87 / 100
There's a pleasing shift from oak char and red grape skin on the nose to dark chocolate-dipped cherry and raspberry jam on the palate. The flinty backdrop keeps that ripe fruit from reading as all sweetness, while five spice adds a clear counterpoint. Stewed plum and malt carry the finish. The flinty note is the hook for me; it gives this English single malt a more grounded edge than the wine-led fruit alone.
Reviewed by bluehourkit
- Nose
- Oak char, Red grape skin, Distinctive wine aromas, A hint of liquorice
- Palate
- Dark chocolate-dipped cherry, Flinty backdrop, A dusting of five spice, Raspberry jam
- Finish
- Malty, Stewed plum