Nose: Apples, pears, oatmeal, a waft of honeyed-vanilla, basil, thyme, a tiny hint of chimney soot and some weak black tea. There is a prickly alcohol nip and a definite, but quiet, sherry component. Over time the honey and sherry notes enlarge, but overall this nose left me feeling unsatisfied. It’s good, but very shy and more like that of an average blended scotch than a single malt. In fact, the older age statement Dewars scotches are better. Palate: Soft arrival, with orchard fruits and some red berries but the foundation is quite malty and dark with an earthy quality. I guess that’s the sherry casks (oloroso for sure) coming through with a leafy, vegetative, umami quality. Gentle notes of powdered ginger and pepper show up in the later development together with just a little tannin, bitter black coffee and walnuts. The texture is nice, but nothing to make a fuss about. Finish: Medium/short. Leafy. Cereal grist with a mild bitter spice flourish in the finish. Much ado about nothing, really. It’s certainly a capable malt and there are no flaws to speak of, but … exceptional? Nah. Maybe they meant the casks were exceptionally safe and ordinary? Adding even just a few drops of water kills the nose. It makes the palate less intense but that does allow the sherry casks to show through more clearly. I’m struggling to find something else positive to say about this malt and frankly I’m struggling to finish the dram. It’s just so … boring. This was a fairly limited release (4,800 bottles 4 years ago) so you probably won’t find a lot of it around. I certainly won’t be searching out a bottle. Originally it sold for AUD$140 which was steep at the time, and currently the few bottles I could track down online are selling for $200 and over. It's just not worth that much. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)