Nordic Whisky #260 - Gjoleid Mesterbrevet 10 år

Gjoleid Mesterbrevet 10 år, 10 YO, 47.3 %

So, we now have a 10 year old Norwegian whisky! But it is not a single malt whisky. The mash bill for the Gjoleid Mesterbrevet 10 år is made up of 50 % pale malted barley, 35 % pale malted wheat, and 15 % beech wood smoked malted barley.

This product has been fully matured in 1st fill and 2nd fill bourbon barrels. The release is limited to 1900 bottles.

You can pick up the Gjoleid Mesterbrevet 10 år in Norway starting tomorrow at NOK 749 (12169902).

Nose: Softly spicy on the nose. Very quickly I pick up distinct notes of caraway! It actually reminds me of aquavit on the nose. I have to double check to see if they have used any aquavit casks in the maturation - but no, they haven’t. Arcus, the producer of Gjoleid, produce an astonishing amount of aquavit under numerous brands, so it would perhaps be natural for them to use aquavit casks. Hmm. maybe they used aqauvit casks by mistake? Even with time the aquavit notes dominate the nose here. It is also sweet - like cotton candy, with notes of vanilla as well as cut grass and green herbs. But the caraway - the caraway..

Taste: Medium body and sweetness. Somewhat spicy on the palate. I find ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper - and caraway!

Finish: Medium long finish. The same spices remain throughout. There is an added fruitiness now in the form of apples. Nice and rich creaminess in the end.

Comment: A strange one - an aquavisky?

Score 87/100

Sláinte!
- Thomas