Nose: Light cereals, honey, fresh-cut grass, orange juice and orange zest. There is a little hint of vanilla but it’s fleeting and the main sensation is of a spritzy, crisp nose. When nosed neat there is an obvious alcohol nip but a dash of water clears that away and the nose gains a buttery note. Palate: Ginger and orange with Szechuan pepper and a pinch of hot cinnamon. Lots of zingy oak tannins and unripe fruit. The texture is creamy but masked by the spicy crispness. The palate is immediate and does not show much progression, which is to be expected from a blend (even a good one). Finish: Medium/Long. Zesty spices that recede to sourdough bread with an afterthought of bitter citrus oil. I’m feeling that 21 years was probably too much oak contact for this spirit, particularly the grain whisky component. Instead of mature softness it has a rock hard tannic personality and I’m not convinced that bottling it at 50%abv was a good idea. Lower alcohol content would have allowed it to speak more calmly, instead of shouting from start to finish, and it's hard to create the necessary poise by just adding water at tasting time. The other Black Bull blends I’ve tasted have displayed stewed fruits and fortified wine whereas this has crisp, tannic, almost astringent ex-bourbon cask traits. It’s interesting to taste but a bit one dimensional and it’s not a whisky I’d buy or recommend. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)