hs305 scored this whisky 86 points 
[July, 2018] These hand-fill bottlings that are available when visiting the respective distillery only are a lot of fun to do and usually they select good casks for that (but once I had a sulphur-spoiled one at Glendronach, which was a shame). So whenever I re-visit a distillery I go for that but I take a tasting sip first, especially when it comes to sherry casks.
This colour is tawny and the texture shows small tears with slow legs. The nose offers a flawless modern sherry profile with tons of crème brûlée aromas that you either like or not (I like them). It is neither complex nor very balanced but it is very bold - I call this "spiked". This is the typical profile of a modern designed dram where one dimension is simply driven to the extreme - at least this one is a nice dimension (compared to other extremely woody or excessive peaty drams). The mouthfeel is a little harsh and peppery but it nicely coats all of it with a warming feling. Just a minor drying-astringent feeling distracts somewhat from that. The taste is extremely sherry-sweet (did they really empty the sherry cask completely before filling the malt? No, just joking…) what provides another spike that sherry-lovers will adore. Unfortunately, not many other flavours can stand this bold winey taste so it is a very one-dimensional affair. If you like that dimension you will love this dram, otherwise you should shy away from it. The finish is very long and again sherry, sherry and nothing but sherry. Hey, where is the Tomatin? This is of an almost syrupy texture and you have to chew your way through this dram, literally. Water turns the whisky even more sweet so use it if you own a very sweet tooth only.
To be honest: I call this rather a fortified sherry wine but not a malt whisky because there is (almost) nothing of the whisky characteristics left to enjoy. When ruling the Paxarette ban in 1989 the SWA wanted to prevent marketing departments from deliberately create such stuff that has nothing in common with Scotch whisky anymore. How come this can be created again without the over-excessive use of Paxarette? If this is possible the SWA should lift the ban on Paxarette because it is ineffective now (and they can produce my old beloved Macallan-style again)!
PS: This is absolutely clean sherry, no trace of sulphur - so finally they managed to get rid of the practice to burn sulphur candles inside the casks to prevent them from rotting in the hot Spain climate, hooray!
This colour is tawny and the texture shows small tears with slow legs. The nose offers a flawless modern sherry profile with tons of crème brûlée aromas that you either like or not (I like them). It is neither complex nor very balanced but it is very bold - I call this "spiked". This is the typical profile of a modern designed dram where one dimension is simply driven to the extreme - at least this one is a nice dimension (compared to other extremely woody or excessive peaty drams). The mouthfeel is a little harsh and peppery but it nicely coats all of it with a warming feling. Just a minor drying-astringent feeling distracts somewhat from that. The taste is extremely sherry-sweet (did they really empty the sherry cask completely before filling the malt? No, just joking…) what provides another spike that sherry-lovers will adore. Unfortunately, not many other flavours can stand this bold winey taste so it is a very one-dimensional affair. If you like that dimension you will love this dram, otherwise you should shy away from it. The finish is very long and again sherry, sherry and nothing but sherry. Hey, where is the Tomatin? This is of an almost syrupy texture and you have to chew your way through this dram, literally. Water turns the whisky even more sweet so use it if you own a very sweet tooth only.
To be honest: I call this rather a fortified sherry wine but not a malt whisky because there is (almost) nothing of the whisky characteristics left to enjoy. When ruling the Paxarette ban in 1989 the SWA wanted to prevent marketing departments from deliberately create such stuff that has nothing in common with Scotch whisky anymore. How come this can be created again without the over-excessive use of Paxarette? If this is possible the SWA should lift the ban on Paxarette because it is ineffective now (and they can produce my old beloved Macallan-style again)!
PS: This is absolutely clean sherry, no trace of sulphur - so finally they managed to get rid of the practice to burn sulphur candles inside the casks to prevent them from rotting in the hot Spain climate, hooray!
