Vega 1996 NSS Limited Edition No. 6

In store sample. Easy drinking and clean sherry. Drier sherry as opposed to sticky sweet. I find it a little thin and superficial, but you can’t argue with the price.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/11/05/good-spirits-company-ralfy-and-nns/ Pronounced ‘Veega’ [by Iain], this blended malt is sherry-matured. Edrington [SW: ‘namely Glenrothes, Glenturret, Highland Park and Macallan, as well as being co-owner with Diageo of Edinburgh’s North British grain distillery‘] blended it, so it’s likely we won’t find out exactly what’s gone into it. N: With oily briny sweetish chocolate showing first, this is a nose that talks of refill sherry cask maturation, though, there’s also is a dunnage-y bourbon profile underlying. Overall, this is an ultra-congenial blend with a consolidated air, yet with plenty of abv to sustain its vitality. T: Like the nose, with age comes a desirable softness coupled with vibrancy. I find it desirably sweet with consolidated cask action that reminds me of whisky released around 10 years ago, when finishing wasn’t quite so deliberate or heavy-handed. F: With a relaxed and sustained form, I love the gentleness of this one. I might have expected some congealed oiliness at the death, but there’s none of it. Clean malt oils ring true to the last. C: This is right up my street. A whisky I could drink in quantity.

Amaro Vega… ah, that brings back good memories. This is a blended malt and Iain has now released his 6th edition. I was fortunate enough to be able to try the first (23yo 1993) and second (40yo 1977). I was too late to score the third (40yo 1976) and fourth (28yo 1990), but the fifth (33yo 1985, a North Star Spirits Shop Exclusive) awaits a special moment to be savoured. But look, here is number six now, 22 years old distilled in 1996. It is the youngest in the Vega family so far. Wonderfully semi sweet nose on hazelnuts, mildly burnt caramel, rum raisins, autumn leaves and brioche. A truckload of chocolate and stout beer with a hint of cough drops. Very good! Wonderfully oily, cough drops again, but joined by apricot jam, croissants, lots of caramel en green garden herbs. Liquorice too, and a hint of cinnamon. Turkish coffee with lots of grain. A mild bitterness. Seville oranges, chewing tobacco. All of the highest order. What a dram! In the finish some earth and leaves kick in, with a mild peppery note and some amaro (a bittersweet Italian herb liqueur). Another grand one of which many have been set free in recent years. Some good examples are Mark & Manny’s Malts Maverick 1993 (I know, I know, it’s not decent to mention my own release), the Enigma Blend 1993 from Beacon Spirits and the recently released (and still available) Speyside Blended Malt 1993 for Whivie’s 10th Anniversary (Oh, I did it again).

Festival tasting format (06.06.2021): Honey, silky.

22-22-21-22

A good whiskey but in my opinion surprisingly valued, even by Serge Valentin. The whiskey is very marked by the barrel and the spices of the wood, with vegetal notes.

No disturbing notes, and that says it all. A little flat. Not too expensive for me. 71-80 – Fine, like to drink by time

Absolutely lovely one indeed! Not much sweet but there is dark chocolate, licorice and cold espresso. A really nice combination of aromas and taste! Go 4 it, it's worth the money!

A competent sipping malt without any rough edges or surprises.

Great value proposition here. If you are looking for something that delivers lots of sherry balanced with age and complexity, this is a very good option. Definitely punches above the abv. Hope to explore more of these North Star bottlings in the future.

Burnished hue, plenty of medium legs, medium flow.

nice flavours that I wish were stronger.. like when you listen to a good song on a low volume speaker and you try in vain to turn it up.. but I just could not find the remote.

great sherry malt, clearly on the spicy side, showing age. But could be a little stronger.

Reasonably good whisky and great value!

Jun 06.2020 Odessa Maltstock vol. 2 21/22/21/21 84 Lovely intense, nuty and chocolaty stuff

An interesting dram and for its age quite good value. I just feel it is lacking slightly due to the ABV loss over the years. Value (£75) : 8/10

6th installment of the NSS Vega series, which apparently is 22 year old speyside whisky, distilled in 1996. A blended malt. Reviewed along its newer and younger sibling, namely the NSS Vega 2000, 20 year old. A very pleasant bottle, reviewed about 6 months after opening, which has only improved the contents as memory serves. A bit pricy compared to the excellent newer 20 year old, but still at relative bargain at 85£ for 22 fine years in the cask, compared to alot of contemporary offerings.

Quite good blended malt, very balanced and round. No major flaws (some bitterness but this is a matter of taste). Can be a good daily dram but is quite pricey for that. Anyway, this is a pleasant whisky, which is worth at least tasting.

Really nice nose. Alot of earthy oak notes and old dusty bookcases with old leather. Taste is spot on too. Fruit and spices. med/long length. 90/100

Serge on whiskyfun.com: Vega 22 yo (43.9%, North Star Spirits, blended malt, 1205 bottles, 2019) Four stars and a half Colour: deep gold. Nose: starts with brown toasts and some pretty earthy black tea, as well as some bitter chocolate and some kind of old mint cordial from and old bottle from an old European country. Mushrooms and autumn leaves tend to win it after a few minutes, while the whole would get even more mentholy. Sauna oils. Finnish malt? No, looks like this is rather Scottish… Mouth: very good! Many pine-y elements, needles, sap, some black raisins and some prunes, certainly some heavy pipe tobacco, marzipan-filled dates, chestnut honey, some thicker herbal liqueurs (ever tried Unicum?), all that with a solid body and a perfect, slightly oily mouth feel. Drops of caraway liqueur, perhaps. Try the Alsatians’! Finish: pretty long and balanced, not something that’s that common. Dried figs and a wee touch of curry in the aftertaste. Comments: I’ve heard they’ll have a bottle of this in the glove compartment of James Bond’s next Aston Martin. No, really. Anyway, whether this is a proper blend or a single malt in disguise (the industry is losing us these days, isn’t it?) this middle-aged Vega is very, very good. SGP:641 - 88 points.