Atlungstad Whisky 13 År
Atlungstad Whisky 16 13 År, ~13 YO, 41.3 %
This week we saw the release of an unusual product here in Norway, called Atlungstad Whisky 16 13 År, where “år” is Norwegian for “year”. I’ll start off by quoting the official product info (my translation to English):
“In the early 2000s, there was a major shortage of bulk whisky and Arcus secured a supply of bulk whisky from Scotland. Afterwards, the bulk crisis was called off and the availability of bulk whiskey from Scotland returned to normal. The surplus whisky was left in casks, until Atlungstad took over the product and bottled this curiosity, to make it available to whisky enthusiasts.
Atlungstad Whisky is a unique blended whisky, which has first been matured in bourbon casks, then in 7000 litre French oak vats and finally in 500 litre sherry casks.”
This problematic as they state the product has been partially “matured” in 7000 litre French oak vats. Current law, EU directive 2019/787 - which was ratified in Norway on 2022-04-29, requires “maturation of the final distillate for at least three years in wooden casks not exceeding 700 litres capacity”.
Now, it is perfectly fine to store the whisky in larger vessels than 700 litres, and such vessels may even be made of steel or other materials, but the whisky does not mature in such vessels. The clock is stopped, if you will.
I have tried to obtain details from Atlungstad on how long this blended whisky was stored in these large vats, but have as yet not received an answer. I shall update this article as soon as I know more.
In conclusion I would say it is misleading to call this blended whisky 16 years old, and it might also be illegal depending on how long it was held in those 7000 litre vats.
** UPDATE 2022-09-11 ** I just received the following information from Romain Jourdan at Atlungstad:
“The whisky arrived at Arcus in June 2008, as a 3 YO blend. The blend was kept in the large wooden vats until 2012, then transferred to casks in 2012. The casks were from Williams & Humbert and had not been previously used (1st fill).”
This makes the whisky approximately 13 years old, and not 16 years old. The label should be updated, and the information on vinmonopolet.no revised.
** UPDATE 2023-11-15 ** At some point over the past year the product label and the information on vinmonopolet.no has been updated. The label now correctly states “13 År” (13 YO). Curiously the label now also states “Aquavit Cask Finish”, so it seems my suspicion (see tasting notes below) that the sherry casks used to finish this whisky had also previously been used to mature aquavit, were right on the nose (pun intended). The devil is in the details, indeed.
You can purchase the Atlungstad Whisky 16 13 År in Norway at NOK 550 (14652301).
Nose: Dried fruit and Christmas cake. Caraway and wet sawdust. Very odd - there’s a spiciness here that eludes me. Not entirely pleasant. With time also vanilla, gingerbread and rowanberries. I have a strong suspicion the sherry casks used to finish this whisky have previously held Norwegian aquavit (akevitt) - where caraway is a required ingredient.
Taste: Light to medium body. Vanilla, almond paste, and again wet sawdust. Bitter-ish oakiness. Artificial sweetener and green herbs.
Finish: Short to medium finish. The herbs are acting up - turning almost aggressive. Almond pudding (what we call “mandelkjernepudding” here in Norway) and vanilla. Oaky and watery in character in the end.
Comment: A stranger in a strange land.
Score 72/100
Revised label with corrected age statement and correct cask information.
Sláinte!
-Thomas
