by Oliver Klimek on March 18, 2010
The peated Loch Lomond single cask – 45%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Gold
Nose: Farmyard on a foggy day, smoke, hints of lemon, raisins and chocolate
Palate: Peat, citrus fruit, cocoa, dried fruit, a bit of honey
Finish: Long, peaty fruit
Overall: Remarkably smooth and yet very complex for a 4 yo. The unusual taste takes a while getting used to but is not unpleasant. Interestingly strange.
Score: 82/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on March 16, 2010
Buy at the Whisky Exchange
Sherry finish – 46%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Bright amber
Nose: Honey, sultanas, cherries, slightly malty
Palate: Pineapple, honey, chocolate ,vanilla, quite sweet overall
Finish: Long, sweet and fruity
Overall: Very smooth and fruity, perhaps a tad on the sweet side. Enjoyable but not overly complex.
Score: 82/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on March 6, 2010
Sherry Butt – 54.6%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Cognac
Nose: Acetone, even a hint of vinegar, rum soaked raisins.
Palate: Very fruity, almost like rum soaked gummi bears and yes, vinegar
Finish: Very long and rummy
Overall: This is sherry gone crazy, just too much of it in my opinion. The chemical nose puts me off as well. But I am sure some will love this dram.
Score: 75/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 7.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 27, 2010
First Fil Dark Sherry – 49.4%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Dark brown
Nose: Slightly smoky and maritime, cherries, cocoa
Palate: Cherries, dark chocolate, a hint of tea, minimal peat, quite dry
Finish: Long, fruity smoke, a surprising herbal touch right at the end.
Overall: Very complex and concentrated, the lightly peated sherry fruitiness reminds me a bit of Bowmore. Wood tannins are surely there after 35 years, but not overwhelmingly strong.
Score: 88/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 18, 2010
Sherry Hogshead 1422 – 55.7%
My Tasting Notes:
Color: Amber
Nose: Big, dried figs ,cocoa, raisins, a whiff of vinegar
Palate: Quite herbal, nuts, caramel, cassis, figs, some chili
Finish: Long and spicy
Overall: Needs time and water to open up. Great nose, but the palate is too herbal for my taste, and even with quite a lot of water it is pretty “hot”.
Score: 74/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 7.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 17, 2010
43%
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey, vanilla, fresh grapes, a bit spirity
Palate: Honey, raisins, a bit like rum, caramel, spirity
Finish: Rather long and fruity
Overall: Quite enjoyable, but the youthful spirit character is a bit too dominant
Score: 80/100 – No price/value information as this is a collector’s bottle
Side note: “Kirsch” is only the bottler’s name. No cherries were harmed in creating this whisky!
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on February 1, 2010
From an undiclosed Speyside distillery – 46%
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Very full, ripe berries, dusty cupboard, a hint of tea
Palate: Cherries, tea, chocolate, a bit of pepper
Finish: Very long, fruity and dry
Overall: This is an exceptionally rich and dark sherry whisky, quite dry but not disturbingly so. Very complex and thoroughly enjoyable.
Score: 88/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on January 29, 2010
45.8%
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Very intense, maritime smokiness meets dried fruit
Palate: Peaty and spicy, but also with notes of raisins and dark chocolate
Finish: Long, dry smoke, slightly sweet
Overall: The old version has much more sherry influence than its modern brother. I wouldn’t say it’s better, but it is intriguingly different.
Score: 86/100 – No price information as this is a collector’s bottle
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on January 23, 2010
43%
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Slightly smoky, bacon, cherries, chocolate
Palate: Some peat, ripe berries, toffee, a bit watery though
Finish: Long, fruity and smoky
Overall: Fruitier than its 15 yo successor but less complex, still a good whisky though
Score: 85/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)
by Oliver Klimek on December 30, 2009
Buy at the Whisky Exchange
40%
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Quite intense, tea, tobacco, dark chocolate, cassis, a wee bit of smoke
Palate: Dry and slightly sweet, caramel, oriental spices, just a faint fruitiness
Finish: Very long and slightly smoky
Overall: A very richly flavoured sherried blend. The nose is impressive, but the palate could profit from a few more ABV points. This is miles away from the standard supermarket or pub blends. The aged grain whisky has lost all of its roughness and caters for a delicate silky smooth mouthfeel.
Score: 84/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$
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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)