Bladnoch The Dragon Series Iteration III The Casks Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

The Casks is the third iteration in the Dragon Series, this time highlighting the process of coopering. Crafting Bladnoch’s barrels requires consideration of the oak species, growth environment, and technical aspects of toasting, charring, and seasoning. This expression is bottled at 49.9% ABV and combines the richness of first-fill American oak bourbon wood with the complexity of first-fill Spanish oak Sherry casks, delivering a more robust profile that's been summed up as "...complex, herbal, grassy, spicy and a little alcoholic with the sweetness of jam and a significant sherry influence". (whiskybase.com) 49.9% Alc./Vol. 2000 bottles produced.

Other reviews... Colour: gold. Nose: I’m finding a touch of shoe polish and of course a good deal of walnuts, green or aged, a classic sherry marker. It then veers towards bitter orange, always a development I enjoy, and also a bit of modelling clay that takes one straight back to childhood. A few hints of soot and dunnage, even a whiff of hessian. Could there be a little peat in this baby? Mouth: it’s a bit like the bourbon version, only drier still, properly on green walnut and even ashes. Still that very grassy, tight character, this certainly wasn’t a sweet sherry cask, or so it seems. That said, we don’t really find any peat on the palate, the impression on the nose seems to have been but a fleeting moment. Finish: long, still on those notes of green walnut and modelling clay. Comments: I think I slightly preferred the bourbon version, which was more direct and fresher, but this drier, more sherried take is also very good. 84 points - whiskyfun.com