The second batch from a refill sherry cask that leaked, intensifying the cask influence.
Appearance: A lovely dark gold, like a pint of ale. A lovely viscous film and substantial swirl mark quickly form and cling to the glass. Lots of medium/thick legs.
Nose: Sweet, slightly sulphuric smoke, like a freshly struck match. Toffee, butterscotch and dark fruits and berries. The ABV just underpins the aromas nicely, not interfering. Coffee, campfire ash and chocolate provide a more mellow set of aromas. There’s blackcurrant and apple squash now, which is a lovely fresh and fruity dimension that took me by surprise!
Palate: A more meaty BBQ smoke than the nose, along with those dark fruits, blackberries and that spent match. There is also a buttery pastry flavour which is lovely. A slight dryness on the tongue.
The ash note is consistent with the nose but, again, more of a flavoursome BBQ ash.
Towards the end of the dram, a spice builds in the form of white pepper and mild chilli.
Finish: Long. Full of lovely smokey BBQ aromas, along with sweeter blackberries and dark fruits.
Overall: This is pretty bang on my kind of dram. Love the fruit-forward, but with that meaty smoke in support. It also drinks like a higher ABV.
