Dark, woody and earthy. There is quite some polished oak and sandalwood in the beginning. Then the dark fruit (sultanas, date) and appelstroop join the nose. Behind that is a nutty side (walnut) and an earthy side of dark black tea, damp earth and cocoa.

Quite thick, oily and sweet associated for an Oloroso single cask. Cherry liqueur, polished wood, cinnamon, mocha, raisin, and milk chocolate. At the end, pepper comes in.

Long, on dark sherry, walnut, pepper, cinnamon, coffee and date.

Varnished wood at first then blueberries and black fruits allsorts quickly get the center stage. Herbal black tea, blackberries, blackcurrants … the whole remains very "light" though, fresh and almost a bit shy. Liquid dry dark chocolate whatever that means (I'm so sorry) in a liquorous guise, like rum baba or tartuffo. Complexity reveals itself with patience. By subtle fruity episodes : raspberries, figs, blood oranges, peonies, kirsch, blackberry yoghurt. Or by spicy ones : cloves, carraway, pine scones (not the resinous side, rather the big dry pine-y scent). A very dry and blackesty black chocolate rules over this nose. And yet really it's not heavy at all, it's quite laid-back and discrete.

Now we're talking. Starts soft on alcohol with black chocolate syrup, açaï berries and blackberries and then there's a huge power-spike that reveals the main note : a fat minerality like graphite or raw blue stone. Really getting the image of chewing black stones. Blackfruits are still massively around, blueberries and blackberries especially, raspberries too, the black chocolate, along with a big nervous pepper kick, cloves, fresh bitter almonds … Bombastic stuff. Grape marc and coffee grounds. Perfect elastic texture. Actually not that sweet.

Coffee grounds again, minerality, woodiness and astringency build up (as expected) with damp black wood, various nut shells, broken branches after the rain, black tea with something mentholated (shiso ?). Distant echoes of black fruits keep it fresh, with dried cranberries but it's still hugely stone-y and dry after a good 30 minutes.

One of the blackest drams I've ever had, you gotta like the stone-y and peppery kick on the palate but boy, what a palate ! Tremendous experience, quite an extreme beast once it crosses your lips. But I might have wanted a more expressive nose actually. 

Gebakken appel, kaneel, sinaasappel, gedroogde vruchten (dadels, vijgen, pruimen, blauwe bessen), koffie, beetje leer, amandelnoten, mocca, cacao, toffee, honing, rozijnencake, gebrande rietsuiker, (graan)koekjes. (Fantastische neus.) (93)

Sinaasappel (Pim-koekjes), kaneel, gemberkoekjes, gedroogde vruchten (dadels, vijgen, pruimen, blauwe bessen), zwarte thee, zwarte peper, beetje leer, gebrande rietsuiker, broodpudding, amandelnoten, toffee, honing, cacao, rozijnencake, siroop. (Zoet, bitter, fruitig, donker, …) (94)

Sinaasappel, kaneel, gember, hout, koffie, beetje tabak, beetje leer, beetje zwarte perper, walnoten, mokka, toffee, zwarte chocolade, rozijnengebak. (Lang en bitterzoet) (92)

93 punten. Topwisky! Alle smaken zijn zeer mooi in balans. Sample van Oogadal.