The Taste of Whisky is a Polish bottler founded in 2018 by Bartosz and Rafal. They’re working in two series: Daily Collection (affordable single malts, up to 10 years of age more or less) and Whisky Elements which pays tribute to the five main elements that define a whisky.
We’re starting with the last part of this series: The Barley. While technically a blended malt (or rather a teaspooned malt) we know this was distilled 28 years ago at The Balvenie. A fitting choice because it is one of the few distilleries that are still growing a proportion of barley themselves.
Burnside 28 yo 1991 (48,4%, Taste of Whisky ‘Whisky Elements’ 2019, refill bourbon hogshead #7364, 204 btl.)
Nose: waxed apples and linseed oil up front, followed by some yellow plums and gooseberries. Buttery vanilla cake and some waxed papers. Light herbal notes and honey. Subtle lemon. Quite rounded and really nice.
Mouth: quite sweet and waxy, with a great texture. Peaches and honey, yellow apples, quinces and hints of custard. Still a brighter lemony note to balance the creaminess. Hints of butter pastry and subtle syrupy notes. Some sweet coconut cream as well. Not the most complex expression but it has a great character.
Finish: medium long, still creamy and round, with apples, sweet oranges and a late hint of latte.
Rather sweet and really creamy whisky, even for Balvenie standards. The absence of wood after so many years is surprising and gives this a distinct character. A nice first encounter with this bottler. Still a few bottles left from TTOW.