American whiskey tasting evening, Sydney, 21 September 18. Whiskey #4 Nose: Lots of toffee and caramel and a full, hefty oakiness. There's a sweet berry note like cherries or raspberries, and earthy cinnamon spice and ginger, plus and hint of peanut. Water amplifies the woody notes and also brings out brown sugar, pickle water and a slight minty aroma. Palate: A sweet honey/caramel arrival that almost instantly develops into hot cinnamon, black pepper and chilli spice. This persists but over time is tempered by a sweet fruitiness, as of red berries, that enters from the sidelines as it moves towards the finish. Lots of heavy woody favours. Water brings out notes of nuts and vanilla and tempers the heat. Finish: Medium/long. The finish is the conclusion of the palate with nothing new emerging. The final flavours are woody and caramel, and a touch of red berries, but it turns slightly dry right at the end with tannic notes that are quite welcome. This was an appealing whiskey and I returned to it repeatedly throughout the tasting. It held up well against everything but was outclassed by the Woodford Reserve cask strength, which was the final whiskey of the night. Although there is quite a hot kick in the palate I found it to be approachable and not at all overbearing, however water improved the experience by generally softening and loosening the profile which allowed a lot of otherwise hidden aromas and flavours to emerge. I'd recommend a good dash of still water for this one, or even an ice cube and wait until the ice is mostly melted. This expression is available in a myriad forms, as I understand, but the standard stocks in Australia all seem to be the same. The configuration was selected by Rob Samuels, so I guess it's a middle-of-the-road formulation created in bulk for retail outlets. This batch was 55.9% abv, but I have no idea about the stave selection. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)