Whisky: Dornoch 5 Year (2017) Cask 46

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 57.9%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Octave

Age: 5 Years (Distilled 19 Dec. 2017, Bottled Feb. 2023)

Nose: Stone fruits, brown sugar and baking spices; cereals, varnished wood, waxy crayons and plastic army men, dried grass, earth, and honeysuckle.

Palate: Medium-bodied, tingling pepper and roasted vegetables, honey, varnished wood, plastic, stone fruit, berries, malty, herbal and floral toward the end.

Finish: Medium-length with varnished wood, pepper, and passionflower tea.

Score: 6 (77)

Mental Image: Backyard Battlefield

Narrative & Notes: Bubbling plums, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal— a rich fruit cobbler stowed away in a freshly varnished wooden cabinet.  Crayons and plastic army men lingered further in with dried grass, earth, and green floral honeysuckle as if G.I. Joe and Batman figures were locked in combat in the backyard. Medium-bodied with a touch of tingling pepper at the front alongside honey roasted root vegetables and varnished wood.  A touch of plastic carried on with bruised plums, smashed blueberries, malty sugars, and an herbal-floral tea.  Medium-length the finish featured varnished wood, pepper, and herbal passionflower tea.

Strikingly similar to the other cask I just reviewed, I give this one a slight edge though it was a touch more spirited and woody— and wood-driven profiles are not typically to my taste.  However, it had more clearly defined flavors and a better structure between different elements with richer fruits.

Overall, more my style than the other— the flavors were just as interesting and well-suited for sharing with friends or pouring at a tasting.  Not something I would pull down to sip on, but fun to pour for others— so thanks to the whisky friends that shared their Dornoch bottles with me.