Ardnahoe Aqvavitae Small Batch 2019 2025 6 yrs, 55% WB: 282782

Nose (2h): Bon fire, vanilla and sweets. Apples of paradise. Candy floss, but a barbecue or fireplace nearby, no meat yet. Fresh green apples, some banana and coconut. Other tropical fruits are hiding. A teaspoon of water lures out peaches and apricots. A honeydew melon tentatively ventures outside. Creme Brule, pancakes, pannacotta creme.

Palate: So sweet, grilled banana, pineapple, melon, some espresso. Some tannins, Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. Vanilla ice cream with lots of vanilla sauce. Fading summer, last rays of sunshine, once again warm and nice.

Finish: Unexpectedly long, warming, umami, oily, milk chocolate,

cappuccino. Rice pudding without cinnamon, or with? However…

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." - James Dent

89/90/90

Isle of Raasay for the Maclean Foundation 2019 2025, 5 Years old, #19/1092, 61,1% ABV, WB283551

Nose (1h-2h): Cognac flavours and fruit spirit, cherry. Behind the superficial youth there are flashes of preserved dark fruits. However, the youth gains the upper hand in a tingling manner. Alcoholic freshness on the nose, manifested in mint and eucalyptus. Not far from cough drops. Mountain herbs and Klosterfrau lemon balm spirit. Smells like a cold and hospital. Get well soon from the 'Final Touch'. Other glasses reveal sultanas, baker's yeast, bread, caramel, toffee, marzipan, dusty library.

Palate: sage, orange pips, tonnes of bitter almonds. Marzipan with

candied orange peel. I liked the nose much better. No easy drink. Diluting with water does no good. Grappa with very high ABV. No more cognac, no more brandy, 'just' alcohol with flavour.

Finish: The finish is very burning and short, the bitten-through seeds linger unpleasantly in the mouth, the high alcohol burns unpleasantly. The mouth is flooded with grapefruit juice and the white part, the pith, of the grapefruit.

Ultimately a very young and unbalanced whisky. Bought to support the project, but not a real pleasure to drink.

We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

88/85/80