N.Z. Malt Whisky Co 21 Year Old South Island

South Island is the NZMWC’s bestseller, that used to be marketed as Lammerlaw single malt. It matured exclusively on American ex-bourbon casks.

Fruity nose that I can only associate with the color yellow. Think lemon, Turkish Delight, vanilla, some wild flowers, something leathery and mint. Not in that order, by the way. After a few moments, I also get nuts, nougat, chewing tobacco, yellow plums, sultanas and icing sugar. Gummy bears. Hint of white chocolate and pear drops. Wow, this is a whole panoply of aromas and I quite like it.

The arrival is soft, a little too light in fact. But luckily it offers enough flavor to make up for that. Floral with nuts and fruitcakes, but also sweet malt and breakfast cereals. The gummy bears return. It also tastes somewhat dusty, if you know what I mean. Vanilla everywhere, along with the yellow plums.

The spices come out nicely in the medium long finish, which leaves your mouth dry. Some tobacco and pepper at the death.

Nice malt, but it cannot fulfill the promise of the nose on the palate. I found this one to match perfectly with some dark chocolate with pistachio nuts. Jim Murray gave this one 95 points in his 2014 Bible. What? Yep.