HD 2018 CH (64,3%, The Whisky Jury ‘The Ester Hunter’ 2025, Catch #5, bourbon barrel #CH-56)
Nose: lots of esters and hydrocarbons, diesel fumes, glue and faint acetone. Then new plastics, wet cardboard and massive pineapple funk. Some varnished notes and light wood. In terms of fruits it’s mostly a story of lots of briney lemons and a subtle dose of green banana. Hair spray too!
Mouth: massive and hot, I’d suggest to add water right away. It brings out more fruits like pineapple and peaches, along with lemon peels, green olives and an almost tannic drying effect of the esters. Nice sour notes, some industrial glue, paint and salinity.
Finish: very long, on vinegar and salt, lemon peels and heavy liquorice.
This is a brutal beast, immediately explosive until the last sip. The ABV is totally merciless, but it gets tamed easily without taking away much of the magic. Still available in a few places.
