ex sherry cask – Page 2

Mortlach 1992 21 years Director’s Cut 56.7%

From a sherry butt.

Nose: A lot of oak, clear sherry note, but dry sherry and oak rather than dried fruits, very little sweetness. With water I get dried cranberries, candied orange peel and milk chocolate, but it’s still on the dry side.

Palate: Dried cranberries and raisins, but also a lot of oaky dryness. Vanilla. With water I get both oaky bitterness and sherry sweetness, vanilla and oak chips, floor varnish.

Comments: Even though there’s not even a whiff of burnt rubber, my main impression is “over oaked”. It tastes of oak chips. The nose is beautiful, but can’t make up for the taste. It’s not a bad dram, but it’s no where near worth the asking price (2495 NOK at Vinmonopolet, I paid 200-something NOK for 2 cl at The Whisky Bar in Oslo).

Kilkerran Work in Progress 5 Sherry Wood 46%

Nose: Lemon-scented detergent (but more lemon than detergent, thankfully) and dry sherry. Water does not really change much, though less obvious alchohol lessens the impression of detergent.

Palate: Dry wood, citrus and a somewhat sickening sweeteness. Wood varnish. With water I get bitter orange peel.

Comments: I strongly prefer the bourbon wood. This one is just a decent dram, there’s nothing special about it at all.

Bunnahabhain 24 years 1988 Signatory Cask Strength 55.9%

From an ex-sherry butt #2800. Tasted at Casc in Aberdeen.

Nose: A lot of alchohol, chocolate covered cherries. With water it turns more towards orange marmelade.

Palate: A lot of alchohol, oak and dark chocolate. Water brings out orange marmelade spiced with ginger.

Comments: There is something vaguely smoky both on the nose and palate – dry and ashy – I’m wondering whether it comes from the oak or whether the spirit is actually smoky. A very good dram, but worth the money (GBP 13.10 for one dram)? Well, considering what Bunna is doing with NAS bottlings at the moment… probably not.

Bladnoch 6 years Sherry Matured 59.6%

So this is the sherry variety of the botlings released by Bladnoch in 2008. Tasting notes for the bourbon matured here, Lightly Peated to follow.

Nose: Butterscotch and dried cranberries, hints of oak. Water brings out yellow flowers and resin, but the main impression is still butterscotch.

Palate: Caramel sauce with a side note of burnt rubber. Did someone use the wrong kind of implement to stir the hot caramel? The burnt taste is emphasised with water, but the rubbery note fades a little.

Comments: No skimping on the cask influence here. When I tasted these three the first time, I seem to remember prefering the Bourbon Matured, but that has changed. This Sherry Matured is no star, but I wouldn’t mind drinking a few drams. It lacks complexity, and both nose and palate is dominiated by butterscotch, but the young age is camouflaged by the cask and it would work as a session whisky.

Highland Park 1989 22 years van Wees 46 %

Distilled 4 Desember 1989, bottled 1 August 2012, matured in a sherry butt with cask number 11854, giving 660 bottles.

Nose: Cherries and oak. With water: Honey, lemon and heather. Overlying smoke.

Palate: A hint of smoke. Sweet oak and liquorice.

Comments: Now we’re talking. A good cask which demonstrates nicely how well Highland Park’s spirit does in a sherry cask.

Thanks to Daniel for the sample.

Arran 1997-2013 Sherry Cask #937 55.8%

Nose: Dried apricots, milk chocolate and thyme. Witn water I get honey, some lemon and malt. There’s also something flowery on the nose, tending towards lilacs without feeling too perfumy.

Palate: Orange marmalade and then bitter oak which softens substantially on its way through the mouth and becomes cream and milk chocolate on the finish. Fascinating. Water does not change that, but adds a floral note, and reveals malt on the finish.

Comments: This is the shit. The bee’s knees. I recently tried one of this year’s casks, presumably on its way to Vinmonopolet, and it was lovely as well. Quite simply one of the best buys at Vinmonopolet right now, at less than a thousand NOK. And since the importer is nice enough to list each cask separately (and believe me, that adds expense and work) you know exactly what you get when you order it.

Highland Park Cask Strength Edition 56%

This is a bottlig of Highland Park which was launched in 2013 exclusively for Sweden, in half bottles. It’s a NAS and it’s been matured in European ex-sherry casks. It’s still widely available in Sweden for the relatively nice price of 299,- SEK.

Nose: Milk chocolate, burnt oak and ice cream. The relatively high strength is very obvious, despite the sherry influence which often masks a high ABV. With a little water added I can get my nose deeper in the glass and find dried orange slices, honey and old, dry leather. A little liquorice and a touch of manthol. Another drop of water and it suddenly develops a nice, flowery character. Sweet lilac crossed with flowering heather.

Palate: A hint of smoke, burnt oak and also a hint of burnt rubber. With water I get barbequed orange peel and herbs, and the rubber disappears. A whiff of smoke lingers in the background.

Comments: Perhaps a candidate for our travelling dram this summer? A very, very able dram for everyday wear. It’s not a stunner, but I could drink dram after dram without becoming bored, and 35 cl is a very handy format.

Arran Sherrycask 1998-2014 cask #43 54.2%

Distilled 19 January 1998, bottled 10 February 2014.

Nose: Vanilla, citrus and flowery notes. Cinnamon and nutmeg with water, after a while green apples.

Palate: Vanilla and sap. A little more bitter with water, but also more depth. A hint of cigar smoke and spice.

Comments: A fantastic nose, and a nice taste. A little bitterness on the finish detracts, but overall a very, very nice dram and pretty much perfect on a warm spring evening in Trondheim. A good candidate for this year’s summer whisky.

Tasted half-blind. I knew the importer, but not the whisky. I’d never have guessed that this was from a sherry cask, but with hindsight I see that the spices and the cigar smoke are clues I should have picked up.