James E. Pepper 3 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

Nose: Fig pudding, chocolate, candied orange, acetone, farmyard (pig farm), oak, sweaty Palate: Alcohol heavy, cranberries, vanilla, dark chocolate, spices (clove & cinnamon), caramel Finish: Rye, sherry, cherries, sweet & gristy. There's a dark, earthiness on the aftertaste. There are cherries and cranberries throughout. Batch 1 1 of 1,622 bottles 50cl bottle Pig farm and sherry is a fairly odd combination! This is a weird marriage of fruit and rye. I'm not sure if I like it, I think I do, but it's a bit odd. Definitely a memorable weird dram.

I don't think I've ever tasted a sherry finished rye whisky. TBWC has taken which sounds like a below average spirit based on reviews of other James E Pepper efforts and transformed it to something not to bad. I'm not going to get carried away and start raving but TBWC are a good IB and they've done a decent job here. The only criticism is that rye plus oloroso is a slightly on the sickly sweet side but generally the oloroso and peppery rye marry well. Solid 3.5.