 10 YO is matured in ex-bourbon american oak barrels for the entire aging period. It’s now discontinued.

Ballantine’s, Unspecified

Ballantine’s Finest – Hard Fired

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sharp. At first there’s a mix of red berries and green apples sitting on top of a very sharp and unpleasant distillate. Vanilla and butterscotch notes are sitting in the background. The heavily charred oak is coming through quite clear and the charcoal is very much a central part of the whole. With time in the glass the sharpness sudsides and it becomes mild and mellow. This is a decent nose for a cheap blend.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of butterscotch and vanilla with a lining of mixed fruits and charcoal. The sweetness is a bit unpleasant like aspartam and it’s mixed with a sweet liquorice note. There’s a nice mellow peppery note within and a not so nice bitterness. It’s sharp and metallic in the back and there’s a wet cardboard note as well. The charcoal slowly increases in intensity for those who are patient.

Finish: The transition is a bit flat and the vanilla, butterscotch and aspartam sweetness sort of just continue on. After a second or two there’s a brighter fruitiness arriving as top notes. The sharp ethanol layer is still making up most of the background together with a slightly bitter oakiness. The charcoal disappear fast as well as the fruitiness and it doesn’t take long for it to fall apart. All that’s left is a flat oakiness and some aspartam sweetness. This is not the best of whiskies but there are some decent casks involved and it lives up to its ”hard fired” claim.

Additional information
This blend was released in 2016. It’s aged in second fill american ex-bourbon barrels. The special thing about this is that the barrels are emptied, then ”hard fired” (recharred) and then the whisky is put back in the barrel for a finishing period. Also, it’s supposedly not the same blend as the original.

Singleton, Speyside

The Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire

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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 fruity and spicy. At first there’s a center note of red apples and raspberries. It’s surrounded by a cloud of kitchen spices and vanilla. The background is made up by a maltiness and a young spirity note. With time in the glass it becomes fruitier and leans more towards red berries. It feels a bit flat, but it’s a nice enough nose.

Mouth: It starts out with vanilla and honey and a not so pleasant note of underaged spirit. After a few seconds the fruitiness arrives and it’s now back to a mix of overripe red apples and berries. The oakiness is dry and brings the kitchen spices along. It becomes slightly bitter and the maltiness is in there.

Finish: A surge of the overripe apples and vanilla goes by quickly and the finish is all about the european oak casks. It’s a dry and spicy oakiness with a hint of hazelnuts. It stays for a long time and the bitter side of the oakiness stays for quite the time. The finish is the best part of this whisky. It’s a bit flat and young, but there are nice enough flavours within to make it a good experience.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2014 as a part of the core range. It’s aged in a combination of european ex-sherry casks and american ex-bourbon barrels.

Glenfarclas, Speyside

Glenfarclas 105

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ABV: 60 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and spicy. At first there’s a sweet layer of dried dark fruits and berries covered in dark syryp with anis and herbs coming through from behind. The ABV creates a cooling effect on top which gives it a nice contrast to the dark fruitiness. The oakiness can be detected within the sweet notes but it’s residing in the background. It doesn’t change much over time in the glass except for the arrival of vanilla after a few minutes. This is a very nice and powerful nose but it lacks some depth and development to be fantastic.

Mouth: It starts out with a dark fruity center with honey covered raisins and overripe plums and then it immidiately becomes slightly astringent. The high ABV deals quite the punch and it becomes very peppery after a second or two. The fruitiness is darker up front and fresher in the back with a hint of lemon. There’s a nice gritty and complex chaos going on in the background. It feels earthy and herbal with a hint of dry soil coming through when it settles. There’s also a black coffee bitterness which starts to build up after a few sips.

Finish: The transition is straight forward and there’s no big spike in any flavour or sensation. It sort of continues on its set path along the way. The flavours doesn’t change until the oak starts to take over. There’s a thin floral note floating around somewhere up top with a resemblance to violets. The oakiness is nice enough and does a competent job in keeping the finish going and becomes a bit nutty along the way. The slight astingency never increases which is a good thing. This is a great whisky and a nice powerful sherry bomb.

Additional information
Tracable back to 1968, this was the first cask strength whisky released. It’s aged for around 8-10 years, 70 % in european ex-Oloroso sherry casks and 30 % in american ex-bourbon barrels.

Speyside, Strathisla

Strathisla 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. Honey, red berries and ripe plums create a layer that sits on top of a very clean distillate. Sweet liquorice, vanilla and a hint of salted caramel comes through after some time in the glass. This is not complex and everything seems a bit muted and soft, which makes this very approachable.

Mouth: A very mild start with a thin line of bright fruits coming through. Butterscotch is dominating the whole thing together with vanilla, honey and a hint of darker fruits like ripe plums and black grapes. It’s got a quite thick texture and a nice touch of chili spicyness. Everything is still a bit muted though.

Finish: At first there’s nothing but the mild spicyness. When they finally return the flavours has become less sweet and fruity and more bitter. There are notes of pears and butterscotch in the back, but they are soon overrun by the oakiness. The oakiness follows the same low key profile as the rest of the flavours. This is extremely approachable and easy to drink, but that also means that it lacks complexity and power.

Additional information
Strathisla is one of the main components of the Chivas Regal blends. This 12 YO is matured in a combination of ex-sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks.

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Dalwhinnie, Highlands

Dalwhinnie 15 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very bright and fruity. It’s a big basket of green pears and apple juice. There’s a floral overlay and the honey note is subtle and feels like the natural sweetness of the fruits. It’s very mild on the nose and very approachable. There’s a hint of oakiness and a whiff of smoke but they are well hidden. Very pleasant. It gets more dense and sweeter with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a tiny bitter note before becoming dusty and sweeter. There are honey, vanilla and musty apple notes. A little spicy touch arrives after a second or two. The bitterness turns into the oak note, which gives away the age with a grey weathered feel to it. Just as on the nose, the sweetness increases with time in the glass.

Finish: At first it’s spicy and fruity but then turns musty and dusty. The oakiness comes through with a hefty bitterness like an espresso. The oak is still old and weathered. The fruitiness is still around, but it has turned into something more like red juicy apples. It tags along down the road. There’s no astringency and it’s a very easy and approachable experience.

Additional information
This whisky is a part of Diageo’s ”The classic malts of Scotland” series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

England, The English Whisky Co

The English Original

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a soft layer of honey and vanilla sitting on top of a young and quite lively distillate. It’s perfumey with both floral and fruity notes. Green apples, lemon and just a touch of sour grapes comes through within the center and there’s a small toffee note as well. Time in the glass is of the essence and makes it less spirity and more approachable with a nice desserty feel to it. This is a good nose but it feels a bit young and sharp.

Mouth: It starts out with custard up front and a bitter note in the back. It takes a while before the other notes pushes through but when they do it becomes very sour in the back with a mild toffee note up front. The fruit notes are the same but with a higher emphasis on lemon and lemon zest. It’s still sharp and spirit driven and it lacks the desserty overall feel the nose promises.

Finish: It starts of with a modest vanilla and toffee note in one layer and lemon zest, green apples and oak in a layer underneath. It doesn’t take long before most of the flavours fall apart which leaves a nice oakiness behind. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness which still manages to keep itself at a nice level so it never becomes protruding. There’s a slightly dry nuttiness within as well. The late finish reveals a metallic note in the back. This is a decent whisky and there are some glimpses of great flavour combinations. Too bad it feels a bit young and sharp.

Additional information
The English Original was released in 2016 as a core range whisky. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered.

Cragganmore, Speyside

Cragganmore 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. It’s a center of vanilla, honey and toffee with a surrounding disc of fresh green grapes, white wine and a hint of elderflower. There’s also a hint of menthol surrounding everything. This is a one-layer, all-in-one experience. There’s no twist and turns nor changes and the presentation is very tasty in its own right. This is a great comforting easy accessible nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a mix of honey, lemon and vanilla. A speck of dust is present and the white wine note is now creating an aura around everything else. There’s still a toffee note within. The fresh green grapes are gone and the floral note has slightly changed. After a few seconds there’s a increase in spicyness. At the same time the oakiness starts to shine through. It also becomes more floral with time.

Finish: At first there’s a small gap where the floral and fruity white wine flashes by before the honey and vanilla return. They quickly subside and the white wine and elderflower once again take over together with a very pleasant, nutty oakiness. It brings some hazelnuts, but without the bitter tang. In the late finish there’s a lemon note and the oak and the sour note stays for a long finish. This is mild, but it’s still a fantastic malt. This is an easy sipper with a lot to offer.

Additional information
This is one of Diageo’s six bottlings in their classic malts of Scotland series. The cask type isn’t stated anywhere, but it’s suggested on many sites that It’s aged in 2nd fill and/or refill ex-bourbon casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Tayne

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly fruity. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness together with a hint of rye and liquorice. In the center a dark and syrypy fruitiness can be found but it’s somewhat muted from the start. The whole thing is a bit withdrawn and hard to get. There’s an oakiness floating around in the back as well as a hint of lemon. This is a nice enough nose but it’s not especially interesting.

Mouth: It starts out with a nutty oakiness surrounding a sweet center core. There’s a walnut bitterness in the back and up front there’s a mix of honey, dark fruits and coffee liqueuer. There’s a mild chili spicyness which creates a much needed impact on the palate. There’s no journey through it though, except for the mild spicyness everything is just sitting there, no surprises along the way.

Finish: The same goes for the start of the finish. It sort of just seemlessly tranisitons without anything flaring up or disappering. It’s still a nutty walnut oakiness in the back and a coffee liqueuer and dark fruitiness up front. The spicyness stays at a reasonable level throughout. With time the oakiness takes over and it becomes somewhat dry and slightly astingent. The oakiness is nutty and becomes quite tasty when it leaves most of the other flavours behind. This is a good whisky but it comes of as a bit one-dimensional and boring.

Additional information
The Tayne is a travel retail exclusive released in january 2016. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in european ex-Amontillado sherry casks.

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn – Tycho’s Star

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ABV: 41.8 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and mildly peated. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness up front and a mild leathery peat in the back. In between sits a layer of red fruits. There’s a nice strawberry jam note coming through in the center. With time in the glass a black liquorice note pops up connected to the sweet layer. There’s also a note best described as pencil shavings. This is a great nose with a unique character.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and fruity with the peat now much more pronounced than on the nose. It’s dry soil and leather. The pencil shavings note is still in there as well. The fruitiness is still red fruits but the strawberry jam is gone. There’s also a green apple sourness coming through. The vanilla and honey slowly returns with time as well as the liquorice. It’s somewhat astringent. With time there’s a toffee note forming in the center.

Finish: It starts out with a burst of the fruitiness with an increase of the sour apples in the background. The peatiness waits a few seconds before returning and brings the oakiness along on the sides and in the back. There’s a round toffee and vanilla center and when the initial sourness subsides it leaves room for the red fruits once again. In the late finish the peat and oak takes over. The oakiness feels fresh like newly planes oak, but it’s not attacking the palate. This is a great, well made whisky with a lot to explore.

Additional information
This single malt is made on a small island, on which the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe lived, hence the name. This is aged in 58,20% heavily charred Quercus Muehlenbergii from Missouri, 33,44% heavily charred Quercus Petraea from Allier och 8,36% medium roasted Quercus Robur from Bourgogne. The malt is a mix of Pale Ale, chocolate, and heavily peated malt. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Ian Macleod Distillers, Independent bottlers, Islay, MacLeod’s (Islay)

Macleod’s Islay

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and peaty. At first there’s a medicinal and vegetable peatiness up front. When it settles there are spikes of fresh citrus fruits and a smell of cardboard. The ethanol is coming through in a not so good way and it’s lacking in depth. After a while there’s a tobacco note and a hint of vanilla coming through around the edges. It becomes a bit fruitier with time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat and then it becomes honey sweet. After that it takes a second or two for the peat to arrive. It’s a warmer peatiness than on the nose with burning hay and wood. There’s vanilla and a feint scent of assorted fruits buried within. There’s still a taste of cardboard and it still lacks depth. Everything seems to sit in a single layer.

Finish: The medicinal peatiness takes over and the first part of the finish is quite nice. After a while it sort of shifts towards being savory and when the oak arrives there’s a nice complexity to it. The oak is not especially interesting and the finish isn’t very long. There is a small hint of ripe berries peeking through somewhere along the line. This is an okey whisky and it serves it purpose, giving peat lovers on a budget a decent alternative.

Additional information
This is the Islay version of the series ”Macleod’s Regional Malts” by independent bottler Ian MacLeod Distillers. The distillery and the age are not disclosed.

Craigellachie, Speyside

Craigellachie 13 YO

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and malty. At first there’s an icing sugar sweetness and a sour maltiness coming through. There are green apples, toffee and a squeeze of lemon sitting in the middle. After a while the sweetness becomes honey and vanilla and merges with the toffee notes. It takes a while for the sherry fruits to arrive but when they do it’s a mix of fresh forest berries. There’s also a mild minty cloud hovering above everything. This is a great nose which highly benefits from time in the glass.

Mouth: It starts out with a round core of butterscotch and citrus fruits. It soon reveals a nice black pepper spicyness. The sherry notes are now much darker and have become a mix of dried raisins and dades together with notes of citrus fruits. Meanwhile the background gets filled with bitter zest and oak. It feels quite lively and produces a lot of flavours and sensations.

Finish: It starts out with the black pepper note and the butterscotch. The fruitiness is very subdued which leaves room for the oakiness to step forward early. It’s still connected to the bitter zesty lemon notes yet it feels quite dry and dusty. The maltiness is still coming through as the finish subsides. This is a great whisky which presents itself with standard flavours, but does so in a rich and engaging way.

Additional information
The 13 YO is the entry level to Craigellachie’s core range released in 2014. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Dornoch – Limited Edition

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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 slightly fruity. At first there’s a big honey and vanilla impact. Behind the sweet layer lies a touch of mixed dried fruits. Deeper down there’s a hint of a smoky peat, but it’s very subtle. When it settles it reveals a fruity distillate with green apples within and a maltiness with a hint of toffee. The whole thing is covered in mild menthol. This is a nice laid back and subtle nose without being flat and boring.

Mouth: At first there’s a thin layer of fresh oak and very mild peat surrounding a sweet inner core. That layer soon shifts into a coffee bitterness and moves back, but it stays connected to the sherry notes arriving in the center. The sweetness subsides and makes room for dried fruits and a hint of walnuts. All the flavours seem to grow richer with time. The apples are still detectable in the back.

Finish: The fresh oakiness and the mild smoky peat seem to stay constant through the transition. There’s a hint of pine shining through before the coffee bitterness and the dry fruits comes through once again. The maltiness is present as well as the walnuts but it’s no longer sweet. After a few seconds there’s a tropical fruitiness somewhere within. When the oak takes over it carries the very mild peat, the walnuts and the tropical fruits in its wake. This is a very good whisky with a somewhat complex character. It’s a bit mild at times, but it’s not bland.

Additional information
This limited edition release is made from classic ex-bourbon cask matured Glenmorangie as well as some lightly peated distillate matured in Amontillado casks. A donation is given to the Marine Conservation Society for the reservation of the Dornoch firth for each bottle sold.

Speyside, Tamdhu

Tamdhu 12 YO

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ABV: 43 %
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 vanilla coating surrounding a mixed bag of fruits, with both fresh citrus fruits and ripe dark fruits. There are oranges, raisins and overripe plums. Cinnamon, honey sweetness and vanilla come from the edges and move inwards over time. The fruitiness turns a bit darker too. This is a nice nose with a mild, round character without any big outliers or surprises.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but with a direct impact of honey, vanilla and dried fruits. As the flavour impact increases the cinnamon shows up together with toffee and oranges. A very pleasant spicyness slowly rolls in over the palate and creates a much needed intensity to the whole. A nice bitter note shows up in the back which creates depth and complexity when it merges with the rest of the flavours.

Finish: The transition is quite uneventful and it sort of dips for a second before it once again produces mixed fresh and dry fruits together with a round toffee and honey sweetness. The oakiness shows up early and rolls in from the sides. The finish feels a lot brighter and fresher with the oranges and red berries coming through more clearly. The oakiness stays in an outer layer and in the back which gives the rest of the flavours a chance to come along throughout the finish. This is a really good whisky which just lacks the final little push towards greatness.

Additional information
This whisky is aged in a mix of first and second fill american and european ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highland Park, Islands

Highland Park Einar

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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 fruity. At first there’s a sweet round layer of honey and vanilla surrounding a core of fresh red berries. Underneath a mild and herbaceous peatiness creates a backdrop. There’s also a fresh peach and sour lemon freshness somewhere within. Cinnamon, oak and black liquorice are all in there as well. It becomes sweeter over time. This is a good nose but it feels a bit thin and shallow with the peatiness not really connecting to the other flavours.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat, but soon there’s a honey and butterscotch note arriving together with a leathery and smoky peatiness and a mild black pepper spicyness. The fruitiness is sent to the back and the liquorice and honey notes are up front. There’s a nice gritty background flavour with oak, rubber and a hint of sulfur. This creates a much needed layer of complexity. The fruitiness comes back together with vanilla notes after a while.

Finish: The black pepper returns in small sprinkles as the finish starts with an otherwise flat array of sweetness and mild peat. There are still red berries within but they are now darker. There are raisins and overripe plums peeking through. The gritty background notes return and they stay behind together with vanilla and butterscotch when the oakiness starts to build up. The oakiness is a nice mix of fresh and dry oak and it’s got a nice spicy character. There’s also a small nutty side to it. This is a very good whisky but it really lacks some power.

Additional information
The Highland Park Einar was released as a travel retail exclusive in 2011. The ppm is 20 and it’s aged in both american and european Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks. It has natural colour.

Deveron, Highlands, MacDuff

The Deveron 12 YO

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruits and soft toffee. There’s a bright fresh fruitiness with apples, pears, green grapes and just a slight hint of grapefruits. It rests on a base of toffee and/or butterscotch. Vanilla and honey is in there, but they are just fillers in between the other flavours. The whole thing is covered in a thin aura of eucalyptus.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but quickly turns to a sour lemon and a small spicy note. Butterscotch comes rolling in and it brings some oakiness along. The fruitiness is a long way back and it’s not as bright as on the nose. The oakiness and the butterscotch are divided equally and it makes it a bit bland. It turns more towards honey as time passes in the glass. This is a bit disappointing compared to the nose.

Finish: It sort of just disappears. After a few seconds the eucalyptos note returns and the oakiness comes through again. The oakiness is nice and there’s no astringency. There’s a thin note of walnuts and a touch of anise coming through. After a while the butterscotch and honey start to make themselves noticed and it somewhat changes character. In the end, there’s a chalk note covering the oak. This is very mild and an easy sipper.

Additional information
This is an expression from the MacDuff Distillery released in 2015 as a part of Dewar’s ”Last Great Malts of Scotland” series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels”.