Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 47.5%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Morrison Distillers
Average price: € 80.00
Official website: www.carnmorwhisky.co.uk
Vote: 83/100
Not long after Claxton’s release, another independent bottling from the Speyside distillery, this time in Morrison Distillers’ vision for the Càrn Mòr label.
Part of the Strictly Limited line, consisting not of single casks but the blending of a few casks bottled at the same 47.5% strength, in this case butt ex oloroso sherry that produced 1798 bottles.
Tasting notes
The bang of sherry on the nose is remarkable, almost overwhelming, but soon the vinous cloud thins out to leave room for the inevitable red fruits (currants, gooseberries, wild strawberries) that lead the charge of fruit and nuts (mandarin, pink grapefruit, walnut), accompanied by chestnut honey, cloves, leather and a touch of raspberry tart. If initially it is the acidulous part that prevails, time in the glass tends to dilute it quite a bit, allowing warmer and softer tones tending towards pastry to emerge.
Although the vinous component is always dominant, a broader palette emerges on the palate with a greater incidence of spices (black pepper, cloves, cinnamon) that lead towards mulled wine together with more marmellous fruit, including citrus, red fruits and plums, with chocolate, coffee, more honey (a little) and nuts.
Medium-long finish of spices, wood, coffee, nuts and red fruits.
A bottle that suffers from the sins of youth, with a fairly marked alcoholic exuberance and no great nuances, but which doesn’t lack pleasant cues. A classic Sherried, which fully fits the distillery’s profile.