Henstone – Distillery Ex-Bourbon Cask (70cl, 43.8%)

This is an English single malt from Henstone Distillery, matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 43.8% in a 70cl bottle. It has natural colour and has not been chill-filtered. The whisky is mashed, distilled, aged and bottled at the distillery. Henstone makes its own wash on site, which only a small number of distilleries south of the Scottish border do, and uses malted barley for a distinctive new-make spirit. The nose has ripe red apples and cream soda, along with fruit and nut chocolate. The palate is smooth, with most of the action mid-tongue and warmth and nuttiness coming through over the fruit. The finish is long.