Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Matured

Nose: Very much sherry driven with honey & grape intermingling. Vanilla oak, you get a rancio note in here as well. The barely can be distinguished from it all surprisingly. Lastly, there is some tangerine note in here also.

Palate: Light bodied. The oak is very prominent here with hints of vanilla. Slight tannins. You can really taste the barley here as well as the citrus. The sherry stays in the background and lets the oak hog the limelight too much for my taste.

Finish: Dry(tannin) but yet quite oily. Very much oak driven once again. You get hints of pine and pine nuts, citrus rinds. A little bitter & sour as well. My least favorite part of the overall experience.

Overall it's decent but not even approaching anything great. The nose is inviting but the taste and finish is rather one dimensional and over oaked. I was left thinking "Where did the sherry go?" Too much time in regular oak cask and not enough time to mature in the sherry cask perhaps?