Reservoir Wheat Whiskey

Pleasant palate to finish experience; well balanced and spiced; toasted wheat; palate and finish stronger than the chew; younger age does not bring out barrel oak; wheat mash and spice dominate. Year 2020, Batch 8 small batch.

Nose: Soft baking spices (not unlike rye spice), dusty cereal, orange peel, toffee apple, dark fruit. There is a slight ethanol nip and a strong woody presence – young, freshly sawn wood … not old casks. Palate: Spicy/sweet arrival with just a little heat. Buttered popcorn and granola with caramel sauce in the development, which turns to the bitter side as it progresses with coffee grounds and toasted sourdough bread. Mint and menthol towards the finish. There is an omnipresent tannic note throughout the palate. The mouthfeel is OK. Finish: Medium/short. Spice and cereal turning sour and flinty in the conclusion. It's a perfectly drinkable whiskey but it lacks any sort of spark. There are no outstanding faults (apart from obvious youth, if that is a fault) but neither is there anything that captures your attention. It's average, but in a good way. Water expands the spice notes on the palate almost to the level of a very spicy rye whiskey, but again it's neither attractive nor offputting ... it's just there. Tasted from a 30ml sampler, I was glad to have the chance to try this first as a 750ml bottle costs an outrageous AUD$160 over here, and if I had spent that much on this one I'd have serious buyer's remorse. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Finish is long and strong