Matured for the first nine years in 4/5 bourbon and 1/5 sherry casks before a year in sherry casks.
Appearance: Amber, autumnal foliage. Thin semi viscous legs.
Nose: Sweet and smokey, little ethanol. More sweet, followed by chimney smoke. Quite appt for the time of year when everyone’s lighting their fires. It’s a very familiar mixture of aromas, almost like someone said “create a whisky that everyone thinks they’ve had before”.
There is a funk, damp dusty book shelves.
I can’t pinpoint any fruits in particular. I believe there’s red apples, maybe grape and berry.
Palate: Sweet smoke forward. Friendly and pleasant. Quite a lot of copper at the back of the palate.
A little spicy, as well as the richer Christmas spices, there’s black pepper and a touch of chili. These are balanced with dark fruits and a slight confectionary sugar edge.
Finish: A little of the hotter spice and dark fruits, mixed with the sweet smoke that’s been consistent throughout, helps to balance the finish. A nice warming decent through the throat and chest.
Overall: A friendly and inoffensive whisky, a little of everything without anything ‘scary’. Nothing particularly challenging, or of great interest, but a decent sip and one that someone new to whisky would enjoy I think.
