Rúa Gold Label

Lovely nose and palate, albeit the finish is a bit short. Light orchard fruit and subtle honey

Nose: nutmeg, stewed apples, bit of ethanol, and vanilla pound cake Palate: grain forward, pepper spice, vanilla wafers Finish: medium to long, lots of pepper wrapped in vanilla

Rúa Gold *NOSE: Odd Start for this Whiskey. On the Cork Pop I got Red Wine. Very Nice. Then it went downhill fast. A Weird Savory Umami. Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce. Vegetal. Fishy (That's a first)? Dusty Oak. Heat. Not what I was expecting from Extra-Aged Rúa. *NEAT: Okay, THIS is what I was expecting from Extra-Aged Rúa. Thick Clingy Mouthfeel. MUCH Sweeter than what the nose would indicate. Sweet Cherry, Peach Purée, Vanilla, and Cinnamon. Some Tingly Heat. A Medium Length Finish with a Nice Vanilla Mint Coating. *SPLASH: Unfortunately, doesn't do anything for the nose. The Palate gets Some Barrel Spices. *VERDICT: I really enjoyed this, despite the weird off-putting nose. I don't know what the extra time pulled out of the wood, but it was NOT Nose Friendly. I tried this at the Distillery and didn't get any of those off notes, but I also tried it with a large cube and a Rocks Glass. The Palate is a slight upgrade over the delicious standard issue, but the nose is a mess. I'm hoping that maybe a little oxygen in the bottle will tame the nose or that my sniffer was just broken last night. If it changes, I will update. ***As a side note, I entered this whisky and listed it as aged in used Speyside barrels. According to the website, they get their barrels from the Speyside Cooperage in VA that uses strictly new oak (the one in OH uses reclaimed Scottish staves). I apologize for the misinformation.***