Saturday 9 March 2013

OveReem Sherry Cask Matured (Cask Strength, 60%)



Score: 84/100 

ABV: 60%
Region:
Tasmania, Australia
Body:
Medium
Intensity: High
Texture:
Medium
Balance:
Superb
Best served:
Neat

Theme(s): Dry, sherry, vine fruits
Likes: Big bursts of sherry and dryness
Dislikes: A little brittle and thin, mild stench of new spirit
Price:
$170


The high quality sherry shines through in this whisky, as it releases bursts of dryness in a dense fog of sweet yet heavy red wine illuminated with flashes of Moscato, fig and prune. It is also silky smooth on the palate. All this points to the use of great quality ingredients and sherry casks, as well as excellent distillation skills. The only negative is a nagging new spirit stench, indicating to me at least that this whisky is a tad immature. 

30 year old Spanish sherry alongside
Moscato grapes
This whisky is produced by the Old Hobart Distillery. I had tasted the Port Cask, whereas this is the Sherry Cask. What is the difference between port and sherry? Both are fortified wine, but traditionally port is originally from Portugal whereas sherry is originally from southern Spain. 

Tasting notes - OveReem Sherry Cask

Colour

This whisky has light tinges of brown and red in a sea of gold.  

Nose

On the nose high quality sherry wafts into the air, with hints of cherry and a dusting of icing sugar layered over Christmas cake. Vanilla develops on the nose, with more subtle notes of walnut and pumpkin seeds as mineral water provides a welcome breeze of freshness. Shavings of dark chocolate and some orange extract bring bitterness, as the unmistakable smell of black Forrest cake with sour cherry and cream wafts up from the glass. I can go on for hours. This has shimmers of sweetness (fig, prune, Moscato grape), but it is not overly sweet. As it rests a mild honey lifts from the nose.

The new make smell taints the whisky a little, detracting from the experience.

OveReem Sherry Cask 60%

Taste 

The sweetness on the nose does not overwhelm the palate, and it balances beautifully with the bitterness of the dark chocolate  the sweetness of the black Forrest combined with the sourness of the cherry. It moves from the nose to the palate almost seamlessly and without disruption. What I particularly love is that while there are undertones of sweetness, there is a burst of bitterness and sourness; a sourness that is distinctly OveReem whisky! (I got this with the Port cask too). That dry note is a heavy red wine, like a grenache/Cabernet sauvignon that is sensationally dry with sparks of sweetness and an almost chewy Moscato grape with undertones of prune and fig. Lovely balance, with extremely high quality sherry as the foundation. The lusciousness of creme brulee with its crisp bitterness intermingling with the sweet sugar is sensational. 

It is a powerful whisky with bursts of flavour. 

Finish  

The finish is sensational. It is long, strong and it lasts a while.

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