Adams Antique 10 Years Old

Now onto the 10 Year Old - it's a very similar decanter-style bottle, though a little shorter and wider. With a tax stamp of 1973, I guess this was bottled in 1983 (six years after the 8 Year Old was bottled, hence the slight change in design).

The colour is a medium-dark caramel (a hair darker than the 8 Year Old). On the nose we have the usual ribbons of vanilla and butterscotch, but also a few more savoury spices (cloves, cinnamon, allspice) along with some caraway and anise. Nice amount of oak as well. Water builds a small lumber mill in the glass. Pleasant but nondescript.

On the palate we have a nice burst of peppery spices, thicker caramel, sourdough and almond paste. Creamy, buttery mouthfeel. Sultana raisins. Water gives you black liquorice. An improvement over the nose, but still too sweet for me to fully enjoy.

The finish has some depth with oak, chili pepper and more caramel. So how does it compare with the 8 Year Old? It's definitely an improvement - spicier with discernible rye and more depth of oak - but we're still in the same Crown-Royal-esque wheelhouse as I'm sure you can tell from my notes above. It's neat to have these bottles but honestly, they're not worth seeking out at auction. Pass the ginger ale.