Bottled in 2018, it was the 1st indie bottling of Three Ships. Matured in American Oak for 3 years before a 2nd maturation, in PX sherry casks, for another 3 years. It’s bottled at 53.7% ABV and limited to 1150 bottles.
Appearance: Lager amber. A beaded swirl mark and those thick quick-forming legs. There’s a lovely thick film on the glass too.
Nose: At 53.7% this is certainly a whisky that’s not shy. A good ABV waft! Orchard fruits, malt and cereals, that sponge cake that @WhiskyWithMolly mentioned earlier and an earthy (soil) note. As the glass matures the more rich fruity notes start to come forward, almost jammy. The smokey element also shows up more now.
Palate: Palate: Ooh, that’s a lovely mouthfeel. The immediate flavours of chocolate, spice, and mint. Burnt sugar features quite heavily too. Caramel popcorn. At first, I thought the two flavours were independent of each other, but after a few sips, yes, they marry into one: chilli chocolate.
Finish: Malt, mild black pepper and chilli, baking spices and cake batter.
Overall: Overall, this might be my favourite so far. I like the ABV and depth of flavours. The balance of heat, chocolate and fruity notes is lovely.
