Taster

Nose: Cherry liqueur, cocoa powder, then fruit gums. Strawberry flavoured toffee and cedar wood. Deliciously sweeter with water and lots of red fruits. Toffee bonbons and baked strawberry tart.

Palate: A tingling of aniseed. Bitter dark chocolate, grapefruit zest and a dryness like pomegranate. Not as sweet as the nose suggests at first.

Finish: Viscous and velvety, and has an edgy woody finish.

Comment: The nose is better without water, but the taste better with a lovely port finish.

Score: 8.1

Taster

Nose: Slightly browned apple, a hint of fresh cherry, polished mahogany and roasted butternut squash. Very oaky, but with an underlying spirit too.

Palate: Intensely dry on the first sip with an almost Manhattan note coming through. The wood is overpowering and needs taming. Water brings some sanity, a touch of caramel, red apple skin and intense cinnamon.

Finish: The dry notes linger, with a prickle of spirit slowly diminishing against a backdrop of starchy vegetable.

Comment: A lot of wood comes through. This will definitely divide opinion.

Score: 7.4