Here I am an Paris, in a somewhat decayed apartment, and though I should perhaps be sipping wine in a bistro instead, I couldn’t help myself from bringing along a few samples of whisky to savour. Yes, I brought a Glencairn glass too!
Hart Brothers 17yo
Type: Scotch single malt
Alcohol: 50.0%
Cask info: oloroso first fill sherry butts
Bottling info: —
Price and availability: variable, ~€80
🔗WhiskyBase (or similar batch)
2cl sample from BWH for €4.05
Experience ⚡
Plenty of fruits on the nose (orange, red apples, ripe pineapple), together with brioche and vanilla. A little boozy, perhaps. On the palate – very, very spicy! Bready, indistinctively fruity, and nutty. The finish is quite nice, with a residual sweetness and fruit cake once the spiciness has subsided.
Thoughts 💡
Not at all bad, but the palate is way too spicy for me. I guess there is a quite substantial portion of relatively young grain in here.
“Supersonic MACH 3” North Star Spirits
Type: Scotch single malt
Alcohol: 55.0%
Cask info: sherry butts
Bottling info: unchillfiltered and natural colour?
Price and availability: still available for €50
🔗WhiskyBase
2cl review sample as a gift-with-purchase (MaltManiac)
Experience ⚡
A sherried nose brings succulent mandarin, ginger bread dough, choco-rice crispies and old leather couch. The palate is robust, meaty, on the oily side, sweetish, and lightly bitter. In short, engaging and characterful. Flavours are along the lines of modern sherry bombs, including coffee, chocolate, brown sugar, plums, but also a slight minerality. There is a hint of mini bottle defect, but not fatal. The finish is perhaps not so long or distinctive.
Thoughts 💡
In my opinion this blended malt could have large component of Benrinnes or maybe Balmenach or even Mortlach. For that robust quality of the spirit. Other than that the heavy sherry influence makes it difficult to search for clues as to its components. By all means a very good exemplar of a modern sherry style, and rather unbeatable in this category at the sub-€50 price point.
Worthwhile and enjoyable ✔️
Special distinction — great value⭐
Islay journey Hunter Laing
Type: Scotch single malt
Alcohol: 46%
Cask info: —
Bottling info: unchillfiltered and natural colour
Price and availability: Widely available ~€30
🔗WhiskyBase (or another batch)
Sample from tour at Ardnahoe distillery
Experience ⚡
Salty sea breeze, vegetal and smoky peat, and juicy peaches- both on the nose and the palate, but the peat asserts itself more on the palate. There is some idodine, but the overall character is more earthy than medicinal. Besides the peat, I find a fleeting note of bubble gum and a more drawn out flavour of popcorn and yellow fruits that extend into the finish.
Thoughts 💡
Classic bourbon cask Islay goodness. Not extraordinary in any way, but . Based on the peat profile I would say there could be a decent amount of young Lagavulin in there, probably also Caol Ila (after all the most available Islay distillate) and perhaps Bruichladdich, but I’m missing the citrus of the latter. Stoisha is also probable, but I’m less familiar with its character. Since this has been in the mini bottle for 7 months and not entirely filled I was sure the mini bottle defect would be strong. I didn’t notice it at all, perhaps because it’s overpowered by the peat.
Worthwhile and enjoyable ✔️
DuckDrams 
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