Highland Laird Tennessee Whiskey 2011 (6 year old) 60%
Distilled at George Dickle/ Dist: 2011 Btl: 2016(?)/ Tasted: June 2016
The nose displays plenty of soft but vibrant herbal rye with dark chocolate, coffee and astringent sour mash notes. However the developing sweet oak balances. Quite spicy with hints of perfumed rye and grippy, spicy rye. Wow! This is a rye fest! A touch of malt biscuits, toasted corn and violets appears with time. Raw and young but showing some lovely complexity and polish.
The palate opens with the soft, toasted corn, treacle, toffee and sweet oak. The herbal rye and sour mash notes come through along with hints of bitter liquorice, toasted oak, toffee coated banana and sweet apricot. For such a high abv the alcohol is extremely well behaved and integrated. Long and biscuity with perfumed violets, milk chocolate, rye bread and dark, chocolaty tannins and lingering sour fruit. Now that is a lovely, intense Tennessee whiskey!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 