Initial sip

The first taste catches you off guard. There is so much going on, it takes a moment to process what you are tasting. The combination of peach fruit, citrus, thick baking spices and chocolate form the landing. The most noticeable aspect of the first sip, is how the finish lingers in three distinct places. There is a maple, candied sweetness that burns the lips and the tip of your tongue, a heavy wood spice, with nutmeg on the roof of the palate and a woody warmth that holds dark red fruits deep in your chest.

Second Pass

The second sip may be the best. More prepared, it is much easier to pick out the dark blackberry jam on the landing. The wood notes are savory and nutty, bringing out the sour candy of Oloroso and the struck match quality that roasts your cashews and gives the mid-palate a distinct chewy quality. There is a sweet raspberry and sour cherry cameo that precedes dark chocolate and the maple candy on your lips moves to your chest on the finish.

Third Pass

The third pass is when you really start to notice the Spanish oak and the different styles of new American oak. The mid-palate shows macerated, candied plums, sandalwood, leather and dried nutmeg. The sweet PX and the savory Oloroso give you a green tea bitterness and a dried apricot through the later portion of the mid-palate, before the finish finds notes of caramel and clove.

End of the Night

If you spend the night with this whisky, you will discover the toffee bitter side of maple, the taste of chewing a caramelized mandarin wedge and the mouth puckering tannins of 25 year old whisky. The red fruits have retired for the evening and in their place is a breath of vanilla and the sweetness of grapefruit on the finish.