...laughing demon made of sulphur and plastic, the burning of old garbage bags that have been left in the sun for too long. After a while, I got my nose around this beast, and found touches of sweet soil, mouldy, wet mushrooms, sickly sweet corn, a mashtun in the midst of being cleaned and as I thought I was past it all a baby was sick under my nose...
...wet grass and plums. Raisins, musty molasses, lemon and heated apricots make a pleasant drop as we dip into a steel vat of oranges and caramelised grapefruits. It all sits on a vanilla bed that stretches beneath the weight of the top notes as they slowly sink into it...
...reminiscent of a dry South Australian Cabernet, packed full of blackberries, raspberries, heavy cherries, plum tarts, Christmas cake and pear drops drizzled with honey. A firm base of toffee and butterscotch provides a brilliant bed for these fruits to jump off, before a scattering of spices fall down and calm the dram. The finish is long, with incense, balsa wood...
...green apples soon shine through, with candied oranges, mango compote, rock melon, grapes and a light leather strap and spice opening when the whisky is left to breathe. Touches of smoked rosemary and mint shine through, and the apples becomes roasted when we leave it...
...a rolling mouthfeel that runs spicy, oily, viscous, flavours of lemon sherberts, burnt cherries, toasted grapefruit flesh, hot strawberries, rich earthy soil, and the cooked rye returns. There’s tinges of smoke, a few pieces of burnt raisin toast, with very hot caramel and sugar and some sliced banana...
...if you threw this into either a Blood and Sand or a Boulevardier it would bust the cocktail into space, however you could just skip the middle man and have the whisky neat. After the cocktail experience there is more singed orange peel, with strip wood and some burning incense in the background...
... a confectionary treat when opening, full of Hubba Bubba bubblegum, good old fruit tingles, star burst cherry and strawberry chews and grapefruit jelly. It turns a touch after that, to a distinctly different fungus, sous bois appeal...
