Blend Score: 78 ABV: 41.3% Region: “Outland” Bottle: 9/10
This whisky, entitled Nomad, had its worldwide launch here in the Taiwanese market not long ago. It’s called an ‘outland’ whisky because it spent a final year of its maturation in Jerez, where it sat in PX casks from the González Byass winery. The way it works is that a series of whiskies that have been aged anywhere from 5 to 8 years in Scotland are blended and placed in Oloroso casks for a year. After that, they’re shipped to Spain’s warmer climate and left to mingle with the winery’s PX casks for at least another year. They say it’s a blend of 25 single malts and 3 grain whiskies, with no mention of proportions.
While it seems that Sheep Dip, Amrut, and a series of others have done this before, this is the first time the process has been highlighted and marketed so intensely. What follows is discussion and controversy. Does outsourcing the maturation to warmer climes ‘cheapen’ the whisky by speeding up the ageing process? Is it novelty or a way to cut corners? If the process becomes popular, will it damage the domestic Scottish industry? These are all good questions, none of which will be answered in this review. Let’s try the stuff, shall we?
Nose: Raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, indistinct nuts, Orangina, mocha, and caramelized fruit.
Palate: Raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, tiramisu, Amaretto liqueur, Grand Marnier, and apricots. More fruity sherry notes are present here than on the nose.
Finish: After a brief, soft crescendo of cinnamon and allspice, we’re left with… wait for it… raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, tiramisu, Amaretto, apricots, milk chocolate, cherries, and plums. Short-to-medium finish. I feel like I just ate a box of raisins.
Thoughts: Well, it’s very much a ‘niche’ flavour profile. If you like raisins, you’ll like this. But it’s a one trick pony. The raisin flavour basically dominates the entire experience. Flavour-wise, Nomad is a straight arrow from nose to finish. And with a thick coat of caramel, toffee, and marzipan, the cleanliness and clarity of the fruity flavours become somewhat muted. That, and very little evolution happens with time in the bottle or in the glass. I think I’ll stick with my Walker Swing or Ballantine’s 17, which are similarly priced and significantly better. For me, this is too sweet and the raisin note gets old fast.
嗅覺:
*整個都是葡萄乾的味道...
*濃厚強烈的葡萄乾,柳橙糖,太妃糖,堅果,摩卡,糖葫蘆
味覺:
*雪莉的味道比聞到的還濃厚
*濃厚強烈的葡萄乾, ,柳橙糖,太妃糖,提拉米蘇,DISARONNO,君度橘子香甜酒,杏子
後味:
*DID I JUST EAT A BOX OF 葡萄乾?後味短到中等.
*當然還是很多很多的葡萄乾,肉桂,五香,橘子糖,太妃糖,提拉米蘇,杏子,牛奶巧克力,櫻桃,桃.
評語:
*為了要做出高級酒品的風格,這款調合威士忌來自蘇格蘭不同的酒廠,然後再放進OLOROSO 雪莉桶放置一年,一年後再將酒運送至西班牙放入PX 雪莉桶至少一年,也由於西班牙的溫度較熱所以威士忌成熟的也快...乍聽之下好像很高級又特別...但真的...我個人覺得除了不是很特別之外也不是很好喝...
While it seems that Sheep Dip, Amrut, and a series of others have done this before, this is the first time the process has been highlighted and marketed so intensely. What follows is discussion and controversy. Does outsourcing the maturation to warmer climes ‘cheapen’ the whisky by speeding up the ageing process? Is it novelty or a way to cut corners? If the process becomes popular, will it damage the domestic Scottish industry? These are all good questions, none of which will be answered in this review. Let’s try the stuff, shall we?
Nose: Raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, indistinct nuts, Orangina, mocha, and caramelized fruit.
Palate: Raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, tiramisu, Amaretto liqueur, Grand Marnier, and apricots. More fruity sherry notes are present here than on the nose.
Finish: After a brief, soft crescendo of cinnamon and allspice, we’re left with… wait for it… raisins. Huge, juicy, rich raisins. Orange hard candies, toffee, marzipan, tiramisu, Amaretto, apricots, milk chocolate, cherries, and plums. Short-to-medium finish. I feel like I just ate a box of raisins.
Thoughts: Well, it’s very much a ‘niche’ flavour profile. If you like raisins, you’ll like this. But it’s a one trick pony. The raisin flavour basically dominates the entire experience. Flavour-wise, Nomad is a straight arrow from nose to finish. And with a thick coat of caramel, toffee, and marzipan, the cleanliness and clarity of the fruity flavours become somewhat muted. That, and very little evolution happens with time in the bottle or in the glass. I think I’ll stick with my Walker Swing or Ballantine’s 17, which are similarly priced and significantly better. For me, this is too sweet and the raisin note gets old fast.
嗅覺:
*整個都是葡萄乾的味道...
*濃厚強烈的葡萄乾,柳橙糖,太妃糖,堅果,摩卡,糖葫蘆
味覺:
*雪莉的味道比聞到的還濃厚
*濃厚強烈的葡萄乾, ,柳橙糖,太妃糖,提拉米蘇,DISARONNO,君度橘子香甜酒,杏子
後味:
*DID I JUST EAT A BOX OF 葡萄乾?後味短到中等.
*當然還是很多很多的葡萄乾,肉桂,五香,橘子糖,太妃糖,提拉米蘇,杏子,牛奶巧克力,櫻桃,桃.
評語:
*為了要做出高級酒品的風格,這款調合威士忌來自蘇格蘭不同的酒廠,然後再放進OLOROSO 雪莉桶放置一年,一年後再將酒運送至西班牙放入PX 雪莉桶至少一年,也由於西班牙的溫度較熱所以威士忌成熟的也快...乍聽之下好像很高級又特別...但真的...我個人覺得除了不是很特別之外也不是很好喝...
