
I'm so glad I haven't splashed out on a whole bottle of this uneventful whisky and tried it in a whisky bar.
NOSE: a touch of menthol, raspberries, dense berry candy nose with a touch of berberis. Reminds me a lot of its younger brother the 12 yo sherried Macallan.
TASTE: some caramel, silky smooth, sweet dried fruits along with some stale dried fruits towards the finish.
FINISH: swift, not a lot to write home about, tea tannins.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: thank god for whisky bars. I would've been really bummed out about buying a whole bottle of this shockingly expensive, under-delivering malt.
@BlueNote, I generally do not recommend either Balvenie 12 Doublewood or Macallan 12 because of their batch variability. I was a bit of a voice crying out in the wilderness on Connor several years ago when I went on record in reviewing a 12 Doublewood which I didn't like. In those days lots of people were on record for liking 12 Doublewood, and considering it to their 'reliable' "go-to" whisky.
I have had some since then which was a lot better. The point which is important to me is that I cannot recommend a whisky in which the risk of getting a "meh" batch seems to me to be high. In cases like that I want to be drinking a sample at the shop from the same batch before considering the purchase of a bottle. I have had delicious Jack Daniel's Old No.7 too, but I'd probably sooner jump off a bridge than buy a bottle of JD Old No. 7 "blind".
As for Sonnalta PX, yes, indeed, that is one very well-made whisky.
Do see if you can get yourself a taste of Balvenie 17 yo Doublewood. I would be shocked it if disappointed you. (unless it is a poorly handled bar sample)
@paddockjudge I absolutely agree with you! Of course, you can't really be too objective when sampling whiskies in bars. However, specialized whisky bars are a good option to get first impressions before buying. The whisky bar where I tasted this one had a very good storage system. No sunlight, temperature control, etc. And there were minimum distractions as well: no load music, very few people around, etc. And the bottle I sampled from was almost 1/3 empty so it had plenty of time to breathe. I also gave it a lot of time with just a drop of water, but it failed to open up in any way. It's got a nice nose, it's got a nice approachable body, but the finish is nowhere to be found. And in terms of what you pay for it - it IS, in my opinion, a rip off. Glenfarclas 15 beats this one any day, if you ask me. Also, I then tasted Auchentoshan Valinch in the same bar and I was very happy with the way it showed itself. A delicious lowland whisky! As for the release, I really don't know what it was exactly, sorry.