Nose: Grassy, hay-like malt plus sweet unmalted barley aromas (you smell the presence of pot-still distillate right from the start). There is a richness to the nose with notes of stone-fruit, a haze of coconut and a lot of firm woody tones. Linseed oil and stewed fruit that veers towards lemon zest. There is a minute hint of smoke. Palate: Rich, creamy arrival with spicy and semi-sweet cereal at the heart. As it develops, a thinner character emerges that focuses on spice (nutmeg and cinnamon), stewed fruit and unmalted barley that shimmers so brightly it's like polished brass. As it moves towards the finish a good deal of brisk, grippy tannin takes the limelight. Finish: Medium. Spicy, oaky with cocoa and nutmeg notes. Cereal, wood tannin and char in the aftertaste. Although you might expect this to be a smoky whiskey, it's not. Its character is rather based on the interplay between tannins and intense barrel char, which is more like charcoal, ash, or slightly burnt toast than actual smoke. This is a highly cask-driven whiskey. The palate has an interesting progression where you specifically note the bourbon cask influence on the arrival with sweetness and a suggestion of vanilla. The oloroso cask comes into play only in the development and brings with it the very strong tannic character. This becomes dominant and lasts right through into the aftertaste. The entire palate is held together by the strong "toasty" character. In some ways this is reminiscent of bourbon, but it has the dryness of barley and reconstituted oak-tannin at its core instead of corn and newly-toasted oak sweetness. I've given standard Jameson's, IPA Caskmate, Stout Caskmate and this expression similar scores. These lower-priced Jameson core-range bottlings are very much a set of variations on a theme. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)