Mistletoe and Whisky

SPIRIT NOTES

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.