Limeburners Single Malt Sherry Cask Strength

Nose (undiluted): Oranges, apricots, fresh wood, light malt (lager?). It's a pleasant but straightforward range of aromas. Nose (diluted): The nose doesn't improve with water unless a significant amount is added. A small splash mutes the fruity aromas, leaving only alcohol and pencil shavings. Adding more helps balance it, but the nose becomes dull. Palate (undiluted): Big and alcoholic but somewhat thin on arrival, with oranges and light wood as the main characteristics. There's a sharp bitterness during development, like spoiled fruit or over-dried raisins, but some balance comes from brioche-like cereal notes. The texture is full but somehow lacks substance. Palate (diluted): A little water softens the strong arrival and brings out a lot of sweetness, but it doesn't add any complexity – in fact, it further simplifies the palate into an orange and sweet chili combination. Finish: Medium/Short. Sour fruit fades into resinous wood. Dilution lengthens the finish (as expected) but adds little else. Spirity and woody initially, with time to rest in the glass, the nose gains more character but never reaches great heights. Adding water mellows everything considerably, but by the time the intense alcohol bite is gone, you've reduced it to less than 40% ABV, and there's not much left. The same applies to the palate – by the time it achieves balance, it's almost devoid of character. I continue to try Limeburners and recently acquired a set of three cask-strength (actually “high-strength”) samples of expressions I hadn't tried before. This is the first, and I'm not particularly impressed as it's a rather simple whisky. It's perfectly drinkable and has no off-notes, but there are significantly better and more interesting whiskies being made in Australia for much less money. At the asking price of AUD$259, I simply cannot recommend this. Tasted from a 30ml sample “Average”: 79/100 (2.75 stars)