Batch 4 "John"
Limited to 100 bottles
Fleurieu Distillery Cask #29 "John"
ex-Tawny Cask
Distilled: August 2015
Bottled: July 2022
56.1% ABV
CRAIG'S TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: mid amber
NOSE: rich and fruity, toffee and caramel, some stewed fruit (plums, apricots), some chocolate, some brandy snaps and whipped cream, the tawny character grows but doesn’t dominate. Spirit is refined
PALATE: syrupy mouthfeel; spirit more forward and the grapiness of the tawny cask takes centre stage. Warming and fruity rich and rounded.
FINISH: fruity and tannins, some wood astringency. Herbs and nuttiness. Sour plums/cherries and the nuttiness linger.
PAUL'S TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Fruity nose with over-ripe mango and banana, dried apricot, delicate lime. Hint of high cacao bitter chocolate. Hazelnut nougat. Wonderfully balanced.
PALATE: Mango, unripe green apple balance well with the spirit. Slight rancio and delicate shiitake mushroom on the mid-back palate.
FINISH: Slightly drying with some oak and nuts and the slightest hint of umami in a lingering but gentle finish.
VIANO'S TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Fruity, with a compote of peach, fig and nectarine. Dark chocolate.
PALATE: Apple, crisp pear, mushroom, dried apricot; balanced and rich.
FINISH: The wood tannins sharpen the ensemble of sweet fruits, nuts and cacao and bring them to a long, lingering conclusion.
INDEPENDENT TASTING NOTES (ANGUS SMITH)
NOSE: Dried fruits in the vein of dates, figs and mild blackcurrant with a soft hint of flinty struck match which blew off after the first 5 minutes or so. Continues with an understated maltiness before golden syrup, demerara and roasted cacao nib Maillard tones blossom with further time in the glass.
PALATE: Great balance of malt, oak and tawny. More dried fruits and nutty, caramel sweetness with some gentle furniture polish, then creamy vanilla and coconut lactones kick in. On the swallow the oak billows kitchen spices through retronasal and into the finish.