- Nose
- Complex, yet refined, with tempting aromas of marmalade, honey, freshly ground coffee, sherry and nuts. Some oaky tannins. Sweet, nutty, and full of dark fruits. Tart cake, sweet cream, and luscious fruit pastry filling. A touch of menthol. Classic Sherry notes, less pronounced than the 15 year old perhaps, but the complexity is greater. Earthy notes of dried leaves, wet wool, and a hint of maltiness start things off on the nose, then citrus and red apple.
- Palate
- Full-bodied and robust, the sherry and the oak fight for your attention yet neither overpowering. Incredibly clean central palate, but amazingly tangy. Really zingy top notes. Sherry and creamy barley, hints of gingerbread and nutty chocolate. Smooth and complex, revealing layers of fruitcake, dried fruit, hazelnut, gingerbread, and chocolate orange. The sherry again is the star of the show at first, but then subsides into a big fruit, with some acidic qualities. Cream and raspberries, tart fruit, with some custard coming through.
- Finish
- Intense, long lasting, dry and malty. A beautiful dark chocolate taste at the back of your mouth to complete the 25 Years Old. Very, very long and complex finish, oak-rich, hints of smoke, cocoa, buttery. Long and lingering finish that punches way above its ABV. The oak makes it strongest appearance here coming off very dry and quite bitter. Long, elegant, and warming, with notes of dry oak, cocoa, and gentle spice.
