Tin Shed "Iniquity" Batch 008

Nose: Clay, sandalwood, laundry soap, dried mixed fruit, roast mutton fat, prominent rancio. Nosing again after an initial taste reveals a smoky note. Palate: Soft entry, slightly oaky and earthy. A rich and rounded texture. As it develops dried fruits come to the front and a full smoky flavour arises that eventually becomes quite strong. The palate is smokier than the nose, but it comes out slowly. Finish: Medium. Sweet/dry with a slightly metallic spicy note and some ashy oak. A little astringent. Produced by Tin Shed Distillers, a small team in South Australia, Iniquity is something of a cult locally and tends to sell out quickly as each batch is released (the current batch is number 010, released in February 2018). There is a commonality of profile to all the batches but there are changes to both the wort and the barrelling with each, so they differ sufficiently to warrant separate entries. I also tend to notice significant batch variation within the house profile. Batch 008 was matured in three small refill port casks (including at least one PX cask) and the contents of the barrels were then married in an American oak tun, also previously used for port. The malt is lightly smoked using Australian peat and Australian mallee root in the kiln, which imparts a woody type of smoke that is subtle but pervasive. It is weirdly “familiar” to the Australian nose, being strongly reminiscent of the smell of a bushfire in a eucalypt forest. I think this is at least part of the reason for its local popularity. I find Iniquity to be occasionally interesting but seldom compelling. It has a quirky profile and both sulphur and feinty notes are evident in most batches. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)