Tastes

First Impression, newly opened bottle. The first smell is like brandy, there is a wine quality, with slight ethanol, and vanilla. The initial taste is much less sweet than the smell implies, surprisingly so. It coats the mouth, feeling thicker and creamier than the nose lets on as well. The flavor develops into citrus, oranges, with the peel, being forward. There are barrel tannins, and some dryness on the finish, but it’s the orange peel that lingers.

Definate Sherry influence, it is like the 12 year, a little thinner, but with more dry fruit. The nose is light, a little sharp, with hints of vanilla and citrus. The palette is vanilla, citrus, plums, and a faint wisp of smoke. The finish is dry, a sour note, some mild barrel tannins, and a lingering citrus, more pithy than bright.

Fruity smell, apple and pear. The taste follows the smell, apple juice, a hint of vanilla and cinnamon, then the mildest wisp of ashy peat.

My initial impression from the smell is a cereal note, like cooked grains. Then dried fruit, apples and apricots. Followed by spices, vanilla, and toasted barrel. The taste is rich, with baked apples, or maybe apple crisp, all the nose notes, plus cinnamon, and a tea like astringency at the finish, which is medium length.

I will need to sit with this a while to really figure it out. The initial smell is like a high rye bourbon, cherry and vanilla, some cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper. It smells sweet and spicy. The initial taste is sweet, and very bourbon like, but it is quite astringent, and the finish lingers. The more I sip, the less cherry and vanilla come through, more cloves, honey, dill, and a sharp bitterness like dandelion greens. There is a quality like over steeped black tea to the finish. There is enough going on to keep it interesting.

Smells like cream soda. Sweet, with vanilla, sugar, and barrel tannins. It’s simple and clean.