This Speyside whisky was matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead, NCF and an outrun of 352 bottles.
Appearance: Sun-bleached straw. A swirl line made up of many small beads forms quickly. The semi-viscous film has many thin to medium trails.
Nose: Sweet and confectionary, a big paper bag of penny foam sweets! Lemon sherbets, honey and that copper coin element. It’s quite a light nose and any evidence of ABV soon dissipates. Apple pie and custard emerge next, along with mixed tropical fruit.
Palate: A pleasing viscosity to the mouthfeel, not hugely oily, but not watery either. White pepper-dusted bananas, fermented apples, caramel and cinnamon. The confectionary sweetness has given way to more aged fruit and oak. Slightly cloying from that oak tannin element, vanilla appears now, repeating that apple pie and custard note from the nose. A chocolate note oozes onto the palate late on, it’s a great flavour layer! Oddly, a cardboard note appears right at the end of the dram.
Finish: That late-showing chocolate note, apple, custard and black pepper last for a short to medium amount of time. Quite a silky and mellow finish, if not lightly dusted with black pepper and cinnamon.
Overall: A really like this one, the nose is sweet, reminiscent and inviting. The palate is multi-layered and more bold than the nose would suggest and the finish is well-balanced and leaves you wanting more.
