Deanston 15 YO Organic Whisky, 46.3 %

Today I am taking a closer look at whisky from Deanston Distillery . We have not really seen that many products from this Highland distillery before. Deanston started off as a Cotton Mill in 1785, and was converted into a distillery in 1966.

The Deanston 15 YO Organic Whisky is certified organic by the Organic Food Federation. Here are the official details from the distillery:

To achieve certified organic status we have to start in the field with organic barley, from approved local farmers. We then insist that the full production process, from...

Deanston 12 YO, 46.3 %

I continue testing core range whiskies from Deanston Distillery in the Highland region. Subject to testing this time is the Deanston 12 YO. In previous incarnations this has been bottled at 40 % ABV, but since a few years back it is bottled at 46.3 % like the rest of their core range.

I have no information on the type of casks used, so I will assume it is a mix of 1st and refill casks, both sherry and bourbon.

The Deanston 12 YO is available to buy in Norway at NOK 504 ( 10733101...

Bowmore Tempest 10 YO - Batch V, 55.9%

I have no idea why Bowmore Tempest 10 YO - Batch V is released in Norway this week. It was originally released by the distillery in 2015/2016. The newest of this previously annual release, the batch VI, was released in 2016. Strange, but who cares. majbe someone (tm) found a forgotten pallet somewhere.

The Bowmore Tempest 10 YO - Batch V has been matured in 1st fill bourbon casks. It is termed “small batch”, but I believe the batch size is around 20 000 bottles.

See previous reviews of batch 1...

Blairmhor 8 YO Blended Malt, 43 %

The Blairmhor 8 YO Blended Malt will get a wider distribution in Norway starting mars 1.

This blended malt is made up from about 20 different single malts, predominantly from the Speyside and Highland regions. 

You can buy the Blairmhor 8 YO Blended Malt in Norway at NOK 400 ( 2664601 ).

Nose : Mild and shy on the nose. I find it to be softly herbal, with hints of heather honey and oak. With time I pick up more fruitiness in the form of ripe red apples.

Taste : Medium body and...

Her følger en kort redegjørelse fra Vinmonopolet om ny rutine ved nyhetslanseringer. Dette vil forhåpentligvis løse problemet vi ofte har sett med at fine whiskyfolk har opplevd å bestille en whisky som tilsynelatende har vært tilgjengelig, og så noen timer (eller dager) senere få beskjed om at varen likevel var utsolgt.

Her er meldingen:

Ny rutine ved nyhetslansering 1. mars

Vi har i lang tid vært nødt til å sende utsolgtmeldinger til kunder flere dager etter nyhetslanseringer, og nå endrer vi på rutinene for å sikre bedre kundemøter ved bestilling av nyheter:

Fra og med marslanseringen vil ikke Kundesenteret registrere...

Naked Grouse Blended Malt, NAS, 40 %

This is rather unusual. A relatively new whisky (Naked Grouse was first launched in 2011) is relaunched as a different type of whisky. Naked Grouse was previously a blended Scotch whisky, but is now changed into a blended malt. The grain component is removed, and I would assume the composition of single malts is also adjusted. The Naked Grouse Blended Malt was released around one year ago.

Amongst the main components of the Naked Grouse Blended Malt we find Glenturret, Macallan and Highland Park. The age is not given, but we do know...

Well, it is almost that happy time again. New whisky will wash over the shores of Norway. On Friday mars 1 we will see 36 new releases, as listed below.

An exciting, and very expensive, series of Rare Casks from Bruichladdich this time around. Also exciting to see a Rye from Sweden (Spirit of Hven’s Hvenus). Looking forward to tasting this in a few days. We will now also see the release of the first three bottlings from That Boutique-y Whisky Company in Norway.

As always I’ve added links to any reviews already published here on Whisky Saga.

“Basisutvalg” -...

Lordly, NAS, 40 %

Well, this is rather special. Lordly is a blended whisky, made from whisky produced in Scotland and in France. The blend has received a finish in cognac casks that previously held De Luze Cognac.

The company behind this product is Maison Boinaud, a compnay that has produced cognac for 24 generations. They are today the largest land owner in Grand Champagne, and own brands like De Luze, Naulin and J. Dupont.

The bottle for Lordly is very easy to spot due to the rather extravagant stopper. It is all summed up with the subtitle Just for...

Spirit of Hven Hvenus Rye Whisky, NAS, 45.6 %

There seems to be something of a rye revolution going on, or a rye-volution as some call it. Quite a few distilleries in Scotland have started dabbling in rye, and the same goes for many other European distilleries. Time then to review to the first Swedish rye whisky, the Spirit of Hven Hvenus Rye Whisky.

The mash bill is given as 78.6 % rye, 11.9 % wheat, 4.8 % corn and 4.8 % barley. Furthermore it has been aged for three to six years in American oak. A total of 42...

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition, NAS, 40 %

So here it, finally. The follow-up to the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition (see review ). The Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition is the result of another collaboration between Midelton Distillery and the Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork, Ireland.

Jameson shipped off a few casks to the brewery, which used them to age IPA beer, then the casks were returned and were used to give a beer-y finish to Jameson whiskey.

The official info is gathered here .

You can buy the Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition in Norway starting mars 1 at NOK 420 (10766601)....

Nikka Days, NAS, 40 %

This is a brand new blended whisky from Nikka. It is made from single malt and grain made at both of Nikka’s main distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. It is a slightly peated whisky. The official info can be found here .

The Nikka Days is expected to be released in Norway and Sweden shortly, but for now you have to order it from La Maison du Whisky at around € 40 .

Nose : Soft maltiness. Vanilla and mild summer fruits. A touch of toasted oak.

Taste : Medium body and sweetness. White pepper. Bitter-ish...

The doors will open today at 3.30 PM. For full details and information on tickets etc see here .

I have had a sneak peek at the facilities already and can reveal a few details.

The entrance on the 1st floor of Grand Hotel Terminus, Bergen, Norway.

A few glasses lined up. Ticket sales are on par with last year, which means the festival is mostly sold out. All attendees will get a whisky glass and a beer glass when entering.

The festival is split over two floors. Here you see the floor plan for the 1st floor. Note that...

Nordic whisky #209 - Isle of Lime Kutkäldu Shareholders Edition III, 4 YO, 46.2 %

Here is the third release exclusive for shareholders at Swedish distillery Gotland Whisky. The Isle of Lime Kutkäldu Shareholders Edition III is a light to medium peated whisky matured in bourbon barrels and Hungarian oak (presumably virgin oak), with cask sizes given as 200 and 100 litres. The total outturn was 5250 bottles (50 cl), and the whisky was launched in november 2018.

Gotland Whisky used organic Propino Tipple barley grown locally on thye island of Gotland. The casks were filled in weeks 2, 5,...

Sazerac 1981 18 YO, 45 %

Sazerac 1981 18 YO

This old thing was distilled in the Fall of 1981 and bottled in the Summer of 2000. The Sazerac 1981 18 YO is a Kentucky Straight Rye.

I can no longer recall how I got my hands on this. Let’s just call this a test of the new platform (Squarespace) I’ve just moved my blog to.

Nose (23/25): Soft, light and delightful. Quite a spicy nose, but the spices are so well integrated, and make such a perfect whole it feels like a caress. Pepper, toffee, maple syrup, brown sugar,...

Tullibardine 25 YO, 43 %

Tullibardine 25 YO

The oldest readily available whisky from the highland distillery Tullibardine. The Tullibardine 25 YO has been matured in 1st and 2nd fill ex-sherry hogsheads. 

There is limited information available on the official website, but there is some info .

The Tullibardine 25 YO is available to buy in Sweden at SEK 1639 ( 85979 ), and online at around GBP 138 , which is a very decent price for such an old whisky these days.

Nose : Rather mild and nondescript at first. Sure there are sherry notes here, and a soft,...

Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9, 49.4 %

Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9

A really old whisky from Zuidam Distillers , located in the Netherlands, today. The Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9 was matured in a single Oloroso sherry butt. It was distilled on 1996-10-25, and bottled 2016-09-02. The total outturn was 300 bottles.

I am currently working my way through a few old and new bottlings from Zuidam Distillers. If you haven't tried anything from them yet, then it is time for you to go explore high quality single malt from...

High Coast Quercus III - Petraea, 5 YO, 50.8 %

Nordic whisky #208 - High Coast Quercus III - Petraea

This is the third release in the Quercus series from Swedish distillery High Coast Distillery (formerly known as Box Whisky). This time out the focus is on Quercus petraea, an oak type native to most of Europe. Petraea means "of rocky places", and this is a type of oak that grows at a higher altitude than its sibling the Quercus robur.

High Coast Quercus III - Petraea is an unpeated whisky that has been matured in 200 litre bourbon casks for...

Millstone 10 YO American Oak, 43 %

Millstone 10 YO American Oak

Produced by Zuidam Distillery in the Netherlands. The Millstone 10 YO American Oak is just what it says in the title; a ten year old single Maltwhisky matured in American Oak.

You can buy this online at around GBP 72 .

Nose : Lighter. Cool vanilla ice-cream with fudge and coconut flakes. Hints of fudge and cookie dough.

Taste : Medium body. On the dry side. Quite spicy upfront. Black pepper, ancho chili, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Finish : Medium long finish. Mainly dry oakiness, bitter-ish herbal notes...

Yamazaki 10 YO, 40 %

Japanese whisky with an age statement is getting harder and harder to find. The Yamazaki 10 YO was discontinued about four years ago. This is a whisky matured mainly in ex-bourbon casks.

Nose : Quite light in character. Soft spices, some caramel and vanilla. Herbal notes in the back. Hints of oak and incense.

Taste : Medium body and lightly creamy mouthfeel. Just as light as the nose really; caramel and honey dominate. Again soft herbal notes in the back.

Finish : Medium long finish. A bit drier now, and perhaps a little spicier. White...

Bunnahabhain Moine marsala Finish, 13 YO, 56.6 %

This is a distillery exclusive. It was distilled 2004-01-22 and bottled on 2017-06-27. The total outturn was 564 bottles.

Here is what the distillery says about the Bunnahabhain Moine marsala Finish:

"Beginning its maturation in whisky refill, the Mòine marsala was transferred to marsala Wine Casks for a further 4 years – the rich, sweet dessert wine from Sicily."

Nose : Quite smoky this. Rich, fruity and big wood smoke. A touch of saltiness. Vanilla and hints of well-turned soil and damp leaves.

Taste : Rich and full-bodied. Fiery hot coals made...