DuckDrams

from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

Outrageously fruity, like hot strawberry cordial (“jordbuggssaft”), and with the classic fresh-baked cinnamon bun right there. Beyond this first impression, the nose turns more exotic: banana, pear, and passion fruit, coconut and a streak of asian mint, hardwoods, a little tiger balm.

Sipping

The intensity of the flavour matches the noise, but beyond rich fruits we are introduced to malty and biscuity notes, even porter, and soft cigar notes. Indeed, it is quite beer-y. Savoury-sweet, substantial, and a little salty. Long finish.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

This is a truly spectacular dram! These 2cl aren’t nearly enough to explore and make complete sense of this beauty — especially as it is so incredibly delicious, one just wants to sip and sip. Not only a clear ❤️ but a standout among favourites. I can hardly believe this one will be topped in this tasting. As for guesswork, I don’t have much to say except there’s some sherry involvement, and I wouldn’t be surprised as blended malt or single malt, either way. A €300 bottle price tag is not unreasonable for this level of experience.

After reveal

Aha! I recognize this one from when it hit the market some months ago. What I didn’t realize then is that it contains malt from 104 Scotch distilleries, which has been marrying in sherry butts for 26 years producing 1148 bottles. It’s a bit strange. Were there many cask dregs joined together, and then the idea was born to have a bottling with almost every distillery? So some contributions are probably just teaspoons, and others have more bulk. There’s less than 8L on average per distillery in the batch.

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❤️

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from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

Very chocolaty — like a naturally fruity dark chocolate — and full of red fruits (ripe red delicious apple variety, cherries), figs, toasted and sugar-coated almonds, marshmallow, some cold cuts, a twig of rosemary, and an espresso to finish off. Dried fruits, pineapple in finish

Sipping

Savoury, meaty, sweet, big, nice engagement of tannins. The sweetness comes first, with soaked sponge cake, caramelized nuts, and then a puff of smoke blooms forward, subsiding to leave more biscuity and dried fruit notes behind.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

Very nice and muscly sherry dram, where cask and spirit are in perfect sync. Could be Mortlach, or some other heavy Speysider. Feels like we’re above 50% here. It’s a great dram, but I’m a less excited than the first; unfair to be up against such competition, though. Still a ❤️!

After reveal

A pleasure and an honor, sir. Great to add this review of the 30yo, to previous review of the 12, 18, 25yo. Already the splendid 25yo is exceeding budgetary limitations, and here we have almost doubled that, for an extra 5 years. Side by side, I’m not even sure the 30yo would win.

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❤️

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from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

Very fragrant, again also fruity (yellow apples, especially; calvados), but with some earthy, and minerally notes in there; somehow more brooding and melancholic. Some sourness, lemon, or even lactic acid. Dried fruits and nuts, and to add that mysterious element, lemongrass and curry. With time gets a bit farmy.

Sipping

Medium-sweet, orange, pineapple, dried fruits and nuts, a very dry sherry note, a musty cheese, leather, some oak wood. Not the longest finish.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

It’s another belter dram, with deliciousness and mystique. Could be a Springbank?❤️

After reveal

Sure, I had some old and mellow Springbanks, but I’ve got to stop guessing for it all the time in blind tastings now!

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❤️

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from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

At first a very strong note of tasted hazelnut, bit of cognac, ancient rug. Water is needed to tame the intensity of the nose. Buttery sherry notes predominate, but we also het fragrant herbs, a squeeze of lemon, and some cigarette.

Sipping

Sweet, oily, active taninns, feinty beneath the layers of sherry and fruit cake, some coffee. Some kinds of see

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

It’s bold, things are happening, everything is tasty, it has more complexity than the typical sherry bomb in its teens. But it’s maybe even a bit too much, or lacking in a really interesting contrast to be honest.

After reveal

Yeah, something like that was to be expected.

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from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

Once more, we have a oozing sherry and hazelnut profile on the nose immediately. There’s some charred wood, and vanilla. Needs water, which brings out some fresh grapefruit, tart lingonberry jam, papaya.

Sipping

Sweet, and oily, chewy. Lots of muscovado sugar, rum-raisins, and a quite feisty spirit underneath.

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

I like this marginally more than the previous one, as it has little bit more going on with the charred and the tropical notes. Single malt Speyside/Highland to be sure.

After reveal

This looks dark. People go nuts over super-dark sherry releases.

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from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly

🗒️ Tasting notes

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Nosing

A stream of consciousness: smoked butter, rosé pepper, white pepper, noori, flower petals (violets), salty beach pebbles, charred lemon, pears, peach, fermented ginger, golden syrup, bees wax.

Sipping

Fresh, coastal, invigorating; yellow fruits, but not very sweet;

💭 Comments

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Before reveal

A beautiful old Islay. Caol Ila, is my best bet. It has many of the qualities I adore with my favourite, Bruichladdich (although I don’t think there’s much stock of this high age floating about). What the heck, this is favourite material.

After reveal

Hmm, its not so in-your-face as one has come to expect from Laphroaig. I guess the age rounds off the peat.

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❤️

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