Quite spicy Rye as you’d expect but also a nice cake-y sweet & malty feel to it, I was surprised to discover this was ale-cask finished after tasting it – so very well integrated cask-finish here. 83/100
James E. Pepper 4 Years Old Rye Batch 3
Hinch Craft & Casks Imperial Stout Finish
My favourite from the tasting. The Imperial Stout casks have generated not only chocolate and coffee notes but also fruit and some herbal notes too. 84/100
Hinch Craft & Casks Rye Export Stout Finish
Another interesting and very different beer-cask finish from Hinch. The Rye Export Stout has imbued some earthy dark chocolate and coffee notes. 82/100
Hinch Craft & Casks Irish Red Rye Finish
Another interesting and very different beer-cask finish from Hinch. The Red Rye casks introduce some zesty and spicy elements but also highlight plenty of cereal nature of the base blend. 83/100
Hinch New Make Spirit
Plenty of character and a well structured new make. A promising base spirit for experimenting with maturation and beer cask finishing.
Willowbank 18 Years Old Batch 2
Lots of old wood and fruit influence as you’d expect for its age and ex-red wine cask, hints of eucalyptus in places but overall a superb woody old whisky! 85/100
Teerenpeeli 5 Years Old Batch 1
Another great wine cask example from TBWC, I’ve no feeling for the original spirit but this felt like mostly sherry cask and perhaps not too much original spirit nature – certainly for a 5yo. The result is a very enjoyable sherried whisky. 84/100
Armorik 5 Years Old Batch 2
Very sweet on the nose but very balanced on the palate and eminently drinkable. Some sharp French oak tannins give a good edge or foil to the fruity Sauternes sweetness. 84/100
Paul John Oloroso
Good work from the Oloroso casks here with classic dried fruit and chocolate to the fore. 84/100
Irish Single Malt #2 15 Years Old Batch 6
Sweet and clean, creamy and with plenty of fruit suggestive of mostly spirit and ex-Bourbon maturation keeping things fairly straightforward and enjoyingly simple. A touch odd in the finish – perhaps indicative of the distillate source? 85/100
The Whiskyphiles 