[60%・NAS・Original Bottling]
The nose is intoxicating with a wave of musky fragrance. Chocolate with a faint toasted peanut butter note. The dark port influence interacts well with the oak to give the dram some weight. Not an overly complex nose at first but things are as they should be. The aromas grow even thicker in time, ginger and cinnamon grounded with a lace of incense smoke, and just a hint of sweet popcorn note in the background.
Sweet and sticky on the palate as one would expect from a 1st-filled-port-matured-Australian-cask-strength whisky, that saucy balsamic reduction is dripped all over the strawberry preserves, served on a dark rye toast. A hearty burn that gives way to traces of mint and chocolate.
The dram grows dryer and more malty in the finish. Glazed walnuts and cinnamon dust.
This is deeply satisfying for those in the big-thick-Australian-port-cask cult. No wonder the distillery has gathered such a following, especially when it comes to this particular expression; this is exactly what one wants. If this were a powder form narcotic, it would be purer than anything you could get off the streets.
☆ [Recommended]
P.S: thank you Mr. Lawrence for giving me a spin of this bottle!
-Nicholas
WhiskNick 