Teerenpali Portii

A big thank you to a friend for the generous sample from the Finnish distillery Teerenpeli, makers of this PORTTI (a Finnish term for gate) single malt. It aged for 3-4 years in bourbon barrels, then spent an additional 1.5 years in port wine casks, giving it a final age of 4.5-5.5 years and an alcohol content of 43%. The aroma is very subtle, but with patience, one can detect notes starting with a basket of freshly picked strawberries, blueberries, and figs, followed by gingerbread cookies, mild barrel spices, a touch of oak, and a slight ethanol burn. The taste has a thin mouthfeel, beginning with light fruit notes of fresh figs, dates, and strawberries, followed by mild spice with gingerbread cookies, then subtle barrel spices and a hint of oak with a slight ethanol burn. The finish is very short, with light notes of blueberries, dates, a moderate spice, and light oak. Well, Teerenpeli, it appears you have more work to do, as this is an average whiskey at best. It's extremely young with a light aroma and taste that requires a whiskey version of Where's Waldo, titled 'Where's the Flavor?', because a drinker could easily miss any of the flavors. The finish is extremely short with light fruit and moderate spice. There's nothing here to criticize or praise, as it's simply an average and young whiskey that needs more time in the cask to fully develop its flavors. Hopefully, future releases won't require a game of 'Where's the Flavor?' in my glass.

A friend and I had a tasting where we shared several whiskies. I brought some unusual, hard-to-find non-Scottish options. This was one of mine. It tastes very young, almost like a craft American whiskey, with notes of dates and fig. It's light and clean, but just too youthful. The climate in Finland calls for more time in the cask. This didn't make my top 5 or 6 out of the 12 I tried.