Aroma: Rich in toffee and crème-brulee, drizzled with fresh menthol, warm cinnamon and deep aniseed spices. Mint humbugs and a sweet honey-lemon complexity follows.
Taste: Crème-brulee with a burst of mouth-watering pineapple, poached pears and apricots, smothered with vanilla custard.
Finish: The finish is long and smooth with a lingering mix of honey and almond, coconut ice and traces of aniseed.Five thousand miles away on a secluded Missouri hillside, oak perfect for the maturation of this whisky reaches straight for the heavens. Here, in the relative shade of these north-facing slopes, we hand-select oak that has grown slowly enough to create a spongier and more porous wood. Perfect for welcoming the spirit and imparting the maximum amount of flavour. The 'Astar', meaning journey in Gaelic, has certainly come a long way. But with its bright gold colour and smooth but spicy finish, we feel the journey has been more than worth it. Non chill-filtered.
BOW (93)
Astar’s flavor profile is similar to Glenmorangie 10 year old in many respects (showing a superb balance of sweetness, fruit and spice). It’s not as subtle as the 10 year old expression, but it is creamier, richer, and fleshier, with loads of honeyed vanilla, coconut cream pie, toasted almond, vibrant spice (cinnamon, mint) and a basketful of citrus and summer fruits. And the fact that it is bottled at 100 British Proof (57.1% abv) just accentuates every flavor and helps to make this whisky quite invigorating. Imagine Glenmorangie 10 year old with a shot of testosterone. I don’t rate very many ten year old whiskies or younger over 90. This whisky certainly has earned that right.
