Released in 2017 (I believe). This expression has enjoyed double maturation, spending its last nine years in a refill chardonnay cask.
Appearance: Dirty gold, light caramel in colour. Thick and oily, coating and clinging to the glass very well. Medium/thick legs and hairline swirl mark.
Nose: Lovely sweet aromas initially, slight mint and a little fizz even! I can definitely pick up a dessert wine aroma in there, it’s quite prominent and not as subtle as I would have imagined. Green apple, cereal and honey.
The ABV balances very well on the nose, a good amount but not too much. Cola cubes and confectionary sweetness are in the mix too. There’s an odd fruity funk. Like cranberry Wensleydale cheese type of aroma too. It’s not unpleasant, just new.
Dusty, like when you smack an old sofa and lots of dust flies up. Now I get fruit salad sweets and a faint whiff of petrol on the nose?!
There's an odd fruity funk. Like cranberry wensleydale cheese type of aroma too. It's not unpleasant, just new #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/hUhzWv58ot
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) December 9, 2021
Palate: A lovely oily arrival. Blood orange bitterness and soft sweet spices. There’s a ripple of concentrated honey apple sweetness too. Touch of Wrigley’s peppermint gum with maybe a pinch of salt too?
The palate carries the ABV well, I’d not think that this was in the upper 50’s if I hadn’t seen the label. I really like this one (and I didn’t think I would as I’m not a white wine fan). It’s got a lot going on and all very nicely balanced.
Finish: Quite buttery and mellow surprisingly, given how zingy the palate is. Some mint and spices, but mostly the nice custardy tail off of a lovely dram. Short to medium.
Overall: Really nice. I like the zingy concentrated fruitiness and subtle spices in this one. Some might find it too sweet, but I like that.
