Style: Sweet and Smooth
Nose:
Musky red cherries come with a pleasant dose of vanilla cream. Aroma is bit shy. Warming up the dram then we have strawberry yogurt, throwing in a pinch of dry cereal. Black currants, red liquorice on a deeper level. Finish with ginger peels and shreds.
Palate:
Fizzing cherry soda striding on the palate. Another layer of black currant gummies with dices of red liquorice. As dry cereal malt steps in, the tone descends quickly and deviates from the sweet red fruits theme. Spice lighting up a little, ginger-infused caramel on the back palate. Finish with walnut oak.
Finish:
Soft blueberry cheesecake ice cream. More black currants with a pinch of mint. Nice.
Thoughts:
A cherry sweet Australian number delivered at pleasant strength. Even on a general release level, the affinity between red wine casks and the Starward spirit remains absolutely charming. In my opinion, it is a great profile, or even identity, to build around with. That said, plenty of tinkering is needed to make a more coherent presentation. A work in progress, no doubt, but it is showing a lot of promise.
[41%・Original Bottling・General Release ・Edition 2016/1・Non Chill Filtered ・Non Coloured]
-Esmond
WhiskNick 