Tasting notes by Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com 91/100

A vatting of a first fill oloroso hogshead and a first fill fino hogshead, both selected by our friend Luc Timmermans.

Colour: amber.

Nose: think fruitcake, honeys, leather, putty, patanegra ham, mint liqueur and sandalwood and add a wee drop of very old balsamic vinegar. There, you have it. With water: the oak comes out but it’s not a varnishy one. Faint mouldiness, old wine cellar, saltpetre.

Mouth: a tad more vigorous than the nose, more tannic as well. Pepper and capsicum, cloves, tobacco, prunes, old Armagnac, blackcurrants… It’s not a smooth old Glenfarclas this time, rather a fighter! With water: some fruits are back, some aren’t. Banana skin, dried pears, green tea.

Finish: rather long, more on mint tea, with a little aniseed in the aftertaste besides the tannins.

Comments: funny that Luc’s chosen these casks (while he had dozens at hand). It seems that he wanted to bottle something ‘different’. I think it’s really excellent but not for people who are scared of a little oak. I’m not ;-)