Wednesday 30 October 2013

A Japanese Surprise!


Whisky: Hibiki 12 Year Old

Distillery/Brand:
Suntory Hibiki

Bottling:
Suntory Hibiki 12 Year old

Region: 
Japan 

ABV:
43%

Colour:
Young Sauternes

Review:
A good friend of mine recently brought me a gift.  Half a bottle of whisky that he had recently purchased that he thought that I should try.

You see we're whisky friends.  Our friendship started when he came into my shop and purchased whisky and beer from me.  Then we started hanging out in a whisky club together.  Pretty quickly we were buddies with me advising him at times on what whisky he might want to purchase, whether through me or another shop.

At one point he was telling me about how much he loved this Japanese whisky, a blended whisky, called Hibiki.  A blended whisky that combined  single malt whiskies from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries and grain whisky from the Chita distillery.  The whiskies were aged in American ex bourbon casks, European ex sherry casks and interesting enough American casks that had previously held Japanese plum liqueur.

My friend told me that this was a light whisky that he had immediately fallen in love with and had I tried it?

I honestly couldn't remember if I had, I thought I had, but wasn't 100% sure.  So my buddy said that he'd bring a sample by for me to try.

At the end of the week he brought the Hibiki 12 year old sample by for me, a sample that made my mouth drop open in surprise, as it was half the bottle or thereabouts.

This was way more then I was expecting, too much in fact.  Not at all my friend assured me, just enjoy it as I have.

That night when I got home my wife and I cracked the bottle open and poured it into our glencairns.

Oh my the nose!  The nose is unbelievable and oh so very lovely.  Very light, but surprisingly complex.  Tropical fruit, pineapples, rockmelon (cantaloupe), lychees, plums, oranges, heaps of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, caramel.

Beautiful and very light.

The nose has really surprised me and has me very excited about finally taking a sip, to see if the body matches the nose.

Cloves, pepper, lemon peel, plums, again the massive vanilla, oranges, caramel, big oak.

Wow, just wow.  Absolutely delicious, and entrancing.  This is a whisky that begs me to take another sip, then another drink, then another glass.  Very dangerously delicious.

A long nutty, caramel and vanilly finish polishes off this whisky.

This whisky is brilliant and once and for all finishes the debate as to whether a blended whisky can be just as good as a single malt.  This little Japanese whisky blows quite a few of the single malts on the market out of the water quite easily.

In fact this whisky might just have become a new staple in my cabinet, especially with the coming summer months ahead.  However this whisky isn't the world's cheapest, coming in at around $120 up to $150 AUS and can be quite difficult to find in most bottle shops, however at that $120 AUS mark, it's worth the effort.  If you have to pay more then that though, move on, there's better whiskies out there at that price point.

My friend, you know who you are, thank you very much for introducing me to this whisky, now I just have to hunt down the 17, 21 and 30 year old bottles!

Nose:       24/25
Taste:       24/25
Finish:      21/25
Balance:   20/25

Overall:    89/100

Friday 25 October 2013

The Whisky Shall Come To You Final!


Whisky: Ardbeg Uigeadail 

Distillery/Brand:
Ardbeg

Bottling:
Ardbeg Uigeadail

Region:
Islay

ABV:
54.2%

Colour:
Old Gold

A Quick Note:  As I've been sick lately and due to this I sadly have been unable to enjoy the beauty that is the water of life and folks have been emailing asking for more reviews I thought that I'd post some reviews that I did earlier for another website.  The following review was done on April 19, 2012. 

Review:
So my wife and I have been planning on going to the whisky bar in our city for months now. Every time we make plans SOMETHING always come up. I get called into work a day early, we can't afford to go out, a public holiday that we forgot about is occurring on the day we're going and they're closed or as just happened this last time around, my wife and I got sick.

This has been extremely frustrating for me as this bar has quite a few whiskies I've been meaning to try for a while and so as the day was ending yesterday I was feeling a wee bit down. To the rescue comes my brother in law! I get a text message from him saying "If you can't go to the whisky then the whisky shall come to you!"

A couple hours later my brother and sister in law arrive at the house and he brings with him a bag of whisky. In this bag are a couple whiskies I've never had before along with a couple I've tasted.

Now the first 4 bottles of his collection I just recently reviewed. The Macallan 10 yr old Sherry Cask, Sazerac Straight Rye Whisky, Johnny Drum bourbon, and Lagavulin 16 yr old. The last bottle on the tasting block tonight was the highlight of the night: Ardbeg Uigeadail!!!

Now as you may have noticed in my last review which was the Lagavulin 16 yr old, I'm not a huge smoke and peat head. Amusingly enough if you've ever had Ardbeg, pretty much any Ardbeg, you know it's ALOT of smoke and ALOT of peat hahaha.

I poured myself a hefty dram as I was going to be tasting this tonight and tomorrow for this review. I handed the glass to my wife who took one whiff and went "Whoa!! Burnt bandaids!!"

As I smell this dram I get sherry with smoke and peat and quite a bit of phenols. Now this is the second time
I've had this whisky, both from the same bottle. At this tasting the bottle had been open for several months and was down to just a few drams left. At the first tasting smoke with sherry and TONS of phenols and burnt bandaids came through. As I immediately noticed this bottle has opened up and oxidized and the nose profile has changed abit. I'm very curious as to how the flavor profile has changed.

My wife immediately declined to taste this bottle this time as she is very much not an Islay fan. So I'm blessed with just having this to myself!

Now this bottle is sitting at around 108.4 proof. And it does have that taste but it's not overpowering. On first sip the peat jumps to the front of my tongue and then smoke with the phenols, specifically the burnt bandaids. There is the taste of sea air on my tongue and some brine. For sweetness the sherry shines through. This is quite an enjoyable whisky. I've not had the Ardbeg 10 yr old or the Corryvakin yet and I'm keen to try them after this bottle. I'd be quite keen to also try this bottle just after opening and see how the flavors differ.

The finish is quite long with the alcohol biting quite abit and the smoke, peat and bandaids linger on the tongue for a while.

This is a very nice whisky and another one I wouldn't mind having on hand when I really want to taste some heavy smoke. However the price might be a little out of my range for a casual bottle. This bottle sits at around $135 AUS and can be a little difficult to put your hands on over here.

This is a good complex whisky, but I'd NEVER use this or any Ardbeg to introduce any whisky novice to Single Malts.

Now the ratings on this review are given based upon a bottle that has been oxidizing for quite a while and does tempt me to buy a bottle or try a newly opened bottle as soon as I can get a chance!

Nose:        23/25
Taste:        23/25
Finish:       23/25
Balance:    23/25

Overall:    92/100
The Whisky Shall Come To You pt 3!



Whisky: Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Distillery/Brand:
Lagavulin

Bottling:
Lagavulin 16 Year old

Region:
Islay

ABV:
43%

Colour:
Full Gold

A Quick Note:  As I've been sick lately and due to this I sadly have been unable to enjoy the beauty that is the water of life and folks have been emailing asking for more reviews I thought that I'd post some reviews that I did earlier for another website.  The following review was done on April 19, 2012.

Review:
So my wife and I have been planning on going to the whisky bar in our city for months now. Every time we make plans SOMETHING always come up. I get called into work a day early, we can't afford to go out, a public holiday that we forgot about is occurring on the day we're going and they're closed or as just happened this last time around, my wife and I got sick.

This has been extremely frustrating for me as this bar has quite a few whiskies I've been meaning to try for a while and so as the day was ending yesterday I was feeling a wee bit down. To the rescue comes my brother in law! I get a text message from him saying "If you can't go to the whisky then the whisky shall come to you!"

A couple hours later my brother and sister in law arrive at the house and he brings with him a bag of whisky. In this bag are a couple whiskies I've never had before along with a couple I've tasted.

Now the first 3 bottles of his collect I just recently reviewed. The Macallan 10 yr old Sherry Cask, Sazerac Straight Rye Whisky and Johnny Drum Private Stock Bourbon. Next on the block was the Lagavulin 16 yr old.

Now I'm excited to try the Lagavulin because I've heard awesome things about this distillery and especially the 16 year old. Now to be honest I am not a peat head. I'm not a smoke nut. I prefer my whiskies nice and sweet. Now to also be fair and honest it's rare when I encounter a whisky that I don't enjoy on SOME level. As I've had Ardbeg I was eager to try the Lagavulin and this review is based off tasting notes from last night and this morning because he left me a dram of both this and the Ardbeg!

My first smell of this lovely Islay is smokes, lots and lots of smoke. Peat. Iodine. Something sweet in there, smells a little like sherry, but it is a distinct undertone and is definitely not the MPV on the team! It smells like a campfire from when you were a kid and you were out camping with your family. The nose is very strong and there is nothing shy about it whatsoever. My poor wife who is sick takes a smell and promptly declares that one of her nostrils is no longer blocked and no she will not be joining me for a taste tonight (she prefers speysides which to be honest are one of my favorites so far)

My first taste of this is charcoal, strong charcoal coming through. Ashes follow. Hints of iodine are coming through on my palate. It's a bit of a sea breeze with salt and brine on the tongue, with some small amounts of sherry following it all. But the peat and smoke dominate. Now if you're not a whisky drinker and you're reading this you'll probably wonder why in the world someone would drink something that tastes like charcoal and smoke and iodine. The reason is simple my friend. It's FUN!!

The finish is lots of peat, smoke and some medicinal flavors coming through on the tail end are some spices and a bit of the sherry.

This is a REALLY good whisky. I'm not a HUGE Islay fan, but when I'm in the mood for something smokey I'd love to crack open a bottle of Lagavulin 16 yr old. From the notes you might be thinking that this sounds disgusting. It's not. This is a wonderfully balanced whisky with just enough sweetness coming through to cut the smoke and peat and iodine to a lovely level.

At roughly $100 AUS bottle this is a steal of a deal and if you're like me this bottle will last you a good while and is more then enough to satisfy your yearning for something smokey and complex when the normal speysider just isn't doing it for you!

Nose:         24/25
Taste:         24/25
Finish:        24/25
Balance:    24/25

Overall:     96/100

Thursday 24 October 2013

The Whisk(e)y Shall Come To You Pt 2!



Whisky: Sazerac Rye

Distillery/Brand:
Sazerac

Bottling:
Sazerac Rye

Region:
American 

ABV:
45%

Colour:
Sunlight

A Quick Note:  As I've been sick lately and due to this I sadly have been unable to enjoy the beauty that is the water of life and folks have been emailing asking for more reviews I thought that I'd post some reviews that I did earlier for another website.  The following review was done on April 19, 2012.

Review:
So my wife and I have been planning on going to the whisky bar in our city for months now. Every time we make plans SOMETHING always come up. I get called into work a day early, we can't afford to go out, a public holiday that we forgot about is occurring on the day we're going and they're closed or as just happened this last time around, my wife and I got sick.

This has been extremely frustrating for me as this bar has quite a few whiskies I've been meaning to try for a while and so as the day was ending yesterday I was feeling a wee bit down. To the rescue comes my brother in law! I get a text message from him saying "If you can't go to the whisky then the whisky shall come to you!"

A couple hours later my brother and sister in law arrive at the house and he brings with him a bag of whisky. In this bag are a couple whiskies I've never had before along with a couple I've tasted.

First out comes the Macallan 10 yr old Sherry Casks which I've just reviewed. Next comes the Sazerac Straight Rye whisky. Now I love rye whiskies. I enjoy the flavors that come through and this is my second time getting to drink Sazaerac.

As I nose this lovely little rye, which is the second one my brother in law has bought (you can tell he's a fan!)
The strongest smell to come through is rye (wonder why that is hahaha) along with some oak, vanilla, burnt apples and cinnamon. This is a 90 proof rye, but the alcohol does not dominate the smell. Quite nice.

Tasting time! I take a sip of my dram and the flavor of rye bursts into my mouth followed by vanilla, apples, cinnamon, burnt sugar and some sort of wood most likely oak. Again even though this is a 90 proof whisky it is extremely smooth and I can easily understand why my brother in law buys bottle after bottle of this. He likes it for Old Fashions, but as he says he does enjoy it straight. For my money I'd probably just drink it straight, although that's just been my mood that last year or so.

The finish is nice and smooth with spices lingering on my tongue, but not unpleasantly. There is a bit of bitterness, but thankfully it never takes over the finish and it quickly recedes.

This is a bottle that I'd love to have in my cabinet when I'm in a rye mood and it isn't too hard to find over here in the Land Down Under for around $100 AUS.

Next up on the tasting list a bourbon! Johnny Drum 15 yr old! WEWT BOURBON!!!

Nose:       23/25
Taste:        23/25
Finish:       20/25
Balance:    22/25

Overall:      88/100
The Whisky Shall Come To You Pt 1!



Whisky: Macallan 10 Year Old Sherry Oak


Distillery/Brand:
Macallan

Bottling:
Macallan 10 Year old Sherry Oak

Region:
Speyside

ABV:
40%

Colour:
Young Sauternes

A Quick Note:  As I've been sick lately and due to this I sadly have been unable to enjoy the beauty that is the water of life and folks have been emailing asking for more reviews I thought that I'd post some reviews that I did earlier for another website.  The following review was done on April 19, 2012.

Review:
So my wife and I have been planning on going to the whisky bar in our city for months now. Every time we make plans SOMETHING always come up. I get called into work a day early, we can't afford to go out, a public holiday that we forgot about is occurring on the day we're going and they're closed or as just happened this last time around, my wife and I got sick.

This has been extremely frustrating for me as this bar has quite a few whiskies I've been meaning to try for a while and so as the day was ending yesterday I was feeling a wee bit down. To the rescue comes my brother in law! I get a text message from him saying "If you can't go to the whisky then the whisky shall come to you!"

A couple hours later my brother and sister in law arrive at the house and he brings with him a bag of whisky. In this bag are a couple whiskies I've never had before along with a couple I've tasted.
So first out comes one of my favorite speyside distilleries Macallan. This Macallan is a 10 yr old Sherry casks which I've never tasted, having tasted, bought and loved the 12 yr old Fine Oak I know I'm in for a treat!

Now as I nose this lovely whisky the smell of sherry strongly comes through the glass. Wonder why that is...oh yeah this is the sherry casks haha. But along with the sherry comes a bit of apples and cinnamon.

Quite an enjoyable nose and I know right away that I'm in speyside land!

Now to taste! No big surprise but the sherry shines all the way through the palate with a bit of the cinnamon and the apple are there, but they're there in the background. Now this bottle had been open for quite a while and I could tell that there had been a bit of oxidation but the flavors were nice, the problem that I could tell is I'm sure that the whisky would have been a bit more complex when first opened. I enjoyed the flavors, but I'm pretty sure I would of enjoyed a freshly opened bottle more.

The finish is what I register as a Macallan Finish. Lots of sweetness, in this case sherry with a bit of vanilla that lingers for a bit and does make you want to go get another drink. A lovely dram that I really could have tried brand new.

It's not the most complex malt in the world, but a very enjoyable one just the same. Just from the drinks I had out of this bottle that had been opened for weeks if not longer it made me want to go out and buy the Macallan 10 yr Sherry cask. Another A+ in my speyside ring!! This would be a whisky that I'd be happy to introduce a newbie too.

Nose:       23/25
Taste:       19/25
Finish:       22/25
Balance:    21/25

Overall:     85/100

Tuesday 22 October 2013

A Day At The Races!


Whisky: Blanton's Special Reserve

Distillery/Brand:
Blanton's

Bottling:
Blanton's Special Reserve

Region:
American

ABV:
40%

Colour:
Full Gold

Review:
I recently came across a bourbon called Blanton's Special Reserve in my local bottle shop that I'd never seen before. I checked my whisky bible and checked my ever trusty friend Connosr to see what others thought of it and saw that it had gotten some good reviews. So I decided to give it a try. I'm REALLY glad I did!

The nose, like all good bourbons is quite sweet with hints of honey, vanilla, some spicy oak and oddly enough red vine licorice. (Is this just me or are more bourbons having that nose and flavor in them lately!?) I got to be honest I'm REALLY loving and digging on the red licorice on the nose!

Time to taste!!

Sweet and spicy!! Vanilla and oak are in my mouth, but what's really jumping up and down on my taste buds is that lovely red licorice!! This lovely red licorice is something I've only encountered in bourbons in Australia and mind you it could be that my palate is improving or it could be that the Aussies are stealing alot of my fun and sweet bourbons! If they are it's time for war because this bourbon is AWESOME!! And a steal at $45 bucks!

The finish is long with quite abit of spice and a little lingering sweetness running through it.

A good bourbon shouldn't break your bank to buy it and the nice thing is Blanton's Special Reserve doesn't.

It's not the best bourbon in the world, but it would likely be a bourbon that I would be happy to introduce a whisky beginner to!

Let The Races Begin!!!

Nose:        23/25
Taste:        22/25
Finish:       21/25
Balance:    21/25

Overall:     87/100

Thursday 10 October 2013

A Gift For The In Laws!

Whisky: Yamazaki 18 year old

Distillery/Brand:
Suntory Yamazaki


Bottling:
Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year old

Region:
Japan
 
ABV:
43%

Colour:
Full Gold

Review:
Recently I purchased a bottle of Yamazaki 18 year old for my father and mother in laws.  They're huge fans of the Yamazaki 12 year old, and I felt that considering how difficult it is to put one's hands on a bottle of the 18 year old, I felt that it would make an awesome Fathers/Mothers Day gift for them.

They were thrilled when they got the bottle and decided that they were going to open the bottle on a special occasion.  Fair enough I'd do the same thing.

A month went by and pretty quickly the year anniversary since our family had purchased and run our business was upon us and in honor of that anniversary the family decided to crack the bottle open.

Even better they invited me over for a dram!

When I got to the house they cracked the bottle and poured me a wee dram, that turned out not to be a wee dram.  I asked for just a nip and they almost completely filled my glencairn.

Holy crap, that's a lot of whisky!

Definitely too much to have at one time.  So I decided to take a nip and bring the rest of it home with me.

Now on my initial taste of the Yamazaki 18 year old, I wasn't very impressed.  I didn't enjoy it and sat there wondering why it was such a popular whisky.

What I wound up doing was pouring the glencairn into a couple sample bottles so that my wife and I could share a dram one night and put the bottles onto the shelf and walked away.

Roughly a month went by before I touched those sample bottles, in the meantime when I visited the in laws I noticed that two thirds of their bottle had been drunk.

Well at least they're enjoying it!

Last night I cracked the sample bottle for my wife and I to enjoy after her kickboxing class and our dinner.

Alright here goes, let's see if this whisky really is all that everyone has been telling me it is.

Oak, vanilla, big citrus, vanilla, slightly floral, cinnamon, pears, apples, coffee, sultanas, smoke.

Holy crap that's an AWESOME nose!!  The whisky has REALLY opened up in the glass since I first had it.  I'm totally loving it and could sit here for hours just nosing it.

Let's see how the palate is doing!

Funky, chocolate, quite oaky, lots of fruit, sultanas, pears, apples, earthy and then slightly spicy, then something definitely funky, I couldn't even begin to describe that flavor, sourish/saltish, what the bloody hell is that!?

Still can't figure out what that odd note, gods that makes me curious.

The finish is very long with fruit and slight spice and smoke.

Well whether it's due to a difference in mood or the whisky opening up in it's sample bottles, but this is a much better whisky then the one that I first tried.

However there is DEFINITELY a funkiness there that I honestly can't decide if I like it or hate it, if it adds or detracts to the whisky.

However all that being said I can see why the Yamazaki 18 is so highly sought after, but still for me I'd have to prefer Hakushu as a Japanese distillery over Yamazaki.  Just a personal preference.

However if you're looking for something different and a little funky I do believe that you'd have fun with the Yamazaki 18 yr old.

However it is not a cheap Japanese whisky running an easy $200 to $300 AUS per bottle and being quite difficult to put your hands on at times so do be aware of that if you decide that a bottle would make a good addition to your cabinet or a good present for a friend.

Now all I have to do is figure out what the hell that funkiness was!


Nose:        24/25
Taste:        21/25
Finish:       21/25
Balance:    20/25

Overall:     86/100

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Talisker On Steroids!



Whisky: Talisker 57 North
 
Distillery/Brand:
Talisker

Bottling:
Talisker 57ยบ North

Region:
Island

ABV:
57%

Colour:
Young Sauternes

Review:
As most people who've spent more then two minutes with me know, I'm a Talisker fan, in fact I'm more then a Talisker fan, I'm a Talisker freak.

The 10 year old is one of those bang for buck entry level whiskies, the 18 year old is Talisker refined. I own three different bottles of Talisker 25 year old, two bottles of Talisker 10 year old, a Talisker 35 year old, two bottles of Talisker 22 year old from Gordon & MacPhail and a bottle of Talisker 57 North.

You get the idea I think.

Now all that being said I'd heard for years how good the Talisker 57 North was and so about six months ago I took the plunge and picked up a bottle. Sadly I wound up doing this RIGHT before the price drop so I wound up paying quite a bit more then it now runs, but was it worth it?

Well it was an easy purchase for me with my love of Talisker and it was with more then a little excitement that I cracked the bottle open the night before my wife and I left for Scotland.

Last night was my tasting for the official review. The bottle had been open from the end of May with a nine tenths fill level.

I pour the whisky into the glencairn and immediately get the aromas that I expect out of Talisker, even without my head being near the glass.

Vanilla, white peppers, soft peat smoke, a little lemon zest, aged oak, some soft fruit notes: strawberries and a hint of sea shore: salt and seaweed.

Love, LOVE the nose! It's everything that I think of when I think of Talisker and just nosing it puts a smile on my face.

Time for a taste though!

First off it is a bigger whisky then the 10 year old, but it doesn't give you any indication of it's 57% abv.

Vanilla, lemon and orange zest, some bitter oak tannins, white peppers, salt, soft smoke, quite a bit of spice, hints of charred oak.

Enjoyable body, thick, a little hot especially for those not used to cask strength whiskies, but still very enjoyable.

The finish is long with caramel and lemon and orange zest.

An enjoyable whisky, but for me the orange zest is a little too overpowering. However I know quite a few guys who are going to LOVE this whisky, while I just enjoy it.

A couple of quick notes regarding the name and abv on this whisky. Talisker 57 North is marketed as a cask strength Talisker. It's not though as the whisky has been watered down to bring it down to the 57 % abv so it's not a true cask strength however it is Talisker on steroids.

The other note about this whisky is that the name actually comes from the distilleries high northern latitude and the watering of the abv down to 57% is also due to the name and continuing with that theme.

I paid roughly $160 for my bottle, which while I enjoy the whisky I don't think I'd purchase it again at that price.

However thankfully the price within the last few months has dropped down to roughly $120 to $135 which I'd happily pay for a bottle of this. If you ever would like a chance to try a high abv Talisker this is definitely going to be your bang for buck whisky as from here on what moving into 20/25/30/35 year old Taliskers the price jumps enormously!

I'd quite happily introduce this whisky to my friends who enjoy a more intense whisky and is in my opinion still one of the Talisker core range whiskies that are worthy of owning.

Nose:          24/25
Taste:          22/25
Finish:         21/25
Balance:      20/25

Overall:       87/100

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Thank You Tasmania!

 http://www.oldhobartdistillery.com/images/large/OHD-sherry-cask-matured-43.jpg

Whisky: Overeem Sherry Cask Matured

Distillery/Brand:
Overeem

Bottling:
Overeem Sherry Cask Matured

Region:
Australia

ABV:
43%

Colour:
Young Sauternes

Review:
So I encountered Overeem single malt whisky at Whisky Live Perth and figured I had to learn more about this distillery and their whisky, especially considering that they were my top whisky choices of the night, and the 2nd pick for almost my entire whisky club, being beaten narrowly by the Kavalan single malts.

I wound up picking up some sample bottles of the entire range after Whisky Live, Overeem Port Cask, Overeem Sherry Cask, Overeem Port Cask Strength and Overeem Sherry Cask Strength.

Last night I decided to crack into the sherry cask matured, having already reviewed the Port Cask Matured.

This release is from cask 37 bottle 91 out of 188 bottles.  That's right, all of the Overeem's are small batches and they are no age statements. I'm honestly going to guess that the whiskies are between 4 and 6 years old.

Let's tuck in shall we?

The nose has lemon, citrus peel, apples, cinnamon, vanilla, grass, honey, nutmeg, allspice, sultanas, icing sugar and is just slightly dusty. 

It's an interesting little nose, enjoyable and sweet.

Time for a taste!

Sweet, enjoyable, little grassy, nice dose of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, wait it's apple pie delicious, hint of cocoa, oranges, some wee cloves.

Very nice.  It's a good little whisky, one that most people would describe as smooth. 

The finish is surprisingly long with orange zest and dark chocolate lingering.

Very nice.  It's definitely a different cask from what I had at Whisky Live, but very enjoyable.  Decent mouthfeel which can often be a problem for whiskies with the lower abvs, thank you so much guys for not dropping this down to 40%, and like the Port Cask matured is what I'd call a bang for buck whisky, running at roughly $130 a bottle.  To be honest I'd be hard pressed to choose which one of the entry level Overeem's that I enjoyed more, they're both great, and I'd love to keep up with how their casks go as I've had some PHENOMENAL Overeems!

Just like the Port Cask matured, if you're looking for an enjoyable little Aussie whisky, you're not going to go wrong with the Overeem Sherry Cask matured.  Soon I'll get a chance to tuck into the Port Cask Strength and Sherry Cask Strength! 

CANT WAIT!!

Nose:        23/25
Taste:        23/25
Finish:       20/25
Balance:    20/25

Overall:     86/100