These premium Octave™ whiskies have been held in sherry casks to intensify their flavours and add a new dimension to their flavour profiles, bringing out the very best in each rare dram. Bottled at cask strength, there was 75 bottles created of this stunningly presented whisky.
Octave™ casks are approximately 1/8th the size of a butt.
For upwards of forty years, the team at Duncan Taylor had experimented by maturing whiskies in smaller casks with great success. Their research stemmed from the simple premise that there is more wood interaction with whisky over a shorter period of time in a small cask than in a large cask, therefore allowing a more rapid melding of wood, air an alcohol.
Tasting Notes Before
Nose: Maritime and mineral, but more on flowers and fruit than on peat and smoke, apple juice and geraniums with touches of new leather and brine. Fragrant and elegant.
Palate: Weightier than the nose would suggest, lots of saltiness and peat smoke, dried Nori seaweed, some exotic fruits, guava and melon, vanilla cream and beach foam.
Finish: Elegant smokiness. Citrus rind, her liqueurs, and more exotic dried fruits. A tinge of green oak leaves a slightly spicy aftertaste.
Tasting Notes After
Nose: Rich and enticingly sherried, fir cones, raisins and a little soy sauce. Pipe tobacco smoke and a savoury note of smoked ham.
Palate: Pencil shavings with plenty of cinnamon and cloves, smoky raspberry jam and smoked sweet paprika, a pinch of damp earth and dark chocolate.
Finish: Long and meaty. Full of roasted nuts and a little honey mustard and sea water. The initial savoury and off dry aftertaste fades to a rich and smoky sweetness.
