Review #61 - Whisk(e)y #44 Purchased as part of a Redbreast tasting pack, together with the Lustau Edition and 15yo, all in 50ml format...and paid 25 euros. Not the cheapest pack, but the set sure is nice, with high quality packaging, magnetic opening to the box and so on. Chill-filtered - Yes Added Colour - Yes ABV - 40% Aspect - Gold colour with a slight amber hue, relatively oily in glass. Nose - Oak, dryness, very prominent cereal, biscuits (crackers)...crispbread!!! herbacious, cellery, honey, vanilla, orchard fruit (red apple)...cherry?, sweet orange marmelade, raisins (in empty glass after drinking, together with caramelised sugar - crème brûlée)...alcohol and subtle oak spice. Palate - Creamy, caramel, turns very sharp spicy on the mid-palate...very spicy, chilli...slowly fading away. Cereal on the back end, honey, subtle sweetness, but very difficult to distinguish anything else due to the spice! Gets a bit better once my palate gets used to this sharp intensity. Finish - medium-long, acidity, gradually fading spice, dry, oak, cereal. Long after-taste with subtle dried fruit (figs perhaps), as well as orchard fruit, pumpkin seeds, and oak. I had very high expectations of this dram given the overwhelmingly positive reviews...but it is unbalanced unfortunately, with very few / if any sherry notes and overwhelming spice. If I would have tasted this blind I would have thought it is an exclusively ex-bourbon cask matured irish whiskey... I sure am glad I did not purchase a full bottle. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB