Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: clear Copper. Oily as the streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 84/100 points
slightly smoky at first combined with menthol and mint. Tropical fruits like a mix of pineapple, mango, peaches and nectarines. It is a bit sweet which could be chocolate. it smells much younger than 40 years. The oak is present but also appears to be younger oak flavors instead of the older once I expected. Overall, a very reserved nose. Thought it would be more flavorful. From an OBP I don’t feel anything in the nose.

Taste: 86/100 points
here I have right from the beginning again the slightly smoky flavors, but the menthol and mint flavors are now more restrained. The sweet flavors are now more intense and combine nicely with the tropical fruit flavors. The fruits I get are the same as the once in the nose but this time also some figs show up. The Oak seems to be a bit older now and I also get a hint of the OBP. But not as intense as I hoped for. It also appears oily and a bit soapy. Overall, quite smooth and soft.

Finish: 85/100 points
rather short to medium length in the finish with same flavors as the once on the palate. Here the OBP is the strongest but still not as strong as expected.

Conclusion:
it disappointed me a bit I have to say. With this age I expect from a blend that it shows that OBP profile but that wasn’t the case here. Don’t get me wrong though. It is not a bad Whisky. Easy drinking and smooth. Overall nice. But if you expected to find a blend which can live up to its age statement, you’ll be disappointed. From the Sherry Butt is literally nothing to find in this blend. The low ABV is one reason why the flavors aren’t that intense. It appears much younger than 40 years imho. In a blind tasting I would have guessed an age of 18 years. It’s a good Whisky but something is missing to make it special. couldn’t convince me to the fullest. Find it overrated when I see the ratings on Whiskybase. But as I mention often: Tastes are different.

Overall I give this Whisky: 85/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Living Souls	Cask/Batch#	Batch 1
Series	Batch #1	Vintage	n/a
Region	Scotland	Bottled	2024
Bottler	Living Souls (LiSo)	Age	40yo
Type	Blended Scotch Whisky	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Refill Sherry Butt (ex Islay)	Natural color	yes
ABV	41.2%	Whiskybase ID:	264536

Will have it again if it crosses my way for a reasonable price again

Appearance:
Color: Nice golden color. Very oily as the streaks on the glass flow down very slow.

Nose: 89/100 points
at first I have nice oak flavors. then a sweetness of vanilla and white chocolate shows up and a lot of fruits come in as well. Here mainly raspberries, Citrus fruits and red berries. The oak is the whole time in the foreground though. Later some pastries come into play as well.

Taste: 90/100 points
the beginning is here more sweet with vanilla and chocolate. Then the fruits jump in as well. Also here mainly the red berries and the citrus fruits. Very creamy and oily. Also smooth harmony between the flavors. The oak also appears but not that intense like you would thing from the nose. Reminds a bit of old oak furniture.

Finish: 88/100 points
wonderful aromatic finish.
Mainly sweet with vanilla and some nuts. The fruits are here as well however those are now more in the background and the oak is more noticeable here. But it is not tart in any way. The length of the finish is quite long.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Very nice crafted blend which is smooth and at the same time complex. The alcohol is well integrated. I really enjoy this Whisky.

Overall I give this Whisky: 89/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Hector Macbeth	Cask/Batch#	HL 18662
Series	The First Editions	Vintage	1997
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	2021
Bottler	Edition Spirits (ED)	Age	24yo
Type	Blended Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Bourbon Barrel	Natural color	yes
ABV	51%	Whiskybase ID:	187669

Remarks:
the nose doesn’t match the palate and the finish. But that doesn’t mean it is a not good at all.
I liked this one. Specially the palate and finish were very convincing.

Overall I rate this Whisky:

• Nose:
  appears quite young and fresh in the nose. many bright fruits like apple, Mirabelle plums, citrus fruits like oranges and a bit vanilla. The oak flavors also seem to be more of the young oak once.
  
  
• Taste:
  the flavors here however are quite different to the once from the nose.
  Here the flavors are more dark, full and round. I get nice Sherry flavors, a lot of red berries, some peaches, red apple, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, some nuts, toffee, old oak furniture. Very creamy oily. very delicious.
  
  
• Finish:
  I could copy here the flavors I have written for the palate.
  Just a bit weaker than on the palate.
  Here a higher ABV would have been great imho.
  But still very tasty.
  

Review written on 2024-06-03

Remarks:
This blend really surprised me in a positive way.

At first, it smelled slightly alcoholic. But that went away after a while in the open glass.
In terms of aromas, I have vanilla, caramel and almonds. You can also detect a sherry influence. Sweet and malty. A little pepper is added towards the end.
Glenrothes is also said to be involved here, which is something you can certainly guess. This influence is hard to deny.
Great whisky, especially for the price. Great daily drinker.

Overall I rate this Whisky:

• Nose:
  
  
  
• Taste:
  
  
  
• Finish:
  
  

Review written on 2024-04-26