This Scotch is a blend of 70 (!) different malt whiskies and 12 grain whiskies. After 12 years, the blend was placed into sherry casks, where it was left and forgotten about for 36 additional years, until it was found and bottled in 2008.
This has one of the most unique noses of any Scotch I've tasted. If I'd tasted blind, I would have guessed Bourbon, strange as that sounds. It's got a rich, woody smell that has strong Bourbon/corn notes and hints of a coming sweetness. Despite the sherry aging, I don't really get sherry on the nose.
The palate is explosive and complex. I need to stop and sip again slowly to properly characterize the massive flavors that are evident. It starts with sherry, fig, Christmas spice, then there's malt, wood.
The finish is back to sherry notes, plums and dried fruit and then a bit of those Bourbon characteristics that were so prevalent on the nose but less evident on the palate.
Crazy, unique stuff. Without a doubt, the best blended Scotch that has passed through my lips. I'm assuming that the Bourbon characteristics come from the grain whiskies. There isn't any discernable smoke, even though we know it includes whiskey from all of the Islay distilleries, though we don't know how much. If I could afford it, I would definitely buy a bottle.
Extremely deep brown-red. The nose has nice sharp sherry notes that tingle my nostriles (but doesn't last long), but generally not a sherry bomb and not at all what I was expecting. I get maple syrup, sweet wine in a subtle way, vanilla and light cinnamon. The palate has a very strong oak taste at mid-tongue and is also pretty dry, spicy and malty. Down the stretch turns into a bourbon/scotch hybrid with a ton of vanilla. The finish is really nice and long. As a note, I agree I don't detect any smoke. [1/9/14]
Thanks for your comment.
As a first-time poster, your comment is awaiting approval to verify you're not a spammer, or crazy, or both.
After that, your posts will appear immediately.
