Freddie Khan
May 25, 2026, 17:04:54
Blimey, where to start… pours a deep ambery gold in the glass, proper thick and oily. Nose hits like a creel net dragged through a puddle of tar and old engine grease – hugely medicinal peat smoke, sharp ointments, hospital corridors. Then the boiler smoke rolls in, smoked kippers, anchovies, and a whiff of rubber fishing wellies that’s almost veering towards the comic. There's hessian, pine resin, and something wonderfully dirty, coasterly grubby. On the palate it’s extremely big, punchy, and full of miso paste umami – salted butter, cured game meats, black olives, smoked sea salt. That brine mixed with lemon juice cuts through, then it doubles down on tarred rope, bitter dark chocolate, espresso, and a slick of root beer syrup. Quite challenging stuff, but there’s a dry sherry profile humming underneath with expensive marzipan and salted almonds. Finish is long, leathery, peppery, a bit of fennel seed and slated liquorice, trailing off into smoked chilli and a wonderfully thick salty vibe. Really damn good, one of those ilk that stays with you for ages.
