Four World Single Malt Whiskies | Various ABV

Balancing Out The Scotch

We’ve been pretty heavy on the Scotch whiskies lately here on Dramface. It’s completely by accident since we write about the whiskies that speak to our likes or our wallets, or both.

Scotch whisky has had its hooks in us writers at Dramface for quite some time. Some of us have deviated into the odd bourbon, or single malts from Belgium or Japan in recent articles however we seem to stay firmly entrenched in Scottish products. It’s not a bad thing, but it is worth acknowledging that perspective and diversity are never a bad thing either. 

I’ve been stockpiling some “global” or “world” single malt whiskies from outside the lush green and highland coo sporting landmass for quite some time now. Following my very firm rule of only buying whiskies when on sale, this has been a slow accumulation over the past two years or so. I’m in no rush and whisky will come to us if it wants to, and this quartet of whiskies has patiently filled the small holes in my shelves with their cute labels and slender 50cl bottle size.

Diversity has seen a resurgence in the past 5-8 years at the corporate level in North America, with new definitions and focussing on hiring and nurturing neuro, ethnic, and sexual identity diversity. It’s great that diversity hasn’t died out like the fads of Pogs, men sporting top knots, or epic levels of shiny and manicured beards dripping with effusive sandalwood beard oil. It has been a topic that routinely comes up in strategic hiring and recruitment meetings and executive meetings. But what about diversity in whisky? If we identify as whisky promiscuous or whisky curious, how far do you stray outside your typical comfort zone of whisky preferences? If you’re a single malt lover, do you consider trying a blended malt being diverse? Or a sherry lover giving Glencadam 15 a try? Where do you draw the line? 

I know some Dramface writers have begun honing in on their preferences, using their whisky funds to explore more singular offerings from a particular few distilleries. It’s all part of the whisky journey and it has been fun reading how the journeys of others have progressed in the two years Dramface has been up and running. For me though, I still have a shotgun side of me that I can’t seem to shake, keeping my eyes peeled for unique and interesting whiskies from around the world. Yes, I am still laser focussed on buying anything from a small shortlist of distilleries that speak to me right now, however I’m a sucker for something unique and at a price point too hard to pass up.

It’s what keeps whisky interesting and also keeps stretching your senses and preferences, the diversity in experiences helping to analyse and articulate thoughts towards other whiskies. Kind of like eating the same meals every day, it would get quite boring and you’d start to lose perspective owing to your lack of diversity in flavours. Whisky is much the same way. 

It’s also fitting that I’m sitting here with my feet propped up on my carry-on bag in an airport, supping on a coffee and neglecting the unruly email inbox in favour of some Broddy writing time. Much like my recent Benromach Contrasts article, I’ve been suffering from a lack of diversity by working too much, including lots of travelling. This last trip has been hard. Long days, long evenings, and the dreaded “daddy left” crying video calls from Broddy Jr. and Mrs. Balfour has made it difficult to see the necessity of travelling from a personal level, although from a professional level, things have ratcheted up a few more levels.

Diversity in my professional and personal life has unlocked new appreciations for experiences that I sometimes take for granted while also helping to understand what drives others. I leave the phone in the pocket when the kids are awake, being more actively engaged with them before bedtime. It was something I didn’t appreciate before my six international business trips in the last six months. 

So yes, continue to be on the hunt for our favourite whiskies but please, don’t be afraid to diversify our experiences, we might be surprised at the outcome.

Review 1/4 - Austria

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Broger 6 yo, Batch 1, Norwest-Euro Express, Austrian Single Malt, 374 50cl bottle outturn, 62.3% ABV
CAD$100 (£58) paid

From TBWC:
"This is a 6 Year Old single cask of Broger’s signature ‘Burn Out’, a single malt whisky made using a heavily peated malt, matured in French Limousin oak. What makes this slightly different from your run of the mill heavily peated malt is that when milling the grain, Broger retain the husks and include them in the fermentation, significantly increasing the peat quota."

About the Label:
“The Broger distillery is a family business in the true sense of the word, as the team purely consists of family members and is affectionately operated in their leisure time, in their own home, which is slowly taking over every room, as we have shown in our SIMS style label.”

Nose

Oily rags effusing atop hot tires in the summer. Reminds me of the sticky 30 Celcius days as a kid, working in my dad’s mechanic shop, wishing to be out biking rather than banging my knuckles on dirty farm trucks. Then there’s the oily woody smell of old workbenches, so preserved in petroleum that they’re practically indestructible. Digging under this oily rubbery funkiness, there’s a dark fudge and caramel sweetness. There’s also an aromatic component of moist tobacco leaf here hiding too. The proof is well hidden, somewhere along the 48-50% nose prickle level. The nose is big and unabashed and I absolutely love it.

With a splash of water, the experience is uniformly dialed down from 10 to 7. It’s still great, just less expressive.

Palate

POW! Full, intense, and dense flavours right off the get-go. The oily and woody parts from the nose are in full force here, with the rubber now occupying a much smaller portion of the experience. The wood notes are rich wood smoke and resinous sap after being flung off a well-oiled chain saw blade. A small touch of coffee and blackberries accentuates the toffee caramel, with a lovely tannin experience that is common from French Limousin oak. The mouthfeel is sticky, oily, and tenacious. Good luck trying something else after this. The %ABV is well-hidden again, not blowing your socks off at all. At full strength, it warms the throat considerably and tickles the inside of my lips but drinks nearer to the 50% mark. The finish is long and drying in a slightly bitter/licorice way.

Much like the nose, a splash of water uniformly decreases the intensity slightly while not detracting anything from the experience. The sweetness is amped up on the finish, counterbalancing the drying nature, with a lovely pip of orange citrus furniture polish coming through. Fantastic.

The Dregs

If you’ve read me for a while now, you’ll know I don’t take the below statement lightly and it encompasses a paragraph or two of thoughts here in the Dregs:

I’m buying another bottle of this gorgeous whisky.

Not bad from a distillery sporting a single 150 L still! If you don’t believe me, then take their virtual distillery tour!

Score: 8/10

Review 2/4 - Switzerland

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Highglen 3 yo, Batch 1, Norwest-Euro Express, Swiss Single Malt, 131 50 cl bottlesoutturn, 46.4% ABV
CAD$100 (£58) paid

From TBWC:
“This 3 Year Old Single Malt Swissky was matured in HighGlen’s signature 100 litre casks. A one Man operation, situated on the peak of a Swiss Mountain, heavily inspired by Scotland, and run by the larger than life character, Lord Gunter Sommer. Located in the village of Santa Maria, on the border of Switzerland and Italy, at an altitude more than twice that of Ben Nevis, the distillery has been built into his home.”

About the Distillery/Label:
“All of the distillery equipment, apart from the still, was designed and built by Gunter. The power source for the distillery is an array of solar panels on the roof. Gunter primarily uses specially coopered 100 litre casks made from Ex-Bourbon staves, and Ex-Sherry heads.”

Nose

Heavy dollop of cereal. Cheerios drizzled with honey. Sliced apple, washed blueberries atop your granola. Fresh bag of chocolate chips. Honey drizzled danish.

Palate

Light, cereal, and honey. While the cereal smacked your nose around, it very much is buried in the middle of the palate experience. Honey drizzled danish, doughy biscuit, lemon zest, and elderflower apple cider. There’s a building ginger pepperiness and dark chocolate/cacao-like dryness that begins at the halfway point, followed by toasted oak, before the finish is a non-descript honey, granola, apple finish that fades quite quickly. The cling factor is virtually non-existent, especially compared to the Broger.

The Dregs

Distinctly reminds me of the local-to-me Burwood Bee Whisperer. In fact, if you served me these blind together, I’m not sure I’d be able to pick them out. 

If I could equate this to something Scottish, it would likely be a mix of ex-bourbon Oban and something from the lowlands. Light, floral, sweet, and cerealy. 

I’m glad I bought this however this is a drinker and not something to hold onto. It’s pricey for a 50 cl but it’s appropriately priced for the limited availability of this wee distillery, earning a solid 5/10. Given this another 3 years and I think we could have something interesting on our hands!

Score: 5/10

Review 3/4 - Sweden

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Mackmyra 5 yo, Batch 2, Swedish Single Malt, 301 50 cl bottles, 50.3% ABV
CAD$95 (£56) paid

From TBWC:
“Should you find yourself near an imposing and immovable-looking wall surrounded by a grove of cloudberries in the forests of Sweden, look for the moonlight to guide you to a doorway etched in the rocks. An inscription will glow upon the archway, instructing you of how to enter. Don't bother with incantations or hexes. Those will get you nowhere. The inscription is a riddle. Answer correctly and the walls will shift, allowing you to enter the Mackmyra distillery, home to many superb Swedish single malts - and we've bottled some for you! Mackmyra have experimented with maturing whisky in casks that previously contained cloudberry wine, and whispers among the trees (or are they ents?) suggest that some of that whisky has made it into this expression…

Our second batch from Sweden’s Mackmyra distillery is a 5 Year Old, a release of just 250 bottles at 50.3% abv. This is a blend of 5YO whiskies from several fresh bourbon casks. The Mackmyra distillery was founded in 1999. They built a second distillery in 2012, and since April 2013 all distillation has taken place at the new distillery.”

About the Label:
“This label is set deep in the forests of Sweden. In the foreground is Angela D’Orazio – their head distiller, styled like one of the elves from lord of the rings (complete with a tiara, and the elf-ears) There is a small trug full of cloudberries sitting beside a 100 litre cask that’s outside the Bodås mine. Once an iron ore mine, and now one of Mackmyra’s main warehouses. The cloudberries have been removed on this label and corn cobs lie by the base of the tree.”

Nose

Sweet and vibrant, fruity and floral. Boozy gummy bears and jujubes, elderflower liqueur, dollop of rich vanilla, and crisp red apple in the background. There’s a mild ginger nose prickle but it’s not detracting in any way.

Palate

The candies continue from the nose, except you’ve now introduced hard rock candies into the boozy jujube dance. Behind the candy sweetness, there’s a toasted oak and floral aspect that reminds me of the rind on a Tomme aux Fleurs cheese. Then some characteristic quality ex-bourbon wood aspects of caramel sauce, lovely balanced baking spices, and hint of bubblegum. It’s a well-balanced sweet and spicy dram with a gentle fading sweetness.

The Dregs

This is a perfect time where I rarely lament the 50cl bottles (ps. I love TBWCs small bottles, because unlike our dear dreamy Dougie, I can multiply by 1.4 to equate to 70cl… love ya Doog!). This is so good that I wish there was a wee bit more in the bottle. Time to add this to Broddy’s sale radar. I can see pouring this one in an upcoming tasting I’m leading on ex-bourbon whiskies, with a world whisky curveball. So I might just need a backup!

Score: 7/10

Review 4/4 - Finland

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Teerenpeli 3 yo, Batch 2, Norwest-Euro Express, Finnish Single Malt, 494 50cl bottles, 55.5% ABV
CAD$80 (£47) paid

From TBWC:
“Our second batch is a 3 Year Old malt has had its full maturation in re-coopered American oak ex-Bourbon hogshead, and comes across as lightly peated. Malted barley is sourced from local company Viking Malt (Lathi), grown no more than 150km from the site. Casks are matured in 40 foot ex-reefer sea containers, which sit outside the distillery, with no heating or cooling. Outside temperatures vary wildly throughout the year, from -35C to +30C.”

About the Label:
“Teerenpeli translates to ‘flirtation’ and also means ‘black grouse’. So we've made sure there’s a reference to both on our label. That’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Jari Mämmi, driving the Zamboni along the rows of shipping container businesses. The original distillery started off within a restaurant, hence the stills in the back of ours. The Pelicans are a local ice hockey team. Oh, and Jari is currently sporting a Mohawk - as are the black grouse.”

Nose

The peated nature is quite evident. Slightly rubbery phenolic peat, with a somewhat ashy creosote counterbalance. Then some herbal dry green tea leaves followed by a grilled citrus note. A bright sugary sweetness like vanilla-laced royal icing. It’s fresh, inviting, and completely cloaking the 55.5%.

Palate

Sweet and balanced. The peat is slightly woody, balanced with some earthy smoke and rubber-like phenolics. It’s like a peat-fed lovechild between Caol Ila, Ledaig, and Longrow. Each woody/earthy/rubbery element is distinctly detected during tasting. Like a prime Clint Eastwood, the peat is refined and gritty. Beauty.

The sweetness appears like refined sugar/confectioner’s sugar, accompanied with a splash of lemon juice and vanilla. The drinking experience completely belies the strength, one could get moderately in trouble quickly drinking this.

The Dregs

I think every peathead could find an aspect they would like in this whisky. It’s got the woody, earthy, rubbery funk balanced with the citrus and sweetness aspects. I cannot find a single fault in this whisky. 

I also think this is a shot across the proverbial bow for Scotch malt distilleries. The quality and drinkability of this whisky should put them on notice that the world has caught up and surpassed many of these corporate-led giants. Much like shopping at farmer’s markets, it’s often that we can find higher quality from smaller outlets for a similar or slight, albeit worthwhile, increase in price. 

This whisky shows remarkable balance and restraint for the young age and %ABV. The peat doesn’t punch you in the face, nor does it dominate the experience. I would wager the balance of this whisky is very similar to an Ardbeg 10 or Port Charlotte 10, despite the much higher %ABV. Nicely done for a 3 yo malt! 

Now for the scoring: I poured myself a PC10, the same bottle I previously scored 7/10, and analysed these side-by-side. The colour of these is very similar. This Teerenpeli is darker (sweeter) and funkier on the nose, missing the sea-air aspect of the PC but filling in that void with the rubber/creosote funk. On the palate, the PC10 is heavier on the pepper, despite being 5% ABV down, and less robust and rounded, with a slightly thinner mouthfeel. Side-by-side, I’d have to place the PC10 lower than this 3 yo Teerenpeli! Hindsight, and being on a whisky journey after all where perspectives can shift, I’d have to relegate the PC10 down to a 6/10 and this youngin’ from Finland a 7/10. 

Remember folks, a singular review is a snapshot in time and place. A side-by-side comparison is the only true measure of each whisky, and in this case, Finland takes this round.

Score: 7/10

The Dregs

I could smell the empty, dried, morning-after glass of the Broger all day. I enjoy it as much as actually smelling and tasting the whisky itself. Richly oiled wood and massive wads of humidified cigar leaf greet you, something so unique and rare in today’s uber-clean and hyper-engineered seasoned sweet whiskies. In fact, after popping the cork and writing the tasting notes a few weeks ago, this bottle went on sale locally. It’s as-if the whisky gods were shining a beam of light onto me, telling me that it was ok to buy another bottle of whisky, of which I promptly slapped my credit card details in and pressed order. After landing from this trip, I’m excited to take the kids to gymnastics tomorrow morning and swing by the store on our way home. Without fear of running out now, I’m excited to share this unique and very diverse single malt with others!

The other single malts were unique in their own right but when compared to the absolutely bludgeoning heavyweight power of the Broger, they were more subtle, albeit having more texture and unique flavour hooks than many of the well manicured Scottish mass malts hitting the markets.

The Highglen was the most cereal-forward whisky I’ve ever tried, the Mackmyra was perhaps the most similar to Scottish malt flavour profiles although it was a far richer flavour and texture than most, and the Teerenepeli was massively impressive at such a young age that in a blind tasting, I’m sure most people would guess in the 10-12 yo range.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed each and every one and I’m sure you would as well. Go ahead, try something new, ya just might like it.

Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB

Other opinions on this:

Whiskybase:

Broger
Highglen
Mackmyra
Teerenpeli

Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.