The nose starts with a mild sourness of sautéed gooseberries with light sweets of candied lemon peel and sugared dehydrated mango then a mild seaside rocky minerality and charred sourdough bread followed by slightly sour sautéed apples, overripe banana and grilled lime that transitions to cocoa powder dusted almonds with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits before quickly veering towards a moderate sour and bitter spice that slowly fades to charred tangerine orange, baked banana bread and rocky seaside minerality then cocoa powder dusted almonds and sourdough bread followed by slightly sour sautéed apples, candied lemon peel and lime juice that transitions to a mild black pepper, ginger and ashy oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is short with charred tangerine orange, cocoa powder dusted almonds, rocky minerality, and sourdough bread. The nose is predominantly sour but the creamy tropical fruits and sweet bready notes help prevent it from becoming overwhelmingly sour with the refill peated barrel providing light smoke and earthiness followed by the palate that the flavors are on the thin side with a creamy tropical sweet start that quickly falls into bitter ashy and sour mix that has minor sweetness before a quick finish that has light sweetness with an ashy spice. Overall, this is an average whiskey that has a youthful sourness with a mild smokiness from the additional aging in a refill peated cask and could have used a few more years to age and polish out those sour flavors. Killowen is a confusing brand that is vying for a spot in the premium space for their products which have so far turned out either sensational or down right underwhelming, but it seems like a coin toss on how each will turn out. For me, this one turned out to be another dud in their lineup and doesn’t justify that premium price of $90 for a 375ml bottle when there are plenty of better options that cost far less.