Colour: Gold.
Nose: The nose starts off with delicate ripe orchard fruits - apricots, mangos, and pineapples, followed by notes of strawberry mixed with custard cream and a slight touch of toffee. This is complimented by a whiff of sweet oak spice in the back.
Palate: Sumptuously sweet and fruity with peaches, apricots and tender lemons. The palate delivered what the nose promised. This is immediatley followed by a bold and warming spiciness of pepper, even chilli, oak and caramelized ginger. Very round with delicate notes of toffee and vanilla, accompanied by a sticky honey sweetness towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is medium long, slightly warm with a tender sweet and fruity aroma, followed by dry notes of oak and nutmeg.
With water: Very fruity, creamy and slightly sweet on the nose with a few drops of water. There's delicate vanilla, nicely intermingling with toffee and a wee touch of oak in the back. The whisky becomes smoother on the palate as water tames a bit of the intense spiciness on the tongue. Sweet and citrussy with vanilla and creamy caramel. The finish is a bit shorter, sweet, and fruity with a lovely honeyed note. The dryness on the tail is almost gone.
Comments: This is quite an impressive single malt. Rich, round and mature. The alcohol is very well integrated with a lovely balance of sweetness, inebriant fruitiness and an intense spiciness. A representative example of this relatively young distillery producing an incredibly sweet and fruity whisky style, often regardless of the cask type they're using. Yummy old Allt-á-Bhainne - best with a splash of water.