After not finding the 12 Cask Strength all that appealing, a number suggested the 15. As much as I enjoyed the 10 I had intended to eventually, but on that explicit recommendation and seeing it available as a 60ml sample when placing an order, I went for it and put it right toward the top of my list of samples.
Minutia: Enjoyed neat in a glencairn. It rested maybe 10 or 15 minutes but not deliberately.
Color: Russet muscat, 1.3.
Nose: Rich fruit, smoke, earthy, seaweed. Nutty/molasses later.
Taste: Honey, bready, clove, smoky. Gets creamy feeling after a bit, sweetens, spices. Nuttiness comes through on taste after it appears in the nose.
Finish: Spiced fruit, smoke, oak, dry. Long.
Oh boy. This is terribly expensive in the US relative to European sites. It’s a home run at the European price, and honestly worth considering at the exorbitant price here in the states (for context, from Europe this would cost me as much as the 10 would locally). If I’m placing an order and this is in stock, I’m adding it to the cart. For you Europeans, I’m not sure it’s quite worth twice as much as the 10, but it’s a major step up. It’s very strange as I wasn’t completely blown away, but it is an absolute delight to drink. I’ve got a rum wood sample of the same age in my advent calendar box, I really hope that makes it into this year’s batch because I’m very keen on having more like this. Springbank (/Longrow/Kilkerran) continues to give Ledaig a run for its money as my favorite distillery (/brand), and with this I think it might have pulled even, where I suspect they will remain in each other’s company for so long as I enjoy whisky.
Score: 91
Musical Evocation: Bathory – “The Woodwoman”
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