Hyde Cask Strength 8yo

Advent day 19

These reviews are the first ones I attempt and are part of the advent calendar me and my good friend Jim made for each other. These 24 whiskies I’m trying will serve as a “bootcamp” for getting me started on reviewing my whisky. As such I hope the reviews will improve over time. To clarify the process; this is a blind tasting and the post title and category is set after the reveal.


Nose
Leather, subtle hints of coffee. Ash and burned wood. Dark pralines. Fairly anonymous or rather one-sided on the nose. After a few minutes it expands a bit more and the oak becomes more dominant.
Score: 21

Palate
Lots of ash. Peated smoky oak with a background of dark chocolate and dark roasted coffee beans. A few sips in I can still get a gentle vanilla tone coming through under all the smokiness.
Score: 23

Finish
A decent length of finish! Coffee and charred oak. The vanilla is definitely stronger in the finish taking you on a journey from smoke and ash to an almost entirely sweet experience. It’s like having an espresso infused praline melt in the mouth.
Score: 23

Body
This is to me a great smoky whisky, the kind you may find yourself indulge too much in and end up with heartburn as a result. The colour is that of rapeseed oil and the mouthfeel is quite viscous leaving a somewhat oily feeling on the roof of the mouth.
Score: 23

Total: 90

Guesses
Wood finished oak with lots of charr. Single malt aged whisky, let us say 12y. Probably an Islay whisky or it could be something like Kilkerran from Campbeltown. 48%.

Reveal
Hyde Cask Strength 8yo Single Grain.
Irish whisky at 59% ABV.
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/hyde/hyde-8-year-old-cask-strength-whiskey/

Personal note: Well well well.. I definitely have a weakness where I confuse alcohol burn with peat when blind testing! Something to work on!

I’ve reccently found myself favouring the less heavy whiskies where the complex of multiple flavour may come through but I found this coffee-rich vanilla filled burning bomb lovely!