DuckDrams

from a 5cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

On first greeting confectionary (butter, vanilla, shortbread) and fresh fruits (melon, green apple, pineapple), then some minerally (white wine, pebbles), yeasty (sourdough bread, mash) and dusty notes (dunnage, white pepper).

Sipping

high ABV, a little hot, but it’s accompanied by intense levels of flavour. Quite oily texture, sweet and little salty. Fruit punsch, maltiness, something a little dirty/phenolic (in a good way!) that get’s more action with a bit of water. Plentiful juicy oak in the finish.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

The nose is really pleasant, and right up my alley, and so is the palate, although neither is complex. My guess is that this is a relatively young whisky, at around 50%, punching above its age flavourwise thanks to a characterful distillate and active ex-bourbon casks. I’d like for it to be Nc’nean or Lindores.

After reveal

Yeah! Go Nc’nean! I’m giving myself half a point for the casks, in the sense that they are not strong , I presume will behave more like an unseasoned cask.

Had this been offered at the €50 mark, it would have been a no-brainer for me to buy, even though that’s still quite a lot for a whisky that’s only 4 years old. Now it’s closer to double that, with a temporary sale on right now bringing down to €80 from €99. Phew… The 10yo Nc’Nean will be amazing when it arrives in some years Hopefully by then the distillery can afford to have a less outlandish pricing.

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from a 3cl sample bottle tasted blindly

⚡Experience

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Nosing

Strong! Intense sherry aromas: cola, brown sugar, raisins, leather, coffee, nutty, dry wood. Needs a lot of water and some time get more subtle. Then also clementine, sponge cake, and green tea.

Sipping

quite dry, somewhat salty. Big sherry aromas, smultron, chocolate chip cookies. Takes a lot of water, but doesn’t quite mellow out. More clementine. Long chewy finish, with sultanas, gooseberry, and slightly farmy and metallic (not in a bad way).

💡Thoughts

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Before reveal

It’s a modern sherry bomb highland malt. Definitely over 60%. First fill oloroso sherry casks (it’s more of that dry sherry style than a rainsy PX). It’s good, but demanding at this strength. I prefer something that’s closer to a drinkable ABV to start with.

After reveal

55%. That’s a lot less than it felt!

A small remark: I got this sample from the SMoS whisky calendar, which says its from cask #787 with ABV 54.9%. On whisky base I find that this cask was eventually bottled “for Drankdozijn” at 54.7%. Not sure if the discrepancy is real, measurement error, or typing error.

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from a 5cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

On first impression sprightly fruits (granny smiths, crisp pears, lemon) and baking at home (cinnamon bun dough, vanilla custard). More grassy and flowery notes (heather) on further nosing. Just a little sausage brine. With water, more tropical fruits shine forward (mango, banana).

Sipping

Medium-dry, and a little salty taste. Flavourwise, lots of citrus (orange peel, limoncello), sponge cake, salted caramel. In the moment after swallowing it has that malty and muscular (for lack of a better word) quality of a great distillate.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

Young and strong. Maybe 5-7 years, and around 55%. Bourbon cask. Not so unique, but really clean, fresh, and my style of “daily dram” (but no, I don’t drink daily…) Something to keep an eye on, whatever it is.

After reveal

Hah! Another Nc’Nean, I contemplated that possibility, but I couldn’t recall there even being another one in the stash. And it’s really tasty too, albeit not quite as good as Orchard cobbler.

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from a 5cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

Predominantly bright and fresh (citrus, pear, lychee, eucalyptus), sponge cake and vanilla; but more contemplation also reveals cooked vegetables and petrichor (wet ground after a rainshower).

Sipping

very juicy bourbon cask, a bit spicy, and with notes of white chocolate, ricecrispies, and kiwi. Some bitterness emerges at the end, along with more vegetal notes. Coriander seed in the finish.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal: I wouldn’t be too surprised if this was an Irish whisky — and yet it feels like something much more familiar? 50% give or take, very obviously bourbon cask, 10ish old.

After reveal: Come on! I actually had my mind on Clynelish in the beginning, thinking I found a burning candle note, but it wasn’t so definitive and I lost it.

On continued nosing now, I would add melon and banana, and light sulphur. More butterscotch on the palate, and actually now I’m getting a light peat or burning fat on the palate (that I think my ‘vegetal’ association was trying to capture).

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from a 5cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

First impression is grassy; and a garden full of young light-green herbs. A lovely note of passion fruit, lemon oil, coriander seed, oak, and, curiously enough, light soy sauce.

Sipping

Tastes medium-sweet; texture-wise, there’s the sense of an oily whisky that was watered down. Grassy, malty, some lemon and coconut.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

Whatever this is, the nose reminds me of my favourite ’95 Glen Elgins. The palate, though, makes me think this is a low-ABV yesteryear bottling of some sort. Mostly ex-bourbon. Age could be anywhere from 12 to 25yo, with this light style of whisky, really, but lets say around 15yo. I’d say 43%.

After reveal

I’m happy that once in a while my prediction is quite on point! Scapa is a distillery I have almost no experience with.

On whiskybase someone mentioned unripe banana for the nose, which i think is pretty apt.

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