Whisky: Glenlossie 12 Year (2007), Morrison and MacKay 

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 47.5%

Cask: Sherry Hogshead

Age: 12 Year (Distilled 2007, Bottled 2020)

Nose: Dried fruits, spice, and leather. Boozy assortment of stewed stone fruits, dates, and fig jam. Supple leather behind a bouquet of rich sticky sherry-driven notes of brother sugar and cinnamon.

Palate: Medium-bodied with a nice oily mouthfeel and fruit, caramel, and herbal notes. Chocolatey arrival with dried dates, pomegranate seeds, figs, gooey caramel, and a subtle astringency. Things got interesting on the back palate with coffee and herbal notes of tobacco and tea— blackberry and elderberry.

Finish: Lingering astringency, caramel, and herbal tea.  

Score: 6

Mental Image: Bramble Berry Tea

Notes: A pleasant, albeit simple, sherry bomb. The delicate Glenlossie spirit was generally lost amidst the intense fruit and richness of the sherry cask. Leather, chocolate, even a bit of bitter coffee from time to time all appeared on this dram and washed out most of the subtle fruitiness and spice of the spirit. I do not think I need to rehash my preference for refill sherry casks at this time, but suffice to say, I am not keen on first-fill obliterations.

The most impressive aspect of this dram was just how rich and oily it felt, considering it was not bottled at cask strength. I think tasting this blind, I would have thought it was cask strength. Overall, not my jam, but I thought this was well put-together and enjoyable for a heavy sherry sipper.

Image Credit: Whiskybase