Bottled in 2018, the 3rd release in the Master’s Collection. It was matured in American oak for 5 years before being finished in oloroso sherry casks for 3 years. It’s bottled at an abv of 51.8% & limited to 1440 bottles.
Appearance: A shiny amber, very crisp. Quickly coats the glass and slowly morphs into medium legs. A tiny-beaded tide mark forms.
Nose: On the nose, there’s still that hint of seaweed notes but there’s also a deep richness to this with cherries in syrup, sherbert fountain, smouldering wood and some sweet spices. Dark fruits as the glass matures. Blackberry and faint raspberry. An ashy smokey aroma also starts to reveal itself. After drinking most of the dram, malt appears on the nose.
Palate: Nice oily mouthfeel. A pleasing mix of black pepper spiciness, rich dark fruits and distant smoked meats. I can still taste the seaweed, so I’m now assuming it’s a trait of the range (by no means a bad thing!). As well as the predominant flavours, there’s a good helping of vanilla custard and some of that miny element too.
Finish: Finish: Smoke and the coastal notes. Black pepper and dark fruits. I also get those forest floor notes previously mentioned. The finish is also quite drying, for me, a little too dry.
Overall: The dryness aside, this is a very nice whisky indeed. I love the dark fruits mixing with the coastal flavours and that mellow custard in the background.
