Tastes

It is a bizarre smell that welcomes you, obsolete for an Ardbeg: the full-bodied and brackish peat is there, but tamed by a strong sweet component. Red fruits, green apple, caramel, vanilla and honey mix with acrid and medicinal smoke, alternating the nostrils in a curious dance of aromas. However, we are far from the calmness of An Oa, for example, the peat remains predominant, fiercely smoky and moist, but it declines in unusual sweet and fruity tones, dictated by the influence of the pinot. The palate reveals the strength of the whisky, with the alcohol content well present at the mouth, together with a very salty and peaty roar with a good peppery touch. But again, a sweet and cuddly profile hides under the muscles of burnt wood, bringing deep caramel notes, almost like sugared almonds, together with ripe fruit (many cherries, then raspberries and peach) and honey. Caribbean cigar tobacco background. It is a continuous alternation of the two souls, who overlap without ever amalgamating really, in an eternal conflict over who should prevail. In the end, the sweetness comes out defeated, rather long with pepper, smoked seaweed, sea salt and burnt wood. The balance is precarious, the two souls of the whisky never seem to reconcile, but it is precisely the conflict that makes drinking varied and fun, a variation on the Ardbeg theme that is delicious and curious, an imbalance that perhaps for some is a defect, for me it's a bonus.

Flowers and almonds welcome the nose, with an initial alcoholic disorder which, however, subsides until it disappears letting the whisky breathe. Fruity aromas with orange, gooseberry, blueberries and melon are accompanied by a certain vinous dryness. Honey. Fresh and grassy side on the background, with a touch of wood. Very rich. Freshness is the leitmotif of the tasting, a background that caresses the palate by counteracting the peppering of the mouth. Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), nuts and fruit (orange, raisins) lie on the turf, with plenty of honey to cover them. Hint of wood. Medium and dry finish, with honey, spices and wood. Not particularly complex but rich, perhaps not yet very balanced but with an underlying freshness that you don't expect. Being the entry level of the distillery, and at a more than affordable price, you can only promote it, giving many expectations for the future.

Almonds and licorice greet the nose, accompanied by a clear cereal and biscuit component. Dried apricots, orange zest, Williams pears and the fruity side is served. In the background, a slight peaty impression. Beautiful debut, sweet and mineral, the winds on the Breton sea did a good job. And the peat sensation is amplified on the palate, mineral and smoky, flanking and thickening the flavor of the whisky, with still licorice and dried fruit, orange, chocolate, cereals. Spicy and peppery touch. Three-dimensional, young but not too much. Fairly long finish of ash, hazelnuts, cereals, with salt and pepper on the lips. I admit it, I had approached this whisky with few expectations and it really surprised me: not at all banal, full, fun, multifaceted. Being the business card of their whiskeys, this Armorik makes you want to try all the others!

The nose is obviously sherried, very soft and warm, with strong dried fruit (plums, dates and candied orange) covered with chocolate. Raisin bread, caramelized butter, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Floral and balsamic background. Rich and varied profile, with personality. Chocolate also reigns on the palate, with lots of candied orange and a pleasant pinch of chilli pepper, which is accompanied by the scent of leavened bread with hazelnuts and raisins which, together with the spices (cinnamon, of course, but also anise and nutmeg), give an acid and bitter profile, reviving the aromatic palette. Balsamic on the background, less accentuated than on the nose, and wood. Medium-long finish, sweet / bitter, with hazelnuts, plums, malt and wood. The aspects felt in the 12yo here seem amplified, kind of a consistency of aging, and appear more orderly and balanced, marking what is evidently the personality of GlenAllachie (and of the work that Walker is doing). A whisky that does not bore and knows how to stand out compared to other sherried, with the risk of not being liked by everyone, but after all... who cares! Perhaps a little overpriced given it's not particularly complex, but it deserves a taste.

The nose is initially rather ethereal and not very incisive, it takes a while to open up, finally presenting itself with hints of green apple, walnuts, a drop of honey. Above all, a turf with wildflowers. Freshly cut wood. Thin and elegant. The palate is affected by a certain alcoholic puncture, accompanied by a strong presence of malt, with again green apple, honey, raisins, lemon zest. Bitterness of walnuts and dryness of the wood. Definitely more messed up than the smell. Medium finish, made of wood, green apple, walnuts. The so-called elegance of Glenlivet here has gone astray! Perhaps the influence of the French oak was deleterious, unbalancing the aromas and bringing the whisky further away from the signature of the distillery. Too bad, because the smell was not bad at all.

On the nose it is sweet and fresh, with a light herbaceous profile that acts as a counterpoint to a profusion of ripe fruit (pineapple, peach, pear, plum), raisins infused in alcohol, Milk candy, cinnamon. In the background, a woody caress (watch out for splinters). Amiable but not pimp. The palate is interesting, placing a bitterish tip of licorice and anise next to the sweetness of the fruit, which together with chocolate, hazelnuts and, ça va sans dire, cinnamon adds thickness to the drink. Wood becomes more present, on the threshold of invasiveness but managing to keep just one step back, drying the tongue. A certain floral freshness remains, although largely in the background. Medium-long finish, made of wood, anise, hazelnuts, raisins. The bitter side I admit to be a bit unsettling, and to some it could be quite repulsive, while for me it is what has given this whisky an extra gear, making it varied and fun: the sherry endings they all tend to feel the same, while here wood has contributed to give a three-dimensionality. We are right on the edge, an extra push and everything would have collapsed (therefore, more than ever, this is a very personal feel), but for me it is promoted.

As expected, the nose is preeminently sherried, a creamy and warm apple pie with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, raisins infused in alcohol, chocolate, cereals, strawberry jam. A pinch of ginger to break this sweet explosion. Nothing complex or layered, but very pleasant. Accompanied still by ginger, the palate reflects the sweet soul of the whisky, finding the chocolate together with caramel, red fruits, malt biscuits, hazelnuts (and walnuts), orange marmalade, licorice. The sweetness is balanced by the bitter and metallic point of the dried fruit, in a perfect balance even in such a young whisky. Medium finish, with hazelnuts, licorice, malt. A simple but not trivial whisky, capable of showing a certain balance in the aromas in its youth, presenting itself as a pleasant daily drink without pretensions but not boring.

Barbecue lamb chops and seaweed in profusion invade the nose, with the acrid smoke of the embers pinching the nostrils. Balsamic touch with scorched pine flakes, orange peel. Penetrating without alcoholic burning. And even on the palate the considerable alcohol content pushes the spiciness without overwhelming, enhancing the more marine and brackish aspect of the whisky with the smoke that, although present, withdraws in front of the rising tide. The waves bring sweeter hints, which emerge laboriously bringing orange, licorice, green apple, cardamom. Long finish, of spices, ash, baked sardines, candied orange. Similar yet different from the release of the following year, perhaps less balanced between the peat and the sweet side, but still exciting and engaging.

A very fruity whisky, filling the nostrils with pineapple, mango, peach and orange. Milk chocolate, marzipan, coffee powder and the heat of the malt complete and round the nose, enveloping and sinuous. Over time, a freshest and more balsamic note is perceived, with a lemon zest. Malt and wood welcome the palate, very waxy and sherried, with liqueur raisins, hazelnuts, cinnamon, tropical fruit, candied orange, vanilla. Consistent with the nose, including the balsamic note on the background. Fairly long and dry finish, made of wood, malt, orange and hazelnut. Softly elegant and sober, a peaceful whisky, able to balance the influence of sherry, getting the best out of it without being overwhelmed.

Marzipan and ripe fruit welcome the smell, unfolding in a soft and warm mix of pineapple, peach, red fruits, malt biscuits, cinnamon. Slight woody and herbaceous scent in the background. Not very penetrating but pleasant. The biscuit and caressing malt is proposed on the palate, always accompanied by fruit and spices, custard, ripe pear, hazelnuts. Astringency of the wood in the background. Rather short finish, with hazelnuts, malt and wood. I admit I was biased, expecting an ethereal and colorless whisky, while instead I found myself in front of an honest, simple product, perhaps a little overpriced compared to its merits, but not despicable.