Royal Lochnagar 16 Year (2021 Special Release)

Tasting of Diageo Special Releases 2021 at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, June 22, 2022. Whiskey #2. Nose: Cooked stone fruits like apricot and nectarine, vanilla, butterscotch, and toasted nuts. It's clearly a fruity and floral nose, but a richer, darker style than typically found in whisky, with jonquil, freesias, and frangipani notes against a grassy backdrop. Adding water releases a strong honeysuckle aroma that, after sitting in the glass briefly, transforms first to caramel and then later to molasses. Palate: Sweet and full upon arrival. Very nutty and buttery with prominent macadamia, hazelnut, and chestnut flavors. The texture is creamy, and there's a dry woodiness that isn't astringent, along with a pleasant sour/salty note like vanilla and salted caramel yogurt. This whisky is very easy to drink neat. There's a subtle peppery spice that intensifies significantly when water is added. Finish: Medium length. Fruity, but with a savory quality akin to fruit chutney. The lingering taste is a lighter fruit sweetness and a touch of pepper. The nose and palate are quite distinct in this whisky; the nose is all about floral fruits, while the palate focuses on buttery, nutty flavors, with very little overlap between the aroma and taste, even after several sips. The alcohol is exceptionally well integrated, and this whisky is very approachable when neat. In fact, it's surprisingly mild, and you'd never guess it's 57.5% ABV. I found it to be best enjoyed neat, as water diminishes the interesting profile and brings out a hotter, drier aspect of the palate, so I highly recommend drinking it without dilution. This is one of the pricier whiskies in the 2021 special release selection. While it's a good whisky, I didn't feel it justified the cost. I might pay half that amount, but no more. Similar to the first whisky sampled, this received no votes for best of the night. Rating: "Good" - 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Imagine scotch made in the Caribbean; this is the result. It combines sweet and fruity elements with a really pleasant grainy characteristic.