Tastes

I believe this whisky review might be a controversial one. I have had some old Glenfiddichs, and my general opinion on this single malt giant, is that some (most) fancy expressions are made just to appeal a wealthy drinker and not really be anything too special to whisky nerds like me. I know that 'fiddich is very fruity at its core, but i really think that they have a flavor-shifting spirit, but they don't tend to explore it fully in some expensive expressions, and i think they do it because most unexperienced drinkers will prefer something smooth rather than bold and interesting. Having said that; this 25yo Rare Oak is bottled at 43%abv, golden color. On the nose, lots of fresh fruits. Grape juice, white wine and cotton candy. A very fresh green apple aroma. Not much else, not a bad aroma though. The palate is the best part of it. Cotton candy, Impalpable sugar, moon pie. Very grapy and spicy. Gooseberries and Chocolate. Aftertaste is decent. Pepper, hay, impalpable sugar and grapes. Overall, as you might have guessed to the short reading of the notes on this whisky, this is not a very complex one. Is it good? Yes, it is super easy to drink and you will most certainly enjoy a dram, but you expect a lot more from a 25 year old single malt, that is called "rare oak" and belongs to the best selling whisky distillery in the world. The lack of complexity makes it impossible to achieve more than 87 points in my score system.

I have never been a big Auchentoshan fan, and i normally pass on it if i have to choose between any of this lowland single malt and other whiskies. Having said that, this three wood expression really surprised me, with some tasting and aroma notes that i really did not expect from this distillery. Bottled at 43%abv, deep copper color. On the nose, pretty appealing. Red fruits: mostly cherries; Bananas. Very clean aroma, maple syrup and chocolate fudge. On the palate, it is really nice, i found some very interesting new tasting notes in here. Starts with some red fruits, caramel and acid prunes; but then it gives you this amazing flavor of chilli jam, that i don't know if you have tried before, but it is essentially a spicy marmalade. Very good. Aftertaste is a little simple but feels very balanced and obeys the rythm of the nose and palate. Cinnamon, pepper and some metallic finish. Sweet and spicy. Overall this was one enjoyable, interesting, spicy dram that felt very different from all other Auchentoshan expressions. If i was in a blind tasting event, i would have never guessed it was from this distillery. Great stuff, my score for it is 89 over 100.

Long i have waited to try the real competitor of the almighty Hibiki 21. Since the day that Japanese whisky was first made, Masetaka Taketsuru's name was carved in gold. You can even say he was the Nikola Tesla of Japanese whisky. Having said that, this "pure malt" (blended malt) is one of Nikka's jewels. But, was it good? It was. Bottled at 43%abv, copper color. On the nose, incredible apple as soon you uncork it. Definitively some oakiness due to the 21 year maturation; cinnamon. Amazing brownies aroma. Old fruits, old sweet wine aroma. Smells thick. Old blackberries. Some very elegant floral notes. Orange peel. Lemon and other citrus notes has appeared after 3 minutes. Even with all this complexity, it feels like everything is too packed, it needs more time to open. Red fruit syrup. After a first sip, the sweetness exploded. Orange caramel. Sawdust. A third sip gave me a burnt hay aroma, maybe a little peat has been used in here. On the palate, it is very sweet at first. Then a mixture of gooseberries and salt. The oakiness is present in the palate, very salty in a nice way. Acid and sweet. Acid oranges, tangerine. Peppery. The oranges here have become very sweet and sugary. Very smooth. Aftertaste is mostly grassy. Ginger and salt. Very oaky. Elegant. Medium long finish. It has a nice "bite", you find yourself chewing the aftertaste which is actually just a sensation. Dry, very rewarding. There is this "second aftertaste" that appears in your palate after 10 seconds, that resembles cotton candy and feels like sugar syrup stuck in your mouth. Is a ghost caramel that now lurks in your palate. The empty glass aroma is all about sawdust. Overall, this is a fantastic, amazingly crafted whisky. The palate is not perfect and that is where it lost a couple of points, but really this dram gets close to perfection. Very elegant, very complex but at the same time easy to drink and suitable to any kind of whisky enthusiast or plain drinker. It is worth every cent. My score for it is 96 over 100. KANPAI!

A travel retail expression of Bowmore that is called "Dark & Intense", with a 10 year old age statement, that lived to its name mostly on the nose, and then fell dramatically. Bottled at 40%abv, deep copper color. On the nose, a very complex and enjoyable aroma. Stinky peat, burnt hay. Recently baked brownies. Feels thick; caramel and some dark fruits. Macerated fruits, dark fruit syrup. After 2 minutes it released an incredible cherry syrup and the stinky peat is back. Very velvety and complex. After the first sip, aroma changed into a sweet, cheap, blackberry liquor note which happens to be very appealing. Palate is very soft. Some young woody notes right away, very watery, you can hold it easily for ages. Not very complex, lots of sawdust and hay. A second sip gave me a very nice caramel note, not much else. Aftertaste is not complex either. Very short. Some slight pepper and salt. Dim sawdust. Not much here really. Overall, i really liked the nose on this one, but the rest wasn't very good. There is nothing off-putting in here but the palate and aftertaste are very simple. An unbalanced single malt, but not a terrible one. My score for it is 75 over 100.

It is no surprise that this distillery is winning all the awards lately, and that is because Billy Walker is managing as the master distiller. This special edition was bottled exclusively for the Proffesional Danish Whisky Retailers and has been bottled at 48%abv and finished in a Pedro Ximenez Cask. On the nose, it is very complex but a little dim. Takes time to open fully. Mint, dates, floral, white chocolate, banana bread, dulce de leche, peaches and leather. After a first sip, the aroma gave me cherries dipped in dulce de leche, a very elegant spiciness; vanilla and eggnog. On the palate, is fantastic. Red fruits, red wine and lovely spices.more sips revealed white kit kat and salt. Aftertaste is very rewarding. Red fruits, prunes, tobacco, hay. There is this good oak spice present, Gooseberries and Blackberries. Overall, this is one great dram. Elegant, powerful, complex, delightful. The bitterness, sweetness and oak spices makes this single malt one memorable one. My score for it is 93 over 100.

Edradour, Scotland's smallest distillery, was once owned by Frank Costello, the Mafia Kingpin that was the inspiration for the Godfather. Having said that wonderful historic fact, this distillery is one of my favorites and this particular expression is one that i have been trying to taste for a long time. Bottled at 46%abv, with an incredible chesnut color. On the nose, it is just perfect. Cabernet Sauvingon, grape jelly, raisins, champagne cola, cinnamon, church wine and white chocolate. It feels "bloody". Almonds and bread. Amazing aroma. On the palate is a song from the band UB40, because "Red red wine". White chocolate also present here. Aftertaste is dissapointing. Pepper and Sulphur; Winey; new wood. It is very short and dry. It lasts not more than 2 seconds. Overall, this was an unbalanced dram, but not a bad experience. The nose was so beautiful, the palate was average and the aftertaste was sad. Don't get me wrong, i will still buy it, drink it and be happy with it, but i feel this one as a dram for "winey situations". My score for it is 82 over 100.

Glenmorangie is one of Scotland's fanciest distilleries. This Malaga Cask Finish is actually a whisky that has been matured in Malaga Dulce casks which is a fortified wine from another Andalucia location (diferent from the sherry triangle) but made from the Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes. The "Malaga" Term is only to describe the origin, but you can compare it to a very sweet sherry. Bottled at 47.3%abv, beautiful tawny color. On the nose, this is a very wonderful, inviting dram. Tiramisu dessert. Red fruits, a nice coffee, cream. Rice with milk, Kahlúa liquor and caramelized apple. After the first sip, the aroma turned into sugar syrup, maple honey, sweet popcorn, marshmallows and tabaco. On the palate, it starts with a beautiful blackberry marmalade flavor. Then it changes to cinnamon and orange. A second sip gave me the tiramisu from the nose and bitter coffee beans. A third sip revealed cotton candy. Very complex. Aftertaste is the weakest part without been bad at all. Lots of hay, salt and tobacco. The second sip was a lot more bitter, with a dark chocolate note, a 100% cocoa one. Overall, this is one great whisky. I actually feel that Glenmorangie has made some not great expressions lately, but they did hit the nail on this one. Yes, it is overly sweet, but i have a sweet tooth. Beautiful dram 90/100 is my score.

In almost every whisky auction you will find this exotic bottle, and as soon as i got the chance to grab a sample, i had to have it. Well, it seems the reason that everyone offers this bottle in auctions is because it is not very good and they want to sell it. Nikka Tsuru is a good looking bottle, with some cranes shown on the bottom of the ceramic decanter. Actually "Tsuru" is the Japanse word for "Crane" and also is a nice way to tribute Nikka's foundern Masetaka Taketsuru. Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose, a little weak and simple. Peaches, a nice burnt hay; slight chocolate. A general herbal fresh aroma. It became a lot better after the first sip. Nice caramel, a dim red fruitiness; a red apple note has appeared. On the palate it is very salty. A salt bomb. Peaches after the salt. A second sip gave me toffee for a second, then the saltiness appeared again and there is some dim citric notes also in there. Aftertaste is almost non-existing, since it is very short. Dry, short peppery aftertaste. New wood. Overall, this is a very dissapointing whisky. The nice decanter and the simplicity of it might deceive unexperienced drinkers, but it is not very good really. My score for it is a sad 65 over 100.

I never imagined it would be this good. This Macallan 21yo Fine oak has destroyed all my previous paradigms about this renowned distillery. An incredible, out of this world dram, that i managed to obtain a sample. Later, i found out the price of the full bottle and immidiately knew i might never drink this jewel again. But i am so glad i have had at least a sample to write this review. Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose, the most fruity, elegant and perfumed aroma ever. Starts with blackberry marmalade, sweet plums, gooseberries. A dim, surrounding sawdust; Very fruity. Dehydrated fruits. Berries. Red fruits rise after a minute. The fresh gooseberries have monopolized the aroma. After a first sip it released the most incredible dates notes ever. A thick honey. After two sips, a fancy home-made toffee appeared. Simply amazing. The palate was one of the most enjoyable i have ever found in a whisky. Dulce de leche. Some white chocolate notes. Marvelous red wine; raisins. Typical macallan sawdust. I love the honey and the white chocolate on it. Some dehydrated fruits and dim saltiness. It is very well made. Third sip was incredibly sweet, the toffee here is not your regular whisky caramel, this is a top craft. Some mixed feelings about the aftertaste. Dry woody finish. Oaky. A Paper sheet. Long lasting peppery and ginger spice. Very elegant. For lovers of oaky finishes, this is the most perfect one ever, sadly i am not a very fond fan of overly oaked finishes, but i have to recognize how good this one is. The spiciness is lovely. I have to leave my own preferences aside, this is actually incredible. Overall, this is not only going to be on my top ten this year, it most certainly will be at the podium. I am not a Macallan fan, i am actually a Macallan Skeptic, but this one blew my mind. I don't believe you can achieve this greatness in a whisky for a bottle that costs less than 400, maybe at that price some Glendronachs, Lagavulins, or Taliskers might achieve it. Absolutely breathtaking, my score for it is 100 over 100.

I will start this review saying that this is the best Aberlour i have ever had. An incredibly clean and flavorful whisky that explores fruitiness in a powerful and lovely way. The actual batch i had was the batch No. 2, bottled at 58.7%abv. On the nose, super aroma. The most incredible red apple aroma, cinnamon, a nice spiciness, honey. Super sweet, fancy toffee and maple syrup. On the palate, it follows the same path. Toffee, honey, salt, caramel. It tastes exactly as an apple pie after a couple of sips. Aftertaste is all about dulce de leche, apples and salt. It is a dessert. Overall, this is a simple, straightforward whisky that has been made in the most delicious way possible. Appealing for everyone, forget the 58.7%abv, you don't get a hint of alcohol here. The "Alba" stands for Quercus Alba, which is the american oak, and "nothing is more american than apple pie" they say, well, this is an apple pie. My score for it is 94 over 100. Grab one.