Product Description
Smouldering campfires, spice merchants and the lingering scent of an old-world apothecary guided us towards this intriguing duo. Cask No. 53.528: Smoked Mexican mole and Cask No. 10.297: The perfumer's delight weave together rich layers of smoke, spice and fruit, conjuring images of charcoal-grilled feasts, fragrant workshops and glasses raised long after sunset.
Tasting Notes
Cask No. 10.297: The perfumer's delight
Smoky & Fruity | Islay | 1st fill ex-madeira barrique | 12 y/o | 57% ABV
We imagined a perfumer intermingling grapefruit with raspberries and coal soot, a splash of mulled wine and a sizzling peppered steak in a well-buttered brioche bun. The palate equalled the nose, joined too by peanuts, sea salt, birch tar, wintergreen mint and cranberries. This proved a real joy as it evolved in the mouth over 15 seconds. The dram brushed off water, but gave more berry notes upfront, with the addition of cloudberries on the nose and a more dominant wintergreen, joined latterly by a splash of refreshing vinho verde. After nine years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this to a first fill madeira barrique for the remainder of its maturation.
Cask No. 53.528: Smoked Mexican mole
Bold & Peaty| Islay | 1st fill ex- bourbon hogshead & refill charred red wine barrique | 15 y/o | 58.3% ABV
Some of our more longstanding Panel members initially mentioned carbolic soap and coal tar shampoo, with others getting smoked papaya salsa, campfires and expensive cigar smoke. On the palate we found a tincture made with cardamom, nettles and smoked oranges next to tarry frankincense. Water added smoked mussels, venison carpaccio and smoked seaweed flakes, while to taste we relished a traditional mole sauce made by toasting and blending hot chillies, sweet spices and rich chocolate, and served with pan-fried chicken drumsticks. The starting point for this small batch was two bourbon hogsheads of single malt Scotch whisky. One cask was transferred at 10 years old to a refill charred red wine barrique, while the other was left to mature in ex-bourbon wood. The casks were then married together before bottling.