57,6°
Distillery Officially Unknown - Islands
1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry Hogshead Finish
Independent Bottling
By Whisky Druid
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2020
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Slightly Peated
Founded in 2018, the small German company Whisky Druid has only around 30 bottlings. But its owner is Michel Reick, who also founded Best Dram, The Old Friends and Scotch Universe. He also runs a bar in Münster, by the way. In the course of his many occupations, this gentleman has launched the Orkney Spirit series, bringing together 5 bottlings, all from a mysterious distillery on the main island of Orkney. We're going to pretend that it might be Scapa. This one is the fifth, and therefore the last. Aged 15 years, it spent 12 years in an unknown cask, probably a Bourbon barrel, and the last three years of its maturation in a Pedro Ximénez Sherry Hogshead. 291 bottles were offered for sale.
Let's Taste It :
Full-bodied and fruity, with a hint of charcoal. Vigorous hints of malted barley. Cherry, raspberry, but also apricot. Amber honey. Smoother and more balanced with a drop of water. A greedy leatheriness, typical of Pedro Ximénez. Hints of cinnamon and clove. Apple and orange chutney. Orange peel. Green olives. Very discreet, the distillery's markers, bush, heather. Pear compote. On the palate, the fruit and spices stand out, quince and rhubarb jam, cumin, black pepper. Royal jelly, coconut. Quite a long, explosive finish, genoise and tomato juice, carrot, spiced meatballs. Slight chilli. A few blocks of charcoal.
In Short,
Very good. Contrary to what has been said, the distillery's profile is not hidden, you can still feel it, behind heavy loads of Sherry. There's no sulphur either. I'm a big fan of this kind of product, very rich in Sherry, but which doesn't completely lose its identity. What's more, it's a bit dirty. Unfortunately, it's sold out, but you can find it from time to time at auction, at a tempting price.
Score : 90
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Trivium - Until the World Goes Cold
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