Amrut Portonova Single Malt

Open Date = 12-15-2020 Tasting Date = 8-27-2021 Weeks open = many weeks Tasting proof = 100 Bottle Fill Level = Half bottle. Rating system: 5 = outstanding ; 4.5 = excellent ; 4 = very good ; 3.5 = good ; 3 = above average ; 2.5 = average ; 2 = acceptable ; 1.5 = adequate ; 1 = inferior ; 0.5 = very poor ; 0 = undrinkable You possibly may get what you pay for but you never get what you don't pay for...........Slainte'

This is my 8th Amrut. Nearly all have been 4 - 4+ ratings and this is no exception. It was very easy to drink straight at 62.1%, however mindful of the impact drinking that high abv has on the body I watered it down substantially and it was awesome. This thing can really handle a lot of water. Strawberry jam, prunes, cacao, plum and more. It really is an excellent drop. 4.25 to 4.5 easy.

The nose is damp cardboard. Fortunately, the palate is much sweeter, with plenty of fruit (cherry with some prune and nice pear rounding it out), but also some gross damp cardboard. It's this mix of tasty fruit and unpalatable ick. The high ABV helps to smooth it out and enhance the sweetness. It's a sipper with some nice flavor to it and also some ugly flaws. The finish fortunately loses a lot of the cardboard and taste more like rich cherry with something a little odd backing it. With water, the wet cardboard comes out a lot more, bringing out some smoke and moderate spice with it. This are bits of fig and honey in here too. The complexity comes out in a nice way with the added water, but it doesn't escape that one weird note. If it could just replace that cardboard with some barrel age, this could be quite good. As it is, this is a mix of some really good notes and one seriously disappointing one. Bits of chocolate do come out, but not in a way that is super transformative. The orange flavor is Abit strong here, adding to the cardboard and making it taste ever so slightly like alcohol too. There's so much here that's really good, so it's tragic that there is that one gross note. In the end, I could enjoy sipping this (at least it avoids gross bread) and is surpasses most Irish whiskeys. Still, it wouldn't be one of my highest choices. All that said though, I could definitely get over that cardboard flavor eventually and it is otherwise quite good. That richness is a really good selling point, especially with the nicely balanced fruit. The intense spiciness does make it taste like a more serious drink. That weird flavor though is just so disappointing.