Tasting Notes

• Tasting notes by Whiskyfun (Serge Valentin)

  • Nose:

    Old leather, precious wood, dry sherry, pipe tobacco, Cuban cigars (in truth, a whole humidor), cedar wood, cough syrup, plum jam, very old Armagnac, a little tar, even whiffs of engine oil… What an amazing complexity!.

  • With water:

    It’s got everything an old sherried wonder can have. Spectacular whiffs of aniseed and dill, a little more beefy notes, absolutely no sulphur whatsoever. Enough said.

  • Mouth (neat):

    Unexpectedly nervous, with a big but beautiful oakiness (typical notes of pine resin than one can find in very, very old whiskies), a lot of walnut liqueur, bitter chocolate, cherry stem tea, chewing tobacco, heavy liquorice, prunes, green tea from the oak, blackcurrant leaves tea….

  • With water:

    I’m speechless. One of these very old pu-erh teas (yes, I know pu-erh is Chinese, not Japanese).

  • Finish:

    Very long, superbly dry (coffee) and spicy (cloves) as well as beautifully raisiny. Some menthol.

  • Comments:

    Once again, this baby reminds me of some old Springbanks. Say of the best sherried ‘Local Barleys’, if that rings a bell to you. A Japanese masterpiece. SGP:473 - 95 points.

• Tasting Notes by WhiskyNotes' Ruben

  • Nose:

    Like walking into a high-end cigar store. Magnificent notes of pipe tobacco and cigars. Lots of polished oak, a few hints of solvents even. Amontillado sherry. Menthol. Musty earth. Fermented Pu-erh tea. Leather. It needs a bit of breathing, but it’s superbly complex, with an amazingly fresh side as well (whiffs of raspberry jam, strawberries and plums). Also a soft vanilla coating that I didn’t expect in a heavy sherry bottling. None of the matchsticks of the 1976/1977 releases though. Anyway you can really get lost in such a nose.

  • Mouth:

    Very powerful, dry and oaky at first (without being too resinous or tannic). Dark chocolate. Roasted coffee beans. Mint. Tobacco again. Toasted bread with dark forest fruits marmalade.

  • Finish:

    Very long, chocolaty with spicy dry oak.

  • Comment:

    No need for an elaborate conclusion… My favourite release of last year. Dark sherry maturation doesn’t get much better than this (unless you add some peat maybe?).

  • Score:

    95/100.