Made with a combination of peated and un-peated spirit and matured for 21 years in a combination of casks – bourbon barrels, sherry casks, virgin oak casks, and Bordeaux red wine casks.
Appearance: Sunset gold. A pleasing viscous film forms easily and clings to the glass. Plenty of medium and thick long trails. Lots of teardrops and a few droplets. Quite a sticky appearance.
Nose: Light on the ethanol. Quite a confectionary sweet first wave of aromas. A light sweet wisp of distant beach bonfire. Light layer of spices: ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. There’s a nice balance of smells.
Palate: Not particularly oily with a gentle alcohol hit. Black pepper, orange peel, lemon pepper, cinnamon and honey all swirl around the first few sips. A little dryness hits the throat too. The honey, some buttery pastry and a growing note of stewed berries. The subtle smoke is still there, very light, but noticeable.
Finish: The pastry, light smoke and steed berries all linger for a short to medium period of time. There’s also an astringency right at the end.
Overall: It’s ok with a friendly sweet of flavours and balanced fairly well, but it’s be disappointed if I’d spent over £100 on this whisky. It’s too thin and not special, not good for a triple digit whisky.
