Today is a bit of a sad day… it’s the last day of Dam Dranken Week at dram1.com, but we’re ending with the absolute belter that this Thalassa Whisky Ardbeg Winter Edition is! Aged in Oloroso Quarter Cask just like the previous reviewed Thalassa Whisky Ardbeg Oloroso this version was dynamically aged for an extra 7 months on a trip from Harlingen all the way to the Carribean and back!
A fun thing about dynamic ageing like this is that it saw so many different climates, resulting in the ABV going down, then back up again and then once more down a little more. This results in a cask strenght of 51% and a lovely colour that’s much darker than it’s sibling aged on the European seas!
It’s projects like these that sit at the heart of what indie bottler Dam Dranken is all about and their link to the Thalassa Tallship allows them to keep producing stunning drams with a unique story and maturation. It’s what made me fan and what keeps me coming back for more. I, for one, can’t wait to see what other gems they’re going to bring out in the coming years!
Tasting Notes: Thalassa Whisky Ardbeg Oloroso – Winter Edition
Stats:
ABV: 51% (102 proof)
Age: 5 years old
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottled by: Dam Dranken / King Cask
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
Chocolate covered amarena cherries, crushed black vanilla pods, and wild figs jump out of the glass. Paired with more delicate notes of sultana, christmas cake, and lemon sherbet add a lovely complexity to the nose of this young Ardbeg. The peaty elements are hiding much more in the background than on the summer releases, but with notes of peppered steak and smouldering bacon fat dripped coals it’s still there to be found!
Palate:
The peat sits much closer to the foreground on the palate than it did on the nose. I’m instantly picking up charred bacon bits drizzled with maple syrup and roast beef with a lovely whiff of iodine. This is for sure a meaty palate, but there’s also some spice notes to explore here with kardemom, nutmeg, and cloves readily available. Lastly there’s sweeter elements of ripe plums, molasses, and cherry syrup. Plenty to explore is an understatement.
Finish:
The finish is much shorter than on the summer editions of this dram, but the medium long finish that remains still packs plenty of exciting flavours such as kardemom, nutmeg, liquorice and caramel apples. A little bit of tannins are present in the afterglow as well, leaving the mouth slightly dry. It’s a small downside, yet not a bothersome one as the rest of the available flavours more than make up for it.
Food Pairing:
The perfect pairing for this dram would have to be Peking Duck dumplings for me, it’s a combination that just works so well. But cream filled doughnuts work surprisingly well too! Despite my strong preference for that Peking Duck I have to add that this would go well with most red meats, so feel free to explore with that a little!
Verdict:
What a way to end Dam Dranken Week. This is another belter from this dutch Indie bottler from the Isle of Terschelling. I found this particular Thalassa Ardbeg much more balanced than the two summer editions, and perhaps even more complex. Does that make it a better whisky than the previously reviewed two Thalassa Ardbegs? Perhaps it should.. but then again, I also loved how bombastic those two releases were. And honestly? From an Ardbeg I kind of want that bombastic element.
This is an absolutely stunning whisky, but if I would have tasted it blind I would have much more likely guessed it was a Bowmore, whereas that classic Ardbeg character was more present in the summer releases. If you’re a huge Ardbeg fan, pick up one of those two bottles! If you love a bit more mild character, or if you’re a fan of Bowmore’s style? Be sure to pick this one up if you can!
