Nordic Whisky #131 - Eiktyrne Sokin og Eikin Sauternes Finish

7 Feb

Eiktyrne Sokin og Eikin Sauternes Finish, 4 YO, 48,3 %

Eiktyrne is the whisky brand used by Det Norske Brenneri ("The Norwegian Distillery") in Grimstad, Norway. Back in 2015 they released the previous version of the 'regular' Eiktyrne - the Eiktyrne Sid og Vid (see review). Here is the second 'regular' release then - the Eiktyrne Sokin og Eikin Sauternes Finish. In between these two releases there has also been a small cask release (see review). I have also visited the distillery (see report).

Sokin and Eikin are rivers running from the horns of the stag Eikþyrnir (“the oak thorned”), just like Sid and Vid in the previous release.

Eiktyrne Sokin og Eikin Sauternes Finish is released in a limited edition of just 503 bottles at 500 ml each. It is 4+ years old, so yeah .. 4 years old. Initially matured in the unusual mix of American virgin oak, sherry bloodtub and calvados casks. Then all vatted and finished in a Sauternes casks.

You can pick up a bottle of the Eiktyrne Sokin og Eikin Sauternes Finish in Norway only, at NOK 595 (6991302).

Nose: Warm and sweet spiciness; including cinnamon and nutmeg. Warming character. Soft oak and nuts. Dark and dry chocolate. Hints of dried fruits. A vague hint of ripe apples. Homemade caramel pudding.

Taste: Rich and full-bodied. A slightly dry mouthfeel. The palate is as advertised - sweetness, spices and oak. The oakiness is soft though, no aggressive notes here. Honey, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, white pepper and dark chocolate.

Finish: Medium long finish. The honey, nougat and dry-ish spiciness lead us all the way home. The chocolate notes now remind me more of milk chocolate. The landing is very smooth and appealing. It leaves me with a good feeling.

Comments: Finally Norwegian single malt whisky is starting to really make its mark in Nordic Whisky. This is a really impressive 4 YO whisky. It shows, yet again, that Sauternes casks tend to work very well with whisky, and it certainly shows that Det Norske Brenneri is on a path for success.

Score (88/100)