Review by: Raygun

First from the Speyside distillery for me, and first Fox Fitzgerald bottling. Fox Fitzgerald is best known for the Peat’s Beast line, but they have a handful of other bottlings, including this one bottled for a society in Taiwan. It appears it was named after a 2018 Taiwanese TV drama. Thanks to zSolaris for the sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Speyside  

Bottler: Fox Fitzgerald   

Region/style: Speyside

ABV: 59.9%

Age: 5 years old. Distilled in 2015, bottled in 2021. 

Cask type: Hogshead #2914, 316 bottles

Color: 1.3 russet. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Pretty woody and sweet at first sniff. Apples, chocolate, orange, and some honey. Has some heat to it. Nice cake richness to it. Noticeably spirity. Getting some varnish. 

Palate: Some heat here as well. It’s a tough one to read. Malt, I’m pretty sure. Woody, but not as much as new oak would be. Some sherry-like flavors with chocolate and coffee, but not too strong. Then some honey and a touch of orange. A bit sharp. Sharp and a touch harsh. Not sulfury, but spicy like radish. Water helps.

Finish: Not so much heat here. Oak richness is there, though not much spice to it. Chocolate, cookies, a bit of coffee bitterness. There’s some fruit to it, like stewed berries. Still a bit of spicy radish. Coffee is stronger. More cooked berries with water. 

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Guess: Another tough one. No obvious clues. I think it’s Scotch, 14 years. Could be refill sherry or a vatting of different casks. Or a finish I suppose. Some sherry in any case. Around 55%. Highlands, I guess.     

Post-reveal thoughts: Wow, much younger than I expected. More cask information would be nice; hogsheads are usually ex-bourbon, but not always. I think it’s more likely than not that this was a sherry hogshead, but no way to know for sure.   

Conclusion: No small achievement to produce something drinkable at 5 years, even if it’s not great. Youth comes out in some spirity and pungent aspects. I don’t recall having anything unpeated this young, and it’s not bad. Still, my preference for whisky beyond kindergarten age has not changed.   

Score: 73

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)