Whisky : Breuckelen 6 Year SMWS 142.1 “Made in New York, New York”

Country/Region : United States

ABV : 66.1%

Cask : Virgin Oak #3 Char

Age : 6 Years (Distilled 18 April 2013)

Nose : Spice, wood, and mild salt.  Stormy green seas, dry rub barbecue, and stewed fruits arrived first, with loads of wood following behind.  Bleached shipwreck, well varnished piano, and dusty rick houses.  A bit further in where notes of coconut, burned chocolate, and sunscreen.

Palate : Woody and tannic, this needed water to really open up.  Notes of stuffy barn, sweet hay, black vinegar, and lacquered wood.  Slightly burnt bitter caramel came along with licorice and toasted coconut flakes.  A few drops of water brought out bitter sweet herbs and meat.

Finish : Lingering tannic dryness and lacquered antiques.

Score : 4

Mental Image : Termites on a Pirate Ship

Notes : Intensely woody and spicy, this was deeply divisive during a local virtual tasting.  I fell into the camp that concluded the whisky was not too bad, especially with the addition of a few drops of water to really mellow out some of those oaky tannins and sugars.  The other camp strongly disliked this and that , while the nose was interesting, the astringency of the palate was too strong and impossible to get beyond.  This certainly was an intense woody punch— a wood bomb if ever there was one— which overshadowed some of the interesting malty notes.

Overall, this was an interesting bottle to try out and I am certainly curious to try more.  This one opened up nicely with a few drops of water, though it was still squarely on the dry side.