Murco Andes Single Malt

Let me begin by stating that I am from Ecuador. In Ecuador, we have never produced a Single Malt, and WE STILL DO NOT HAVE ONE, despite what this bottle claims, as it hasn't even reached one year of aging. However, I felt compelled to write this review because this represents the first attempt by Ecuadorians to create their own whisky, their own single malt. The owner of this small distillery informed my friend, who gave me the bottle (and this information is also on their Instagram account), that they use imported malted barley from Belgium and imported Tennessee American Oak Barrels, fully charred, for maturing the spirit. They released this initial expression before it even reached one year of age, and it was surprisingly good. They do not use any added color or artificial flavors. They take pride in the spring water sourced from Cotopaxi Volcano. Having explained all that, let's get to the details: Bottled at 40% ABV, with a light gold color. On the nose: Quite pleasant, though a bit direct. Uncorking and pouring it into the glass reveals a sweet prune syrup. A very clean prune note. Faint alcohol aroma, not unpleasant. Sawdust. These are the two primary notes here and they are nice and clean. Malted barley. After the first taste, the aroma gains more dried fruits, like large raisins and prunes. The overall aroma is somewhat subdued, mostly sweet and syrupy. (22 out of 25) Palate is much simpler and, even for a young spirit, this is very easy to drink. Wine-like, grape-like, but predominantly Cereal. Mild spiciness, mostly oak spice. It feels like the barrels are not old. Easy to drink. It needs more flavor. (17 out of 25) Aftertaste is where the spirit's youth is truly apparent. Malted barley, Cereal. Perhaps a slight cereal burn. Not disagreeable. Oaky. The finish is medium-long and fresh. It feels young, but not bad. (14 out of 25) Balance: 18. Overall, this spirit (as it doesn't qualify as whisky due to insufficient legal aging time in most parts of the world, even though Ecuador lacks legal requirements to label any spirit as "whisky") feels like a commendable effort and is very easy to drink, proving to be significantly better than some drams I've had from around the globe. I believe time will greatly improve it; they have a solid starting point. My score for it is 71 out of 100.