Description
Initial nosing revealed immediate notes of spicy oak lactones with caffè latte, spiced cinnamon swirl pastries, crème brûlée and salted caramel sauce. We also detected blackcurrant cordial, honey-roasted cashews and mint fudge. Reduction brought potpourri, kirsch, orange peels and scented hardwood resins. Neat, the palate displayed a big and up-front spiciness, with cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon all prevalent. But there were also earthier aspects of ruby ales, black teas, liquorice root and tarragon. This was increasingly elegant as time went on we felt. Water brought out a floral quality, along with graphite oils, shoe polish, treacle pudding, mulling spices and a fragrant heathery note. At the age of 13, we combined hogsheads from the same distillery into first fill chinkapin oak barrels with a heavy toast and a medium char. This is one of those casks.