Booker's Small Batch 6 Year Old, New American Oak Cask, Batch No. 2020-01E, 2020, 63.2%

The fruit on the palate draws my interest, though it is described broadly rather than as a particular fruit. It sits alongside spice and distinct tobacco in a dense, intense combination, so this seems less about a bright fruit lead than about how the fruit holds its place among heavier flavours. The nose brings sweet vanilla and toasted oak, with subtle smoky depth, while the long, warming finish returns to oak and vanilla alongside spice and tobacco. I like that contrast, but the tobacco and overall intensity would take more of my attention than the fruit. There is a fruit element to follow here, just not the clearly defined kind I tend to favour.