Barrell Armida

Not good for sipping

Different and sweet! Apricot.

I find this one rather interesting and I can imagine liking it more with time. Butterscotch candy on the nose but with a very distinct influence from the finishing casks. The fruit that comes to mind is apricot though and not pear (one of the finishing casks is pear brandy). The rum cask influence is notable as well, but the Amaro is lost on me on the nose. All this follows through on the palate (apricot jam) with a bit of bitterness (the Amaro cask?). A good amount of heat rounds the sip. Medium finish of butterscotch and apricot jam. High proof but not as noticeable (apart from the level of heat at the end of the sip). My preference is for a drop of water which makes it a little easier to sip without taking too much from the character (just regulates the heat really).

Nose: caramel, corn undertones. Reminds me of white dog rum straight off the still. Little water & cherry opened up with a tiny bit of brown sugar & the pear appeared. Taste: not nearly as sweet as I expected. I get no rum or brandy (unsophisticated palate?). After a drop of water it got very sweet, loads of caramel. A "baking" kind of sweet... Maybe a little artificial. Long finish, even nasally. Bitter on the back of the tongue. Not unexpectedly a touch of water mellowed it out & really shortened the finish. Loads of caramel notes 10-15 seconds after swallowing. Overall I'm not a big fan. It needs water to really open up the different flavor profiles & take out the ethanol that could overpower the palate. Glad I tried, but not on the short list. Will add some interesting flavors to the infinity bottle.

Orange and citrus, pear, toasted marshmallow finish, open up smooth, lemon grass finish, malty, definitely different

Interesting, drinks hotter than its proof. Lots of flavors but hard to distinguish them, overall very busy. Sweetness has been turned up but is paired with a hot burn. Get more spice with some water. Generally, the Sicilian Amari casks comes in the most than the run, and I don’t find the brandy behind the others.