Fratelli Giannandrea 1885 Barricata Stravecchia

Another present from across the ditch. It's been a very long time since I tried grappa from what I can remember. Nearly 20 years in Italy when we bought a bottle of cheap and nasty stuff which was well as its name suggests! This is a completely kettle of fish. There is no harshness about this one and it goes down very smoothly. Weirdly though I'm getting an overpowering smell and taste of kippers which is a first. I think like pork when they say there is a certain percentage of the population which can taste a hormone in it others can't it's a bit like that as cascodes notes have no mention of it. Maybe a side effect of drinking a bunch of mezcal then moving to grappa! I won't rate this one as I'm not sure how to to be honest but very interesting experience! Thanks @cascode.!

Nose: Raisins, apricots, peach, beeswax, honey, tropical fruit. Over time brown sugar, red fruits and vanilla appear and there is a strong resinous wood aroma. The dry-glass smells entirely of these resinous oak notes. Palate: Fruity and spicy entry - like freshly-baked fruit cookies. Dried fruits, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey appear in the development and alcohol is not noticeable. The texture is oily, almost greasy, and the profile is overall similar to a cross between very dry sherry and slivovitz. Finish: Medium/long. Dry and packed with spicy fruit notes. The aftertaste is complex and oily. I have no idea what the 1885 refers to, but it isn't the age. This was matured in French and Slovenian oak barrels but that's about all I could find out about it. It's not particularly old, I'd think, but the wood notes are very prominent and it tastes different to non-aged grappa. I wouldn't buy it again. UPDATE - 18 February 2020 I killed this bottle off last night after persevering with it for several months and I'm revising my original rating. When newly opened it had a resinous oak bouquet that was impressive, but over time it has became unpleasant and more like the smell of cod-liver oil. I assume this was all coming from the un-toasted east-European oak casks. Two other bottles of grappa I currently have open do not show this intrusive fish-oil smell. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars) Original rating "Above Average" : 83/100 (3 stars)