Nose: A strangely sour fruit note, almost mezcal-like or maybe even akin to retsina. Cereal and a little vanilla, but quirky. Green tea and parsley. White grapes (or is that the power of suggestion?) Palate: A sweet/astringent arrival that becomes sweeter as it develops. Bright and hard citrus at the start (kumquat?) but relaxing into sweeter lime flavours as it unfolds, then green melon and fruits (but they are all young and just barely ripe fruits). Finish: Short. Crisp and mildly bitter/sour citrus and cereal flavours gradually fading out sweet. This is a whisky that needs to rest in the glass for a while with a dash of water before tasting. When freshly poured it is full of grassy and odd citrus flavours, but as it develops you do clearly detect the chardonnay cask on both nose and palate. A dash of water makes it more agreeable by bringing out some cereal sweetness but overall I didn't think much of it. It's the sort of thing you could become accustomed to if it was all you had on a desert island, but not much more. The price is reasonable but be aware that it's not a typical profile, and an acquired taste. Also note that a few years ago there was a 10 year old Glen Moray single malt that was matured entirely in chardonnay casks and not just finished in them. It was far superior to this expression but is now discontinued. Don't confuse the two. "Average" : 77/100 (2.5 stars)
About this bottle
This expression is part of the brand's Elgin Classic collection. It was initially matured in tradition American oak. It then spends a shorter amount of time in casks that once held Chardonnay of unspecified origin. It is bottled at 80 proof.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 15 parsed reviews.
Robe ambrée pâle. Arômes de pêche, raisin, bois sensiblement récent, léger poivre, pistache. Alcool tout de même doux. En bouche, l'alcool arrive rapidement et suivent des saveurs fruitée et vineuses typiques du vin blanc. Pêche, raisins et poire et alcool presque astringent ensuite mais qui se calme par la suite. Finale brève boisée avec goût d'épices, cannelle grillée, bois vert. Texture plutôt liquide. Ok pour découvrir les vieillissements en barriques de vin mais sans plus.
A weak 4, and I couldn't bear the thought of giving it a 3. It's nothing to shout home about, but I liked it. The nose evokes thoughts of tea leaves with a touch of apples and baking spices. The palate is nutty, with a strange deliciousness for which the Chardonnay cask is probably responsible for. The finish is short but refreshingly crisp. It's different in a good way.
Nose: sour apples, raisins, candy, grape peels. Taste: light and fruity. Sweet. Baking spices and some cinnamon. In the finish the Chardonnay cask comes forth. Sweetness and caramel. The finish is longer than I would expect from a 40% whisky with a kind of a weak base. So far from all their finishes this Chardonnay cask is certainly my favourite
Wonderful nose (lemon, salty citrus, pineapple) that shows up in a lighter, yet salty, version on the palate. The finish almost shuts the overall watery feel down. Not very complex but solid. 24-22-23-21=90
Barrica de Chardonnay Dorado brillante. Iodado, enebro y tabaco. Salado en nariz. Se descubre un fondo de almendra. Salado en boca, caramelizado Final con giro amargo pero agradable con tono chocolatado.
9 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
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