[May, 2017]  Another one of this newish NAS whiskies many distilleries introduced over the last years simply to mask that they have a serious cask quality problem (due to the whisky boom there are not enough high quality bourbon or sherry casks available so the distilleries have to use virgin oak casks in addition AND reduce the maturation times in quality casks to use the same cask more often).

And exactly this drives the quality of the resulting malts drastically towards the south.  More bitter virgin oakiness, unbalanced profiles and immature spirits combine to rather unpleasant drams (compared to the older standard editions).   And due to the whisky boom they can sell this stuff for even higher prices - scary to see how a whole industry bites the hands that feed them...  Never Accept Stupid marketing!

Nose. Unpeated Ardbeg (that citrus)... Fresh... Old leather... Gentle but big and wide... Morning trip to the florist... Ground duck liver... Apple pie...

Palate. Bam in your face... Classic old style... Honey... Leather... Cocoa... Hints of smoke... Nectarines...

Finish. Medium... Glorious peppercorn... Salmon... Orange concentrate... Candied yam... Fried tofu (really.)...

Avid Scotch fan...
This is NAS and all... probably has some 4 year... definitely has some 25+... instant classic...

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/on-location-dalwhinnie/

N: Our tour guide reiterates what’s on the label, ‘recommended for the freezer’ – ha, that’s sure to work! At room temperature, it noses like the already tempered 15yo but in first gear, stripped of anything that may ‘offend’.

T: Spongey soft grain that develops raw and reveals its immaturity.

F: Longer finish than the 15yo due to its snappy raw bite.

C: Our guide sings the same song as at Blair Athol [also Diageo], namely ‘it’s about flavour, not age’. This is clearly THE message that’s been sent down from the marketing department to the shop floor, heard in every Diageo distillery at the time. Unless everything I’ve known about whisky has suddenly been wrong, once you’ve produced your spirit, the flavour ain’t going to come from anywhere else but from wood. I think this ‘flavour over age’ song will tire as people realize [even taste] the contradictions and clock the pricing inequality. Either that or the next generation of whisky drinkers will be groomed sufficiently on barley vodka. Incredibly, the price of this NAS [6-7 yo] expression and the 15yo is almost identical!