Pike Creek 21 Year Finished in European Oak

I immediately pick up on the scents of new Hungarian Oak and corn whisky, which remind me of a particular Bearface whisky I recently sampled. — On the nose, there's a profound, dark woodiness, much like a slightly damp forest floor, with pepper notes from the French Oak and a pleasant fruitiness from the well-matured corn spirit. It smells fantastic! Savory spices, oak shavings, cedar, new leather, oily wood furniture polish, maple sugar, and some sweet, smoky wood, like the start of a fire. - On the palate, it begins very gently, with a developing flavor of complex spices and savory wood notes. It warms the mid-palate, revealing sweet fruity notes, maple syrup, vanilla, pepper, leather, and then more oak with a subtly sweet cigar tobacco flavor that hints at cedar. - The finish is drying, with rich wood flavors mixed with tingling wood spices. The French and new Hungarian oak barrels are truly making their presence known here. — Imagine Cognac, but made with corn instead of grapes; the European Oak is that prominent in this whisky. — With a tiny bit of water, the nose becomes sweeter with more wood and fruit notes, plus a hint of roasted hazelnuts. The palate is flatter and more integrated, but then the spices gather in the finish, where the oak lingers at the back of the tongue. It's drier and more savory. —//— Grain Mark: 89

Nose: Abundant maple with more subtle notes of vanilla, honey, green apple, and peaches. Very rich! Palate: Wow, so much flavor to experience! Initially, there's a very rich caramel flavor (typical for Canadian whisky in my opinion) on the palate, followed by a nice peppery spice with cinnamon and nutmeg. Finish: A surprising finish with some spicy, woody bitterness. Not as sweet as the nose implies and lingers with a tingle for some time. Some maple remains, staying true to Canadian whisky, a pleasant surprise!

Excellent. Aroma: Milk Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla, Marshmallows, Licorice, Maple Syrup, Walnuts, Anise, Cloves, Pecans, Brown Sugar, Honey Taste: Vanilla, Maple Syrup, Cherries, Oranges, Milk Chocolate, Peaches, Root Beer Float, Cola, Coffee Aftertaste: Vanilla, Root Beer, Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, Leather, Tobacco, Brown Sugar, Pecans

Very intricate and well-constructed. Notes of brown sugar, fruit, significant oak, honey, and molasses.