Cask No. 138.5

Cask No. 138.5    

Delicate masculinity

Taiwan

The nose delivers light, delicate smoke (long-emptied ashtrays, abandoned kilns) pleasantly balanced by creamy toffee sweetness. Rich sweet notes also run through the palate – toffee, dark chocolate and fig; hints of fino sherry and Marmite leave a dry sensation on the finish. The reduced nose balances sweet cocoa, brown sugar and golden syrup on toast with slightly more stereotypically masculine suggestions of gun powder, old wooden chests and bacon butties. The palate still finds toffee and buttered toast but there is now also a more medicinal sweetness, like throat lozenges or Fisherman’s Friends and after-traces of tarry ropes, putty and grilled sardines.

Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 5 years
Date distilled: May 2014
Alcohol: 57.6%
USA allocation: 60 bottles

About Distillery 138: 

Taiwanese whisky has seen a meteoric rise in international awards and popularity since, turning the heads of casual whisky lovers and industry professionals alike while securing a cult following for limited release bottlings. The malts show superb complexity, well beyond their years of maturity thanks to a tropical aging environment – the usual 1% evaporation per year (angel’s share) in Scotland is increased to 6-7% on the island of Taiwan! This means whisky matured there is aging at a much quicker rate. Couple this phenomenon with relatively new distilleries like 138 that are not afraid to experiment with barrel protocols and the results are fruit-driven malts with highly dynamic flavour profiles, showcased by Cask 138.5!