n:  Caramel

p:  Lightly toasted lavendar.  Sweetened ash finish. 

The key to this whisky is its extreme drinkability despite the massive, massive flavors in here... not that huge flavors don't make something drinkable, but I think you know what I mean. The sherry is almost overpowering, and without the smokey aspects it would approach not-dimensional... but the phenols and other subtleties rocket this into A-range. Complexities especially reveal themselves upon lengthier drinking (as they always do), and this gets more excellent with more to say on every sip. Mostly a big sherry number with restrained smoke, big toffee, and maple-syrup candy -- particularly that maple-syrup candy is big in the finish.

We rarely drain a bottle start-to-finish at a meeting, and the fact that this one never stood a chance says a lot.  A/A- 

Unmistakable A.  It has already been said above so I have little to add.  So much of what everyone else describes I agree with.  There are few whiskies that I think would work really well with food, but this makes me want to try it with a rare rib-eye....great stuff.

Re-taste for PLOWED vertical 4/19/2013

More of the same.  My winner of the PLOWED bottles.  This is simply big, bold whisky and it has bits of everything I love.  Deep, dark complexity and waxy, meaty flavors.  The sherry is perfectly balanced and makes a great sweetness character that works so well. Solid "A"

Noses of peat, sherry and resinous wood. The sherry fruits come in form of dark ripe fruit: figs, grapes, blue berry, black berry, and strawberry. It wonderfully compliments the dark smoky camphor aspects. Added depth from black coffee, wet clay and wax. An enveloping deliciously balanced nose. Sticky oily texture that coats the mouth and palate. Starts with camphor smoke and leads way into dark coffee/ tea and black licorice. Peat, nougat, and fudge along with bright tangy fruit emerge in the midpalate: raspberry, cherry and black berry. Finishes with lingering waxy bitterness of grapefruit skin and dark coffee.

Retaste 2019: A+

N: So much going on. Plenty of fig, dense syrupy notes. Extremely dark, tons of dark fruity sherry-derived notes. A little clay. 

P: Wow. Tons of wod (in a great way), beautifully smoky but not overpowering; syrupy, figgy, almost cola-like quality. White pepper and just all kinds of imaginable sherry influence, without being oversherried and making you wonder why you're not just drinking some Valdespino Solera 1842.

F: Light bacony smoke, faint rubber, tons of dark fruity notes. As it dries, it gives a dried apple quality.

Immensely complex; dense and fantastic.

A-/A 

This is a case where the mysterious syrupy cola, almost scary darkness color lives up to it's shade by presenting a rich, complex and fulfilling nectar.  

I barely have to lift the glass to my nose to get a whiff of this other-worldly, bold flavor. Hard to describe, because of so much going on. Lots of deep dark fruits like black cherry and blackberry, but with, yes, peat and bbq hints. It's an odd thing when you smell something and the first thought that comes to mind is "chewy". Haven't even tasted it! 

Palate is rich with figs, ginger snaps, raisins. It's thick and glorious (so my notes tell me, ha), but a tad one dimensional.

The finish cuts me off like a bartender at 1:30am in LA. Sad.