Meet the members of Fadandel’s taste panel
The members of the tasting panel have described here a little about their passion for whisky, and not least why they are on the tasting panel at Fadandel.dk.
Read more here about what the taste panel at Fadandel is and what it means.
The idea for the Taste panel arose after a conversation between Per and the owner of Fadandel.dk (Brian), in the shop in Voerladegård. Here, Brian expressed the challenges of tasting and planning bottlings several years into the future. So why not gather a small, dedicated group who can taste cask samples and provide input on e.g. bottling, cask strategy, or whether a cask should perhaps not go to the shop at all. If nothing else, there will be updated tasting notes on the website so that pot share owners know more about what to expect. It’s a win/win for everyone!
Per Vester
I only really entered the wonderful world of whisky when a family member brought home an AnCnoc 12yo from Scotland in 2005 and I tasted a real single malt for the first time, despite the 40%. After all, I didn’t know anything about cask strength or cooling filtration back then. But the taste convinced me of the whisky’s qualities, and since then the collection has passed the 200 bottle mark, although I do my best to open and taste them all. The favorite is the totally underrated Craigellachie. I love their super heavy style and that they actively make an effort to get a more sulphurous barley malt. In addition, I am also a very big fan of Bruichladdich and their playing with SWA’s rules with the sole purpose of conveying as much information to the consumer as possible. It wasn’t at all the idea that I would be a member of the Taste Panel myself, but when Brian offered a place, I jumped right in. I simply think it’s super fun to taste the evolution of a whisky, and even though I take whiskey quite seriously, enjoying whiskey is basically something we do for pleasure.
Rasmus Primdal
My first encounter with whiskey was in 2000, when a friend and I went into a liquor store to buy a bottle of rum. We were persuaded by the clerk to buy a bottle of whiskey. But my passion for whisky was founded in 2009 when I bought something other than the standard bottling. Since then I have built up a small collection of just under 200 bottles. I don’t have any preferences whether it’s smoky, spicy, sweet, etc. I want to try as many different things as possible and that’s one of the reasons why I love whisky, there are so many expressions and tastes that you can always find something you like. I have a fondness for Caol Ila, but in recent years have become very fond of Mortlach.
Allan Nielsen
Around 2015, I entered the wonderful world called whisky. For a number of years I had been more into rum, but then a friend introduced me to some whisky at the soft end and some Caol Ila. However, the Caol Ila wasn’t really for me, it was too smoky, but today it’s a whole different story. The more smoked, the better. The first “real” whisky I bought was a standard 12 year old Bunnahabhain and the taste won my heart and is still my favorite today. The slightly odd taste, with a hint of smoke, is simply delicious every time.
When I started my whisky journey, I never thought that one day I would have the privilege of sitting on a tasting panel like this. In any case, there was no reporting time.
Poul Skaanning
I became interested in whisky around 2011, when a group of colleagues got me into the workplace whisky club. At first I was mostly into bourbon, but the palette quickly expanded to Scotland. I don’t have a favorite whisky, but mostly lean towards spiced whiskey from Speyside. I also enjoy a dram from Islay, especially if it has some age.
The tasting panel is a good and cozy opportunity to geek whiskey with like-minded people. It’s also a chance to keep up with what’s on the way in new cases in which it could be interesting to buy a share.
Thomas Brink
Whiskey has been a part of my life since the late 80s, when it was typically Chivas that my father had in the cupboard. It fascinated me at the time that after the third or fourth “sip”, the burning sensation in the mouth was gone. Since then, however, a lot has happened with the selection on the shelves and in the cupboards, just as the taste buds have also developed.
Today, I mostly enjoy whiskey with a high alcohol percentage and with a well-balanced smoke. Among other things. Bruichladdich’s Octomore series has this.
When Brian asked and I might be interested in being on the tasting panel, I could only say yes, it’s a fantastic opportunity to help follow the development of the golden drops until bottling.
Kim Laulund
I have had an interest in whisky since the 90s, where it was mainly the more profiled blends such as Chivas and Bells 20y as well as Royal Salute that were among the favourites.
My interest in single malt took off in the 00s when it was possible to find good single malts in many supermarkets.
My favorites within this world are Caol Ila, Imperial, Bunnahabhain and Ardmore but certainly not limited to these.
Am the latest member of the taste panel that Brian asked if I might be interested in participating, to which I said yes, thank you. Primarily because I love to follow how the wood can influence a whiskey in both good and not-so-good directions, as well as experience what it means to have it in a different cask than you originally intended.
Brian Toft (Ejer af Fadandel.dk)
Back in 1996 I was introduced to Single Malt Whisky, for the first time, by a good friend. Back then I was a heavy smoker and had a good cigar from time to time, so my taste buds were not in the best place. But after we tasted Bowmore, Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Lagavulin this evening, I was “hooked” (because I could taste them 😂) and have since then co-founded a whiskey club back in 2004. In 2011, I started Fadandel.dk to spread the possibility of becoming part owner of one or more whisky casks in Scotland. In January 2021, I asked some of Fadandel’s customers if they would like to be part of a tasting panel, where we then meet a few times a year, to taste cask samples. Everyone on the panel has a vote in voting, however, as the owner of Fadandel.dk, I have the right to veto 🤗. In the tasting panel, we taste both cask samples in which cask shares are sold, but also cask samples from whisky casks in which a decision must be made as to when they should be included in the cask share program. See possibly the list with the status of the individual cask we have here.
