High N Wicked The Wild Rover

Nose: Herbal forward on the first nosing. There's a rich, creamy sweetness that floats up out of the glass before your nose gets anywhere close to the Glencairn. Dry cacao, copper metallic molasses, and a sharp, bright pepper aroma build. Very earthy now; wow. It's mossy and damp like wet grass. Lemon clover presents itself delicately as well. Woah, suddenly there is a stark transition towards vanilla aromas; effervescent sugar cookies burst forth from the light colored liquid. Some soft oak can be found now as this glass has rested for a while. Pear and a medley of stone fruit sit on a pie crust. Touches of fig. Faint hibiscus and strawberry cereal build in some nice complexity. Leafy sweets continue to dance in the glass. Time for a sip! After tasting, the nose turns brighter and the oak mellows out into a creamy malt sugar base. Swirling rekindles the intensity on the oak aromas and adds in a slight layer of smokiness. Definitely a sweet dessert whiskey, I would love to pair this with a heavily glazed, warm cinnamon bun. The empty glass smells of Pirouline dark chocolate filled wafers, blackstrap molasses and just a touch of smokiness that makes this feel extraordinary. 

Palate: My first sip is quite pleasant leading with vanilla, rich oak, black tea and honey. There is a pleasant buzz to this at cask strength, which most Irish whiskeys don't get bottled at. There is a long citrus linger that drips down through my chest at the pace of molasses. Another sip builds in some of the complexity of the nose with hibiscus, sherry sweetness, and a raspberry filled chocolate truffle finish. The mouth feel is on the thinner side but is also impossibly long and sticky. Plum and raisin are highlighted in the areas of my mouth where the linger is tingling on the longest. Giving this glass some air really improves the crème brûlée vanilla. The palate only has a hint of the oily copper pot characteristics I would've expected on this pour. My last sip is a decadent array of sweet cinnamon, nutmeg, leather and rich toffee.