Black Bull 10 Year Rum Cask (Duncan Taylor)

Aroma: Bright, malt-forward, and slightly fruity. A sweet note reminiscent of butterscotch, barley sugar, and coconut ice. It doesn't overtly smell like rum, but it distinctly hints at rum and even more strongly at raw sugarcane juice. This sweetness becomes more intense as the spirit sits in the glass. Adding water reveals grassy, more agricole-like notes. Taste: A first sip of raw sugar and mildly spiced fruit. More warm spice develops, which is also when the rum cask influence becomes much more evident. The texture is full and the consistency velvety smooth. Diluting it makes the palate even softer and almost dangerously easy to drink! Finish: Medium to short. Warm and sweet, with rum and demerara sugar prominent throughout the aftertaste. Duncan Taylor's blended whisky doesn't seem to have a significant presence in markets outside the UK and Commonwealth countries. "Black Bull" is a brand registered in the 1860s, known for its high malt content in the blend. When Duncan Taylor revived the name in 2009, they wisely chose to remain true to the blend's heritage and position it as a high-proof series. Although not advertised, I'm certain this blend contains no added caramel due to its very pale straw color. However, the constituent malt and grain whiskies are almost certainly chill-filtered. As a test, I added a substantial amount of water to a dram and let it sit, but no cloudiness appeared after an hour. An intriguing and enjoyable blend that clearly demonstrates the impact of its 16-month finish in rum casks. The sugary sweetness of rum is consistently present and is more pronounced than any rum finish I've encountered in other whiskies. My only critique is that this sweetness is somewhat one-dimensional, and the lack of complexity leads to a quick loss of interest. It's not exceptional, but it's a good, honest everyday sipper or session whisky, and at a very reasonable price, it's certainly competitive. Interestingly, the best way I've discovered to enjoy this is with cola, in which it closely resembles a light-bodied gold rum. "Above Average": 80/100 (3 stars)