Tastes

I tried the ”old” version of this whisky, bottled at 43% (which is currently being replaced with a new version bottled at 40%). Nose: Quite discrete. Very creamy and smooth. Almonds, caramel, and canned peaches (or maybe apricots). A touch of plums as well. Just a tad of woody cinnamon. Toffee. All-in-all quite a few nuances on the nose, yet subtile. I like it. Palate: Again subtile - not an explosion of taste, but plesant mouthfeel. Toasted nuts and wood; very rounded, with just a tad of bitterness. Some of the fruits from the nose are carries over, but are much less prominent. Overall I experiece it just a bur underwhelming - the subtileness being very close to ”thin”. Finish: Initial finish is a bit short, but waiting a few seconds a quite long pleaant creamy nuttiness follows (a bit resembling of the coffee crema on an espresso). Also a dry woody touch, a bit like strong black tea (but without the bitterness). Overall: Refined, and you do get the age. Full of nuances and really, really tasty. Yet it underwhelms slightly on the palate, and I relly would have liked to see this at 46% or higher abv. Also you need to work a bit to pick up all those nuances, letting it rest and sticking the nose deep in the glass. All things considered, being on the generous side perhaps, I must it’s a really good whisky (on the boarder of being great), and I score it 4.0.

Nose: Quite mild, yet a bit stinging from the alcohol. Not impressed. A light synthetic bubblegum fruitiness meets salted caramel. After more sniffs there is some licorice, anise, and just a tad of gunpowder. Palate: Again mild; quite light on flavor. Smooth and oily/waxy texture. More of the salted caramel paired with licorice. Less fruity than on the nose; I’d say it’s generically ”savory”, and - too be honest - a tad ”unfresh”. Taking larger sips, I get some oak, and some winey notes as well. Finish: Licorice and a hint of the caramel. Short/medium in length. Overall: Pulling in a lot of directions; the fruityness, caramel and licorice does not merge well in my opinion. Also, the taste is a bit damped, unless you take larger sips. It does have some character, but I much prefer Clynelish 14 if I want a waxy/savory whisky, and if I’m into a full-bodied mix of fruit and caramel with just a hint of smoke I’ll rather go for NFTB. Overall I am disappointed with Oban 14, though I can see it appeal to some based on its caramel savoryness, but imo it does not hold up to scrutiny. I score it 2.75, i.e. an ok whisky - I would expect more for that price.

Nose: Rich, creamy, (salty almost) caramel. A faint touch of smoke, very subtile and well integrated. Some minor fruitiness. All-in-all it is almost a bit reminicent of crispy fried bananas with caramel. Palate: More caramel, with a well balanced (and not overpowering!) sweetness. The alcohol bites, giving a peppery touch. Rich, creamy and robust (but without being nutty). More banana - banana peel almost. Just an ounce of smoke, not at all pervasive but just enough to add richness and nuance. Finish: Medium long, rich and robust. No bitterness whatsoever. The notes from the palate lingers and fades slowly. Overall: Well integrated. Smooth yet far from being one-dimensional! A very accessible dram which is easy to like, perfect as a quality sipper or as a gift. I would not have guessed it’s a blend. I score it 4.25, being a really really good whisky!

Nose: First impression is fresh, fizzy almost! More than a touch of lemons. This is followed by vanilla, melted butter and various floral notes that can be twisted and turned as you nose it. Very delicate, but still quite intense somehow! Palate: Sponge cake, drained in melted butter and vanilla, without being too sweet. This is really good. Some minor bitterness, but not to the point that it’s disturbing. It packs much more taste than your average young un-peated whisky. Really great! Finish: Medium in length. More vanilla, very pure. After a while there’s just a hint of white chocholate. Not quite on par with the nose and the palate, but still good. Overall: An excellent execution of a young burbon-cask matured whisky, evident of a competent destillate and the balls to let it show. The result is a delicate, yet rich and vibrant whisky. I score it 4.0 which is the mark of a great whisky (though in the lower end of great).

Nose: Pears and vanilla, very Mackmyra-esque. There is peat/smoke too, but a very herbal and forest-like, fresh yet earthy peat (for anyone into male fragrances; think Tom Ford Grey Vetiver). Just a hint of (pickled?) cucumber as well (!). The nose is more interesting than tasty. Palate: Very delicate, yet full of flavour. More pear and vanilla but rounded by the light herbal peat, still maintaining its fruity freshness. The peat is more campfire-like than on the nose, and reminds me of a misty autumn morning in the woods, waking up to an allmost burnt-out campfire, and getting it going again with some slightly moist branches, making the smoke rise high (though the peat is still light). Finish: This whisky just gets better and better. The lovely herbal peat lingers, infused with just hints of apples and pears. After a while light chocholate can be detected. Overall: The nose did not impress me too much, but tve palate and especially the finish did. Mackmyra’s spirit holds a fruity, cereal, allmost yeasty quality which is lovely, but very delicate. This take on it maintains both this delicacy and infuses it with an additinal layer of taste. Overall I score it a very solid 3.75 (i.e. really good, just not quite in ”great” territory).

Nose: Right out of the bottle it’s rough, I could have guessed it’s a blend. But after a few minutes in the glass it settles a bit. It’s still rough but darker and creamier with hint of toffee with sea-salt and orange peels. Ok but nothing exciting. Palate: Not smooth, but really good! Dark, spicy and fruity (but not sherry-like!): Chocholate-covered marzipan, coffee, ginger, and more orange peels. Everything is covered in a certain ”dirtyness” which gives character (a bit like Old Pulteney). Finish: Medium-to-long. Coffee, chocholate, and a generic dark fruity/berry-note. Again really good. Overall: I would not call it refined nor sophisticated, but it tastes really good and packs a lot of taste. Pity that the nose wasn’t better. I still score it a solid 3.75, being a bit gereous perhaps, but I want to reward that great palate!

Nose: Juicy, sweet apple tart with marzipan. Coffee with milk. Touch of dark chocholate. Rosted nuts. Vanilla. Palate: More roasted nuts and marzipan. Spicy and sweet coffee, but with a light fruity touch as well - which goes well with it. Finish: Medium long. Sweet and woody, yet fruty. After a while it tirns into milk chocholate (very faint). Overall: Liquid apfelstrudel with coffee! Really nice. Mackmyra’s (green) fruity, spirit goes very well with the active parts of the casks used. Solid 3.75 - just a stronger finish from being really great.

Nose: Well, peat! Not smoke but peat. Compared to other heavily peated whisky the nose on this one is less campfire and more smokdering wet peat. Deeper sniffs reveal a slight metallic, meaty note adding a slight layer of complexity to a pleasant but otherwise rather one-dimentionsl nose. Palate: Hay and more peat. Black pepper. Again, no smoke/soot which can be sensed in many Islay whiskies. No bitterness. Really nice! Finish: Not too much more than the palate. More of the non-sooty peat. After a while a rounded chocholaty note can be sensed which is nice. Overall: One of the first single malts I tried. Back then I liked it a lot. Now I’d say it’s a but flat. Still, it is very good as it offers a slightly different take on heavily peated whisky, being fairly unique with its pepperiness and non-sooty peat. I score it 3.50 I’d say it’s indisputably good but still a bit overrated.

Nose: Toffee, sea salt and oranges. A vague metallic note. A bit spirity. Palate: Salted caramel, dark chocholate. Not very thick though. Some bitterness (from the spirit, not the oak). Finish: Some coffee and dark chocholate. Again hints of oranges - or orange peels rather. Medium long. The finish is actually the best part of this whisky, which is a bit surprising for such a young whisky. Overall: Pulls in dufferent directions and is not harmonious. It does have som interesting sides to it though and its surprisingly flavourfull for a relatively cheap NAS single malt. I score it 2.5, i.e. a decent whisky and better than most regular blends. I’d recommend the 12yo version instead though.

Nose: Pears, pears, and green apples. Very fragrant, light and fresh. Deeper sniffs reveal cereal notes (cornflakes?). Some light toffee as well. Touch pf green banans. Like this a lot. Like Old Pulteney 12 with the apple/pear notes on steroids. Palate: Slightly thinner than I hoped for. You need to take larger sips to get the full body if the whisky. More pears and light vanilla. Some very well rounded spicyness (black pepper). No bitterness/woodyness. Very fresh, almost a white wine quality to it. Touch of minty peat (barely noticeable). Finish: Pleasant but on the shorter side. No new notes emerges. Overall: I like this style of fresh whisky. It reminds me of OP12, but with even more pears/apples but with less funky notes (as can be sensed in most OP). I score it 3.5 on the back of the delicate fruity notes which are just lovely (it’s not far away from 3.75). A bit more taste and a stronger finnish and this would have been a really great one.