WTF Is This? Homestead Bourbon

Welcome to another new series, Whisk(e)y Thrillin' Friday!  That's WTF stands for, right?  Each Friday for the next (maybe) nine weeks I'll post about a whisk(e)y whose origin is either not directly stated or is a general mystery.  Or maybe it has story attached or perhaps I won't even be able to tell you WTF is up with the WTF whisky.  I'll lead off with Homestead Bourbon.

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There are two words one will not find on the front of Homestead Bourbon's fashionable bottle: Kentucky and Straight.  Firstly, that's because its spirit was not distilled in Kentucky.  The non-distilling producer (NDP) Strong Spirits helpfully and legally lists that the bourbon was distilled in Indiana here:

So it's from the MGP whiskey factory in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  MGP distills millions of liters of spirit for NDPs like Strong Spirits, and in the process has been the birthplace of some very reliable, even gorgeous, whiskies.  So far so good.

But what about the missing "Straight" notation?  A producer cannot call its bourbon straight if it has spent less than two years in the barrel or if there are flavoring additives applied.  Or technically, a producer can choose to not list that its bourbon has passed those standards.  According to this Straightbourbon discussion, Chuck Cowdery says that's the spin Strong Spirits is taking.  Strong claims the bourbon "is in fact 4 years old" and, my faves, "We thought long and hard about using the term Straight and decided that the term technically only means the bourbon is over 2 years old. Because we wanted our brand to be modern (a bit minimal) we also were very specific in the message on the bottle and since we want to promote the fact that our bourbon is higher proof (as close as we can get to going from the barrel to the bottle) we decided to put the idea of barrel proof on the bottle."

Uh-huh.  It's a $50 bourbon.  At half that price one can find bourbons that have "the idea of barrel proof", bourbons that also "promote" the fact that they're Straight Bourbons by listing the word "straight" on the label.  Strong Spirits goes easy on their bottle's text, utilizing the space to print their tag line, "Stake Your Claim".  "Stake Your Claim" shouts FAUX-INSPIRATIONAL MARKETING BLURB and doesn't mean much out of context -- I would have preferred "Claim Your Steak" -- meanwhile "Straight Bourbon Whiskey" holds actual weight in and out of context......unless you can't legally use the S word because the whisky doesn't in fact meet those standards.

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Okay, I had to place a hard return there because it's time to focus on the whiskey itself.  Last February, Florin (a prince) poured me some Homestead from the top of his bottle.  I found it drinkable.  He kindly let me have a 4 ounce sample.  I found that sample HOT but drinkable as well.  I must have mentioned this because he gave me the rest of the same bottle two weeks ago.  Woo-hoo!, right?  Well, I've been through seven more ounces and it is not drinkable.  Consuming it pains me.

When I prepared to take official notes on the bottle, I suddenly realized that I still had 2 ounces left of that original drinkable sample from higher up the bottle.  Would I be able to determine what the hell I was talking about four months ago...

Brand: Homestead
Owner: Strong Spirits
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Type: Bourbon Whiskey
Age: ???
Alcohol by volume: 56.65%

TOP O' THE BOTTLE
The color is dark gold.  The nose begins all caramel corn and peanuts (yet not Cracker Jack). It's slightly beefy and has some rye seeds.  Cream soda, baked banana, and classic Old Spice aftershave.  It also has a slight gaseous and varnish(eous) edge to it.  Mild heat on the palate.  Plain at first. A moderate level of corn sweetness meets a hint of rye spice and a nudge of white vinegar.  The rye element expands with time, getting very peppery.  Soon lots of wood notes (like actual pulp) enter.  The finish is mostly heat.  A little sweetness, some oak, lots of banana.

Comments: Yeah, it's drinkable, but urine is drinkable (allegedly).  I may have overestimated its quality four months ago, but it's okay.  It also stands its ground against ice pretty well.  Not something I'd buy at its price, nor half its price, but not something I'd dump down the sink.  Grading this on its own, I'd give it a 72.

MID BOTTLE
The nose is comparatively muted, grassier, and mintier at first.  There's the peanut note.  Then the caramel corn one. More root beer than cream soda.  Maybe some hints of oranges and milk chocolate.  But then there's the ethyl.  Ethyl grows to be a big ol' gal, almost taking over the show.  The palate:  Heat.  Burning.  Then sugar.  Grains.  It's lightly nutty and rye-ish (again pepper).  Bitter green oak stuff.  The finish is very sweet and tannic.  Hot bitter barrel water.

Comments: It also makes for a poor highball, unless you're using it as an Angostura delivery system.  It also destroyed three different bourbon blends that I tried to make from it.  Grading this on its own, I'd give it a 61.

Final Verdict: This is my first experience with a whisk(e)y that closed up (and got hotter) the further I got into the bottle.  It's really a broken bourbon at this point.  And "at this point" I mean perhaps two-thirds of the bottle were unapproachable.  Thus I'm going to weight the latter score more than the former even though the former is itself no great shakes.  I'm not sure if the problem was from weird barrels or small barrels or bourbon that was in fact younger than two years.  While I am not a bourbon expert, I'd venture to say that this cake wasn't done baking when it was pulled.  Perhaps some more time would have helped?

Availability - CA, IL, MN, NY, though Cali seems to have the highest prices

Pricing - $40-$58

Rating - 65  (Great glass bottle, though. You could really stake your claim with that thing.)

Where's the Love? Mannochmore 15 year old 1984 Mackillop's Choice

Here is Mannochmore Exhibit B.  I tried it alongside yesterday's 12yo Blackadder.  They are two very different whiskies.  This one actually hews closer to--

But first some Mannochmore trivia.  The distillery sits right inside Glenlossie Distillery's backyard.  And though it was built almost one hundred years after Glenlossie its production capacity is almost twice as large.  The two distilleries used to share the same crew, but now each have their own.  According to Malt Madness, Mannochmore uses lightly peated Optic and Chariot barley purchased from Castle Head Maltings.  And, per Charlie Maclean's Whiskypedia, the distillery was originally built to produce malt for the growing Haig blends back in the '70s.  Though I don't know if it still goes into Haig's whiskies, I do know that it's almost entirely going into blends of some kind.

It also went into a single malt known as Loch Dhu. But this is nothing like Loch Dhu. It's more like--

Distillery: Mannochmore
Owner: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Mackillop's Choice
Region: Speyside (Lossie)
Type: Single Malt

Age: 15 years (October 25, 1984 to October 1999)

Maturation: ex-sherry (I assume)
Cask number: 3696

Alcohol by Volume: 60.7%

NEAT
The color is reddish gold.  The nose starts with dusty sherry, blood oranges, and raspberries.  New tires, fired paper caps, and a bundle of peat moss.  The sulfur grows and......I really like it.  It encounters loquats, sweet tea, sea salt taffy, mesquite barbecue, and dark chocolate, complimenting all of them.  After some time in the glass, the nose develops Willet Rye-style spicy notes like cinnamon bark and whole cloves.  The palate is intensely focused with a dense mouthfeel.  Prunes, carob, and loads of grape jam.  A subtle bitterness keeps the sweetness in check.  A little smoke encircles the sulfur.  Smoked PX in the finish.  Dark chocolate with sea salt and raspberries.  Struck matches put out in grape jam.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The sulfur remains in the nose where it joins moss, cherries, lemonade, plums, and fresh cut grass.   The whisky almost becomes port-ish.  Or if you'll pardon the conceit: The waiter lights your table candle with a match then delivers a ramekin of toffee pudding with lemon zest and a glass of port to your table in a peat bog.  The palate is grassy, maybe more like hay.  Salt and malt.   Lots of sweet sherry.  Cigarettes, grapefruit, Angostura bitters, menthol.  The tart smoky finish still has those prunes, dark chocolate, and bitters.  Grass, cucumbers, salt, and menthol.

100 minutes in the glass.  Beginning to end, fucking dynamite.

No joke, this beats most of the sherried Glendronach I've tried.  Had I done it blind, I would have guessed this was a sulfured 'Dronach anyway.  And older than 15 years.  Speaking of the stuff, this is the best sulfur I've experienced.  It works so well that I think this whisky would have been much lesser without it.  While one would think sulfur would cast a shadow over the proceedings, it does no such thing.  It works with the all of the other elements in tune.

When I scheduled this review, I was worried this sample would have been lifeless.  It spent almost as many years in the bottle as it did in the cask, then it was poured into a sample bottle and sat in my stash for almost two years.  Not only was it not lifeless, but holy crap.

Yes, this was bottled in 1999.  And yeah, someone in Germany was selling it for €400+ not too long ago.  But this made me a believer.  I shall no longer cast a stink eye at a Mannochmore.  In fact, I will keep a non-stink eye open for a well-sherried Mannochmore in the future.  There's the love.

Availability - ???

Pricing - ???

Rating - 92 (note: sulfur)

Where's the Love? Mannochmore 12 year old 1999 Blackadder Raw Cask #5400

For the next three weeks, I'll be doing a mini-series called "Where's the Love?"  I have selected three distilleries that are never mentioned by whisky gods (or geeks) as being amongst the great ones.  Or even the good ones.  Each week, I'll focus on one of these distilleries utilizing the HUGE SAMPLE SIZE of two whiskies in determining if there's something to be enjoyed in its products or if it has earned its unfavorable reputation.

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I love saying "Mannochmore".  Roll the 'r' at the end slightly and you'll feel like a real Scot or a least a real Tolkein Troll.  Mannochmore's honor may have been forever sullied by the Diageo product fart called Loch Dhu.  The Dhu is considered by many to be one of the worst whiskies (if not the worst whisky) ever to be bottled, so bad that it's sort of a right of passage in come circles.  The real debate may be: is it "Plan 9 From Outer Space" bad or "Manos, Hands of Fate" bad?  I'm on Team Plan 9.

The thing is, Loch Dhu is only one Mannochmore out of the 150-200 Mannochmores (remember, roll the 'r') to have been bottled.  Ninety-seven percent of those whiskies were bottled by independent companies, so there is probably a hell of a lot of variation out there.  And consider, Loch Dhu's horror is derived from the buttload of e150a the producers dumped into it, and also perhaps the garbage cans used to age the spirit.

Today's version of Mannochmore comes to us via the indie bottler Blackadder, who kindly packaged it at cask strength and without colorant.  And since this is one of their "raw casks", every bottle includes a carpet of black whisky glitter at the bottom.  I received this sample via a swap with Florin (a prince) over two years ago.

Distillery: Mannochmore
Owner: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Blackadder (Raw Cask)
Region: Speyside (Lossie)
Type: Single Malt

Age: 12 years (April 21, 1999 to November 2011)

Maturation: "Oak cask" (for reals!)
Cask number: 5400
Limited bottling: 304

Alcohol by Volume: 60.6%

NEAT
The whisky is a little murky already, before water is added.  It's piss-colored with a green tint.  Plenty of barrel schmutz was included by the generous Florin (a prince).  The nose begins with whole wheat toast and butter, lemons, coconut, and talcum powder.  It does get a little eccentric at times, hopping between blossoms, burnt milk, camphor, pears, ginger, and hand soap.  The palate is hot, as can be expected at this age and ABV.  It's lightly candied, with orange peel and vanilla bean.  Hell, forget the "lightly" part.  It gets intensely sugary and tart after a few minutes.  Later, notes of whipped cream, wood smoke, and limeade emerge.  Lots of grains (wheat, barley, rye) in the finish, along with the whipped cream and vanilla. It suddenly switches to a second gear, revealing sugar, pears, apples, wood smoke, and limes.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose leads with a combo of camphor, lemons, and gasoline.  Then talcum powder, those floral esters, cream of wheat, and that farty smell ripe strawberries sometimes get.  The palate has completely changed, and the texture has thickened.  There's honeydew, mango, and malt up front.  Then burnt sugar, coffee grounds, and Bowmore lavender (no soap).  The finish is bubblegummy, like "tropical fruit"-flavored gum.  There's a light bitterness as well, likely connected to the coffee grounds note.

Yes, there are quirky notes in the mix, but I enjoyed this whisky.  I may not hurry out to buy a bottle, but I'd be happy to recommend it to adventurous palates.  Those of you in that category probably already anticipate a Blackadder Raw Cask putting up a fight.  The smoky notes may be more akin to sulfur than peat and the spirit is indeed rather raw as a whole.  But, again, it's drinkable, especially as the palate blooms with added water.  I think the lowered ABV may hint at the fruits some say are found in the official Flora & Fauna version.

This is at times a weird whisky, but it can still be loved if it found the right home.  And aside from the coffee grounds thing, it isn't even remotely related to Loch Dhu.  Tomorrow's Mannochmore comes from a different time and a different cask...

For today's Mannochmore:
Availability - Happy hunting!

Pricing - winesearcher shows two European retailers selling it in the $80s

Rating - 80

Single Malt Report: Glendronach 13 year old 1990 Whisky Galore (Duncan Taylor)

Whisky Galore, a now mostly silent Duncan Taylor brand, used to bottle a number of single malts with a solid presentation: 46%abv, non-chillfiltered, and uncolored.  I believe they may have done a few single cask releases as well.  Usually their whiskies are very light in color, allowing one to see Glendronach and Macallan in their non-sherried amber glory.  I've only physically beheld their bottles in one store, though there may be a handful of other shops that still have Galore bottles lingering around from 10+ years ago.  When I saw this bottle of Glendronach, with its urine shade and generic label, I knew it was meant for me:

I'm ending this week's series with this whisky because it hews closest to my intent to search out nearly naked Glendronach spirit.  Tuesday's and Wednesday's single casks were loaded with U.S. oak.  Thursday's had refill sherry and new American oak.  This one is free of those trappings, so flaunt it, Glendronach!

Distillery: GlenDronach
Ownership: BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Brand: Whisky Galore  (perhaps inspired by the film?)
Age: 13 years
Distilled: 1990
Bottled: 2003
Maturation: "oak casks", probably refill ex-bourbon casks
Region: Eastern Highlands (on the edge of Speyside)
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chill filtered? No
Caramel Coloring? No
(Review from my own bottle, just above the halfway point)

NEAT
Its color is light gold, the lightest of the whiskies this week.  The nose begins with apple juice and soil.  Underneath that is a cocktail of anise, mint leaves, and lemons.  There's a forest floor with dried leaves (reminiscent of early Kilkerran WIPs) and new rose petals.  After 20 minutes, small notes of white rye spirit, dried coriander, and strawberry jam appear.  The palate is a little bitter, a little dirty, a little lean, and a little austere (I can use that word once a week, right?).  It takes a few minutes for it to open up.  Once it does there are limes up front, black pepper in the back, a bunch of barley in the middle, and a little simple syrup just underneath.  After 20 minutes in the glass, the whisky picks up hints of vanilla and tar.  Though it gets a little tarter, it also picks up some brown sugar.  The finish is pretty long, considering the age and strength, and very straightforward.  A mildly sweet orange syrup with toasted smoked almonds and peppercorns.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
At first the nose has been neutralized.  Gradually, lemons and limes and those rose petals appear.  That's countered by some industrial notes, like polyester and engine grease.  With time, notes of moss, dandelions, and canned peaches arise.  The palate gets bitterer, sharp and peppery.  Very lean and raw stuff.  Some tart lime, a few flowers, and confectioner's sugar gradually develop.  Lots of barley in the finish.  Limes, sugar, a touch of vanilla.  Still sturdy.

This appeals to a specific palate.  If those tasting notes sound good to you, then this is your thing.  It is my thing, but I can see this whisky either turning off or boring the hell out of someone else.  I tried Galore's Pulteney a few years back and found the same leanness.  So, I think that may be the style the bottlers were going for.  If I spy anything else from this series, I'd be happy to give it a try as well.

As for this Glendronach specifically, there are some touches of its (very-)refill casks here and there, but you're mostly getting lightly matured barley spirit.  One might even find some hints of the subtle peating that the distillery's maltsters utilize.  It's both slightly dirty and slightly pretty, and fully lovable.  Just like this blogger.

Availability - ???

Pricing - I'm guessing it would be $50-$60

Rating - 87  (but only for specific palates)

Single Malt Report: GlenDronach 14 year old Virgin Oak Finish

Though Monday's post was entitled, "A week of unsherried Glendronach," this whisky spent at least some of its life in European oak before being finished in American virgin oak, according to its makers.  Yet in the reviews I've read, almost no one ever references the European oak or sherry.  Most folks spend a lot of time focusing on the abundance of new U.S. oak.  So I had assumed that this whisky spent much of its life in lifeless multi-refill sherry casks, and I had set my expectations low since the whiskybase vox populi enjoyed Tuesday's and Wednesday's single casks much more than this official release.  Surprises were in store.

Distillery: GlenDronach
Ownership: BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd
Age: minimum 14 years
Maturation: ex-sherry European oak casks firstly, then new American oak secondly; the exact lengths of time are undisclosed
Region: Eastern Highlands (on the edge of Speyside)
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chill filtered? No
Caramel Coloring? No
(Sample purchased from Master of Malt)

Its gold color is lighter than that of this week's single casks and the 15yo Revival.  The nose holds a lot of fruit.  At first there's apple and pineapple.  Then later, apricots and maraschino cherries.  Then finally, white peach.  Meanwhile, there's a defined wood smoke note right up front that then fades away with time.  There's definitely some sherry in there, reading as toffee and prunes.  Vanilla and caramel do appear after 30 minutes.  Some sawdust and bourbon show up after 40 minutes.  Overall, it noses like it's going to be very sweet.  But luckily the palate is gentle with its sweetness.  It's really malty, though.  A soft desserty note lingers throughout; something like toffee pudding with orange zest and sea salt.  Sure there's vanilla and caramel, but they register at low-to-moderate levels.  Some oak spice picks up after 30 minutes.  It finishes with that wee puff of smoke from the nose.  A little bit of dryness and salt.  It grows sweeter and picks up more citrus with time.  The oak shows here the strongest, as split timber and caramel.

First off, this was much better than I had expected.  Serge and Ruben reference problems with the oak levels.  While I too have issues with high levels of oak in whisky, I really don't think the oakiness is too high here.  In fact I find that it compliments the malt well.  I'll take John Hansell's side in this instance.  And I really enjoy the bundles of fruit in the nose.

The nose shines the brightest with the fruit, oak, and sherry mingling well together.  The palate is decent and mild.  (One of the Malt Maniacs says that it tastes too malty.  Too malty?  You're a Malt Maniac, right?)  Meanwhile the finish is the one place where the oak almost goes overboard.  And yes, there definitely is some sherry in the mix, appearing mostly in the nose.

GlenDronach released this whisky in July of 2010.  Now it's nearly gone.  I have a feeling that the lack of support from the whisky gods for this particular wood finish may have limited its sales which in turn limited the distillery's desire to risk more of their sherry casks for additional batches of this release.  And that's a shame.  While I don't think it can beat most of their sherried range -- I would take it over the 12 year old Original, though -- it's a good whisky, and considerably better than most of today's oak heavy whiskies which don't even cop to the oak tech involved in their construction.  I'd consider buying a bottle of this if I found it at the very low end of its price range.

Availability - Maybe a couple dozen retailers worldwide

Pricing - $75-$85 US; $55-$75 Europe (w/VAT)

Rating - 86

Single Malt Report: GlenDronach 10 year old 2002 Single Virgin Oak Hogshead #4530

Yes, what you see here is an actual bottle.  I bought this as a birthday present for myself two years ago.  I saw it at a The Bonding Dram and said "Oooooo.  Woooooo?"  It sat patiently in my Whisky Closet for about a year and a half as I tried to find an opportunity to do a Glendronach series.  With its new oak cask, I figured it could be bourbon-ish thus might be better for the Spring or Summer.  Now it's Spring and now I'm doing a Glendronach series.

Like yesterday's single cask I have no idea if this one spent its entire existence in new oak, thanks to the revelation that GlenDronach has been known to rerack its so-called single casks into different types of casks and not divulge this information.  (I again point you to MAO's excellent Glendronach articles.)  But like yesterday's single cask, I wouldn't be surprised if it did spend all or most of its time in the listed virgin oak hogshead.

Distillery: GlenDronach
Ownership: BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd
Age: 10 years (June 2002- October 2012)
Maturation: Virgin Oak Hogshead
Region: Eastern Highlands (on the edge of Speyside)
Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
Cask: 4530 (selected by The Nectar Belgium)
Limited bottling: 298

When I first opened the bottle, the whisky was REALLY sweet, like a bourbon+scotch liqueur.  It was a bit much for my palate, but luckily the liquid calmed down after a month.  These notes come from a little above the halfway point in the bottle, about two months after it was opened.

NEAT
Its color is dark gold, darker than yesterday's 8yo, like an older barrel strength bourbon.  Right up front I find three major notes in the nose: Corn syrup, cotton t-shirts, and sawdust.  There's much less ginger than in the 8yo.  With about 20 minutes of airing out, the nose broadens.  Wheated bourbon (like Maker's but better), clover honey, root beer, milk, and something meaty.  After a half hour it's all bourbon: vanilla, caramel, and baking spices. Its palate is less hot and more approachable than the 8yo.  Not exactly "scotch", but not exactly "bourbon", either.  LOTS of oak, but the malted barley still stands strong in the background.  Limes and simple syrup.  Sweet, not much complexity, but nothing going cockeyed either.  The finish has Caramel with a capital "C".  Honey in tonic water.  Wheated bourbon (like Maker's but better). Swisher Sweets and a hint of wood smoke.  Gets sweeter with time.

WITH WATER (~40-43%abv)
The nose is loaded with vanilla and caramel, reminiscent of Cow Tales and salted caramel everything.  A moderate sized note of thick toffee.  In the far back, there are notes of roasted grains and phenols, but one needs binoculars to find them.  Nose binoculars.  The palate leads with some grassy malt with a massive layer of caramel and vanilla on top.  Small notes of cayenne pepper and tart citrus later expand with time.  The finish is sweet and grassy, with lime juice and a spicy zip.

Scottish bourbon.  I know I'm not the first to state that conclusion, but it kinda fits.  This cask is totally inoffensive (unless American oak offends you) and not complex, but impossible to hate as a dessert whisky.  If you have a bottle, I recommend airing it out a bit, otherwise you'll find pours from mid-bottle better than those from the top.

Unlike yesterday's 8 year old single new oak cask, this whisky never seems to be out of control nor a mess nor a slog nor a total oddity.  I would easily recommend this one over the other, whether the improvement is due to the two extra years or if it was just a better cask.  It does seem to be a limited experiment (which is why I bought it), and I doubt they'd actually do an all-virgin-oak release as its own regular expression.  But as far as whisky experiments go, it ain't bad.

Availability - Auctions?

Pricing - I bought it for €59 (€49 w/o VAT, cheapest 'Dronach single cask ever?)

Rating - 83
[NOTE: Please see my September follow-up review. This whisky became considerably worse with time.]

Single Malt Report: GlenDronach 8 year old 2002 Single Virgin Oak Hogshead #4525

Sorry for the crummy photo. The label was almost unreadable, thus effects were required.

Here's the first of two GlenDronach single virgin oak hoggie reviews.  Per Whiskybase, all or most of the casks numbered in the 4500s, filled in 2002, were virgin oak hogsheads.  This one was "Specially Bottled" for the whisky festival in Gent in 2011.  My sample was purchased at whiskysamples.eu a couple years ago.  More on this bottling after the tasting notes...

Distillery: GlenDronach
Ownership: BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd
Age: 8 years (June 2002- January 2011)
Maturation: Virgin Oak Hogshead
Region: Eastern Highlands (on the edge of Speyside)
Alcohol by Volume: 58.8%
Cask: 4525
Limited bottling: 325

NEAT
Its color is dark gold. On the nose......Wow, ginger!  So much ginger.  Then that's topped by a blast of caramel and wood pulp.  Then oats with Worcester sauce.  With time, the cereal note strengthens.  Time also allows for the development of more floral esters (and banana).  It becomes almost rummy.  The palate is quite hot.  Right up front are the floral esters, followed by apricots, fresh and dried.  Lots of sugar (white and brown) and tartness.  Candied lemon peel.  A super bitter wasabi note suddenly appears after 20+ minutes, alongside brown rice.  The candied lemon peel note floats alongside the big bitterness in the finish.  Though it gets sweeter with time, there's also a note of something between bark and cardboard.

WITH WATER (~40-43%abv)
The nose is packed with oats, caramel, and brown sugar. Hot breakfast!  Less ginger.  More yeast and wood pulp.  Small notes of banana and peach purees.  After additional time in the glass, the whisky develops an earthy/mossy note.  The palate is not hot, thankfully.  Some bitterness remains, but a sugary sweetness envelops everything.  Some toasted things like oak and grains.  With additional time it releases larger notes of yeast and hay.  The palate's big sweetness remains in the finish.  Here it plays out as orange candies and caramel candies.  It's still quite big, though I'm not sure if that's a good thing because after a while a bitter aftertaste takes over as an under-ripe banana note trails behind.

Bizarre.  Beneath all the oak the whisky seems even younger than the 8 year old age statement......and more rummish than Scottish.  Meanwhile, when neat, it feels even hotter than the ABV.  Then once water is added it becomes an entirely different whisky.  Nothing about it ever seems in balance, but because it delivers plenty of entertainment value, I can't call it terrible.  I can't really say it's good either.

Ultimately, I'm perplexed by why this cask was selected (by the distillery itself?) for the Gent Festival.  It seems like an experiment that went awry to the point that it couldn't be blended away.  I can confirm this though: There were no sherry casks compromised in the making of this single malt.

Availability - Auctions?

Pricing - ???

Rating - 75