Nordic Whisky #80-82 - Fary Lochan New Spirit No. 1 - No. 3

I am making an exception today. I will not be reviewing one Nordic whisky today, as I normally do on Tuesdays. Instead I shall review three releases of new make or new spirit. So no whisky, but these are all sales products released by Danish distillery Fary Lochan. The three expressions were released over a period of a year and a half, and the very special concept here is that each were sold in 50 cl bottles that contained new spirit and a piece of oak. The oak used varied from release to release.

The idea was that the spirit would continue to develop in the bottle, and that it would resemble whisky. A rather clever concept, I think, and a novel way of piquing the interest of the consumers while they wait for the distillery to have a product that qualifies as whisky (I have reviewed actual whisky from Fary Lochan before).

Fary Lochan New Spirit No. 1, 46 %

Distilled on 2010-07-27, bottled on 2010-08-30, with a total outturn of 500 bottles. The piece of oak in the bottle was from a bourbon cask. It was sold at DKK 495.

Nose (18/25): Quite spicy. Lots of mustard - dijon mustard. Surprisingly pleasant nose. It does smell like whisky, albeit a very young whisky. A fair bit of oaky notes. There's a bit of alcohol here as well.

Taste (17/25): Again quite spicy - pepper, ginger, oak spices. Soft mouthfeel.

Finish (18/25): Relatively short finish. Turns a bit sweeter towards the end. Nice 'after burn'.

Balance (18/25): Fun stuff.

Score (71/100)

Fary Lochan New Spirit No. 2, 46 %

Distilled on 2011-02-13, bottled on 2011-03-31, with a total outturn of 500 bottles. The piece of oak in the bottle was from a fresh Danish Oak sourced from the local wood. It was sold at DKK 399.

Nose (18/25): Softer and more rounded, which is a bit strange. I would have expected more spices from the fresh oak here. It is sweeter than No. 1, but also less whisky-like.

Taste (16/25): Smooth mouthfeel. A bit more spicy on the palate. Slightly bitter.

Finish (16/25): Again relatively short finish. Even more spicy and bitter towards the end. Oakiness that is quite heavy handed. Creamy and oily.

Balance (17/25): The bitterness does not work for me, but still great fun to try it.

Score (67/100)

Fary Lochan New Spirit No. 3, 46 %

Distilled on 2012-02-20, bottled on 2012-03-31, with a total outturn of 500 bottles. The piece of oak in the bottle was from a French wine cask. It was sold at DKK 399.

Nose (19/25): The trend continues. Hardly any spices on the nose this time around, but it is sweeter still. There is definitely wine like aromas to be found here. It smells like soft fruit candy. Artificial sweetener, but nice... There is more oak on the nose with time.

Taste (17/25):The smoothest mouthfeel of the three. The spices definitely turn up on the palate, and they dominate. It is very hard to pick out any specific aromas though; a sure sign this is very young (well, that was to be expected).

Finish (18/25): The sweetness from the wine cask piece (I assume) has regained control, and now balances the spices quite well. A bit too oaky, and there's a touch of bitterness to be found.

Balance (18/25): Again (yeah, a bit boring, I guess) I find this to be a fun 'experiment'. Kudos to Fary Lochan for letting us participate in the journey towards their first whisky in this unique and novel way. Bravo!

Score (72/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas