Nose: Black licorice, coffee, warm smoke, solvent.
Palate: Molasses, licking envelopes, cardboard, gentle rolled oats, cold press coffee on the finish, green peppercorn
Rating: 5 / 10 – fun first start
Nose: Brown ale sweetness, tiny hint of menthol.
Palate: Brown sugar, nutty, creamy, the porter really works, green apple, great finish
Rating: 7 / 10
Nose: Grassy
Palate: Brine/salty, boiled sweets, omega 3 oil, black chocolate / coffee bitterness
Rating: 4 / 10
Nose: Grosielle, cedar.
Palate: Sour red fruits.
Rating: 6 / 10
Nose: Apple vinegar, citrus notes, granny apple peel
Palate: Ooohhh sparkly in my mouth, nigiri sake, oatmeal cookies.
Rating: 7 / 10
Nose: Caramel, twinkies, sultanas.
Palate: Peated, maritime, dates, dark brown bread, gingerbread, ham, dried pineapple, fruit tobacco
Rating: 6 / 10 – intense. Peated. Quarter 120L PX cask.
Nose: Pretty alcohol forward. Thinking I might need to stop using my nosing glass on these. Too young. Under the alcohol though are some very nice elements. Lemon parfait, cedar, creme brûlée.
Palate: Okay that is quite good and in line with the nose. Sweet and tart. Lemon heads. Cedar. Caramel / werther’s original. Nice oaky notes – hints of cinnamon and cloves on this finish.
Rating: 6 / 10 – this has incredibly promise. I get why they bottled it. Cashflow for a young brand is critical. But I wish I could have tasted this at 6-7 years. Or 10.
Nose: I poured this blind and it smells of cranberries and rose hips. Feeling kind of tickled… pink. A very sweet nose, confectioners powdered sugar. A pot de creme with a crackling candied crust. Pink peppercorn simple syrup. I’m really enjoying the smell, as I work on 2024 budgets. It’s an uplifting counterpoint to the crass realities of finance.
Palate: Oh … OH. a sugar bomb but not in the classic bourbon or thick syrup sherry vain. Not even the Sauternes or Tokaj as those come with a touch of funk (that I also enjoy). Reminds me of cultivating honeysuckles on the fence out behind verve. And the smell of passion flowers. Penny ice creamery would be making fresh waffle cones. It was a heady combo. Sweet vanilla notes and while I rarely gravitate to young grains, this complements those cereal notes so well. Like the first time I tried Life cereal.
Rating: 7 / 10 – I would easily reach for this on a day where I want a sweetie.
Nose: Christmas fruitcake. Which for whatever reason I haven’t dove into yet this year. I love those things, and need to get my act together. Nutmeg and cloves. Date nuggets. Noooo .. raisin nut bran. Those little nut covered raisins had such a distinctive profile. And while I like all the notes, the smell feels forced. Which is a bit unusual for Dunsville for me. There is a notable young base smell.
Palate: Yeaaah… the nose called it. Burney on the approach. A fun bran vibe. Good rich fruit notes – unripe figs, medjool dates. Brings me to Turkish sweets which isn’t necessarily a PC but more PX note? A bigger sip rounds it out. I’d write more but Julie calls. There is a bitter underlayer, somewhat abrasive, that fights with the sweetness.
Rating: 5 / 10 – a fine pour, but was expecting more. Maybe I’ll try again another night with more time
Nose: Freaking nutella. Even the smell of it after all these years makes me flinch. Not enough people know that you can poison yourself on nutella just like you can with alcohol. If you are 8 years old and eat a gallon of that spread. But for everyone who thinks it smells amazing, chocolate hazelnut butter. Under that richness is a potent nose crinkler. Turnips? Pink peppercorn. Slightly under ripe raspberries. And dried wood varnish, the day after I apply it to the sauna bench. Which is my new pride and joy. I know I basically live in the tropics, but there is something amazing to a legit steam room that soothes my soul and makes me full of joy.
Palate: The biscuits they serve with coffee, or on airplanes. Can’t remember the name for the life of me, but it’s sorta butter n cabinet spices… approaching graham crackers. Unripe honeydew melon. With its potential for vast sweetness with a tart twist thrown in. Touch of caramel and vanilla. Smack of oak, noticeable without overwhelming but mighty present. Finish has a nice spice vibe, nutmeg and light touch of cloves..
Rating: 6 / 10 – lovely. Fun palate with plenty to offer. The notes kind of fight with each other rather than harmonizing
Nose: Chocolate mochi. Not the icecream ones, but the jelly like bean paste. I actually prefer the fried red bean sesame balls personally. Which also applies quite well on this nose. I kinda screwed up the first piece of mothers day today. Brunch! Yes please!! Reservations … craaaaaaap. Thank goodness I had those legacy Michael Jackson tickets in my back pocket. Not necessarily my jam, but happy wife. After 30 minutes of wandering we found an open asian buffet, which had a line but gave us a table. Sweet and sour soup. The deep fried duck was a standout, paired with the plum sauce takes me into the classic oloroso dried dark fruit. Goji berries and fresh leather. A lovely nose. The celery salt note I associate with older redbreast is a touch hidden, but not lost.
Palate: Yum. Packed with flavor without getting too deep and brooding. Dried cranberries, cherries, dark chocolate and granola trail mix. Pomegranate reduction on chocolate sorbet. Cloves and cinnamon sprinkled on toasted butter brioche. A gorgeous oak hug. It’s just elegant. Pairs well with a solid bossa nova.
Rating: 8 / 10 – Thank you so much @martin for the sample. There is a mystique to the oldest age statements, but FaH nailed it with picking the younger sibling.
Nose: Remind me of the first old marc de bourgogne I tried. It even has that brute orujo vibe on the first sniff; eau de paint thinner. Which quickly passes. Mom’s greenhouse after the season is done, and it’s mostly empty. Just a few desiccated tomato vines. Yellowed newspaper. Freeze dried mushrooms. And something green, alfalfa? Perhaps. Not a nose I’m particularly chasing but let’s see. Kinda scared this will just rip my face off although the nose doesn’t burn.
Palate: Wow. Not at all what I expected. Sure all the notes from the nose are there. But WHAT AN EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR. Sorry I doubted you Tom. The reference to marc is dead on. Blind I would have guessed a Jacoulot. I don’t even know where to start. I keep sipping and getting distracted by the gnarly kaleidoscope of sensations. Like the first time I ate a hashish cake in Biarritz. Let me warn you, eating large amounts of hash is definitely a good way to see the world in a different way, but it’s a rough trip if you aren’t prepared. An explosion of lemon sorbet with small swirls of lime zest. Walnuts. Dolmas, which are stuffed grape leaves filled with rice and a strong vinegar vibe. Juniper berries. Radish sprouts, with their bite, far superior to the more common alfalfa sprout. Chewing on peppercorns. Proof feels high, and almost estery, but I have no clue what we are looking at. Low to mid 60s? Asked Martin.
Rating: 6 / 10 – This blew me away. It’s unabashedly brazen on the palate, although I don’t think anyone should have more than a small pour at time. I asked M****n for some legit mountain dew. That back country shit that people trade like pokemon cards. He sent me a whole care package, each labeled with a name and year. Thanks for being the first one T0m, you do good work and set a high bar.
Nose: Stick of faded juicy fruit chewing gum. Peach tea. Allspice, which is a ridiculous pain in the ass to grind. I don’t think most people know how big those suckers are. I actually had no idea they were a dried pepper tree fruit until I moved to Spain where they call them Jamaican pepper. As it sits and breathes, a bit of red fruit goodness surfaces.
Palate: Oh. What a pairing. I have a secret soft spot from my time living in the middle east for the smell of flavored tobacco. Sitting in the roadside stands in 45c heat, sipping sweet mint tea and playing backgammon while people took turns sharing a pipe of fruit flavored tobacco just carries the flair of youthful adventure. Strawberry fruit leather. Dark chocolate. Mexican ancho or guajillo chillies, something with an earthy flair. Cabinet spices and pink peppercorn.
Rating: 9 / 10 – the palate is so balanced and rich. Just keeps giving. This is one of the best pours I’ve had year to date. Freaking hat trick.
Nose: Plum butter, buttery: lemon cookies, shortbread with powdered sugar, unripe white peach
Palate: Lemon sour grass, elderflower syrup, clover, endives, grapefruit peel, sour mountain strawberries, cedar, a fun gin n tonic sour, with a fizz on the mouthfeel.
Rating: 7 / 10 – fruity and delightful. While I love sour, I worry others might find it too much. Tom Says all good and not to overthink it. He gave it a thumbs up. A little more body and this could be a solid 8. We both agree to let it run the summer and they try it again to see if it’s ready to bottle. This is nearly 20 years at time of sample in 2022. AHAHAHA it’s May 2026 and I am posting this note online and I haven’t bottled it yet. Hopefully this summer when I visit in person.
Nose: Tobacco, green tabasco sauce, pickled sweet banana peppers, apple tree leaves, green mango with salt, wet clay, potting soil, and hay. Key limes.
Palate: Like a lovely southern side dish.Clay and lime. Squash blossoms. Green tomatoes. aligns really nicely with the nose. Not complex, but super approachable.
Rating: 6 / 10 – Love child between a sotol and eau de vie. Probably wouldn’t reach for it often but will gladly drink it and share it with friends.
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