A fruity, creamy, malty bouquet with lively alcohol and an undercurrent of oak greets the nose. Top notes include underripe strawberry, red currant, red apple, then bright citrus both Meyer lemon and Valencia orange. Next comes malt, clean and subtly sweet with musky florals and a kiss of honey. Finally, very subtle yet very tannic oak comes through with a smidge of vanilla, like smelling vanilla extract in cookie dough on a wooden spoon. On the tongue it is momentarily malty sweet, then quickly becomes rather sharp and citrusy with some peppery heat. Next it moves back to sweet but more vanilla and cherry with herbal notes. The body is creamy yet light, slightly oily and coating. Legs appear as healthy veins that break up fast, leaving a well defined ring behind before collapsing into tears that vanish in mist. The long, bitter finish comes on quickly with plenty of citrus peel, apple skins, vanilla taffy, toasted marshmallow, Chardonnay oak, and tobacco tinged leather. It’s a rollercoaster ride of a dram! Nose: 10 Palate: 8 Body: 9 Finish: 7