Scallywag 13 Year

Vanilla and strawberry jam roly-poly on the nose. Tastes of fudge, chocolate and muscavado with cinnamon coming through at the finish.

First sip definitely made an impression. Strong diesel like sherry. Reminds me of Fettercairn although that's a highland region dram then I thought aha it must be Aberlour stock. It's quite a tidy dram all round. Burnt sweet toffee predominantly once it opens up, the finish is a bit drying and astringent however. Metallic note was observed initially but then seemed to fade into the background until the finish. I'm swinging between a 3.75 a 4 on this one. I love the sherry oomph up front but like a lot of aberlours doesn't have that nice oily full body which translates to a thinner mid palate and bitter finish. It's funny as it's a dram best swirled around your mouth as as soon as you let it settle and swallow the experience diminishes a fair bit.

Nose - Sweet fruity caramel, vanilla, caramel apples, raisins, hint of dried cranberries, spicy fruitcake Taste - Spiced/mulled apple juice, juicy dark raisins, dried apples rehydrated with brandy & white wine, hint of dark chocolate, cinnamon, light metallic fruit, bit thin mouthfeel Finish - Lingering fruity metallic sweet, light dark chocolate bitterness, metallic lightly sweet raisins, apple juice Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - This was a fairly pleasant blended Speyside with a good amount of sherry influence. Very pleasant nose and good initial hit on the palate, although it suffers from this metallic sweetness on the back palate that lingers into the finish. This one was better than the NAS mini I tried in the past, but the metallic notes on the back end into the finish are a bit distracting. Overall not a bad dram, but I think this would be best in a highball or something that would help mask the metallic finish. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not another

Balanced