Aged exclusively in first-fill sherry hogshead casks and produced in very small batches, using barley malted with high levels of peat smoke at 55ppm.
Appearance: Apple juice. Lovely and viscous with quick-forming thick legs. After a few seconds the oily film becomes a chaotic mess of jagged legs and teardrops.
Nose: Sweet BBQ meats being smoked. Quite alcohol forward considering the ABV (not a negative comment).Some sweeter stewed fruits underly the smokey layer, like a forest fruit crumble with brown sugar.
Palate: No mouthfeel to speak of, quite watery in texture. Slightly less of a bite than I’d have imagined or liked, almost as if I’d already added a tiny amount of H2O.
The sweet smokey nature is still there, with chocolate and a small amount of sweet spices that provide a tingle: cinnamon, nutmeg and some clove.There is an almost vegetal quality in the mature glass too, like an almost celery type pepper note.
Finish: Medium in length. The smokey chocolate, with some spice, lingers longest.
Overall: It’s nice but would love to try the CS version. I think that would add depth to those fruit and meaty flavours, as well as enhancing the mouthfeel to elevate this to greatness.
