“An Exotic Sherry Bomb from
Finland”
Country: Finland
Brand: Teerenpeli Kaski
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
ABV: 43%
Colour: Mahogany
Nose: The Sherry Cask influence is obvious with lots of Dried Fruits like Raisins, Plums an Figs. I also find Young Oak,Toffee, Vanilla, Caramel, Nuts, Butterkekse (German Butter Biscuits), Golden Syrup, light Smoke, Dusty Road, Milk, Papaya Cream, Citrus Peel and a sprinkle of Cinnamon. I believe I pick up some Sulphur as well. The Aromas of this Malt are quite "Dark" and slightly "Tired" for such a young Whisky. Unfortunately the Alcohol is not integrated. It's not bad but it's quite Sweet and you need to love Sherry Bombs to fully appreciate a Nose like this.
Taste: On the Palate the Youth of this Teerenpeli is much more noticeable. It's rather Edgy as well. I find Dried Fruits, Nuts, Caramel, Licorice, Bitter Orange or Grapefruit, Plums, Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper and a hint of Dark Chocolate.
Finish: Rather Short, Bitter and slightly Sour with Orange, Licorice, Red Berries, Toffee, light Vanilla, Nutella, Milk, light Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Dirty Earth and a hint of Dark Chocolate.
Taste: On the Palate the Youth of this Teerenpeli is much more noticeable. It's rather Edgy as well. I find Dried Fruits, Nuts, Caramel, Licorice, Bitter Orange or Grapefruit, Plums, Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper and a hint of Dark Chocolate.
Finish: Rather Short, Bitter and slightly Sour with Orange, Licorice, Red Berries, Toffee, light Vanilla, Nutella, Milk, light Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Dirty Earth and a hint of Dark Chocolate.
I added a little Water and the Nose becomes slightly less Dusty. Palate and Finish do not improve.
Rating: 81
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 19.5 – Overall: 20.5
General Remarks: The Teerenpeli distillery was founded in 2002 and is located in the city of Lahti. It is part of the family-owned Teerenpeli group that also includes a Brewery and restaurants in Lahti, Helsinki and Tampere. Teerenpeli is Finland's biggest whisky distillery that produces over 40.000 litres of New Make Spirit per year. All ingredients are purchased locally and the Pot Stills were all imported from Scotland. The Kaski I'm tasting matured for around 6 years in Ex-Sherry Casks and was bottled in 2013. It is naturally Coloured and not Chill-Filtered. The Kaski is certainly not cheap at around 70 US Dollars for half a litre. (June 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Slightly Disappointing.
Conclusion: This is my first Finnish Single Malt and I must say I have mixed thoughts about this Kaski expression. The Nose is Sweet but okay if you like Sherry Bombs. But on the Palate and in the Finish I found this Teerenpeli rather disappointing. Quite Edgy, slightly Sour and a little too Bitter for my taste. Too much Sherry perhaps. Instinctively I feel that this Spirit might do better in Ex-Bourbon Casks. I will try to find a sample somewhere to test my theory. The way it stands I can only recommend this Teerenpeli to die-hard Sherry Bomb fans looking for something exotic.
Jan van den Ende June 21, 2015
Jan van den Ende June 21, 2015
The Stills at Teerenpeli (Picture Credit: Whisky Advocate)
