Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #15 Nose: Orange marmalade, honey, red berries (cranberries? blackberries?), almond brittle, printer’s ink (!), tobacco, leather, damp soil and a waft of peat smoke. Palate: The arrival is an odd combination of dark cherries, dried figs, dried apricots, grilled pineapple, bittersweet cola syrup and espresso. The development shows earthy, woody honey notes together with a little smoke that reminds me of the taste of herbal cigarettes. There is also a briny note that brings to mind Jura expressions from 10 years ago and like many of those, this turns towards bitterness in the late palate. The texture is full but not heavy. Finish: Medium. Drying, burnt butter, burnt sugar, bitter cocoa, bitter coffee, grilled grapefruit and black pepper. A somewhat uncompromising finish. A rather complicated and not entirely balanced whisky that seems to be uncomfortable with itself. It’s not awful, but it is certainly “interesting” and not a dram that would appeal to novices. In fact, it would not appeal to many aficionados either. The nose is great, deep and with lots of complexity to explore, but the palate is where it starts to unwind and the finish is, well, I wouldn’t call it bad but for me it was not appealing. It tastes like the stills were run too hot and the spirit caught, but that’s just a subjective impression and it’s far more likely that the dry, burnt quality of the finish is coming from the casks. “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars, but if the finish was better I’d give this 3.75)