Nose: Nutmeg, pepper, mixed herbs, raisins, apple cider, grapefruit, lemon peel, yeast. Water adds pears and a wildflower note.
Palate: Overwhelmingly hot at first and quite palate numbing. Once settled there’s the apple cider, grapefruit, lemon peel and nutmeg. A decent splash of water brings the hot spices to heel and adds a buttery element, creamy nuts like macadamia’s and some tanginess and overall far more satisfying.
Finish: Starts with apple cider then moves towards a tequila like pepper, spearmint candy, tobacco leaf and nougat. With water the yeast makes a return.
Last Word: Neat the palate starts unbalanced on the hot side. Fortunately this can be tamed with the addition of water. The finish is the highlight for me.
Rating: 84/100
Nose: Lightly sherried, oak, orange peel, cantaloupe, cashew nuts.
Nose: Dark cherries, raspberry dark chocolate, an old bar, cloves, old leather, charred oak barrels.
Nose: Banana bread, toffee, vanilla, pine nettles, furniture polish.
Nose: Notes of toasted oak, toffee, dry earth, steel, mild wood stain, cloves and dried papaya. Can’t say it’s particularly bold or expressive and the sherry influence is non existent to my nose. Color is orange rather than the dark cherry you will see in many sherry cask matured whiskies. Very mild at 62.5%abv.
Nose: Apricots, dried pears, barley, lemon sherbet, vanilla, wood spice, ash.
Nose: A medley of dried fruits made up of apricots, papaya, pears and dates. Quince jam, old leather chairs, pepper, cloves, hint of vanilla, eucalyptus, camphor, charred oak and candied orange slices. Water adds lime water and brandy snaps. Could nose this all day long!
Nose: Banana, vanilla, toffee, pear flavored lozenges, lemon zest, wood chips, apricot juice. There is a fair amount of wood influence for a young whisky. Water adds shellfish and heather.
Nose: Peated and while by no means to Ardbeg or Laphroaig level peating, this would be classed as heavily peated by most Japanese whisky distilleries. You can pick up the peated note from 2 feet away. Diesel, creosote, barley, candy apple, dried pears, pomegranate, shoe polish, toffee.
Kicking things off early this year. A big thanks to all who posted reports over the last coupe of years especially the regulars. Great work and an invaluable source of reference if the 10’s of thousands of views these posts have received is anything to go by.
Nose: Granny Smith apples, dried pears, maple syrup, malt, dried mixed peel, some wet moss and a small acetone note. Water brings out a zinfandel note plus toffee and white flowers.
Nose: Strawberries, fresh cut timber, barley, pears, bourbon like orange. Water adds lychee and honeydew melon.
Nose: Big rich sherry for sure. The usual suspects of raisins, prunes, dates, cherries, Christmas cake,caramelized orange juice. Also treacle, nutmeg, paprika, white pepper, black tea, pine, dark chocolate, licorice and old leather. For mine, a great sherry cask nose.
Nose: If it did not say Sherry Cask on the label I would not pick this as a sherry cask matured whisky. Vanilla, toasted oak, grapefruit, orange zest, maple syrup on toasted crumpets, apple sauce. With water added a floral note and white peach emerge.
Nose: Earthy field mushrooms, creosote, licorice, apricots, furniture polish, fermented orange slices, a touch of brine. Water adds some pear and white flowers.
Nose: Candied nuts, caramelized orange slices, mixed peel, sweet spices, cloves, cola, leather.