Rasi was initially matured in bourbon casks (6-8 years) and then finished for one year in Moscatel wine casks.

And in case you were wondering what Rasi means, here is the answer:

The word RASI means badly burnt KASKI fuel and it´s an old farming word.

Facts

Teerenpeli Distiller’s Choice Rasi

Nose

Ah, it’s Christmas time! Baked apples, raisins, walnuts and winter spices, with cinnamon being the most pronounced.

Taste

Smooth. More baked apples, accompanied by toffee nougat, ginger and lemon mint. Hints of oak in the back.

Finish

Rather long. Dry and strong with a pleasant warmth. Fresh oak and caramel.

Overall

A very solid everyday dram, not overly complex and easy to sip.

Score: 84 / 100

Karhi was initially matured in bourbon casks (5-7 years) and then finished for one year in Madeira wine casks.

And in case you were wondering what Karhi means, here is the answer:

KARHI means a farming tool that is used to soften the field. It is a sort of ÄES with bigger branches.

Facts

Teerenpeli Distiller’s Choice Karhi

Nose

Light but lovely. A very nice combination of grape must, licorice, and vanilla beans. Then butterscotch, cacao powder and hot chocolate with cinnamon appear.

Taste

Smooth and sweet. Dried fruits, peppermint chocolate and green apples, followed by lots of citric acid. Gets spicier with hints of pepper and roasted nuts.

Finish 

Medium with fruity caramel.

Overall

Light, enjoyable and easy to sip after dinner.

Score: 83 / 100

But what is the meaning of “Kaski”? I looked the word up in some dictionaries and it means “swidden / burn-beaten land”. So the name seems somewhat misleading to me because Kaski does not offer anything like the distilleries from Islay. But maybe I am missing the point here as I do not speak a single word of  Finnish (and I am not even a native English speaker) ?

Which brings me directly to my next point. Last week I applauded Teerenpeli for their decision to put an age statement on their 8 Year Old instead of hiding its rather young age behind a fancy NAS Name. So I think this week it is only fair when I critique them a bit for not putting an age statement on this bottling. On a side note: After I did some research it seems that this whisky is about 6-7 years old. However this is not an official statement from the distillery so take this information with a grain of salt.

Please do not get me wrong: this is only minor critique. The whisky itself is a very good one.

Facts

Teerenpeli Distiller’s Choice Kaski

Nose

A massive wall of sherry. And when I say massive I mean really massive. Lurking behind it are rum-soaked raisins, nut chocolate and dried red berries. Has a somewhat gluey sweetness to it but it is really hard to get beyond the big sherry. A slight hint of peat in the background.

Taste

Sherry Bomb! A sweetish gluey mouthfeel, almost like cream liqueur. A fruity touch. Tastes more like a sherry than a whisky to me.

Finish

More sweetish elements but vanishes way too quickly.

Overall

A very well-made sherry bomb. The sherry sweetness is a bit too loud and the finish is just too short but overall a surprisingly pleasant young whisky. Teerenpeli is definitely on the right track here.

Score: 88 / 100

Facts

Teerenpeli 8 Years Old

Nose

A very dominant citrus note and lots of malt in the foreground. Behind this a more subtle note of vanilla pudding strewn with rasped coconut. With the time a more fruitier aroma develops with apples and pears. And I cannot help myself but is there some smoke in the very distant background?

Taste

Rather sweet and soft with butterscotch, nougat and vanilla almond milk latte. But there is also a spicy touch to it which a light pepper note.

Finish

Surprising long for this age. The sweetness is balanced by a slight dryness and some bitterness. Again a very distant smokey touch.

Overall

Young but not immature! A bit simplistic overall but very promising indeed. I expect great things from the distillery in the future.

Score: 85 / 100