Whisky: Strathisla 10 Year (2010), SMWS 58.45 "The rocket's red glare"

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 57.5%

Cask: Bourbon Hogshead (8Y), First Fill Oloroso Hogshead

Age: 10 Year (Distilled October 2010)

Nose: Cream and caramel— sticky sugars galore with caramel sauce, birthday cake frosting, and vanilla puddling; subtle notes of strawberry and banana with a touch of mint chocolate.

Palate: Medium-bodied, creamy and sweet with canned birthday cake frosting and fruitier notions of cherries and strawberry; spicy on the mid-palate with cinnamon, pepper, and ginger; drying toward the end with a tingling spice, wood chips, and hints of a burning candle wick.

Finish: Medium-length with sugary delights, wood, and pepper.

Score: 5-6 (76)

Mental Image: A Very Merry Unbirthday Party

Narrative & Notes: I recall enjoying this well enough when poured at a local whisky club tasting— but I could not recall why when I finally poured it again. Despite coming back a few more times to wrap up my notes and hopefully recapture something about why I had initially thought highly of it, I was flummoxed.  It did have a lovely creamy quality on the nose and palate, but it was cloyingly sweet with an overabundance of saccharine notes.  The spicy arrival on the mid-palate was a good diversion, though it lingered a bit too long so that drying wood notes and spirited peppered carried through on the finish.

Overall, it was not bad, but I would not seek it out or even accept a pour unless a friend really prevailed on me to give it another chance.  Cask bombs like this are rarely to my taste though; so if you like a big sherry maturation, you may find more here to love.