Nordic whisky #200 - Eiktyrne Festivaltappning 2018

Eiktyrne Festivaltappning 2018, 3 YO, 56.4 %

Another rarity on review today. The Eiktyrne Festivaltappning 2018 was only made available for attendees at the Sørlandet akevitt- og whiskyfestival in June this summer. Attendees could get their hands on a 40 ml bottle if they were so inclined.

Believe it or not, but the whole release was limited to 300 bottles (40 ml each)! An amazing 12 litres in total. This was actually a significantly larger release than the 10 litre Cognac cask release they had a while back (see review). Too bad there was no option to order a full size bottle this year as we did last year (see review).

Not a whole lot of details were made available for the Eiktyrne Festivaltappning 2018. All I know is that is has been matured in a refill Sauternes cask and then been given a Cognac cask finish.

Nose: It does have an initial alcohol bite to it, so watch out. Give it time! Quite warm and rich. A hot and humid afternoon in a deep forest and relatively new rubber wellies. Heavy sweetness mixed with floral, borderline perfume like, notes. With time it takes on more of an earthy character, and reveals notes of caramel and vanilla.

Taste: Full-bodied like a sumo wrestler, rich like Scrooge McDuck. The sweetness is now balanced with soft spices (OK, the initial pepper wave is a bit more than just soft). Lots of green notes now - cut grass, mint and menthol. Caramel and vanilla.

Finish: Medium long finish. Rich mouthfeel all the way. Less sweet now. A bit oaky - wet sawdust and unsalted peanuts.

Comments: More a whisky for winter than summer. A fun little festival release.

Score (85/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas