Cask No. 85.57

Cask No. 85.57

Clean and attractive

Speyside, Lossie

The nose started with vanilla – custard creams, pastry cream horns and apple strudel, before opening up into springtime flower meadows, chamomile and spearmint chews – clean and attractive. On the neat palate, an up-front barley sweetness wrestled playfully with oak; citrus (sherbet lemon, orange ice-lolly) acting as referee. The reduced nose took us to fresh destinations – pine forests, swimming pools, flower shops and garden centres, (enjoying chamomile tea and coffee kisses). On the reduced palate – again that sweetness at the start (barley sugars, caramel wafer) soon expanding into mouth-tingling, humbug heat with after-thoughts of espresso dregs, cinnamon and raspy oak.