[46.0%・16 Years Old・Bottled in 2008・Official Bottling・Limited Release]
Nose:
The nose is restrained with the wine influence uncharacteristically held back and thus setting the tone a bit low. There are some dry and vegetative notes initially, but in time notes of ginger, gun powder and cotton candy surface even though the dark fruits still fell suppressed.
Palate & Finish:
Quite a gingery kick to start the proceedings before a curious transition to toffee cream with some tingling red fruits underneath the creamy char inspired vanilla. Load of spices through out with a steady oaky presence that has been seasoned with a tiny pinch of truffle salt before undressing elegantly into a graceful finish with some citrus and lavender.
Thoughts:
This is quite an even dram but one gets reminded through out that the spirit first spent its formative years in bourbon casks, and then subsequently in French oak casks. The wine characters gets relegated to secondary roles.. which I suppose is not something they envisioned.
Nevertheless, I find myself somewhat attracted to the elegance it conveys in the delivery.
✓
-Nicholas
WhiskNick 