Nose: An earthy whirlwind of peat smoke, tea steeped prunes,
dark fruitcake, Frank Coopers original Oxford marmalade smeared on burnt granary
toast, hickory bbq sauce, crispy bacon rinds, coffee grounds, dark chocolate
cherry liqueurs, jam mallow biscuits, Toffo original toffees, charred oak,
white pepper and a subtle squeeze of Germolene.
Palate: Pleasing protrusions of peat smoke infused bitter
orange marmalade, crispy maple cured bacon, bourbon steeped raisins and sultanas,
tinned prunes, espresso coffee, Bournville chocolate, Jamaica ginger cake, Longley
Farm blueberry yogurt, blackberry jam, sweet oak, white pepper, five spice and
tease of something mentholy fresh.
Finish: A full and fabulous smoked, spiced, rounded finish,
that lingers well on into the night and beyond!
Summary: It’s not every year that an independent bottler in itself
becomes one of our dramming highlight of the year, but in 2020 The Sipping Shed
has become just that.
From their inaugural batch of releases that we first poured
and explored in our Tweet Tasting back in March, which consisted of a glorious gaggle
of Ardmore, Ben Nevis, Caol Ila and Linkwood bottlings, The Sipping Shed is a brand
that continues to go from strength to strength, with its ‘when it’s ready, it’s
ready’, approach to bottling and releasing whisky.
The Sipping Shed’s first Ardmore release earlier this year,
which was a gutsy and glorious 9 Year Old, is still on track to be our dram of
the year, but I can tell you that this second offering will most definitely be riding
high in our end of year countdown.
