HYDE 8 Year Cask Strength Bourbon Matured

Hyde number six. And for the most part I am pleased to be done with series. Average at best less than acceptable at worst. The final offering, 8 year old cask strength single grain, matured in an ex-Bourbon cask and bottled at 59%. N: Ooph, bad start. Acetone. Lots of acetone. The high proof here combined with what I am surmising as inferior grain spirit have conspired to produce something offensive. I’ll leave this for 10 minutes and try again. Some acetone has dissipated, but its still bad. Vague oaky vanilla in there somewhere and maybe a clove laden spice. P: Oily and spirit heavy. Malt barley, tannic fresh oak all the black pepper (all of it). If you can get through the pepper there is slight toffee-butterscotch and milk chocolate but you are going to have to work to get at it. F: Short. Pepper, grainy and slightly gristy. Maybe some vanilla. Just bad. I read a few reviews that call this ‘moreish’ and ‘lipsmacking’. Not for me. This feels like putting ‘cask strength’ on the label to sell crap. Aggressive, unrestrained, harsh and lacking character, flavour, or any redeeming qualities really. At AUD$130 a bottle this is atrocious. At discounted AUD$99, this is still atrocious. Congratulations Hyde you now own my lowest rated whisky on Distiller (other than the orange rye low and slow, which is fireball category pisswater). The only question I have after six of these things is who the heck is producing your spirit Hyde? Hyde? Run and hide. Distiller whisky taste #173 [Pictured here with another Western Australian LCT-Pegmatite, this one is from Greenbushes in the South West of Western Australia. Here we have a cluster of metallic purple lepidolite with white feldspar. Lepidolite is an important secondary lithium ore for many pegmatite systems.] Hyde running scores No. 3 Aras Cask Bourbon: 2/5 No. 4 Rum Cask Finish: 1.75/5 No. 6 Presidents Reserve: 2.75/5 No. 7 Sherry Matured 1893: 3/5 No. 8 Heritage Stout Cask Finish: 3.5/5 8 year old cask strength single grain: 1.25/5

I really wanted this to be a home-run. 8 year age stated, cask strength, bourbon barrel, NCF, and single grain? There are so few cask strength irish whiskies on the market that when I saw this was available in Ireland I snatched it up. Nose: Pleasant, almost docile, with faint sweetness and graham crackers drifting up. From the nose alone, one really wouldn't guess this to be 59%. Palate: The palate is probably the best part of this dram. Really oily and amazing mouth feel, with gentle grassy and floral, with a clear bourbon barrel influence shining through in vanilla and butterscotch flavors. Similarly to the nose, from the palate alone you would not guess this to be 59%, although the legs give it away. The minimal alcohol burn for the proof is a testament to the age. Finish: The raw alcohol rises up, with almost no oak, sweet, or potstill spice to cover it. The finish is unfortunately the most disappointing part of this dram - it doesn't have enough ooomf to get it over the hump, even at cask strength and NCF. The pure ethanol taste, not even that much of a burn, but just a really strong 'vodka/neutral alcohol' flavors comes through. This makes me think there's probably a good bit of grain alcohol and not as much malt compared to other Irish drams. From a sheer novelty standpoint, a cask strength, age stated Irish, I would buy this again, even though it isn't great value for money. I love Irish whiskey, and this is a very pleasant, although not outstanding, dram.