A wonderfully zesty and vibrant initial nose was dominated by crushed nettles, tart exotic fruits and impressions of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. This evolved quickly into passion flower, mint  julep cocktail and tropical fruit teas. Reduction brought a more floral profile, scented hot-house flowers, runny honey, firm wood-resin notes and still-abundant tropical fruit aromas. The palate was similarly dominated by tropical fruits and showed a gorgeously syrupy texture, full of sweet mango, passion fruit, pineapple and impressions of very old Irish whiskey.

Water maintained this superb fruitiness and oiliness of mouthfeel, the overwhelming feeling being of a beautiful balance between wood and distillate having been achieved. This was matured in a bourbon hogshead for 12 years before being transferred to a heavily toasted medium charred new oak hogshead.