“Vintervarme” is labelled as edition no. 01, teasing that this might be a new series from Single
Malt Dreams. It is a 15-year-old single malt from the Lowland region in Scotland, and it has been finished in a first-fill Oloroso barrique. It will be available on Vinmonopolet tomorrow for the mere price of 1267,70 NOK, and it is limited to 350 bottles.
Nose
I am getting ripe, juicy red apples, crisp Granny Smith apples, sweet caramel, slightly astringent, oil-like, vanilla sugar, creamy vanilla sugar, baking spices and some oatmeal. Very homey, if it makes sense. When the glass has been empty for a while, the nose turns more towards apple sauce – and if you haven’t caught on yet, this whisky is apples in every shape and form to me.
Palate
It is very well balanced, round and smooth, and the apples mentioned on the nose are coming through. I am getting caramel, slightly toasty (but not burnt), maybe even like eating caramel apples at the fair, the baking spices are gently peeking through, finishing off with a little acidity/ astringency that pulls everything nicely together.
Finish
On the finish, I am picking up a little bit of wood influence, like chewing on a popsicle stick, and some tannins without being unpleasant in any way – nice long finish.
“Vintervarme” is a delightful dram, if you ask me. Its name translates into “winter warmth”, and I have no problems understanding why Stephen chose the name for this particular whisky. While the nose resembles what I typically find in most sherry-matured whisky, it is a lot juicier and more enticing on my palate.
When I first pour it, it instantly puts a smile on my face, because I adore whiskies that smell of those juicy red apples, but after a few seconds in the glass, the nose changes into a very oily nose. It is almost giving me gasoline vibes without burning my nostrils (at all), then turns back into a deep red fruit-and-berry salad with lots of apples, leaving the gasoline-like note as a mere afterthought. The mouthfeel is delightful! It is mouth-coating, and the finish lingers for quite a while before turning slightly more astringent, showcasing a bit more of the wood influence. Such an easy drinker!
Where I would typically talk about a sherry-matured whisky as a winter whisky, picturing myself sitting in a Chesterfield chair staring deep into the fireplace, getting lost in the flames and my own thoughts, this whisky is a strange combination of late summer and autumn to me – and I am not mad about it!
Please, leave a bottle for me, will you?
First-fill oloroso barrique
ABV: 50%
Country: Scotland (Lowland)
Tasting notes and opinions about this release are strictly my own.
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