This was inspired by the pretty successful Devil’s Cask series Bowmore released, a trio of heavily Sherried batches. This was “inspired” by that, so I guess not up to par enough to be another installation, and modifies the recipe with some red wine barriques. Definitely an intriguing dram with the original DC releases a bit too hard to come by.
Minutia: Matured in ex-Oloroso Sherry and red wine casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Old oak, 1.8.
Nose: Holy sweet Sherry (so much). Dark fruity, malty, must. Toffee, caramel, oak/vanilla.
Taste: Light, apply fruitiness, some heat.
Finish: Pepper. Burnt meat ends, SO savory. Vague banana after a bit.
Guess: Definite Sherry cask. If I didn’t know there were no Bunnahabhain’s in the pool, my guess is Bowmore 9 Sherry cask or a Bunna.
Wine cask influence continues to appeal to me with this one. The Sherry on the nose hits like a ton of bricks, and that meaty taste in the finish is just incredible. If this was only called “inspired” and not good enough to be the 4th edition, the actual Devil’s Cask expression has got to be amazing. If this was even just a bit smokier I’d probably be seeking out a bottle even at inflated prices, and based on this I’ll be thinking about the Devil’s Cask releases less passively than I am now.
Score: 85
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