Cù Bòcan Creation #2

Nose: Smells like iced biscuits, red berries, with a chemical/hairspray note alongside faint wisps of smoke. Palate: Citrus/lime, mild peat, oak, nutty, Amaretto, with more faint wisps of smoke. Finish: A short finish. Oak, faint wisps of peat. More of the lime and a creamy, coconut and tropical fruit note. There's a slight chilli spiciness in the aftertaste. Interesting creamy/milky notes from the Japanese Shochu casks, and the fruity and nutty notes offer complexity. A pleasant texture. Tasty and very drinkable. This placed third among the five spirits tasted, earning 13% of the vote for favorite of the night. 81% of attendees indicated they enjoyed this whisky. This was my preferred spirit of the tasting, though it was a very close call with others. Any distinctions between them are really down to personal preference at the moment – they are all very good, well-priced whiskies.

From the Tomatin Distillery, this is a distinctively different spirit, peated to 41ppm. 84% is 12 years old, finished for five years in Japanese Shōchū casks after initial maturation in bourbon casks, while the remaining portion is 4 years old from virgin oak casks. The nose has biscuit notes with light peat and oak. The palate echoes the light peat and oak, with a touch of lime and some nutty/herbal elements. The finish is rather short, with more oak and light peat. A pleasant, lightly peated dram, much milder than its 41ppm would suggest. It ranked last out of six whiskies, receiving no votes, likely due to being tasted first. This was one of my personal favorites from the tasting.

Floral and a bit smoky. Smooth and fruity Pear apple