Nordic Whisky #79 - Teerenpeli Distiller's Choice AURA

Teerenpeli Distiller's Choice AURA, 5 YO, 43 %

teerenpeli_aura

Now here is a unique treat. A Porter-wood matured whisky! Yeah, that's a first for me as well. Finnish distillery Teerenpeli have matured this baby for five years in a quite special cask. The cask started out as an ex-bourbon cask, then they filled it with their own Teerenpeli Porter beer for about a month, finally the cask was filled with Teerenpeli new make and this was left to mature for five years. So, yeah! Porter-wood cask matured whisky. Cool! I think. The proof is in the nosing and drinking, I guess.

The Teerenpeli Distiller's Choice AURA is a single cask release, I believe, as it is limited to only 426 bottles.

Nose (22/25): Malty and medium sweet nose. Quite rich, with a dark touch. Vanilla and toasted wood. There's soft coffee notes here, and a bit of dark chocolate. Dark sugar - demerara, but then again not quite. All in all the nose does seem to confirm that Porter beer has been i this cask at one point, although it is tempered and balanced..

Taste (20/25): Soft, smooth and medium spicy. Dark chocolate, toasted nuts, black pepper, ginger, vanilla and a touch of heather honey.

Finish (22/25): Medium long finish. Nice, soft coffee and chocolate notes. More rich, and sort of creamy towards the end.

Balance (21/25): This was fun! I would say this was a very successful experiment. More Porter-wood cask matured whisky to the people! A small plea at the end here; dear Teerenpeli, you guys make great whisky, but I do wish we could have a cask strength or at least a 46 % ABV release. Please?

Score (85/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas