Kjellermesterens Labprøve 1 is a double distilled single malt whiskey that has seen the inside of three different casks, American Virgin Oak (225 litres), Sauternes (225 litres) and finished in a Cognac (30 litres) cask, and it has a beautiful amber colour.
It will be available to order at Vinmonopolet from November 9th.
Nose
The intensity on the nose is on the lighter side, and I am getting no alcohol sting when nosing this whisky. I am warmly greeted by a mix of fresh, crisp apples and cooked apples, marzipan, almonds, some coconut, toffee, some leather and oak. After letting the whisky breathe in the glass for a while, I am also finding black cherries. There is also a subtle green, herbaceous note present, maybe eucalyptus or peppermint? These notes, more towards peppermint actually, become a lot more present when nosing the empty glass.
Palate
I love the apple notes I get on the first sip of this whisky, crisp red apples, leaving me with a homey feeling, followed by a slightly bitter caramel and some vanilla. I am getting light, pleasant oak notes. It is a bit on the drier side, showing some tannins, leaving my tongue feeling dry. I am also getting a little marzipan. To me, the alcohol feels a tad sharp on the palate, but I am guessing this is because of the young age of this whisky – there is no age statement, but it is clearly young although it bears no traces of new make whatsoever. It could have been a tiny bit more balanced, but that is just me being demanding. It ends with a subtle sprinkle of spice, maybe pepper.
Finish
It has a long finish with a lot of complexity, but the tannins are a little too prominent to my taste, ruining the finish a bit. The already mentioned notes of red apples, caramel, leather and oak, lingers, making this whisky something to be on a lookout for.
Once again I have to tip my imaginary hat to Jon Berthelsen and Det norske brenneri. After having had the pleasure of tasting two of their upcoming releases, I am very much intrigued to see what the future will hold.
ABV: 48.9 %
Country: Norway
Det norske brenneri bottled the first Norwegian single malt whisky, “Audny” (meaning hope), back in 2012, named after a sailing ship that sailed from Sørlandet at the end of the 19th century. The skipper was Aanon Peersen, grandfather of distiller Ole Puntervold, and the history is carried forward by master blender Jon Berthelsen.
A huge thanks to Det norske brenneri for kindly sending me this sample.
Tasting notes and opinions about this release are strictly my own.
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