Cask No. 85.88

The nose combined nut brittle, raspberry brownie and cherry cola with salted pretzels, black tea, pine cones, leather and cigarettes trampled on wooden floorboards. The palate followed red liquorice, bakewell tart, pomegranate and cherry menthol cough drops with a cockle-warming finish of sweet chilli and pickled ginger. The reduced nose produced abundant orchard fruits, cherry coulis on vanilla cheesecake, tawny port and sangria with lots of orange. The palate had pleasant, sweet, spicy and tart flavours – cherry jam, orange peel, unripe persimmon, cracked pepper over strawberries and pickled guindillas. This went into a second fill oloroso hogshead after 10 years in ex-bourbon wood.