Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Speyside Distillery

Bottler: Hunter Laing

Region: Speyside

Price: €7.82 for a 30 mL sample

ABV: 48%

Cask Type: Sherry Butt

Age: 21 Year. Distilled in October 1993, in Bottled 2015.

Color: 1.2, Russet/Muscat. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

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Nose: (according to the wife) It’s on the earthy side. There’s a bit of leather with a note of burnt bacon. A bit of berry pops up towards the end as well.

Palate: It starts of a rich caramel but that might be the only redeeming note in here. The caramel is quickly overtaken by something incredibly musty and sour. It’s almost vinegar like. Not good.

Finish: Unfortunately long. A note of old apple cider vinegar and tons of ethanol stick around.

Conclusion: It’s been a while since I’ve drain poured a whisky but this one went down the drain pretty quickly. The nose is a bit promising with earthy tones and a bit of berry. The palate starts off with a really nice rich caramel but everything quickly goes downhill from there. The musty and sour note are just incredibly unpleasant. The apple cider vinegar and ethanol that lingers made me want to scrape my tongue clean. I’m left wondering if I got a bad sample, but as things stand, I have to say this is the worst whisky I’ve had.

Final Score: 5.

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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.