88 / 100
There is a clear, interesting tension here: rich sherry, dried fruit and chocolate meet a dry, spicy finish with tannic oak. That gives the documented character more shape than sweetness alone. The 17-year-old single-cask bottling is listed at 60.1% ABV, but that figure by itself does not establish a cask-strength designation. The notes are detailed, though the combination sounds intense and firmly sherried rather than especially restrained.
Reviewed by wildmint_socks
- Nose
- Rich sherry and bitter chocolate, Roasted hazelnuts and blood oranges with cocoa powder, Sweet dried fruits, black cherry and plums, Coffee grounds with cinnamon
- Palate
- Liquorice, aniseed and toasted hazelnuts, Chocolate orange sauce and rich old oloroso sherry, Cloves, pepper and liquorice, Sweet dried raisins, citrus and vanilla cola
- Finish
- Dry and long with spices and wood, Fruity sweetness and tannic oak, Black currants, grape jelly and cocoa powder, Slight tingle