Appearance: Old gold. A thick beaded tide mark forms when swirled. After a while, the viscous film changes into a corrugated series of medium legs. The liquid is almost sticky in appearance on the inside of the glass.
Nose: Quite light on the ethanol, given the ABV. A sweet coastal BBQ smoke his the senses first. This is closely followed by a more ashy aroma.
There is also a sharper sweet element, like red berries at work in the dram. Although I have no information about this whisky, I would say that there’s some red wine cask influence at play.
Another layer of digestive biscuit wheat, oat and sugar appear after the smoke settles slightly. It’s a nicely balanced dram.
Palate: Not a particularly oily mouthfeel. A good ABV warmth greets the chest upon the first few sips.
The smoke element continues in the palate, if not with a little more meat, like charred steak.
Mellow sweetness replaces the berry sharpness of the nose, more buttery, honey and vanilla forward.
There is some spice in the form of black pepper, cinnamon and a little aniseed.
Finish: The vanilla, smoke and spices all last for a medium amount of time. There’s a very faint trace of citrus too.
Overall: It’s a nicely balanced dram. The ABV allows all the flavours and aromas to shine and linger with you for a nice long time.
The mellow layer covers at just the right time and it’s really moreish. Nice.
