Tin Shed "Iniquity" Batch 017

Australian Single Malt Whisky Tasting (Part 1), The Oak Barrel, Sydney, January 16, 2020, Whisky #2 Nose: A powerful sherry aroma with dark fruits. Light fruitcake, sweet grapey notes, and honey. There's a strange varnish smell and a slightly rubbery hint of sulfur. Adding water enhances the sweeter aspects of the nose and diminishes the unpleasant ones. Palate: The initial taste is sweet and reflects the influence of fortified wine casks. There's some pleasant spice, malty cereal notes, and a touch of char. The texture is nice, but the palate becomes somewhat dry and cardboard-like after a while. Unfortunately, water makes this worse while adding no positive qualities to the palate. Finish: Medium to short. Sweet malt and red fruits in the aftertaste, and that peculiar polish note reappears. Tin Shed Distillers are in South Australia and have been producing Iniquity whisky as a standard batch product for several years. They have a dedicated following, and their very small batch releases typically sell out rapidly. Personally, I've never understood the appeal. This specific expression differs from previous batches, being lighter in character overall and developed by a group of amateurs. In July of the previous year, 10 teams of 3 "experts" participated in a blending competition where they selected from a range of 6 Tin Shed cask samples to create a blend. The winning blend was released as Batch 17 "The Den's Dram". The distillers have indicated that while they won't be producing all their future whiskies this way, they will occasionally hold such promotional events. I've never been a significant fan of Iniquity. It tends to be inconsistent, with a good batch followed by a poor one, and I usually detect a faint sulfurous impression even in the good ones. It's as if two different production teams alternate operating the stills. I've sampled 5 of the batches at tastings, but even the best hasn't motivated me to purchase a bottle. "Average": 76/100 (2.5 stars)