[47.0%・NAS・Bottled Circa 2015-2017・ Official Bottling・Batch Release]
Nose:
The nose is really shy, faintly floral with mild violet and a thin brush of hazelnut cream. Dig deeper and there is that vaguely noticeable smoke. A wee dose of red berries in the background.
Palate & Finish:
Slight sugary strawberries, the spirit doesn’t possess too much oomph and it fizzles out, carrying its lighthearted grassy spirit characters away rather swiftly. On a separate plane lies hints of wine cask-led summer berries and orange liqueur notes.
Finishes smoothly with a light touch of tannins.
Thoughts:
The Old Reliable is labelled as 47% abv but it certainly feels much lighter and is an easy-to-drink whiskey.
I am currently reading Mr. Van Eycken’s book and this really reminds me of the Japanese ji-whiskies (literally translates to “craft whiskies”) that were very popular amongst the local crowd in the early 1980s..
-Nicholas
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