Whisky and other wonderful things

Nose: Sherry, raisins, pipe tobacco, green apples.

Palate: Alchohol, sherry, dark cherries, oak, leather. Water rounds it off, and you can add quite a lot of it, which also brings out some fruity notes, maybe apple pie?

Comments: A good dram, classic sherry bomb, but I was more convinced last time I tried it. I will give it another chance, obviously…

Score: Today 7 out of  10

Tasted as a mystery malt (NMWL Trondheim Mysteriemalt #3 LOJ).

Nose: My first assosciation was to grape Fanta, which is probably not very useful to anyone else as the only place I’ve had that was in The Gambia – in 1986/87… That scent disappears rather quickly from the glass, though, so it might be one of these volatile alchohols I hear so much about. Other than that:  Vanillin, sweetness. Sweet yeasty baked goods. Butter. Citrus.

Palate: Less interesting than the nose. Bitter, vegetation, more vanillin.

Comments: I would guess at this being ex-bourbon cask and not very young, at least 14-16 years old.

Random guessing, mostly based on the fact that the palate didn’t impress me, but that it doesn’t seem to be “bad” objectively: Oban? Or perhaps Springbank, many bottlings to chose from.

Comments after the reveal: I’d normally classify HP 18 as a decent dram, so I was a bit surprised. Also: Ex-bourbon? It obviously needs further investigation.

Tasted as a mystery malt.

Nose: Gooseberries and malt. Rasberry candy. Dry grass emerges when (quite a bit of) water is added.

Palate: Malt! Sweetness. Vanilla. A sharp/bitter note – not unpleasant.

Score: 8 out of 10 – I like it

Comments after the reveal: I was all at sea with the guesses here, first I tried with Bladnoch, then with an ex-bourbon Daluaine. The only thing I was right about was my guess that it wasn’t a youngster, though I suggested late teens (18ish).