The Gauldrons
Sherry Cask Finish
Pertinent Information:
Made up of single cask single malts from the Campbelltown region of Scotland.
Married together and then finished in Spanish Sherry casks.
Outturn of 2125 bottles worldwide
ABV 46.2%
No colour added and non-chill-filtered
In The Glass
Having tried the regular release of The Gauldrons a few times previous, this one is a bit darker in the glass than the non-sherried versions which makes total sense.
A quick swirl around the glass reveals very thin, but very very slow moving legs. A preclude to the quality of spirits that go into this blend.
Nose
There is a definite sweetness up front on the nose of this one. A lot of toffee and brown sugar, it actually reminds me of the brick of Mackintosh’s toffee I used to get every Christmas. There is an orchard fruit note I find right before the maritime brine/minerality starts up. The sweet notes from the opening nosing mixed with the minerality of the deeper nose leave me thinking of salted caramel toppings on dark chocolate as I pull the Glencairn away from my nostrils.
Palate
This one hits heavier than the abv suggests. But not in sharpness or in a burny alcohol way. More in the fullness of the flavours. A tinge of effervescence with a creamy full mouth feel. Like a blast from flavour town if flavour town was Campbelltown. Right away the sherry cask is claiming its place on my tongue. Oloroso spice and what almost reminds me of the note I get from most roasted malt whiskies. Not a super sweet sherry note but it's in there. A waft of smoke trickles throughout but more like a distant candle has been blown out. The initial oak and sweetness give way to a touch of baking spices, some cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a slight ginger note. There is a background of some fruit and malt that kinda just float around behind the more up front notes.
Finish
After all the flavour starts to fade away, I'm left with a slight peppery, peaty smoke note that's also drying yet still finds that caramel sweetness riding shotgun on the finish. Not a super long finish but one that immediately makes you want to take another sip. What started off as full flavoured and creamy mouth coating is now finally perking up and tickling a tiny bit.
Conclusion
I got this bottle on a recommendation from a fellow whisky enthusiast. I am more than pleasantly surprised by it so far. It takes that Campbelltown characteristic and matches it with just the right amount and right type of sherry casking. Not too sweet to take away the spirits presence and present enough to make it worth being a limited release. Where is the source for this blend? We probably will never know for sure but seeing as how it's a blend from Campbelltown, there definitely has to be at least some spirit from the Springbank/Kilkerran/Longrow/Hazelburn stable. From a few recent drams I have had, I would put this mainly in the Glen Scotia range of profiles with maybe a touch of Kilkerran. Who knows it could even be a “Teaspoon” blend for all we know. What I can say for sure is this is a bottle I am very glad to have on my shelf and share with anyone looking for a slightly funky little treat.
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