SMWS 46.145 'Castanets and cowboy hats' 15 years 54.5%

Rich aromas of Seville orange marmalade, pears poached in claret and scumptious carrot cake blended into caramel wafers, dipped in honey and served with toffee, ginger biscuits and fragrant cigars. A big and spicy palate moved from ginger and nutmeg to Turkish delight, cinnamon and leather with milk chocolate-coated oak staves. Adding water released oaked chardonnay wine with a lovely buttery complexity that complemented coconut husk, mango and toasted pineapple served with dry sherry. Drier flavours now blended hazelnut husks and heavy wood with scorched leather before almonds joined dried figs and bitter chocolate, with a menthol finish. After 12 years in a bourbon hogshead, this was transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead.