Blackened X Willet Straight Rye Cask Strength 750ml

Nose: The Madeira-cask finishing makes itself apparent immediately. This is a whiskey that has a sweetness on the nose, almost a plumminess, which I attribute to the influence of the sweet wine. I get strawberry, blood orange and fresh-ground mint. Palate: It may not have smelled like a traditional rye, but you taste the rye spice as soon as you take a sip. It hits you immediately, then dissipates just as quickly. Behind the spice, there’s – at the risk of the obvious cliché – a darkness. I’d equate it to pomegranate, fig preserves, charred wood and sweet tobacco leaves.