Chris White

Those fortified wine casks make themselves known straight away: cedarwood, sherry soaked currants, orange marmalade on overdone toast, and blackberry jus. Some lighter things emerge, with orange blossom, golden syrup, and bananas drizzled with chocolate, before it returns to the dark side with espresso, sweet black tea, and a touch of truffle ganache. Gingerbread biscuits, candied orange and pineapple, cooked apple and Millionaire’s Shortcake. Then the richness takes hold with classic juicy sultanas, dark cherry, rum and raisin ice cream, hazelnut praline, and polished wood. Old coffee grounds linger with charred twigs.<br>The jigsaw pieces of chocolate malt, bourbon cask, sherry cask and port cask, all fit together nicely with the 16yo. They provide an intensely fruity and richly flavoursome dram. Dark, brooding, and intriguing. Delicious stuff.