3.5/5 5th November 2022 (modified from @drrhcmadden on Distiller)
Nose: Off the bat is a strong apple cider, possibly even apple cider vinegar. It’s quite powerful as an acidic-sweet opener. A little ginger becomes apparent before I find a tiny hint of nuttiness. Eventually the honey-malt permeates through. There is something vaguely sour in here as well, but overall it is sweet and bold. Oakiness presents itself after a sip.
Palate: Creamy, thick and slightly oily texture. The oak has imparted a wooded chardonnay butteriness that carries with it woody spice, lashings of honied malt and sticky candied fruit sweetness. In a single word this is: rich. The oak is well measured, it stays away from the musty and astringent over oaked notes that are so easy to introduce with European oak. As this sits I find a really beautiful and delicate perfume note, imagine lavender scones, its just a feint hint of flowers. The reasonable proof kicks a little with pepper heat.
Finish: Short-medium. Nutty-vanilla. Quite drying, with a little toasty malt and pepper yexit.
Adding a few drops of water calms the bite, and allows some of the American Oaks vanilla influence to come through on the palate and softens the sweetness on the nose a little.
The classic malty, honey, and unobtrusive flavours of Speyside are here and they do work well with the sticky fruits and woody creaminess. But, this is bordering on being an after dinner desert rather than a classic whisky. At least to me. The end of my dram and I am finding I don’t have a clearly defined stand out flavour. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, perhaps not. If that floral-perfume note that flittered in and out of existence was ever present then this would be on my purchase list. Without it though, for me, this is very interesting and only just above good.
