Cask 59.93 We’ll take a cup of kindness
Soaking our liquorice allsorts in black tea, we added sugar and a slice of lemon, then stirred well with a leather spoon. The palate was full of dark berries, macerated with demerara sugar, sweet cinnamon and a dollop of lemon curd. Water took the Panel on a walk through a pine forest, the trees somehow growing apricots and marmalade sandwiches. The palate by now was a cloudy lemonade, with shavings of nutmeg, slices of conference pears and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Cask 39.300 Sing thy name
The dancefloor was buzzing with gooseberries, papayas and redcurrants as DJ Pineapple dropped another disco classic on the lemon meringue turntables. Candied fruit and apple slices boogied on a bed of oat porridge, their feet sticking to drizzles of thick treacle. With a dash of water a box of orange fondant chocolates appeared amid a cloud of icing sugar and cinnamon dust. The music veered towards a French theme as buttery pastries and croissants from a patisserie jived with ripe pears and juicy apples. The delicate character of raspberry tea, served with a slice of fresh lemon, rounded out the night, joined by just a hint of birch tree syrup.
Cask 1.301 Mistletoe and whisky
The Panel got aromas of red apples, gummy strawberry softies, spun sugar and tutti frutti ice cream, all against the background of an old artist’s studio. The palate offered so much – toffee, dried figs, muscovado and treacle, espresso, Christmas cake and balsamic glaze on roast pork – with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove to finish. The reduced nose delivered mandarins in wooden crates, crème brûlée and chocolate ice cream melting in a sauna. The palate included vanilla pods, roasted chestnuts, cocoa powder and pipe stems – unusual, complex and bold, we thought. After spending eight years in ex-bourbon wood, this was then transferred into this first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.
Cask 1.297 Mistletoe and whisky (Exclusive)
Brandy in disguise, the nose was rich in sweet sawdust, blackberry pie, toasted ciabatta and orange oil-infused sugar. The palate opened with muddled orange segments and almond paste, with blueberries and apple mint to follow. Water presented dalgona coffee on the nose, plus cherry pie filling and wafer biscuits. The finish was a river of blackcurrant jam sailed on by melon yachts chasing pockets of evaporated milk and shoals of candied orange. After nine years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred this to a first fill American oak oloroso hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.
Cask 29.299 Spirit of Hallowe’en
A heady mix of burnt wood and allspice introduced a nose that opened into glazed brisket with burnt ends, and tangy brown sauce wrapped in mossy earth. The palate was like chewing on coal dust soaked in antiseptic wash, followed by roasted barley porter, and the burnt shell of molasses-glazed beef. Water brought unexpected sweetness, as strawberries in barbecue sauce balanced the savoury tones of clamato juice and soy-glazed beef on corn tortillas. The palate deepened into petrol-soaked pork pie, smoky molasses and a lingering medicinal finish, leaving a bold and unrelenting impression of fire, fuel and flavour. After spending eight years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, this was transferred to a second fill American oak oloroso hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.
