Blair Athol 2014 5 Year Provenance (Douglas Laing)

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Am I getting new make funk? Apple cider, honey, and toasted grains (think Cheerios). Lemon zest. Buried vanilla and chocolate. Lavender. Lower proof, say 45%, Highland? Touch of minerality, like a carbonated mineral water. Honeysuckle and orange blossoms. Candy dots - the ones you get on rolls of paper. A little black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Toffee. Palate: Light, though not delicate. Caramel apples, cheerios, and herbal honey. Chocolate and orange. Vanilla. Guessing this is a single malt since I'm not getting any of that banana character I usually detect. Mint. Tannic, with the bitterness really coming through. No clue on age statement here - guessing around 5 years. We're also not using ex-bourbon here. Can't tell what the casks here are, though. Bright and shiny, the way this sits on the sides of my tongue is not my favorite. Medium light mouthfeel. Finish: Bitter tannins on either side of the tongue. Green apples with a sqeeuze of lemon and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. An almost salty character comes to the fore. We're left with oak and vanilla. Medium length finish, with good oil content. Other notes: Was right about age, that it's a single malt, sort of right on cask (this is sherry butt), region, AND close on age! Woo! I'm learning things! Sadly, this one is a swing and a miss for me. It's interesting inasmuch as it's a relatively young sherry cask. I can't help but wonder if the distillery parted with these because they knew that the direction these were heading in was going to not fit their profile/be good. That's not to say this is entirely flawed, but the character of the new make lends worse and worse character as the taste progresses. The finish is entirely unappealing, though might pair decently with a cigar or pipe, something I think I'll do now. Just, y'know... with something else. As always, cheers!