- Nose
- Rich and full, leathery and tannic, toffee, walnut, cocoa powder, dark chocolate and coffee beans/grounds, slight hint of sulphur, sweet sun-dried raisins, fig, date, molasses, cola or cherry cola, fermented ginger root, marmalade on rye or brown bread toast, malt loaf/Soreen, fruity maraschino cherries, red grapes, red berries and smoke. Old books, soft warm leather, coffee grounds, bitter chocolate, soft aromas of cigar smoke. Hints of mint and walnuts. Rich fruits, think ripe dates and sticky prunes. Sherried malt prominence with smoke in the background. Dark fruits, blackberries, strawberries alongside fruitcake, with a menthol cigarette burning in the distance. Minty presence. Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum. Boiled down fruits, jammy. Sweet pepper spices, vanilla, clove. Live bonfire smoke, with a lot of pine. Touches of heather.
- Palate
- Dry, coffee grounds and chocolate. Very soft, rich and oily. Light smoke and again the sticky prunes and dates come through. Hints of toffee and ginger spice. Smooth but full-bodied, sherry forward but with a lightness of spirit, toffee, dried fruits, tannic leather & tea, cinnamon and ginger woody spices, cola, dates, dried fig jam, light milled cereal barley flour, slightly floral, coffee grounds, dark chocolate and cigar smoke. Lively and even a little pokey but overall, satisfyingly tasty. Fruit cake, glacé cherries, a definite sherry hint and then there it is that smoke. Not a thick whack around the head but rather a wafting of smoke from the croft's fire. Sweet arrival turning towards hot spices and bitter mint. Spicy dark fruits, burnt toast, toasted liquorice root. Overcooked fruitcake. Treacle toffee. Burnt caramel.
- Finish
- Long, spiced and tannic, fruitcake or loaf, (drier), dried fruits. Short but pleasing warmth builds and the embers of smoke and a touch of sweetness hang around. The toasted overcooked things fade slowly. With some creamier caramel and toffee elements poking through at the end. The after mouth of a couple cigarettes back to back, but while chewing on some dried sultanas.
