Released in November 2022, this edition was aged in oloroso and Pedro Ximénez puncheons, and virgin oak and rioja casks. Bottled at a hefty 57.2% ABV with no added colour, and non-chill filtered.
Appearance: Dark amber, almost oak. A hairline swirl mark forms which is mostly made up of small teardrops and hated random droplets. A decent film forms with the occasional thick trail sweeping down through the viscous layer on the inside of the glass.
Nose: Huge dark sugar and dried fruit notes emerge immediately, together with a reassuring blast of ethanol.
Fermented orchard fruits, honey and vanilla appear next, it’s a massively rich and decadent nose.
Chocolate, test reduced blackberry sauce and some oaky aromas get the senses now, many layers in this one, a real explorer dram.
Palate: A beautiful mouthfeel, silky and luxurious. Plenty of spice from that abv, but not as much as I’d imagined from 57+%, it carries well.
Chocolate, honey, vanilla, steeped dried fruit, those blackberries and black pepper hit the senses first.
Baking spices, particularly cinnamon but including ginger and nutmeg, aniseed and some faint orange peel (ever-do-slightly bitter).
It’s like a boozy whisky ice cream smothered with chocolate and berry syrup.
Finish: Spice tingles in the tongue for a long time, together with the fruit notes and vanilla. A chest warming is the ‘final goodbye’ from each sip and, believe me, it’s irresistible.
Overall: Awesome. The 10yo CS range is probably my favourite and this only reinforces my opinion. Such an epic whisky.
