Price: £91.50
Purchased From: The Whisky Exchange
ABV: 59%
This is my second time purchasing one of these cask strength, Sherry matured 12-year-old bottlings from this small Pitlochry gem. I believe my first was batch #3, but unfortunately I have no notes to compare this release to. The colour on this is very dark – you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s beetroot juice. Definitely one of the darkest whiskies I’ve had in recent times. Matured entirely in 1st-fill Oloroso Sherry butts, bottled at cask strength and natural colour. As you can tell from the photo this bottle has already been finished – I wrote this review when it was half gone and realised when I poured the final dram that I didn’t have a photo.
Nose
Raisins and lots of them, fruit cake, old leather. Water also brings out raspberry jam, tobacco with a slight funk to it. Not much alcohol on the nose either, which is a surprise given the ABV.
Taste
More fruit cake, milk chocolate, red grapes, espresso. There are also some spice notes coming through, more prominent than the nose would suggest – cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, gentle umami. Good mouthfeel and a little bit of oak comes out in the finish. The Sherry casks are certainly taking centre stage here and I found water and time in the glass was a must.
Conclusion
A solid release from one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries, but it probably scored a point less than I was hoping. This is by no means a bad bottling, but the Sherry cask influence is just a bit too much; I’d like to see the spirit shine through a bit more. It’s also a tad overpriced in my opinion.