My bottle was opened on 30th July last year (2016). I'm on the last quarter now. This has a fantastic very engaging nose - all the notes are 'on the edge' and very well balanced. It's complex - I would have guessed there's Bourbon barrels in the mix, there's a fabulous fruitiness which is hard to pin down - because earthiness is also very evident, along with a touch of sherry and oak spices. I'm thinking tinned fruits - apricot? peach? lychee? perhaps fruit salad - in syrup? - but perfumed. Then there's oak spice - damp wood ( but not intrusive) and with time a touch of 'farmyness'.. There's some alchemy going on here!
Perhaps it needs water to open it out a touch - but not for me, not today - I'm enjoying it as it is... Also the bottle has been open a while now, it's had time to breath - so I'm going to stick to it 'as is'....
It's a big arrival - more savoury than the nose suggests, almost chocolatey (dark chocolate). The taste is something different, actually quite dry/ sweet and a tiny touch of bitterness - and also slightly salty . If tasted blind - I might think of Bruichladdich... which I'm perhaps more familiar with. the finish is long and there's a touch of oiliness right at the end - olive oil?
This malt certainly delivers above its age...
