Lindores Abbey 2018 The Exclusive Cask 18/577 Sherry Butt

Whisky Import Nederland – WIN for short – selected a single sherry butt in addition to a single bourbon cask. That shouldn't be surprising, right? What is surprising is that this youngster – distilled on August 2, 2018 and bottled on February 21, 2022 – is the intensity of the color. So beautiful. After three-and-a-half years, this sherry cask yielded no less than 720 bottles.

Yes, that was obviously a very active sherry cask! I get a lot of dark fruits – the obligatory plums, dates and raisins – embellished with candy syrup and roasted chestnuts, while the smell of freshly blown candles pops up in the background. Even a hint of sulfur, but fortunately it goes away very quickly and is therefore not disturbing. Also quite a few green notes, if you know what I mean. Feel free to call it French Provencal barbecue herbs. Unfortunately, they drown out the fruit very quickly, giving it a slightly acidic edge. With water it becomes much more pleasant, I must say. The sulfur and green notes then make plenty of room for a lot of sweet and juicy dark fruit.

On the palate it is more of the same, but it is mainly the sweet and sour herbs that speak. A hint of chocolate origin emerges, followed by rum raisins and something I can't describe otherwise as broth. With water, just like on the nose, it becomes a lot sweeter and in all honesty more pleasant. I can therefore highly recommend adding a good teaspoon of water.

The finish is intense, spicy and slightly drying. Diluted it remains intense, but above all a lot sweeter (and in my opinion better).

I confess, I expected a little more of this. That does not alter the fact that, bearing in mind its age, it has become quite an impressive malt. But it really needs some water.