Hyde number six. And for the most part I am pleased to be done with series. Average at best less than acceptable at worst. The final offering, 8 year old cask strength single grain, matured in an ex-Bourbon cask and bottled at 59%. N: Ooph, bad start. Acetone. Lots of acetone. The high proof here combined with what I am surmising as inferior grain spirit have conspired to produce something offensive. I’ll leave this for 10 minutes and try again. Some acetone has dissipated, but its still bad. Vague oaky vanilla in there somewhere and maybe a clove laden spice. P: Oily and spirit heavy. Malt barley, tannic fresh oak all the black pepper (all of it). If you can get through the pepper there is slight toffee-butterscotch and milk chocolate but you are going to have to work to get at it. F: Short. Pepper, grainy and slightly gristy. Maybe some vanilla. Just bad. I read a few reviews that call this ‘moreish’ and ‘lipsmacking’. Not for me. This feels like putting ‘cask strength’ on the label to sell crap. Aggressive, unrestrained, harsh and lacking character, flavour, or any redeeming qualities really. At AUD$130 a bottle this is atrocious. At discounted AUD$99, this is still atrocious. Congratulations Hyde you now own my lowest rated whisky on Distiller (other than the orange rye low and slow, which is fireball category pisswater). The only question I have after six of these things is who the heck is producing your spirit Hyde? Hyde? Run and hide. Distiller whisky taste #173 [Pictured here with another Western Australian LCT-Pegmatite, this one is from Greenbushes in the South West of Western Australia. Here we have a cluster of metallic purple lepidolite with white feldspar. Lepidolite is an important secondary lithium ore for many pegmatite systems.] 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 No. 8 Heritage Stout Cask Finish: 3.5/5 8 year old cask strength single grain: 1.25/5