Whisky Saga Release #1 - part 4

This is it then. The samples I requested to select what will become Whisky Saga Release #1 are on the test bench. The samples are fully matured in either American oak re-charred hogsheads, ex-bourbon hogsheads or French oak hogsheads, and aged between 12 and 15 years.

I make sure to take my time tasting these samples. Over a period of about three weeks I come back to them several times, doing fresh tasting notes. All my tastings are done half blind, i.e. I know I have these six samples in the glasses before me, but I do not know which sample is in which glass.

For something as important as this - I am putting my stamp of approval on this whisky after all - I also enlist outside assistance. Maybe assistance does not really cover it, perhaps sanity check is a better description. Anyways, I contact Rasmus Søreng-Christensen, a long time whisky friend. He runs the fine whisky blog Skotsk Taake, which is well worth a read! Rasmus has a refined and well developed palate and a taste for whisky which I've found is quite compatible with my own. A fun fact here is that Rasmus tastes the samples completely blind. He does not even know they are from the same distillery, or that they are samples for Whisky Saga Release #1.

I also subject a couple of other souls, that shall remain anonymous, to some of the samples. All in the spirit of sharing good experiences.

The quality overall of the samples is very high. I really do have a luxury problem on my hands having to select one of them. As time progresses and the sample bottles are emptied two favorites do emerge, and in the end a choice is made.

Before I reveal which one I selected I will disclose a summary of my tasting notes for all six samples below:

WS1: Vintage 2008, cask 2910, Re-charred American Oak Hogshead, 12 YO, 57.5 %

Nose: Fruity, lots of vanilla. Light, yet softly oaky. With time strawberries and chewing gum. 

Taste: Rich and full bodied. White pepper, dry-ish. A bit oaky.

Finish: Medium long. Drier still. Not as oaky now. Sweeter and more fruity than initially. Sugary sweetness when it relents. Light and fruity in the end.

WS2: Vintage 2008, cask 2911, Re-charred American Oak Hogshead, 12 YO, 57.5 %

Nose: Deeper, richer. More vanilla, creamy vanilla. Soft tropical fruits. Almond milk. 

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Lighter and more fruity than WS1. Tropical fruits and almonds again. Milk chocolate.

Finish: Medium long. Milk chocolate, light sweetness, tropical fruits. Hardly any spices, and no oakiness.

WS3: Vintage 2006, cask 33307, French Oak Hogshead, 14 YO, 56.5 %

Nose: Deep and creamy vanilla, like WS2, but with added soft spices here. Ripe fruits. Mellow. Sophisticated. Complex. The tiniest alcohol bite → gone with time. Cinnamon, carnation and soft floral notes.

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Quite spicy - pepper (black), ginger, earthy cinnamon. Has a zing to it. With time just lovely, deep, delicate caramel notes with added soft spices.

Finish: Medium long. Almost chewy. It has texture. Love that. Mellows out and just delivers super delicate and sweet tropical fruits, with a mild spiciness → carnation and nutmeg. Almonds.

WS4: Vintage 2006, cask 33309, French Oak Hogshead, 14 YO, 56.5 % 

Nose: Deep and creamy vanilla, again like WS2, but with added soft spices. Ripe fruits. Mellow. Sophisticated. Complex. No alcohol bite. Hints of green, cut grass with time.

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Not quite as spicy as WS3. More fruity. Has ginger and hints of oaky bitterness – no, make that orange marmalade. Chocolate and hints of cocoa nibs. Toffee.

Finish: Medium to long finish. Ginger and honey.  Camphor as well actually. Softly green. Second time around not all that honeyed. 

WS5: Vintage 2005, cask 40386, Bourbon Barrel, 15 YO, 56 %

Nose: A bit shy. Dusty, fruity, softly oaky. Not much more at first.

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Quite spicy. Ginger and pepper. Fizzy.

Finish: Medium to short finish. Dies off very quickly. Fruity water with some oakiness. That’s it. Hmm. Bitter-ish.

WS6: Vintage 2005, cask 40387, Bourbon Barrel, 15 YO, 56 %

Nose: Much like WS5 but a little more fruity. 

Taste: Rich and full bodied. White pepper. Softly bitter-ish. Orange marmalade.

Finish: Medium long. Even more bitter now. Oaky bitterness.

My final choice is the WS4. French oak hogshead it is, then! Who would´ve thunk it?

Sláinte!

- Thomas