Bakery Hill Eldorado

Nose: Malt, well-aged oak, orange oil, ginger, a suggestion of butterscotch, toffee, red berries. Adding water and allowing it to rest for a while releases even more sweet red berry aromas. Palate: Sweet but intense arrival with grippy tannins and malt extract leading the way. As the initial attack subsides I tasted strawberries and cream, black cherries, licorice, star anise and caramel. There is a bitter, oaky note in the later palate that intruded too much for my liking. Finish: Medium/Long. Dark bitter coffee, dark chocolate, red berries. Matured initially in a Seppeltsfield apera (Australian sherry) cask for 18 months, then matured for a further three years in ex-bourbon barrels. When tasted neat I thought the nose was impressive but the palate was a little angular and argumentative (but full of sweet malt and red berries, for sure). Adding water mellowed the nose but it lost the rich, punchy character it had when neat. Water also softened the palate a little but it took a while for the whisky to recompose after reduction and in the end it had very much the same profile with the original bitter tannic notes still present. It is worth allowing the reduced dram to sit and rest for a good long while as it does slowly develop. A good whisky, but for me not a great one. I enjoyed the tasting dram but I won’t be buying a bottle. I’ve tried Bakery Hill whiskies many times now but I’ve never become a convert. Tasted from a 15ml sample. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)