maltmountains – Slowdrink.de

New release: Speyside Region 25 y.o. maltmountains 1993 – 2018 Sherry Cask 51,1%

Peter Krause — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 18:32:35 +0000

Our friend Oliver has a new bottling in the pipeline, just perfect for X-Mas: a sherried old Speysider! He was so kind as to send me a sample. Here are my 2p on it:

Comment: This is like a gingerbread with a chocolate-chili coating, very appropriate for the season. The Oloroso smell and hints of a dry n‘ spicy classic ooze out of my tasting tulip. I am getting sherry, old wood, orange zest, soaked gingerbread, dusty warehouse, green tea and herbs, dark chocolate, Maraschino cherry gelee, dates, apricot, humidor, and: Chili! Altogether rather an old style dram … and on the palate? Less dry than expected! Great stuff with an exciting back n‘ forth between sweetness (jammy) and spiciness, yet in very good balance. Cough syrup-complexity It finishes lengthy and full of finesse, echoes of cherries, chocolate, dates and sloeberries linger. A real recommendation!

Score: 90

A great Bladnoch by malt mountains

Peter Krause — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 09:13:15 +0000

My friend Oliver, who has been enjoying wonderful drams with me for years, has ventured into bottling some casks under his name on a very small scale. We already reviewed some bottlings here. Now he has a new baby that I consider as a bang for your buck:

Bladnoch 26 y.o. malt mountains No. 5, 1990 – 2016, bourbon barrel, 48,6%

Comment: Sweet and mature nose in great balance. Creme brulee wit loads of vanilla, almonds, white peach, kumquat, gooseberry, grapefruit, pear, cider, kirschschnaps, elder, lime dashes, kurkuma and what not – in parts like a Nahe Riesling Auslese and marzipan cake and Haribo foam mice (sorry!). The palate is equally rewarding, and the oak is not dominant. This mild baby surfs on vanilla and fruit but has enough power to render great aromas. It reminds me of white-chocolate-glazed fruits at county fairs. A dessert in a glass. And at a price around 165.- Euro this is a real steal. Hell of a pick, Oli! Get the remaining bottles on malt mountain’s page, you won’t regret it.

Score: 91

maltmountains: gettin‘ high?

Peter Krause — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 15:21:35 +0000

My fellow upper Bavarian friend Oliver Späth has dedicated a part of his time to import single cask whisky – LIKE. Not only is he one of the nicest guys around in the German whisky scene, he has also proven to have a good nose in recent years. His page is here. Let’s put his drams to the test:

Tobermory 20 y.o. maltmountains 1995 – 2015, hogshead, 48,4%

Comment: The nose reminds me of a breakfast near cow stables – hints of muesli, green tea, nutella, wholegrain bread, fennel, cumin, cinnamon, canned apricots and pears, ginger and ginger bread, and also a whiff of, well, manure pile (in a good way) … Serge calls this ‚farmyardy‘ – same idea. As Bavarian boys this makes us feel at home The palate is way different, which I always like: very round, coastal, briny, discrete peat and earth a la Garioch (no smoke though), and so quaffable, darn good. A long finish leaves you wanting another shot. Still available for 125.- Euro.

Score: 89

Speyside Region 20 y.o. 1994 – 2015, sherry cask, 52,4%

Comment: What a muscular and big dram. Powerful, spicy, well-sherried. The spicy part consists of chili, wasabi and tanned leather. The sherry adds dark chocolate, cherries, plums and aniseed. I am also getting reminiscences of old dusty library shelves. The palate is very much the same but the wine adds a nice layer of complexity to the combo. I liked to tame it with a dash of water, but if you prefer it heavy, neat is fine. 124.- Euro.

Score: 87

Oliver also has a 20 y.o. Glen Keith which scratches the 90-points-mark (had it only passing by at a fair). Great value there, as well.