Stranahan's Sherry Cask

Tasting neat from a fresh bottle in a Glencairn: Nose offers tons of brown sugar and maple syrup, with some darker molasses notes hiding candied orange and sweet cinnamon. Palate brings sweet leathery oak with dark Sherry fruits balanced by slight alcohol heat. Finish is medium-long and spicy, with wood heat and more cinnamon.

Very nice finished single malt

Big nose of juicy papaya, toffee, dried apricots, and rum-soaked raisins. First thought was "Did they empty the sherry barrels first?" Taste is more brown and purple, for lack of a better word. Toasted almonds, more of the raisins, some sweet tobacco, dried prunes. It's definitely sweet on the palate but not nearly as syrupy as I expected with just the nose. There is a slight bit of astringency on the finish but not enough to detract; more than that, it feels like it cleanses your mouth of too much sweetness. It's too bad I don't smoke cigars anymore; it would make for a nice pair.

Very clean, smooth dark cherry smell and tastes

Beautiful rosy liquid, light coating in the glass. On the nose, dark red wine and fruit with a little vanilla oak--the full Porto profile. Charred grain and port fill the mouth, then shifts to candied fruit, burnt sugar, chewy tannic leather, and dry cocca and oak smoke. Sweet quickly disappears and dry, spicy, astringent mouthfeel lingers. I like port and wine barreled whiskeys, but this is one of the strongest Porto flavored ones I've had. Maybe too overpowering. Cask strength is good, but this just feels young. Going to revisit this over time and with a little ice to see if/how it opens up.