Hellyers Road Single Malt Pinot Noir Finish

Nose: Yellow grapefruit zest, wet cardboard, sawdust, white pepper. Rather aggressively spirity. There are red wine notes in the background but it takes a while for them to emerge. [The dry glass aroma is of wine gums and faint sweaty smoke]. Palate: A sweet and fruity arrival that morphs into a dry, almost astringent, winey development. A fierce blast of pepper and chilli with a papery taste. Good texture. Finish: Medium. Spicy, fading into a bittersweet chocolate aftertaste. This is very young whisky, I'd wager. It does not have complexity and it benefits greatly from the addition of water and some time to recompose. Once it has recovered it loses the flat cardboard note, blossoms, and a sweeter floral wine aroma emerges. The alcohol presence is tamed and the red wine cask character shows through more clearly. The palate also develops some sweetness that neutralizes the otherwise forcefully dry character. Overall, water brings balance to this whisky, and is highly recommended. On the whole I thought this whisky was more interesting than engaging, and it is a bit overpriced. "Average" : 79/100 (2.75 stars)

Another Dan Murphy’s whisky tasting night, six pours, some of which I’ve had before and commented about on here. But this one was a welcome dram. I have been keen to try more of the Tassie offerings. N: The nose was feint and took me some effort to get into. Berry fruits were a deep hide but brown sugar sweetness and a musty flavour were the most apparent things for me. To be honest, I didn’t much appreciate the nose. A little messy. P: This was mouth coating and syrupy thick. Heavy jammy flavours with warm nutmeg and a slightly bitter cocoa. Definitely over delivered from the nose. F: Short-medium finish. Not much to write home about, some peppers and a vanilla caramel. Delicate and shy to come forth with what are nuanced and quirky flavours, but not necessarily good flavours. enjoyable enough, as an experience of itself but takes some focus. Ultimately it was a forgettable experience that I really can’t remember two hours later as I write this up. Distiller whisky taste #69

Zesty lemon and orange on the nose. Progresses rapidly to a crescendo of intense fruity sweetness with supporting spices. A more dark berry end to the palate with that strong red wine finish. Might just eclipse the Starward Nova re: wine cask finish.

Nose: grapes, musty Palate: wet dog, gasoline, lemon, smokey, Finish: finish that last very long. Pinot kicks in which is nice. Changes for the better the longer you let this sit and open up.

The nose is superb and just as you think this is going to be it the delivery completely falls over - such a shame Dan Murphy whisky tasting 13 sept 17

Really tasty and full of complex flavours. Fantastic nose. Can be overwhelming with a big sip. Slow and steady for this one. Loving hellyers road.