24 drams till Christmas 2016 #15: Teerenpeli Karhi NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Teerenpeli
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2015
Age: 5
Limitation: 1882 bottles
Casks: ex-bourbon with Madeira finish
Alcohol: 43%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Finnish whisky named after a farming tool. Finished in Madeira casks after initial maturation of 5-7 years in ex-bourbon casks? Let’s taste it!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber-ish gold
The nose promises a mellow, gentle dram upon first nosing – a bit shy, yet not without character. Malty sweetness paired with vanilla up front, spearmint, oranges and apricots and juicy sultana raisins. The profile is not too sweet, however, it is more fruity than sweet and it is overshadowed by an aroma I can’t quite put my finger on. Not really metallic but also not really in the grassy direction – maybe just something picked up from the Madeira casks? Definitely interesting and pleasant, but not earth-shattering so far. Let’s see if the palate provides us with further hints: Hm. Interesting. Where have the fruits gone? A bit on the dry side dry yet mouth-coating on the arrival. But what are those aromas? Sweet malt, vanilla, and perhaps a puree of summer berries – strawberries and supermarket blackberries? Well, there’s a hint of oak paired with some darker fruits in there, but their hard to tell apart. Oh, and that strange note is back on the retronasal experience. More on the metallic side now, but not really metallic. Hmmmm. I’m sure the sample is okay, I trust the source. The long finish also has a slight nip upon swallowing but is on the rich side. The fruits are back and so are the dark berries and a touch of oak. Very pleasant taking quite some time to fade out.

Verdict:
Oh, this is a difficult whisky to score. The nose is quite nice – mellow but pleasant and the finish is really good, but the taste is not too expressive and with a strange note (at least for my palate). Maybe that’s just the sweet wine finish I’m struggling with, who knows. Quite nice, but it takes a bit more to reach for the stars, or medals. I reviewed their sherry-matured Kaski last year, which was much more to my liking. On the upside, many other people seem to like this quite a bit more than I do – so never take one man’s opinion for gospel!

Score: 73/100
(Nose: 76 Palate: 70 Finish: 80)

Thanks to Peter Moser at https://fosm.de/ for the sample!