I feel like a total ass for not doing this review earlier. Back in, I guess, late 2011 or early 2012 Erik Molenaar of Kintra Whisky was kind enough to send me a couple of samples to review. I thought I had done them all until I found this one sitting in the back of my cupboard. So, I’m incredibly sorry, Erik, but here it goes!

Kintra Whisky is one of the few Dutch bottlers around. There are a few but nowhere near as many as in Belgium or Germany (or the UK, obviously). I also feel like Kintra is the most like those international retailers. The bottlings are somewhat more luxurious than, for example, The Ultimate who focuses more on budget. First Cask by WIN for some reason feels more like a private bottler since I’ve almost never seen their bottles out in the open.

It’s easy to figure out that Erik shares his casks with some other bottler(s) since there usually are about 60 to 100 bottles to go around. In this case there are slightly more, 119 in total. Keeping in mind that this comes from a sherry butt, it’s fairly easy to do the calculation that bottles are somewhere else too.

Glen Scotia 19 by Kintra Whisky. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
The sherry is clear from the start, even if you disregard the dark brown colour. There also wood and lots of red fruits. I love this already! Heavy tones of leather, wood and a kind of moldy barley. Sherry with spices, balsamic vinegar and strawberries.

Sip:
On the palate the spices are definetly back. It takes a while to open up further though. A tad dry and slightly sharp. There’s a light touch of fruit juice with strawberry again. The spices and balsamic vinegar are more or less gone here.

Swallow:
The finish goes back to the feints again with engine oil and a hint of peat. I didn’t notice the peat earlier. Fruity and sherry-y with oak. Not as heavy as I expected.

This is a delicious whisky and a terrific pick by Erik Molenaar. Especially the nose is gorgeous and, even though the palate is a bit closed, it’s very tasty. Unfortunately I only reviewed this now because it long since sold out. I might have to look at the smaller shops if I want to find a bottle of this.

Glen Scotia 19, 1992-2011, 51.8%, Kintra Whisky. About € 100.

Thanks to Erik for the sample!