Tag: 17 years | 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 23, 2017July 5, 2017

Tasting: Highland Park Ice Edition 17 yo

Dram data:
Distillery: Highland Park
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2016
Age: 17 years
Limitation: 30.000(!)
Casks: 1st fill ex-Bourbon
Alcohol: 53,9%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

When I wrote a rant about the overhyped, way overpriced, marketing-driven Highland Park Ice last year, I never thought I’d actually get to taste the whisky. I was sure Edrington would never send me a sample after what I wrote and I’d also never shell out that kind of money for what I regard as being 10% whisky and 90% hype. However, when an opportunity presented itself recently to get a “dregs bottle” of it, I had no choice but to take it home with me to find out, whether my statement “Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s a lovely dram”, made in my rant, was in fact correct. Let’s do it!

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
The nose is full of ex-bourbon honesty. Quite fresh, I’m sure there’s loads of refill oak in the mix, which accentuates the character of the distillate. Lemon zest, lemon juice, heather, very slight, fragrant peat smoke (heather bonfire?) up front. Once you cut through these initial, light aromas, you get to a slightly beefier core: A hint of flambeed vanilla pudding, smoked peaches and tangerines and a background layer of oak spices. After a few minutes in the glass, these heavier components take over, increasing the complexity.
Continue reading “Tasting: Highland Park Ice Edition 17 yo”

December 21, 2016December 19, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #21: Laphroaig 1998 17 yo by Cadenhead’s

Dram data:
Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1998
Bottled: November 2015
Age: 17
Limitation: 192 bottles
Casks: bourbon hogshead
Alcohol: 56,2%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Indie Laphroaig seems to have become scarcer and scarcer these past years – especially older whiskies in their teens or above. Cadenhead’s to the rescue!

Tasting notes:
Colour: pale white wine
The nose is typically Islay. Well-matured, refill-cask, heavily peated Islay whisky. Peat smoke, the usual phenolic kind with dirty bandages and iodine, soot, ash and well-used machine oil. Behind all that smoke, a salty sweetness creeps in – salted toffee on custard served on clamshells with lemon drizzled on top. Maybe a green apple is involved as well. The power of great refill casks, allowing the spirit to shine, just rounding out the edges. On to the palate:

Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #21: Laphroaig 1998 17 yo by Cadenhead’s”

December 4, 2016December 4, 2016

24 drams till christmas 2016 #4: Arran 1996-2013 17 yo Bourbon cask #547

Dram data:
Distillery: Arran
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: 17.06.1996
Bottled: 10.09.2013
Age: 17 years
Limitation: 202 bottles
Cask: Ex-Bourbon (barrel?)
Alcohol: 52.4%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

One thing I like about the Arran distillery is their twice-yearly release of official single cask bottlings at very affordable prices. This is one of them – from a few years back. What intrigued me to buy it back then was the extremely dark colour for an ex-bourbon whisky…

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
The nose is perhaps not the most typical Arran profile, thanks to the “freak cask”, but it’s certainly a good one! Right off the start we’ve got a light citrus on caramel and almost smoky toasted chocolate-covered toffee with creme brulee (now that’s a first for me, don’t beat me up about the spelling, please!). There are also tropical fruits – dried mango and papaya with lychees but also apricots and physalis. A hint of oak and slight cask spices in the background. Light-ish, as is the Arran style, but sophisticated and fruity, very nice! On to the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till christmas 2016 #4: Arran 1996-2013 17 yo Bourbon cask #547”

April 11, 2016October 7, 2016

Tasting: Kininvie 17 + 23 years

Last weekend I got the chance to taste the Kininvie 17 + 23-year-old releases while visiting malt mate Keith Wood for a dramming session (or two). Oliver Klimek also popped over and we had a great chat about both malts (and possibly a few more). You’ll find my tasting notes below – a tad shorter than usual due to the handwritten notes.

Dram data Kinivie 17 batch 001:
Distillery: Kininvie
Bottler: original bottling
Distilled: 1996
Bottled: 2014
Age: 17 years
Limitation: –
Casks: American Oak and Sherry Casks
Alcohol: 42.6%
chillfiltered and coloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
The nose has baked apples with walnuts and hints of vanilla pods, slightly sour apples, milk toffee, a hint of fruit cake with spices – rich and sweet, a tight christmas-cake mix, with bitter Kiwi kernels in the background. The palate is quite different. green apples with peel, Kiwi, gooseberries, quite mouth-coating. A hint of acetone emerges upon adding water (disappears soon afterwards). More bitter apple peel and dried oranges. Continue reading “Tasting: Kininvie 17 + 23 years”

August 24, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Ben Nevis 17yo 1995 – 2013 for Whisky Circle Pinzgau

Dram data:
Distillery: Ben Nevis
Bottler: Carn Mor, bottled for Whisky Circle Pinzgau
Distilled: 23.11.1995
Bottled: 11.08.2013
Age: 17 years
Limitation: 192 bottles
Casks: Sherry Hogshead #965
Alcohol: 51,8%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: wood honey
On the first sniff the nose immediately reminds me of the smell in the local shoemaker’s shop when I was a kid – fresh leather and sweet, dark candy as treats for the kids. A pleasant mixture of leather and old carpeted floors stained with ripe old Oloroso sherry, paired with a lush, dark fruit puree background sweetness, blackcurrant, over-ripe strawberries, oranges, dark chocolate with hot peppers and ginger bits. Continue reading “Tasting: Ben Nevis 17yo 1995 – 2013 for Whisky Circle Pinzgau”

April 1, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Tobermory 17y 1995 by Whiskybroker

Dram data:
Distillery: Tobermory
Bottler: Whiskybroker
Distilled: 06.06.1995
Bottled: 07.11.2012
Age: 17
Limitation: 278 bottles
Casks: Hogshead No. 697
Alcohol: 52,0%
Unchillfiltered, natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light gold
The nose starts out creamy and jammy with vanilla pudding, sweet cream, strawberries, gooseberries, green peaches, kiwi, slightly sour grapes, grape kernel bitterness, a hint of lemon, malt and woody notes in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Tobermory 17y 1995 by Whiskybroker”

March 8, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Springbank 1996 17y Single Cask for Potstill Vienna

Springbank 17 1996 - 2014 Potstill Edition

Dram data:
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Original Bottling / Potstill Edition “Brianna’s Choice”
Distilled: 10.1996
Bottled: 07.2014
Age: 17
Limitation: 149 bottles
Casks: Refill Sherry Cask
Alcohol: 56%
Unchillfiltered, natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: red gold
The nose immediately reminds me of the 2015 Springbank 17 sherry wood I just tasted yesterday. It’s not the same, but the common denominator is the quite noticeable and similar wood influence on top of the signature Springbank saltiness. The wood influence, even though it is a refill cask, is dominating, making it hard to pick out the Springbank peat smoke. Continue reading “Tasting: Springbank 1996 17y Single Cask for Potstill Vienna”

March 4, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Springbank 17 Sherry Wood

Dram data:
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: 04.1997
Bottled: 01.2015
Age: 17
Limitation: 9120 bottles
Casks: Sherry wood (first fill butts, refill butts, hogsheads)
Alcohol: 52.3%
Unchillfiltered, natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
The nose starts off with light and fragrant Springbank peat smoke, the signature salt note on a layer of noticeable cask spices with aromatic dark fruits in the background. Think of a puree of figs, dates, sweet dried apricots and plums.
Continue reading “Tasting: Springbank 17 Sherry Wood”

April 21, 2014July 5, 2017

Tasting: Benriach 17 Septendecim vs. 21 Authenticus

Dram data:

Distillery: BenRiach
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: n/a
Bottled: 17: 28/03/2013 21: 27.06.2011
Age: 17/21 years
Limitation: unknown
Price at the time of purchasing: – (Miniatures)
Cask: –
Alcohol: 46% each
Unchillfiltered & natural color
Whiskybase link 17
Whiskybase link 21

A head to head tasting with my brother of the two peated Speysiders from the same distillery. 4 years of age difference and bottled 2 years apart – sounds fun! Continue reading “Tasting: Benriach 17 Septendecim vs. 21 Authenticus”