- Nose
- Rich and delicate, robust, with some deep, sooty notes including some rubbery notes and (rather clean) matchstick heads. Some dark, dried fruits underneath which grow stronger after breathing. Smoky glue, oak, steeped barley, light smoke with some fruit, slightly dry with peaches and apricot, a whiff of vegetable-like sulfur.
- Palate
- Balanced and rich flavors, quite dark and sooty, with lots of tarmac notes. Intensely phenolic but with enough syrupy roundness from the sherry butt (red berry candy, black cherries and a little toffee). Quite some salty notes. Gentle fruitiness, sharp, fierce smoke and peaches. Not too sharp, but certainly with some bite. Sherry and smoke work well together, spices and smoke complemented by dried fruits. Syrupy with hints of orange, plums and peach syrup. Barley, oak and smoke.
- Finish
- Elegant long-lasting aftertaste, long, sooty and salty. Still a rubbery edge in the aftertaste. Ashy with sharp, medicinal smoke. Hints of oak, dried peaches and a general sense of dryness. More traditional with sherry taking the back seat, oak and barley more prominent. Fierce smokiness without being all-encompassing. Some fruit, orange, Lapsang Souchong, barley, smoke and brine.
