For the Christmas Table (Bundle)

Description

Cask 16.84 Linctus-glazed lamb

Sweet aromas of macaroons, burnt ginger biscuits and salted caramel merged with red liquorice, chocolate fudge cake and buttered toast, while light honey coated burnt heather. The flavours were bold and robust as applewood smoke washed over antiseptic-glazed lamb, roasted with rosemary and almonds, and served with kale fried in ghee, scorched limes and hot smoked mackerel. Adding water brought an earthier and more herbal demeanour with tarragon, rosemary and thyme on oysters, scallops and crab, accompanied by aniseed liqueur and cough syrup-cooked lamb shanks. Liquorice returned with pink peppercorns and burnt coconut husk before oak sawdust, chimney soot and dried herbs combined on the finish. Four years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a toasted ex-peated whisky hogshead that had previously been filled with whisky 66.124.

Cask 39.273 An empire of petrichor

We felt the nose expressed a wonderful old oloroso sherry profile initially. Then it opened up with notes of empire biscuits, baked apples, runny honey and petrichor earthiness. The sherry aspects were further accentuated, with cellar mulch, wet leaves and coffee grounds. Water brought varnished furniture, a warm pine forest, cinnamon swirls and dried flowers with a sweet tang of pomegranate molasses. The neat palate opened with a rich note of espresso, sweet dark fruits, pickled walnuts, dates, graphite oil and nutmeg. With water we found the warmth of chilli, blackcurrants, eucalyptus and beeswax, plus hints of natural tar, aged balsamic and rancio. Matured for 13 years in a bourbon hogshead, this was then transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.

Cask 4.335 Herbal harbourside harmony

Our noses detected smoked almonds and smouldering hay, buttery grilled mackerel, lavender and a French polisher’s kit. The palate combined bacalhau and smoked fish paté with clean, tingly notes of menthol, tea tree and mojitos. The reduced nose suggested wax jackets on a harbour, fresh cut grass, coal and Hershey’s chocolate. The palate’s delicate herbal smoke spiralled around flavours of yellow fruit pastilles, cape gooseberries and wild mint. At eight years of age, we combined selected casks from the same distillery. We then returned the single malt into a variety of casks to develop further. This is one of those casks.