N: Lightly earthy initially - slight hints of wet clay. Dried fruit emerges shortly thereafter. Light hint of tobacco; orange top notes. Lush but showing some agreeable age. A slightly dry nose with some white pepper. Over time, a nutty sherry note opens up. 

Nose:  Rich sherried goodness.  More fresh fruit than dried.  Fruit cocktail.

Palate:   Sherry with cooking spices, mulled wine, full bodied mouthfeel.  Really nice.  

Finish:  Slightly tangy on the tongue, lush sherry notes in the nose.

Maybe not quite as layered and beautiful as Batch 3, (note that I did not taste side by side) but still a great well balanced malt.  

Nose of varnish, sherry, oak.

Not as much varnishy stuff in the palate as advertised by the nose. Semi-dry and tasty, mildly spicy, honey, tobacco, and leathery something. In the finish the oak shows through, with tea. Tannins hit in a way that's slightly too sharp.

It's very good stuff, great with a cigar perhaps. But it tends towards too woody-bitter for me -- not overwhelmingly so, or even close, but enough to keep the grade at "only" a B+.

Batch #3 in comparison is sweeter, bigger, fruitier, and just deeper. The finish there has a zing that's not in #5. Here, it's a milder rush of tobacco-oak.

Still it's delicious and there are huge similarities between the two. Great personal example of a B+ vs. an A-.