Style: Sweet and Spicy
Nose:
Starts with subtly sweet aroma, soft dark cherries, prunes, tropical fruits, mellow honey and ester fruits all brushed with a layer of dry husk barley. Follows with a speck of peppermint, ginger and nutmeg. Touches of floral nectar and malty rims glittering gently. Aroma drying up at the back, finishes with white oak and pepper.
Palate:
Soft grapes slowly advances, crystalized red fruits sweetness opens up just as the malty jacket slipping off. Passion and tropical fruits reduced to syrup and sinking down, light cherries buzzing, another bite of malt biscuit. Dryness towards the end, black pepper spice, spearmint and nutmeg overtaking the perfumed fruits.
Finish:
Sweet grapes, bubble gum, more cherries and overripe fruits staying on. Malty water, sweet ale with a decent finish.
Thoughts:
Apera sherry works in a subtle way with the Starward spirit, the upside is, it reveals more complexities of the malt than other cask types. The sweetness takes its time to flourish and the progression of flavours is quite enjoyable. Savoury over gentle nips. The more I spend time with it, the more I like it. Well balanced.
✓ [Recommended if you like the style/distillery]
[48% • Original Bottling • No Age Statement • Single Cask • Non Chill Filtered • Non Coloured • Batch Number: 170525A • Matured in first-fill 200L Apera cask • Bottle Number 34 of 234]
-Esmond
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