Matured in both traditional oak and sherry casks. Winner of the 2019 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) Bronze award.
Appearance: Bronze, verging on Tizer orange, quite an inviting and rich colour. A thick swirl mark and many medium legs, both long and short, form among the semi-viscous film, which clings for an impressive amount of time.
Nose: Oak, caramel, some sweet spices (nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon) and icing sugar present first.
Quite a Bourbon’esque nose but with a sweeter layer on top.
Roasted nuts, vanilla and some berry-flavoured boiled sweets appear next.
A nice balance between the wood, spices and sweetness is achieved and, as yet, to no signs of the diluted, almost sorting water-like aroma.
Palate: A thin mouthfeel, pretty watery.
Spicier than the nose, with the cinnamon, ginger and a little aniseed, nothing unusual there. The is, however, that spring water-like note on the palate, that was pleasantly missing from the nose.
Caramel and oak appear quickly, although not with any punch, just fade in.
Some mild chilli heat and tingling on the tongue towards the finish.
Finish: Short to medium in length. The spices, oak and caramel linger for a short time. There’s also a blood-orange bitterness in the mix, but nothing lasts long.
Overall: So close. The nose is very pleasant, with good balance and plenty going on. The palate, however, goes back to the watery calling card of most 40% Whiskies, unfortunately.
