North Star Series 15 and 16 tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 9 March 2022. Whisky #3 Nose: Cherries, honey, waxed leather, golden syrup, dark chocolate. A hint of coconut and just enough oak to provide heft but not overtake the distillate. Palate: Rich, warm, comforting arrival. Spicy but gently sweet and with the alcohol heat and some baking spice well contained. Beeswax notes in the development with fresh-baked cherry Danish, apple strudel and a little orange conserve. The texture is waxy and slightly oily with good body. Finish: Medium. Mildly and sweetly spicy. Now we’re getting somewhere. After the first two somewhat pedestrian drams at the tasting this one finally made me pay attention, and it grabbed me from the first moments. The nose is luscious and sweet but avoids being cloying. An oloroso refill butt was perfect for this spirit whereas a PX cask would have been way over the top. It's well sherried and has good structure. Delightful neat, adding water had both positive and negative effects. On one hand it developed the nose, not by actually bringing anything new forward but by integrating the existing aromas very pleasantly. On the other hand the palate was softened but it did not need softening to start with. The abv is sufficient to take dilution well, but it seemed superfluous. A nice whisky at a fair price, and as it turned out my favourite expression of the night, besting a much older Tobermory and just edging out the very agreeable Supersonic Mach 2 (reviews of both to come). I ordered a bottle. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)