After having tried the 2015 limited edition, we had to look at the result of this 18 years old, assembled for the permanent range. Sold around 80€, we hoped to see the promises of the distillery to reach maturity…
Nose : We have something pretty clean. We easily distinguish the fragrances going from sparkling water to lemon, cold stone, humid earth and dead leaves. However, we’re very far fro an austere phenomenon with apples, vanilla, orange, salt. The opening brings us chalk, dry fruits (bitter almonds, macadamia oil), soft and warm spices (nutmeg, 5 berries pepper) alongside a small spoon of honey with a bit of mint. It became soft and pretty flattering without ever falling into boringness. It foretells a nice program in mouth.
Mouth : We keep a correct texture even if the palate ain’t fully upholstered. We sense a little lack of power. Notwithstanding we find a nice profile: honey, grapefruit and lemon with a beautiful chalk layer. The spices quickly arrive (nutmeg, pepper, ginger) and give warmth to the second part of the mouth. The citrus fruits (grapefruit) then do a comeback with a few bitter almonds and some wood. This last one isn’t crippling and mostly serves as a counterweight.
Finish : Medium but with a successful persistence. We end on the warm spices from the mouth and on citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange) enlivened with mint. The aftertaste brings back dead leaves and citrus fruits before passing onto chalk.
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