Having started its producition in 2008, the Abhain Dearg distillery, in the Outer Hebrides, possesses a reduced production with a quite strong green and local policy. Here is a New Make reduced at 46%. It was matured a few months…
Nose : We begin with very marked pear notes alongside some burnt rubber tones. The whole thing floats in an a watery atmosphere. Then there is a bit of clove, a little ‘crêpes Suzette’ side but with an overwhelming alcohol. We now have some fresh pear coming back and it is frankly invading. Candy sugar, caramelized orange and bad white rum notes come melting with the rest. A very medium nose mostly penalized by the alcohol and the pear overload. The prolonged airing rounds up a bit this vivid ensemble.
Mouth : The alcohol strongly take its place with a bit of pear, quickly swept away by a bunch of dry spices (clove, chili) then a strange ambiance arrives with vegetal oil notes, tinged with orange and a bit of bitter cocoa. It is very, very unbalanced and the feeling at mouth is shifty. We quickly get the impression to leave towards a white alcohol slightly flavored and rather cheap. The water surely gets it softer, but then it becomes totally void of substance, painfully lingering on citrus fruits. A really unpleasant mouth, this glass is pretty hard to finish.
Finish : It is extremely short and through it all, the alcohol gets tyrannical. It wipes away all chance of precise flavors and only lets through a bit of vegetal oil and cinnamon. The aftertaste rejoins with a few burnt rubber notes present at nose and some lumpy pear.
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