Nant Sherry Wood Single Cask Single Malt

Nose: Sherry-toned dark malt, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar and a compote of dried fruits (apricot, peach, pear, date and fig). There is a lot of sherry influence here and there is also an aspect to this nose that is so wine influenced it's almost more like cognac or armagnac. While pleasant, this does tend to dominate the aroma spectrum. Palate: Exquisite arrival - rich, buttery, full and perfectly balanced between sherry-soaked toffee and oaken tobacco. Dried fruits again on the palate, plus orange syrup and mild spice. However after this exceptional entry and promising start to the development the palate simply goes nowhere. It just abruptly fades away into the finish. This is one of the mildest palates I've ever encountered. Finish: Very short and curtailed. The rich, sweet fruity palate dwindles to nothing in moments, leaving hardly any aftertaste. The second of four Nant samples I'm tasting, like the Bourbon Wood expression the Sherry Wood is another 43% NAS whisky. I believe it is 4 years old and matured in selected single sherry casks of 100 litre capacity (so around quarter-cask size). The Nant new-make must be very rich (I've not tasted it) because it more than balances the big oak component these casks must deliver, even over a short time. The nose is very good and the palate promises so much, but then simply evaporates. It's most unusual and rather disappointing. Tasting this whisky is like reading a novel that begins well and really grabs your attention, but then you discover that it was never finished and you are left dangling and unsatisfied. What a shame - so much promise, so little resolution. Adding water renders the nose paper-thin and all but obliterates the palate. This whisky is far too fragile to take dilution. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. At the asking price, I wouldn't recommend it. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Tasted in late 2017: My next door neighbor was given a bottle of this when he and his wife were in Australia visiting family some years ago. When I retired and moved to Gettysburg and got involved with Whisky on a serious level, we would have tastings. I would bring things over like EC 18yr. and Midleton Very Rare and he would offer up his Nant Sherry Cask as a comparable precious offering. I can say unequivocably this whisky remains the most flavor filled dram I have yet to taste. It is an absolute shame what happened with that distillery offering and the barrel fraud that followed. I would really love to know exactly what was the initial whiskey that started the whole process, as the bottle my neighbor has is the genuine article. I will have to ask for any age/barrel statement info on his bottle and provide it here. I naturally went in search of similars from that part of the World after finding Nant would not ship to the US at that time. I found both the Oamaruvian Doublewood Cask Strength and the Dunedin Double Cask at the PLCB through Special order but neither of those has proved to be any match for the sheer deliciousness of this Nant. The Distillery has now reformed under new ownership and naturally new product. I believe they now ship Internationally and if the S/H weren't so ridiculously high, I might be tempted to see if any of the old magic is still to be found. As to the Whisky, it has the best fruit, floral, sweet, heat magical synthesis I have yet tasted.

30ml sample On the nose: Distinct fruity notes, sweet and delightful. In mouth it feels light but rich, very little sweetness. Once swallow, you can find a sense of sweet like honey, and i can smell grass, it’s earthy. Finish is very long, one of the longest after taste i have experienced. The more you drink it, the better it is.

Nutty on the nose and welcoming. Taste is nutty and woody and a little fruity which comes out better with a drop or 2 of water.

Quite pricey but quite nice. Delicate - Feels as tho it might evaporate. No peaty taste evident. Port version might be better.

Nice whisky. Banana bread notes. Nicely balanced. No water needed.