Style: Sweet and Smoky
Nose:
Fragrant cherry pie dancing into the stage, maple syrup bacon and pecans crackling softly on the side. Swooping lower we have a nice layer of earthy peat, peanut butter coating on elegant white flower and peppermint. Vanilla malt cake, brown sugar and red dates forming the base notes. Very sweet. While chilli spice beaming positively. Damp moss with just a touch of honey, seaweed finish. Brilliant aroma.
Palate:
Apples in multiple forms at the front – Toffee apples, overripe Fuji reds as well as a hint of fresh Granny-smith greens inserted in between. Apple cobbler followed by blue berries slotting in underneath. All round and sweet. Vanilla milk in silkiest form, orange citrus and peppermint bringing in some sharpness. Grapefruits infused with smoke. Damp peat and smoked bacon lurking in the backdrop, chilli glowing towards the end. Absolute delicious.
Finish:
Sherry sweetness on a slow retreat, chocolate sauce, malt and peat smoke becoming more apparent over time. Sweet and smooth.
Thoughts:
To be honest, a sweet tooth like me can easily kill this bottle within two hours. Incredible sweetness running wild every sip, yet it is not cloying at all and there are plenty of nuances to discover and chew on. Perfect balance between the sherry, malt and smoke. It feels the spirit is chiseled into an incredibly drinkable form. If I can only drink one whisky for the rest of my life, this is going to be it. As much as I want to give this three stars, but the depth falls just a little bit short on the technical side to get full marks. That said, it is still a top, top drop.
☆☆ [Highly Recommended]
[52.7% Independent Bottling Single Cask 1984 Distilled 2017 Bottled Cask Number 6103 Non Coloured Non Chill Filtered Refill Sherry Hogshead 165 Bottled **+]
-Esmond
WhiskNick 