The second bottling of the Spring release. 268 cask strength bottles from a 2008 distillate that first spent twelve years and two months in an ex-Bourbon refill cask & then matured for eight months in a first fill barrel from Buffalo Trace.
Appearance: Old gold. A thick, teardrop-heavy tide mark forms quickly and clings to the glass for a decent amount of time. Several thick trails ooze down the glass, through the viscous film.
Nose: A good heady ABV wave greets the nose first. Honey, citrus and a peppery note are the first aromas out of the glass.
It does have a spring/summer nose. Even with the higher ABV, I’d say it’s light and zesty, quite a confectionery sweet too: fruit chews and boiled sweets. Lemon pepper….
There’s a subtle underlying aroma layer that I’m struggling to identify/describe. It’s more mellow, maybe custard tart.
Palate: A semi-viscous mouthfeel. More spice forward than I was expecting from the light summery nose. Black pepper, light aniseed/maybe liquorice, bitter chocolate and a hint of grapefruit bitterness.
Some digestive notes come through after a while, along with a creamy and lemon flavour. Basically Lemon Meringue Pie.
The final few sips from an almost empty glass reveal a parting gift: FUNK!
Finish: Short to medium. The lemon note softens and is matched by vanilla and mellow creamy notes. There’s a very subtle bitterness that touches the back of the tongue too.
Overall: A lovely dinner dram with plenty of zesty and mellow notes. Very nice indeed.
