The Dark Silkie Cask Strength is, like the 46% bottling, non-chill filtered and natural colour. Bottled at 64.3% ABV.
Appearance: Darker gold/apple juice. Another oily one, good coating and thin to medium legs, lots of them, forming
Nose: Quite an outdoorsy nose on this. Bonfire, toffee apples, maybe firework smoke. Damp leaves and tree bark. There is a sweeter side coming through gradually too. Now I’m getting more green apples. This is a more seasonal aroma for me. Autumnal and warming, probably due to the more earthy character to be fair. Hints of cough candy twists now.
Palate: Again, lovely mouthfeel. Buttercream and spice hit first, along with the ABV. Menthol and mixed herbs. There’s a chilli tingle on the tip of the tongue too. It’s buttery in texture and then the spice hits, it’s a marriage made in heaven, to be honest. I actively look for it in whisk[e]y. Flashes of tropical fruits and limoncello .
Finish: Full of lovely sweet and fiery spices. From cinnamon and nutmeg to chilli pepper. The butter character is consistent throughout too.
Overall: I love the contrast between this and the Silkie CS. This is more of an earthy and outdoorsy whiskey. Both up there as some of the friendliest CS whiskies I would say, great transition bottles.
