3.353 Please accept our apologies …

Description

There’s something truly magnificent that happens when spirit from Distillery 3 reaches this age…especially if it’s allowed to then be bottled at cask strength to ensure the entire breadth of its flavours can be enjoyed by all. There was a period not too long ago where we saw a number of these high-teen 3s coming through, but they’ve been somewhat vacant from our Outturns for several months, and we know members are going to enjoy Distillery 3s return with Cask 3.353, a 20-year-old Peated cask which 17 years of maturation in an ex-bourbon hogshead and three years of further maturation in a 1st fill ex-Spanish oak Oloroso hoggy. Salt and chilli squid, lime juice, ripe fruits wrapped in serrano ham — the sherry has elevated this cask to a new level, and as you’ll find out below, this bottling caused even our Tasting Panel to have a breakdown due to the sheer level of flavour ridiculousness that was occurring in the glass.

The Panel felt that this was, frankly speaking, a ridiculous nose. It was shamefully riddled with exotic fruits wrapped in serrano ham, smoked pink sea salt, and salt and balsamic vinegar crisps, with wafts of pure blue peat smoke interweaving everything. Almost embarrassing in its downright gorgeousness. With water it developed stunning complexity, evoking bone-dry aged Loire chenin blanc, peppery waxiness, smoked exotic fruit teas, salt and chilli squid, lime juice and seawater, and crystallised tropical fruits. We felt it had become utterly disgraceful by this point. The palate was immediately, unapologetically and boisterously tropical, salty, camphory, peaty and coastal. We found nori, soy sauce, young calvados distillate, smoked teas, iodine and a stunningly resinous and thick texture. Heads were in hands by now! Reduction only served to enhance this outrageously oily and tropical palate, as into the mix we noted pristine salinity, tar extracts, pickling juices, papaya, brined olives and guava jam. The finish and aftertaste had to be redacted for reasons of common decency. This was matured in a bourbon hogshead for 17 years before being transferred to a second fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.