Hyde number four in my series is No. 7. Following from yesterdays lacklustre No. 6 Presidents reserve, which was an olorosso sherry finished blend of 18 year old malt and 8 year old grain, I now have in front of me a pour of the fully Oloroso sherry hogsheads matured No. 7 ‘1893 Presidents Cask’. No age statement here (apparently six years) but Hyde does declare this liquid to be a Irish single malt and non chill filtered. N: A flat, but welcoming, nose with a chocolate softness and malty presence. Honey, apple and peaches and a hint of nutmeg. With a little time in the glass everything wakes up and becomes, well; less flat. There may even be a bit of orange peel here. The sherry cask is working hard thats for sure. P: Somewhere in-between oily and creamy, a thick mouth coating texture delivers plenty of malt forward character, orange peel, plain chocolate, lots of plum character, and cinnamon spice. Subsequent sips adds some leatheriness. A prominent spirit heat stays high and forward throughout. F: Short-medium. Toffee and oaky-vanilla with a peppery heat. OK. This is the best of the bunch so far. Although that isn’t really a compliment when you look at the playing field. There is a lot going on in here, the nose is a slow starter but has plenty of notes to tease out from an initially flat open. The palate is awash with rich sherry cask flavours and the finish adds some depth of character with vanillin and toffee laden wood. But, there in lies the problem. There is so little of the spirit character other than as an intrusive heat presence and a generic malt forward flavour. The sherry casking isn’t so good as to work on its own. So, whilst the best Hyde yet in my books, it is the cask that wins and seems to be masking an average or worse spirit rather than complimenting or developing it in its own right. Distiller whisky taste #171 [Pictured here with another Western Australian LCT-Pegmatite, this time from Spargoville near the Kalgoorlie Goldfields. This giant hunk of rock features mostly coarsely crystalline quartz, but also perfect tabular crystals of white microcline with albite dissolution seams and a perfect pale green beryl. The pegmatite its from is ~330 m and up to 45 m wide dipping down at 30-50 degrees. A long history of mining of this pegmatite for gem quality mineral specimens drew to a close in 2012 when the open pit and mine shaft were filled in.] Hyde running scores No. 3 Aras Cask Bourbon: 2/5 No. 4 Rum Cask Finish: 1.75/5 No. 6 Presidents Reserve: 2.75/5 No. 7 Sherry Matured 1893: 3/5