Cask No. 10.180

Cask No. 10.180  

Westering Rhone

Islay

An initial nutty salinity with coastal vigour, mushrooms, juniper and sweet Dundee cake. There’s also marzipan, leather satchel, salted peanuts, beach pebbles and salted caramel. The wine influence is rather subtle here, which works well. With water it takes on a rather nettle-like, sauvignon blanc sharpness. There’s grass, truffled pasta, salty Greek cheese, capers and green olives in brine. The palate opens on fresh cherries, root beer floats, hessian, strawberry jam, red liquorice, mead and tarry rope. Some hints of oyster sauce, dried cranberries and toasted brazil nuts. With water it’s all on wine gums and blackberry tart now. Some dried papaya and orange peel. Then molten rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, fruit and nut chocolate and black olive tapenade. Matured for 6 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a second-fill charred red wine barrique.