Kintra 4th Confidential Cask

Kintra is regularly bottling casks without telling us what is really is. While the contents remain confidential, most of our sources claim it’s a “teaspooned” Balvenie. A very small amount of another whisky is added, in this case probably from the neighbouring Glenfiddich distillery. Technically not a single malt, but close enough.

4th Confidential Cask, 20 yo 1993 (50,3%, Kintra 2013, bourbon hogshead #1791, 295 btl.)

Nose: quite a modern, oak-driven profile (vanilla galore). A lot of biscuity notes with garden fruits like green apples and pears. Hints of flower honey and orange blossom. Pepper and ginger. Sawdust. Good but it’s got a slightly disturbing, plankish edge.

Mouth: sweet and malty. Lots of pear and lemon candy, orange sweets and honey. Almond cream and vanilla custard. After that it turns towards the woody side again. Cloves, pepper, some zesty grapefruit. Some raw cereals and floral notes in the background.

Finish: sweet and zesty, with echoes of warm toffee.

The teaspooned Balvenie guess makes sense. In fact this one reminds me of the recent profile that this distillery is showing in the Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel releases (although this one is slightly older). Modern and American oak-driven. Around € 60.

Score: 84/100