No bumps on the road with this one – A smooth clean Speysider with all flowers, fruit and vanilla notes.

I think the setting was loads of more “Hygge” than the dram surprising in burst of taste. Don’t get me wrong it is a nice dram

I was visiting my good friend and picking up some Viking things for some pictures in the making and all natural – the talk turned into whisky talk
A while ago my friend @h.lindstrom wrote me that he was enjoying a dram of Linkwood and he was saving some for me. Lucky me he hadn’t emptied yet and today was the day for a sip.

My nose was meet with a slight waxy note then came all the “classic” Speyside fruity and flower notes. The taste came rolling soft with vanilla, flowers, some citrus and a mix of new leather and grass.
I think if we have had more time this evening and none of use was to go anywhere this could have been the kind of pleasant easy drinking whisky we could have made a large dip into.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (3/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

This is my first experience with Linkwood. I don’t think it will be my last but when that is said this is not at whisky knocking me over.

It has a nice oily mouth feel and the taste is vanilla, flowerish with the sherry wood taking the lead in the long finish.
In the middle I get some kind of petroleum’ish taste which is a little awkward but over all a nice dram.

Linkwood has not that many core range bottles on the marked and is mostly used in blends. That does not make it a pour whisky at all! Linkwood has one of the whiskies that gives blends complexity. More about that later.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (3/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

My son had made lunch and subsequently he served a dram I have not tasted before and from a bottler I have not tasted anything from before.

This is a whisky you have to be really patient with. You are greeted with a serious alcohol puff and it burns when you get it in your mouth. Yes, it is 58.6%, but with 10 years behind it, you might expect a somewhat more round experience.

Leave it in the glass, give it some water. Then you get a different experience and it pulls it to another level of taste.

Benrinnes is a Speyside distillery and you get the classic flower notes, but it is a warm flower meadow

Rauff & Fagerberg is a very young Danish company, founded in Odense, in April 2020, by Jørn Rauff and his wife Karina Fagerberg.
I have not been able to find a website for them, but I can see on instagram that there are several bottles to choose from.

Definitely a whisky you need to give time and preferably also some water to open it up. It’s not a whisky I would give someone new to the whisky game. Someone who has tried the whiskies that burn in the mouth and can hold it some time in the mouth will definitely be able to have a pleasure with this whisky and it will be a dram that can last for a while.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (3/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

It is so refreshing to taste whiskies where it is not just the standard methods that have been used and wupti, 10-12 years after we have a whisky that tastes a bit like all the others from the same area. It’s put up very square, but I think you get my point.
At a tasting not so long ago, the program was on 8 whiskies from GlenAllachie and it was a fabulos experience. I have previously tasted GlenAllachie 12 YO – PX-Oloroso sherry, finished in Virgin Oak. It was good but not a surprising experience so I may not have looked quite as much in the direction of GlenAllachie and it has been a clear mistake.

For this tasting conducted by Peter Kjær, Lars Gregersen and guesting from Scotland was Juliette Buchan. We tasted some fantastic whiskeys, but the one that caught attention was this one, which have matured in ex-bourbon casks and got an finish of approx. 18 month in an oak that has not been used much before.
The traditions have been to use American Oak for barrels, these are primarily the Oak called “Quercus Alba”, but here they have used an Oak, for their finish, which is not very common. It is called Chinquapin Oak and the Latin name is; “Quercus Muehlenbergii” and which is not a European Oak (Quercus Robur), but a species also from the United States.
Chinquapin Own comes from an area of ​​Missouri in the Northern Ozark region. Chinquapine is a subspecies of Quercus Alba, but it gives some other aromas to the whiskey which are more spicy than the slightly sweeter vanilla that come from Quercus Alba.
That’s what makes this GlenAllachie special and a whisky just to my mind and taste. It’s a little different, it’s exciting, it sticks out from the familiar and yet we know it as a good Speysider

It has the sweet vanilla from the first more than 10 years in regular Ex-Bourbon casks, but gets expressions of sweet licorice, orange, a little cardamom and rose hips. It has a wonderful sweet finish where the rose hips taste hangs for a while.

A wonderful whisky from the GlenAllachies Virgin Oak Series which is now on my whisky shelf. Classic and yet different, exciting. Soft and round in the taste.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (4/6)
Might actually be a 4.8/6 but I’m not running the od numbers

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

From the independent bottler Hunter Laing a Mortlach 11 year old to mark the Twentieth anniversary of The Old Malt Series in 2018.

I can understand why they chose Mortlach because they make some interesting whisky, but I think I expected a little more for an anniversary than this 11 year old.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice whisky but I am not blown away with this one. I have had other Mortlach with more taste.
The nose has more to offer than the taste in my opinion and the better experience comes by adding water. This gives it a little more depth and fullness, especially in the scent. It’s a nice bottle to have to show the diversity of Mortlach.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (3/6) without water
𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (4/6) with water

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

I really like these Experimental series for a couple of reasons. One is that the distilleries show more of what they can do with their whisky and have the courage to do what independent bottlers have been doing to the distilleries whisky for some time. Another is that some really great whiskies come out of it just like this Glenfiddich Winter Storm.

Winter Storm is the 3rd in the Experimental serie from Glenfiddich and has a finish in Ice wine casks from a Canadian winery.

The French oak Ice wine casks are from the Peller Estate in Niagara, Ontario. Ice wine is a sweet desert wine made from grapes that are picked at night at -10*C and pressed while still frozen.

The story goes that among the whiskies Glenfiddich tried the Ice wine casks on for the finish, only the older whiskies matched up the sweetness of the Ice wine with the tannins from the long time in american oak. That is why the 3rd whisky in the Expirimental serie ended up being 21 years old.

By the way, this is also the first Scotch whisky that has matured in Ice wine casks as far as I know and that is another interesting point to this whisky.

In my opinion an elegant whisky on the sweet side.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

I really enjoy when people collaborate and use each other products like in this case Windswept Brewing Co. have aged a Dark Scottish Ale in Glen Moray whisky casks.
“The Wolf of Glen Moray” Ale is a limited edition that has aged 6 months in freshly emptied Glen Moray casks that have matured the Port Cask finish edition.

It is a nice ale at 9% abv where you can catch the notes from the whisky but I must admit it disappointed a bit specially at the price. I had expected a more full bodied thick ale. The colour is dark almost like a stout and has a fine white creamy head (foam).

Well a little more about the whisky

Glen Moray – This one is from the Elgin Classic serie in the core range with a Port Cask Finish and an abv at 40%.
We don’t get the age of the whisky but the finish is about 8 months in Tawny Port pipes from Porto Cruz.
It is a pleasant dram and as Glen Moray is a Speyside distillery you get a fine floral whisky with the touch of port wine that gives it a heavier feel but it is still a light whisky.

This whisky will not scare anyone away and can easy be used as a daily dram, or a pre dinner drink.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (4/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩