Category: Whisky

Mackmyra Vit hund Newmake 46.1%

The newmake bottled as Vit hund is of the variety Mackmyra calls “Elegant”, distilled from unpeated malt.

mackmyra_vithund

Nose: Sulfur, a touch of apricots, clear malt notes, like a grain store. Almonds and a little fennel. With water I get lemon and a bit of acetone, then honeydew melon and almond essence. Sulfur and congeners throughout.

Palate: Spice, peaches, hint of pineapple. Grainstore as well. A sharp note on the finish. With water there are more spices; cardamum and coriander, as well as baked, mealy apples.

Comments: This is nice enough to beg the question of whether maturing it is really neccessary. On the other hand it’s nice in a very different way than whisky, so perhaps, “Both, please” is the correct response. There is a lot both on the nose and the palate, and it opens beautifully with water. There is newmake roughness, of course, but that is to be expected and personally I rather like it (if you like your whisky smelling of tar I guess you may like sulfur as well, though there will probably be a lot of people who like one or the other and some will like none). Clear malty and grainy notes leave you in no doubt what sort of spirit this is, also a good thing.

 

Bunnahabhain Bn2 Elements of Islay 56.1%

The Elements of Islay series is bottled by Speciality Drinks.

Nose: Light smokyness, green wood burning, with rather a lot of leaves still on the branches. Banana and honey. More fruitiness and sweetness with water, barbequed peaches and rosemary.

Palate: Cold fireplace, ashes and coal. Maltiness and sweetness. Water lights the fire (strangely enough), the smoke becomes warmer. Underneath there is banana toffee and yellow apples.

Comments: I can only state (categorically) that peated Bunnahabhains are nice. Very nice.

Thanks to Daniel for the sample.

Bunnahabhain Liddesdale Batch #4 21 år Adelphi 46%

Nose: Plum in madeira, green herbs, burnt wood and a hint of burnt rubber, orange marmelade. With water I get mint and aniseed, but still a lot of marmelade and burnt wood.

Palate: Warm wood, hints of burnt rubber, candied orange peel. A little more bitterness with water, otherwise much the same.

Comments: The nose is nice, the palate a little boring, but it’s a nice enough dram overall.

Teaninich 1982 28 years Liquid Library 54,5%

Matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead, bottled 2010 by The Whisky Agency exclusively for Sweden.

liquid_library-2Nose: Quite a bit of alchohol, pear ice cream and a hint of orange. Water adds menthol and more fresh pear fruit.

Palate: Oak and a little apricot. With water I find some dark chocolate notes, some coriander and a hint of menthol.

Comments: Quite definitely drinkable. Not so fantastic that I will cry bitter tears once the bottle is empty, but quite nice enough that I will contribute to emptying said bottle.

Laphroaig 2006 Cooper’s Choice 46%

Nose: Smoke, something fruity and candle wax. More waxy with water, which also brings out malt.

Palate: Fireplace, camp fire, sweet smoke. More bitter smoke with water, burned orange peels, but also a fair bit of sugar.

Comments: Too sweet on the palate for my taste, but still an ok dram.

Glenturret 1977 35 years The Nectar 46,2 %

Nose: Vanilla, baked apples. The apples turn greener and fresher with water and I also find menthol notes.

Palate: Oaky bitterness, oak perfume, vanilla, baked apples, especially on the finish. More malt with water, and pears.

Comment: Probably the best Glenturret I’ve tasted. There is little to criticise except it’s a bit boring.

Arran Sherrycask 1998-2014 cask #43 54.2%

Distilled 19 January 1998, bottled 10 February 2014.

Nose: Vanilla, citrus and flowery notes. Cinnamon and nutmeg with water, after a while green apples.

Palate: Vanilla and sap. A little more bitter with water, but also more depth. A hint of cigar smoke and spice.

Comments: A fantastic nose, and a nice taste. A little bitterness on the finish detracts, but overall a very, very nice dram and pretty much perfect on a warm spring evening in Trondheim. A good candidate for this year’s summer whisky.

Tasted half-blind. I knew the importer, but not the whisky. I’d never have guessed that this was from a sherry cask, but with hindsight I see that the spices and the cigar smoke are clues I should have picked up.

Box Försmak bourbon cask smoky newmake 20 months 57%

TWF14-14Nose: Strong similarities to the Kilkerran WIP batch 1; more like aquae vitae than whisky, but very, very nice.

Palate: Malt with an aquae vitae and spruce profile.

Comments: Very promising, but also quite drinkable as is.

(Tasted at Trondheim Whiskyfestival 2014.)

Laphroaig QA Cask 40%

This bottling is exclusive for Travel Retail (for the time being). The whisky has been finished in new American oak casks (quercus alba). According to Laphroaig this finish achieves ” a blend of peat smoke balanced with warm, spicy vanilla notes.”

Nose: Smoke, a hint of liquorice, cold smoke. Water brings out vanilla and an intense apricot chocolate filling (the Norwegian Twist Aprikos, just the filling), as well as something a bit flowery and yeasty baked goods.

Palate: Smoked, cold rock. With water vanilla and yeasty baked goods.

Comment: Neither the nose nor the palate provides the classic Laphroaig medicinal character. It should also have been bottled at a higher strength (40%? Why, oh why?), but otherwise it is quite nice.