Introductory Tasting Trio

Description

Frazzle dazzle

The initial aroma was dark like toffee, chocolate, ginger cake, black pepper, liquorice, and char. In time, an oily, slightly buttery note developed like in beurre noisette roasted potatoes. On the palate, there was a chocolate tart with blackcurrant compote and hazelnut praline as well as strawberry rhubarb Turkish delight and a slightly frazzling herbal and hoppy note in the finish. After reduction, we charred pineapple and mango slices, roasted peaches with thyme and baked homemade scones to serve with clotted cream. To taste, vanilla cheesecake, salted caramel butterscotch ice cream. In the finish we were frazzled by a whisper of maple cured bacon.

Cask 59.86 The beneficence of bees

The initial nose was dominated by bakery notes, from well-fired rolls and treacle scones to sugar buns. We also got heather honey, peach melba and new cask staves. The attractive and inviting palate had us smacking our lips to the sweet flavours of dark chocolate coconut bars, digestive biscuits, rice pudding and chocolate-coated brazils; the finish was a warming flourish of black pepper, chilli and cardamom. The reduced nose encountered iced caramels, marshmallows and sugared almonds, perfumed candles and pine sawdust. The palate now combined waxy honeycomb and iced gingerbread with liquorice, linseed oil, paprika and oak.

Cask 16.77 Salted caramel axle grease

Aromas suggested a filthy rebellion that supported tar, creosote and engine grease on an old fishing trawler with cured salmon, candyfloss and burnt caramel. The palate followed the crowd with black axle grease coating burnt raisins, liquorice and navy rum on a bed of chimney soot. Water enhanced the tar with a sweet nuttiness and caramel brittle, while perfumed pipe tobacco merged with smouldering bonfires and molasses. Thick plumes of black smoke now engulfed the palate, covering tar-covered ship’s ropes, lobster nets and smoked mackerel beside burnt orange skin and smoky bacon dipped in dark chocolate.