Scott_E
Abhainn Dearg Single Malt
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
October 12, 2018 (edited September 23, 2021)
Friday, yahoo. Worked late, there the Dodgers/Brewers game on. Now to try this inaugural release. My SDT mate @PBMichiganWolverine proudly provided this sample.
Is it Gin? That is the initial impression I get. Botanical with a alcohol nose. It does settle down and becomes a bit sweeter and fruitier. Dried pineapples, honeysuckle, barley sugar. Damp, earthen woods/forest and ginger tea.
Harsh and course on initial draw. Cheap gin quality. Mineral and bitter. There’s a similar flavor of the glue that’s used on envelopes and stamps. Wood and alcohol. This is all within a medium light body.
What remains is bitterness of lemons and charred wood.
This by far is the worst thing I have tasted in quite some time. There are no redeeming qualities. I tried to loot past and get through; it was tough. I would be surprised if anyone, besides @PBMichiganWolverine would want to purchase. [40/100][Tasted: 10/12/18]
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@Generously_Paul I think I’m the other extreme. I’m the only one that actually gagged and threw up after having this. Maybe I’m overly sensitized to something in there.
I don’t get it either. It just didn’t come across as bad to me, just very different. I’m a huge Tamdhu fan as well, yet most of the usual suspects here seem to have less than warm feelings towards their whisky.
@PBMichiganWolverine That’s crazy, the increased value. Because it’s inaugural thus it has some intrinsic worth? I can’t imagine someone buying this for an investment. It’s like those really bad B movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space that becomes a cult classic.
@Scott_E it’s now worth hundreds, since it’s not available. I don’t think I paid much—-my basic philosophy is never to pay silly money for an inaugural release. Sadly, if I kept this instead of gagging and spitting it out, it would’ve been worth a lot
@PBMichiganWolverine Lol! What a ride. There’s that initial excitement when you buy. The anticipation of the first aromas and taste. And then the crash and let down feeling duped and disappointed. Hopefully you didn’t pay too much for this.
I’m still surprised @Generously_Paul gave it 3 stars.
@Scott_E not sure if I told you, but I got this from a small shop in Frankfurt. Really rare, hard to come by. Much later, when I opened this for our SDT team, and had my first sip, my very first thought was “ damnit, that guy in Frankfurt sold me a fake! It’s bear piss!!!” Turns out, it’s just really bad horrible whiskey that never should’ve been bought to market