Deanston Palo Cortado Cask Finish 1997 21y

A Dry Base Jumper

Reviewed by victor


Palo Cortado is a type of sherry that was originally meant to become a fino or amontillado, but changed its mind along the way and began to oxidize like an oloroso and had its destiny changed. Sort of an accident, but a useful and sometimes happy one.

0.9 (Amontillado Sherry)

Nose

Malty, toasty, fruity, Hard to place the fruitiness on the fresh/cooked scale, just a general and overall fruitiness and freshness to the nose. Bits and pieces of a lot here, vanilla as well as cinnamon and citrus.

Palate

Very fresh, but still with that malty base. I'm not tasting this blind, but it's easy to recall both the 12 and 18 year old standard Deanston bottlings as I think the common ground here is large. Drying mouthfeel that grows exponentially with time left in mouth!

Finish

Boom! A big hit of warmth, a bit of spice, and fruits. Really kicks in once it leaves the palate, this one. Grows quite a bit before ending dry-ish, and finally leaving a bit of cooked fruit on the tongue. Cooked strawberries, if I have to specify.

Nice, round and balanced nose. Interesting palate and a very nice and complex finish. Stays with you for a long time. I really think this is best described as the 18 year old bottling with an added dryness, a bit more kick and a dash of fresh fruitiness. Definitely not on the cooked fruit / raisins side of the sherry spectrum. Lovely whisky.

Score

88 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

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