Cask No. 168.1

Six years in an ex-bourbon barrel were followed by further maturation in this first fill American oak oloroso hogshead. The nose had an appetising aroma of smoked bacon on a well-fired roll with brown sauce, alongside apple chutney, sweet paprika and a hint of toffee. The palate suggested sausages and tomatoes on a barbecue with plenty of lemon and herbs added; the finish had white pepper, cinnamon, liquorice root and a bloody mary. The reduced nose evoked a wood-fired sauna on the sea shore: iodine, seaweed, rosemary, hot stones and first aid kits. The chalky-textured palate now gave us toasted marshmallows and peppered mackerel, carbolic, tar and ash.