I have two confessions. First one is the Blue Hanger photograph in 101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die is the 4th release, but I am counting the most recent 6th release. The second confession is that during a recent trip to London I stopped at Berry Brothers and Rudd and thought I might be able to get "sample" to use for this review. I did indeed get a sample, and it was so good I ended up buying a bottle anyway. More support for my theory for retailers that "samples = sales" especially with expensive whiskies.
The nose has salty smoke (kippers?) and some sherry notes. The taste is rich and spicy with some dark chocolate. With water some more sherry notes come through and caramel. The finish has more smoke, lots of pepper and dry... perhaps with a flash of caramel. Overall this is a big, balanced, complex but integrated whisky. Good stuff.
