Spring Bay PX Cask The Whisky List Limited Edition

Tonight, let's see if Spain can outperform Australia in applying a sherry cask influence to this Tasmanian spirit from Spring Bay. This is a limited edition of 60 bottles, each 500 ml, created for 'The Whisky List' in Australia. This particular release comes from a 35-liter PX cask after two years of maturation. Upon pouring, it appears thick with long-lasting legs. I'm feeling a bit excited; hopefully, expectations won't be dashed... Nose: Thick, heavy, sticky, and saturated with raisins and baking spices. Frankly, the raisin is so dominant it obscures other aromas. There's a hint of caramel trying to emerge, and some oak tannins are present. Hopefully, a drop of water soon will help. Palate: Sticky and viscous with a slight prickly heat. Bitter dark chocolate, a touch of leather and tobacco, and dark sticky caramel are the primary notes. The sweetness, again driven by raisin, appears towards the back of the palate. As I chew it over, some malty biscuit notes come through. Tannic spice develops, leading to more astringency from over-oakedness with subsequent sips. The caramel does eventually move forward, tempering the raisin and the oak. Finish: Medium-long. Sticky dates, stewed raisin, and oaky spice. A splash of water, a swirl, a wait, and another swirl. The nose is less thick, but has more woody spice; the caramel shifts towards toffee, with an underlying malt note. The palate rounds out, losing its overwhelming thickness and gaining some fresher, brighter character, including banana (similar to the Apera release). The spices are more nuanced, with cinnamon and perhaps a hint of anise. The high proof heat is more apparent now – interesting. The finish is crisper, with a distinct rich-tea biscuit quality. There's a lot happening here, not least of which is a significant oak presence. I'm unsure if it's due to careless barreling or if the Spring Bay spirit doesn't fare well in European oak, but similar to the Apera Cask, the heavy oak interferes with some genuinely pleasant flavors. However, I would say this is objectively better than the Apera after adding a splash of water. So far, they've been adequate for a relaxing drink, but they don't justify the price tag of nearly AUD$200 for a 500 ml bottle. Even at 56% ABV, this just isn't worth it. [Pictured with a sandy conglomerate from the late Jurassic period in Oxford, England. In present-day Oxford, the late Jurassic saw a rapid relative sea-level drop (a regression), causing sandy and silty materials to deposit over the deeper marine Oxford Clays, followed by a break in deposition (an unconformity). This sample represents the transitional period between this break and renewed Cretaceous sedimentation. When sedimentation decreases, erosion typically increases. These Oxford conglomerates are formed from clasts derived from the sandy and silty rocks of the era when Sauropods roamed, buried beneath overlying sediments where giant theropod hunters stalked.] Spring Bay scores: Bourbon Cask: 3.5/5 The Rheban: 3.25/5 Apera Cask: 3/5 PX Cask: 3.25/5