Nose: The glass sat across to the table from me for 45 minutes while I got sucked in by one more work thing. It has a lovely arm’s-length nose. Warm woods and a sweet spice. And then as I approach, an explosion of summer berry medley. A nice tartness to the nose once it sits, full on tangerine or key lime. It still has a sharp alcohol layer, which isn’t particularly enticing, but I can sniff past it if I don’t agitate the glass too much.

Palate: Biting right into a navel orange, peel and all. Try it and chew some time. It’s a fun experience. Super juicy but also has that bitter foundation. Definitely lots of cran-raspberry. I drank gallons of ocean spray as a kid. My blood is probably 2% cran-raz. Hint of sulfur, but I’m super sensitive and I doubt many would notice it. Just adds to the flavor. Then a wave of heat like ginger or white peppercorn. The wood is quite lovely, with a foundation of oak spices.

Rating: 7 / 10 – Blind sample. This is ridiculously good, but I’m in a super bad mood which makes scoring hard. Going to stop at a single taste. Drinking in a bad mood is lame. I went back to it a week later and liked it so much I found a bottle of batch 01 that had been collecting dust for a discount. The shop owner emailed me to see if I wanted them 2 for 1 as they weren’t selling. I now own 6. =)