A Speyside Distillery The Nose Art, Bourbon Hogshead Cask, Cask #1794, 1993, Whisky-Doris, 50.3%

busstop compass7 Oct

The fruit character is the main draw for me here. Passion fruit, ripe yellow fruit, banana and mirabelle give the nose several distinct points of reference, with delicate honey and vanilla alongside them. The palate is described more simply as fruity and delicate, so the nose carries most of the specific fruit detail. Spice, pepper and chilli develop with water, shifting the emphasis away from fruit without replacing it entirely. The finish is warming, delicate and lingering, though it becomes somewhat shorter with water. I like the contrast between the varied fruit on the nose and the more restrained palate; the change in the finish is a modest reservation.

Fruit seems to lead here, with passion fruit, ripe yellow fruit, banana and mirabelle, while delicate honey and vanilla keep a softer edge in view. That sweetness has a useful counterweight: the palate develops spice, pepper and chilli with water, so it doesn’t read as a one-note sweet pour. The finish is described as warming and lingering, though somewhat shorter with water. I like that contrast; delicate fruitiness with a little lift feels more engaging than sweetness left to coast.

Vanilla fits the delicate fruit.