Review by: TOModera
I will always say this: If you enjoy Scotch, or Bourbon, yet can’t keep up with the price hikes, you should try a whisky that is made near you. It won’t always be amazing, however for every 10 bad or just “okay” whiskies out there, there’s a good company making tasty stuff.
Just look at Amrut, or Forty Creek, or Sullivan’s Cove, or Nikka. If someone hadn’t said “I’m going to try out some [Indian/Canadian/Aussie/Japanese] whisky”, we’d never know about these places.
Today is not one of those “happy” days, however it won’t be the last of me trying Swiss whisky.
I’ll be reviewing Santis Highlander Edition Cask Strength Peated. This is not a single cask, matured in Beer Oak casks, and made by Brauereri Distillery. And all of that seems interesting.
I can personally say that this is the first time I’ve ever had a beer finished whisky, and I’m excited at a new region, peated, and cask strength. Also it was voted the European malt of 2010, so I’m really excited.
Because why not amp up ones own expectations?
Note: All this amping up is just for show. In reality, I typically review whisky with knowing as little as possible about them.
Distillery: Brauerei Locher Distillery.
Bottler: Distilled Bottling.
Region: Appenzell, Switzerland.
ABV: 52.0%. Cask strength.
Age: Unknown
Cask type: Old Oak Beer Casks.
Price: N/A in Ontario (Small Blessings).
Color: Dark mahogany.
Nose: Champagne yeast, sour plums, swamp, stale pasta, strawberry medicine, mesquite smoked conch
This hurts to smell. Every part of your brain will tell you that it’s bad. I mean, sure, it’s the defecation of yeast that has eaten and crapped out a poison for you, but it normally doesn’t smell like poison and bad.
And yes, by conch I mean conch shells, which has this odd smell to it. It smells like dead shellfish that has been smoked. What the fucking fuck?
Taste: Old bacon, cherry, butter, burnt pig skin, radish
The taste isn’t as bad as the smell. That said, it’s still not that appealing. Everything is past it’s prime, or cooked too much, or just out of place.
Still not as bad as sticking your head in a bog… like the nose.
Finish: Peat, pepper, metal, fresh wood, burning leaves, cloves, spoiled BBQ sauce
The finish wants to be something. It wants to have this Ardbeg beefiness.
It doesn’t. It starts with some peat, and then just spoils. Forever. On and on.
Conclusion: Full Disclosure: I am not a beer fan. I enjoy the odd stout that has cocoa and chocolate notes to it, however I am not a lover of hops.
This isn’t ruined because of hops though: It’s just all over the place. I want to try the others, just to see if it’s the peatiness that screwed it up, or the Beer barrels, or maybe it once ran over a gypsy and was cursed, or perhaps it’s a general use punishment for everyone.
None the less, unless I take this as a shot, I’m not drinking it.
Final Score: 41.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 