Author: Ragnhild

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.