Last week I reviewed the sherry cask Arran I used in the tasting at work. This time it’s the bourbon cask’s turn in the lime light.

Trying to show contrasts in whisky, I figured going for a sherry versus a bourbon cask makes the most sense. I prefer to not go too far with all kinds of weird casks that are being used nowadays. Not necessarily because they’re bad, but because they tend to be seen as much more irregular, and therefore, for beginners, less relevant.

Anyway, Quarter cask, bourbon cask, NAS. We know the drill by now.

A bothy, by the way, is a small farmhouse or shed used by field workers.

Sniff:
Very typical scents of active bourbon cask. Sugary vanilla, oak and a crisp lemony note. It’s quite fierce on the nose with alcoholic bite. More yellow fruits emerge, with apple, unripe pears and white grapes.

Sip:
Lots of bits from the get-go, but not too much to overpower everything else. Apple pie and lemonade. So, sweet vanilla and pastry, baked apples and candied lemon. Tarte Tatin, with woody notes. A little bit of a grapeseed bitterness.

Swallow:
The finish shows the youthfulness of the whisky most. Less wood and fruit, more alcohol and bite.

The finish makes it drop a point or two, but the nose and palate are quite lovely. It’s very typical bourbon cask, and luckily doesn’t focus too much on the vanilla. Nice fruity notes with a lovely lemon note that works very well.

85/100

It seems to have sold out in The Netherlands, but is still available in other countries, starting at € 42