The Distillery Cask, is a specially selected single cask (Old Forester), bottled at cask strength and only available for sale at the distillery. With a run of only 274 bottles.
Appearance: Old gold. A medium beaded tide mark and corrugated semi-viscous film. The swirl mark breaks into many small teardrops after a time.
Nose: Sweet and oaky. A library dankness/dustiness together with a malted honey cereal note. Caramel, vanilla and white chocolate buttons arrive next. Vanilla milkshake and sugared biscuits now. There are very gentle sweet spice notes, along with the new make berry sweetness, but you have to look for them.
Palate: A nice semi-oily mouthfeel and initial smack of white pepper and pineapple syrup. Salted caramel and toffee provide a layer of richness. The new make berry element is more evident on the palate. The sweet biscuit note is swirling around but, due to the ABV, is battling with the heat and spice. There’s a vegetal note to this one too, peppery like Rocket leaves. Honey and vanilla do come through eventually and add a much-needed balance to the pepper.
Finish: The pepper and honey linger for a medium amount of time. The new make notes also hang on for a while.
Overall: A nice whisky but not one I’d buy. It still needs refining in my opinion and comes across as slightly confused.
