Macquarie Gillies Newsletter – March 2014
HEARTWOOD ‘CONVICT REDEMPTION’ Batch 2 – 12 yo – 71.9 ABV – $240 RRP (but special $200 including postage to MacGillies Club)
Colour: Bronze; burnt toffee
Nose: “Plumcake’ pipe tobacco; vanilla; banana; shellac; roses; apricots; fruitcake, slightly overcooked/burnt; eucalypt; wild garlic; Spicy Fruit Pillows (Arnotts); freshly peeled cumquats; burnt apricot jam; ‘Tabac Original’ after shave
Palate: Most moist fruitcake ever tasted; sensational; well brewed tea with a touch of bergamot/Seville orange extract; sucks into the tongue, SO lovely!; sensational; liquid tokay (?!?!); shiraz & cinnamon; underside of burnt toast; too harsh in alcohol content
Finish: Super long; super; furry, velvety; delightfully perfumey in the empty glass
Comments: Simply stunning; a world beater, Tim!; would swear it was a sherried cask, not a port one; alcohol starts to burn after 15 minutes, but not at the beginning; absolutely fantastic; a ball-tearer; alcohol well managed; very nice, albeit challenging
AVERAGE SCORE: 8.34
We came back to the Heartwood Convict Redemption Batch 2 after enjoying a rich caramel tart dessert, with the following comments added:
Nose: Damp; mellowed; like it less – more alcohol ‘burn’ prevalent; not as good as before; gum trees
Palate: Loses some of its sweetness; more bitter; beautiful; liquid raisins; slightly burnt plum pudding; bushfire after rain – smoky, wet ash
Finish: A bit hotter and aggressive, but still very nice; slightly more bitter; more kick in a long finish
Comments: An ‘end of nighter’; preferred it more at first taste; nose not as good after the dessert; BEFORE- the nicest thing I’ve ever tasted: AFTER – some bitterness.
POST-DESSERT AVERAGE SCORE: 8.23
What a sensational contribution to the whisky World is Tim Duckett’s Heartwood series of releases! Few if any malts could stand up to such comparative tasting before and after a rich dessert! Nice one Tim!