pkingmartin
Auchroisk "This is Like Spectacular" Apollo 9, The Whisky Barrel Exclusive
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
December 8, 2021 (edited December 26, 2021)
The nose is a sherry bomb starting with dark chocolate raisins followed by fruits of apples and oranges then a moderate spice that fades to musty grapes and a charred piece of whole wheat toast with high ethanol burn.
The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with dark chocolate raisins followed by fruits of apples and oranges then a high tannic and drying spice that fades to musty grapes, ginger, cloves and a charred piece of whole wheat toast with high ethanol burn.
The finish is medium length with drying spices, dark chocolate covered raisins, toasted marshmallow, and ashy oak.
The nose is completely dominated by what seems to be an overactive sherry cask that allows some orchard fruit and toast through that carries over to the palate with a high drying spice mid-palate before fading to musty grapes, barrel spices and toast that finished medium length with a drying spice along with sherry.
This one didn’t work for me and comes off as youthful and abrasive that could have used more time in the cask to really calm down that astringency which makes this taste almost like sherry fire water.
A huge thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample.
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@Scott_E @Jose-Massu-Espinel yeah me too. I really wanted to buy that Paul John Orbiter bottling as well ( which was to commemorate India’s mission to Mars. I want to say only 3 countries in missions to Mars—US, India, China). But that price was simply too much, $500 or so! I’m sure it’s $80 for the 4 yr old whiskey, and $420 for the useless fancy light up box .
@Jose-Massu-Espinel @PBMichiganWolverine I am a big Space Race nut. Read many books. Watched many documentaries. Just fascinating how Mission Control created themselves from nothing. And now there is a whiskey! The merging of two interests.
@Jose-Massu-Espinel but …amazingly cool label if you’re an Apollo fan ( @Scott_E shares that appreciation too )
@pkingmartin i loved that description, and those are my kind of drams as well
@ContemplativeFox @Jose-Massu-Espinel Yeah, I can see this one be a polarizing one. This is like Kool-Aid man busting through a wall with a pitcher of high octane sherry to get all the adults s-faced drunk. If someone loves a high octane sherry blast party, this will be their jam. Sadly, just not mine.
@pkingmartin This one may prove as contentious as your Ardbeg 15 😂
@PBMichiganWolverine i loved this one like you cant imagine.
@pkingmartin yeah, this didn’t work for me as well. The casks were too active for a light spirit like this one. I think this is the type of spirit that needs a 2nd fill Sherry cask.