Category: Unknown/Undisclosed | MaltKlaus' Daily Drams

February 11, 2018February 11, 2018

Tasting: WFFA 2000 17 yo “Orkney” Single Malt

Dram data:
Distillery: Shhh… it’s a secret distillery on Orkney!
Bottler: WFFA
Distilled: 2000
Bottled: 2017
Age: 17 years
Limitation: 266 bottles
Casks: refill hogshead
Alcohol: 58,1%
not chill filtered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Boy, how time flies, it’s already in the middle of February and I haven’t posted a whisky review yet! I’ve been feeling under the weather and feeling the blues quite a bit lately – not ideal prerequisites for an unbiased review, so I didn’t write one. Right, let’s get back on track with this 17-year-old mystery Orkney distillery bottling (I could tell you but then I’d have to… you know… ), which was a cask share between a bunch of online friends in a super-secret Facebook group. *Cue mysterious music*
Right, so, how is the whisky?

Tasting notes:
Colour: golden honey
On the nose we’ve got a touch of alcohol – no wonder given the rather high ABV! Beneath the pleasant alcoholic freshness, there’s a pleasant whiff of smoke (burning heather and roses), followed immediately by honey, pickled ginger, caramelised orange rind, lemon peel, tinned tangerines, golden syrup and oak wood shavings. The original character of the spirit has been well-preserved by the cask, not overwhelming the delicate, light notes, which is a profile I really like. Let’s move on to the palate!

Continue reading “Tasting: WFFA 2000 17 yo “Orkney” Single Malt”

March 19, 2017March 18, 2017

Tasting: Speyside Region 1975 40 yo by The Whisky Agency

Dram data:
Distillery: undisclosed
Bottler: The Whisky Agency
Distilled: 1975
Bottled: 2016
Age: 40 years
Limitation: 389
Casks: Fino Sherry Butt
Alcohol: 55%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

When you get the chance to taste a stunning dram like this one, you better bring your tasting notebook with you! Because it was originally handwritten, this review is slightly shorter than the usual ones, but I’ll try to keep it interesting nonetheless!

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
The nose promises great things right from the first contact. Deep and rich, with old, sweet tropical fruits. We’ve got Mango, papaya, dried apricots, all stored on the oak shelving of an old-style Scottish candy shop with un-lit beeswax candles being stored nearby. Very rich, dense and interwoven, a style only lots and lots of time and a good cask can create.
Continue reading “Tasting: Speyside Region 1975 40 yo by The Whisky Agency”

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016

Tasting: Classic of Islay cask #2725 (NAS)

Dram data:
Distillery: Undisclosed
Bottler: Jack Wieber’s Whisky World
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2014
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: #2725
Alcohol: 56,4%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

More budget whisky goodness – this time we’ve got an undisclosed, mystery distillery, single cask bottling from the Isle of Islay. This was sold for about 40€ in 2014 – let’s see if it fits the bang-for-the-money ticket!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
The nose is undeniably that of a young, fiery, rascal-ey, smoky Islay malt, you can’t deny the heritage. My mind immediately went “Lagavulin” as soon as I stuck my nose in – I would bet half an old fisherman’s boot on that – but we’ll never know for sure… Rich peat smoke, slightly medicinal, but not at Laphroaig levels, paired with an initial blast of black pepper, menthol, refreshment tissue, oily tweed jacket, some seaweed, sweet toffee, coffee dregs, walnuts and hazelnuts and a whiff of cracked shells on the beach. When I looked at the colour I hoped it would not be a dram slaughtered by a freshly rinsed sherry cask taking on an overly sweet profile – thank god it is not! This is a classy nose, I’m very impressed! Let’s hope the palate can deliver as well! Continue reading “Tasting: Classic of Islay cask #2725 (NAS)”

October 10, 2016

Tasting: North Highland 1995 18 yo undisclosed Single Malt by Svenska Eldvatten

Dram data:
Distillery: undisclosed
Bottler: Svenska Eldvatten
Distilled: 3.1995
Bottled: 10.2013
Age: 18
Limitation: 428
Casks: Single Cask
Alcohol: 561%
Unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

We are getting very close to the 200th whisky review here at MaltKlaus’ headquarters, so let’s find something mysterious in the sample pile… An undisclosed Highland malt, perhaps? Yes, this should do nicely!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber with a golden sheen
The nose leaves no doubt: sherry cask at work here! Probably European oak, too. On the first contact we’ve got a mixture of fresh lemon with peel, a drop of lime, melissa and mint on the one hand and dried plums, fresh figs, a handful of dates on the other. It’s balanced out with a whiff of wet autumn forest, spent cloves, a cinnamon stick used for three consecutive brews of mulled wine (red wine!) and the smell of walking past an oriental spice shop. A very nice balance between distillery character and cask, still on the light side. Continue reading “Tasting: North Highland 1995 18 yo undisclosed Single Malt by Svenska Eldvatten”

July 10, 2016October 7, 2016

Tasting: Glasgow Distillery Company Prometheus 27 yo

Dram data:
Distillery: undisclosed
Bottler: Glasgow Distillery Company
Distilled: 04.1988
Bottled: 12.2015
Age: 27 years
Limitation: 1500 bottles
Casks: 1st fill ex-Sherry casks
Alcohol: 47%
Unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
New distilleries need a source of revenue while they wait for their own stock to mature. Besides making gin and selling casks of spirit the Glasgow distillery company has also secured a number of casks with aged stock from an undisclosed Speyside distillery which they now release on a yearly basis. The plan is for the final release to be a 30 yo whisky. So let’s take a look at the 27 yo, their second release, which has been out for a while now. I had a chance to try it at a company presentation in Speyside this year and also got a sample to take away for an in-depth review.
On the nose you can immediately tell the fresh European oak sherry casks this whisky was matured in. Spicy notes in the foreground – Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, dried orange peel – almost like a spice mix used for mulled wine. Speaking of wine, there are also dry tannins, but not too much. The background layer is formed by notes of dark bitter chocolate, fresh leather shoes and a dark, moody, condensed, slightly burnt dark fruit component (plum spread and figs for the most part). Continue reading “Tasting: Glasgow Distillery Company Prometheus 27 yo”

January 24, 2016October 7, 2016

Tasting: The Highlander NAS by Single Cask Collection

Dram data:
Distillery: undisclosed
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2012 (CSC1-2012)
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: –
Alcohol: 40%
most likely chill filtered and coloured

Tasting notes:
Colour: orang-ey amber
Right. So we’ve got a “Single malt Scotch whisky” in the glass and that’s the only thing we know about it. Despite the name “The Highlander” I don’t know whether it actually is from a Highland distillery but chances are high since the Highlands also include the Speyside region. Well – there’s no other way to find out other than sticking my nose into the glass! Right off the bat the nasal receptors say “Clynelish”. A creamy, light vanilla-fudge note (as is so common these days) accompanied by the dirty, waxy, oily Clynelish character. I could be wrong, it could be the cask, we’ll never know, but that’s the type. Speaking about cask: It feels too round to be a single cask, there’s both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon in the mix. Continue reading “Tasting: The Highlander NAS by Single Cask Collection”