Whisky : Port Dundas 21 Year, Angus Dundee Distillers “Barrel to Bottle”

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland (Single Grain)

ABV : 64.3%

Cask : Sherry Butt

Age : 21 Years (Distilled 21 May 1998, Bottled June 2019)

Nose : Woody and sweet, with bountiful dried berries.  Opened into the musty smell of a wooden treehouse and the malty-creamy aroma of fresh Chantilly cream puffs.  Waves of molasses, nutty browned butter, fresh baked kouign amann, and holiday spices.

Palate : Thick, syrupy, and dry.  Incredibly rich open with Good & Plenty, butterscotch, and coffee candies.  Floral spice followed the sugars with peppercorns, black vinegar, and salty-umami ramen stock.  A bit of water accentuated creamy butter notes of milk rolls and sweet tobacco.

Finish :  Lingering dryness and brown sugar.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Secret Treehouse Pastry Stash

Notes : An above average heavily sherried single grain, this was not the sort of thing I usually seek out and I expect those who love a sweet thick dram or a heady sherry bomb will rate this a point or two higher than I did.

This was rich and thick and while the nose was quite woody, the flavor profile was not over oaked.  The initial tannic dryness was easily ameliorated with a few drops of water and this dram took to water quite well, enough so that I ended up adding quite a bit more than a few drops and still found the flavors to really pop out of the glass while some of the initial heat and tightness faded entirely.  Overall this cask had a great mix of sherried fruits and spice with lovely pastry notes that tied everything together nicely.