Foreign tasting!!!

While I'm at it, why not just go for a crazy tastng of whiskies from different countries with a clear emphasis on Ireland. So, I'll just throw in a Whyte & MacKay just for fun to get an indication how they compare to a rather ordinary scotch whisky. Here we go, strange times...


Whyte & MacKay Special NAS 40% OB late 70's

Allright, let's het to it. One from a small flat miniature, remember, I rarely, or never, purchase anything other than whiskies I highly desire in 70cl bottles. Btw thanks Miatakas, for the great Glenrothes nosing glass. The nose is light and bland, some wheat and perhaps old hay in this one. The taste is much better, soft licorice, malt syrup, caramel, hints of thyme and basil, Sumatra cigars, here's to mr Paterson! The aftertaste is light and sweet.

A nice one, perhaps a good benchmark for the rest: 5


Aass & Egge 3yo 2008-2011 40% Norwegian Single Malt eau de Biére btl.713/728

So, the first single malt ever produced on Norwegian soil, but why is it not a whisky? Well it's distilled from old christmas beers, which includes hops, so therefore it's not a single malt whisky, just a single malt. Well, let's try this historic piece of distillation however. And I do believe there are some real single malt whisky from Norway to come within a year or two. Light color, much lighter than christmas beer, but still a bit dark for just 3yo. The nose is floral, and herbal, very passive, hared to make up much more on the little information I get from the cent so far. But for a 3yo it's not spirity at all, which I suppose I would have expected it to be. The taste is light, green apples, vegetable stock, kiwi, unripe tomatoes, grape soda, a real lightweighter that doesn't taste much like whisky to me, more sort of a pre-dinner aperitif of some kind, Grappa or something? A light bitter perhaps.

Probably great for mixing cocktails: 4


Hammerhead 20yo 1989-2009 40.7% OB Czech Single Malt

Hammerhead? Not very authentic for a czech whisky? Not like Fettercairn or Bunnahabhain, but let's not judge one the name. 20yo is a good age for a whisky from a distillery that's established as late as 1980. I hope it's better than the 20yo Milford I had a while back. This one has that wool blanket scent, like old granny handbags and pencil glue. it needs some time to open up. It opens up on herbs and varnish. Let me try tasting this and see if it makes more sense. The taste is not bad, a bit burnt, some orange zest and floral notes in the beginning, pears and nectarines. A mixture of sweet succulent fruits and light citric notes. The aftertaste is gone within a tenth of a second, and leaves much to be desired from this otherwise quite alright whisky. I believe this one could, and should be saved by bottling at a higher &abv.

Light and short, there are far cheaper alternatives if you want this style: 3.5


Milford 10yo 43% OB New Zealand Single Malt

So, I wasn't too happy with the 20yo from this distillery, that's been talked warmly of on different forums. I hope that twice the age will mean twice as good, at least. The color is golden to orange. The nose shows hints of sulphur, orange, cinnamon, buttercups, peach tea, butter, melted chocolate... chocolate melted with salty butter... mmm. Well, taste then, more of a lowland style, floral, crisp, fresh, heather, fabric softener, choriander, juniper berries. A very good whisky, though it's not my kind of style, I can clearly see why many people are enjoying this lowlander styled whisky that I believe should be bottled at a higher strength. And, I think this style would fit perfect in some fresh wood, perhaps oloroso, or even amontillado for an extra kick. But more than anything else I hope there's some CS-Milford to go around.

A very good surprise, much better than the 20yo: 5.5


So... The irish ones...


Cooley 8yo 40% vom Fass

I think vom Fass is a chain of liqueur store, not only in Germany, but also worldwide, but I'm not sure, must investigate more. However, I had no idea they did IB's as well, or maybe it's another vom Fass? So, Cooley however they say they're Irelands only independent distillery, all well so far, and they make the Greenore single grain whisky that can be quite a treat. But it's now become quite official that Jim Beam is gonna buy Cooley Distillery, so we'll see what happens... So let's taste this whisky. The color is that of white wine. It smells too light, some wind, some water and all that stuff, but this one is light beyond any blends what scents are concerned. The taste is light and peppery, then it's over. Ever tried a light cream cheese the producers claims to be peppery, well this is about it. Why anyone would wanna purchase and bottle this one at the tender age of 8yo, and at only 40%abv. I will never know, well, maybe why they purchased it I will, but never why they bottled it as low-shelf blend or a bad cask, cause it's probably not. Like some 8yo Fettercairns or even Glen Gariochs from the 80's. Bottled way too soon.

So, that must be the most melodramatic note so far: 2.5


Daly's Tullamore Distillery 41yo 1949-1991 65.3% Cadenhead's

If this one is a blended whisky or a single malt I have no idea, but the Tullamore that we know today is a pretty mediocre blend that I tried yesterday and it was not something I will try again. But the label claims this one to be from the Tullamore Distillery, which means it must be a single malt? Well, according to online sources it seems this distillery was put to sleep in 1954, so this must be one of the oldest and most extraordinary whiskies I've ever tried, by the latter be on hold for a while. But, this is so dark, like a really brown dye, or some sherry casks? Or just the 41years in cask? I believe I should do an own session for this whisky only. But what would interest me even more is the extremely high %abv in this whisky. 65.3%abv. after 41 years. That is extraordinary. Well, the color has pretty much been described so far, rich red/brown hue. It smells extremely big, chili, raisins, cinnamon, cigars, honey, mint, barbecue sauce, dry rub, sherry all the way, both dry and sweet sherries combined, oakiness, after a while it gets warmer, toffee, shots of mulled wine, the list goes on and on, one of the richest whiskies I've nosed so far. The taste is intense on dark grapes and dark berries, enormously sweet, I'd even like to say that it's just a bit over the top. I believe it needs some water, but I'll let it hang around breathing for another 40 minutes, at least before I'll add water to this. Meanwhile I have to ask myself, If this is what we're going to get from distilleries like Brora, Glenugie, Glenlochy and so on 10-20 years from now, it's a silly thing that most of their leftovers are being bottled now. Alright, now I've waited like forever and the whisky seems just to be getting bigger one the nose. Time to add a small drop of water. Immediately it gets sweeter and more to my liking. Now it turns more honeyed and cinnamon, more straight sherried, more A'bunadh-style, but still a fragment apart as its a much cleaner spirit, raisins, tannins, just as sherried as it gets. Perfect if you ask me! I have to say, I feel downright sick with the people that decided to close this distillery, but in that time I think I would have done the same thing. This drink is never to be mixed with the poor Tullamore dew owned by Powell's, but to stand on its own for those of us that remember it, and strangely I am now one of them, a magnificent whisky.

Oh the sorrow, but then again, I never tried the standard 12yo OB...: 9.9 (10)


Connemara 2010 58.2% OB

So, why this after the more than excellent Tullamore? The reason is simple, it's peated! Which makes for a whole different spirit. Whilst the high %abv and the dry sherry notes let's go after some minutes, the peat will stay on your lips, so to speak, the evening out. Therefore I usually try to do my peated tastings as late in the tasting as possible, that meaning, I would never have an Ardmore or an Old Ballantruan after that sherry monster I had last now. The color on this one is white wine, the smell is flinty, peaty, burnt fabric, burnt hay, bonfire, really dry and burnt, aside a very nice sensation of cream cookies in the finish. The taste is sweet and burnt, peat, phenolic, a lot of heat in this one, maybe even more so than what I find in Islay malts. It's a good whisky no doubt, but it seems to lack a bit of personal character to oppose the rather harsh peaty notes. However, it's a great variation to Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Bowmore and that sort.

Sweets, then peat fueled with gasoline, one that's not to be taken lightly: 6.5