Nose: Somewhat funky and off-beat at first, on the same sour/copper coin spectrum that Ben Nevis sometimes sits on. Whiffs of rhubarb as well as farmy notes, complemented by creamy vanilla, peeled apple parts and pear. It has a distinct note of rye bread and just a touch of aniseed, as well as a grassy bitterness.
Taste: This is where the Littlemill comparison makes much more sense. There’s even a cardboard note. It’s fruity (whiffs of mango and grapefruit), sweet and frankly very delicious, but also slightly spicy and with a touch of menthol tobacco. Somewhat grassy and with a touch of tarragon.
Finish: Old oak and a tad dry yet fruity and herbacious.
Score: 90
The nose and palate are worlds apart, but the latter sits somewhere between Littlemill and those really fruity late 1980s Irish malt whiskies. That’s a huge compliment. Peculiar at times and utterly moreish at once. Very unique and a bit of a Janus whisky, this Old Rhoshdu from the WhiskyNerds.
BOW (89)
courtesy of whiskynotes.be:
Nose: a mix of dry, leafy hints (hay, dried meadow flowers) with some waxy notes and subtle dusty, vegetal notes. Wet newspaper. Growing notes of wholegrain bread. Caramel. Yellow apples and melons. An old-style, rather herbal and rather understated profile.
Mouth: sweet and honeyed, on vanilla cream and hints of guava and bananas. Some pink grapefruit, making this slightly Irish (even though it misses some of the tart notes that I love in Bushmills for example). After the fruits it returns to malty notes, always with this herbal, bittersweet grassy side, showing a little mint, cumin and white pepper. Subtle resin too.
Finish: medium, with hints of porridge, more mint, herbs and soft wood spice.
A peculiar, dusty style on the nose but the generous fruits on the palate (Irish but not quite) make it a lot more interesting.
