Bottled in 2020 as being part of the Master Distiller’s Private Collection and is exclusively for the UK/EU market. Produced from ~30ppm barley and matured solely in American oak, it’s bottled at 46.3% abv.
Appearance: White dessert wine with a beaded swirl mark and so many thick legs it forms a corrugated effect around the glass
Nose: A lovely light and fruity note, with honey and apple. There are baking aromas in the form of sponge and lemon, so, lemon drizzle cake. A lovely light and fragrant smoke also mingle in and out of the other notes. Again, a well-balanced dram.
Palate: A lovely oily mouthfeel. Smoked seaweed is the first flavour to hit. Iodine, brine and a herbal note. It’s a nice unique flavour and one I very much enjoy. There are underlying sweeter notes of vanilla and honey. When you consider that this is a £40 whisky, it’s got complexity and balance that far exceeds the price.
Finish: Medium in length. The sweeter notes and seaweed linger on from the palate. THere’s also a touch of spice now, black pepper and maybe cinnamon.
Overall: A bottle that should be a constant in whisky cabinets. For the price, you really can’t fault it at all.
