Nose: 
Oh my.  The very first whiffs confirm what the colour had suggested -
we`re talking very seriously good old sherry wood here.  Beautifully
nutty with hints of dark chocolate, black forest gateau, some balsamico
and the famed "old church pews".  There`s so much going on here, if I
started listing it all I feel sure the door would shortly be kicked in
by the anti-maltoporn brigade on an urgent mission from Turckheim. Here
goes:  Crushed almonds, Frazzles, old libraries, apricots,
rosehip... Help!... Let go of me, you Alsatian bullys!!

Palate: Big and chunky mouthfeel.  The sherry is
very prominent, there`s big woodiness, but lots of delicious fruit and
honeyed sweetness to compensate.  Dense and almost bewilderingly deep.
One of those wonderful drams that tastes slightly different every time
you go back.  There`s a tremendous bitter dark chocolate note sitting
alongside the thunderous oak underpinning everything.  I love the
savoury qualities too, it`s not too sickly sweet. This is how sherry
casks should be.

Finish:  As you`d expect, long and mouthwatering. 
Savoury and slightly drying but not too tannic and certainly not too
woody despite the age.  Even the last drop left for a half hour keeps
coming up with wonderful new aromas.

Comment:  Well, bless my boots.  This is a really
special whisky.  It goes without saying that sherryheads only need
apply, and of course it`s not cheap - but this is fabulous stuff.  If I
had a bottle I`d love to keep it for my grandkids to show them what
great old sherried whisky was like - but I`m probably too selfish.  A
fabulous, irresistible dram.