Nose: Crisp fresh apples, oak shavings, toasted walnuts, espresso and yeasty bread. There is a little too much alcohol presence on the neat nose for my preference but a dash of water fixes this and allows softer caramel and citrine aromas to appear. Palate: Spicy arrival – hot cinnamon, freshly grated root ginger, lemongrass and black pepper. There is an undercurrent of honey but it’s the flavor without the sweetness. Malt and treacle in the development, which takes a while to form after the forceful arrival. Kirsch and green tea show up a little later. The texture is not noteworthy and the overall impression is of tightness. When watered the palate becomes demure and considerably more relaxed. Finish: Medium/long. The heat and spicy notes slowly fade into a slightly brackish, sour finish with flavours reminiscent of sour-mash wort. That’s the dry sherry showing up in spades. With water the finish gains chocolate notes. A good whisky that is a little too tightly wrapped when neat, even though the abv is only just over 52%. I thought this was significantly improved by a dash of water, which rendered it much more expressive and less ernest. Overall I enjoyed it but I would not buy a whole bottle. Allowing it to stand for a while once watered worked further magic with both complexity and integration forming. Don’t hurry this one, and for pity’s sake – add water! The word manzanilla in the title should be your guide here – if you like dry sherry you’ll take to this straight away because the finish is prominent. If you prefer PX and dislike the astringency of dry sherry you will never become friends with this dram. Tasted from a distillery-bottled 50ml miniature “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)