OB 12yo 43% 2008 bottling - Strathisla

[scotchio]

N Quite rich,brown sugar,aniseed ,cake spices(cinamon ginger,spotted dick?),mint, some vanilla,a little orangy fruit.Sweetish

T Lightly fruity start,pleasant build up of tingly spice,light orange juice fruit but aniseed balls really come through in mid palate,demerera,mint and vanilla toward the end. medium side of full bodied

F Nicely coating,big dollop of creamy vanilla,still a little orange and aniseed about. Ends quite cool,mint and creamy vanilla.

B Quite nice,on the sweet side,nose is quite interesting,feels like there's a hint of sulphur about but not enough to do any harm.

[Pudge72]

Nose - Floral, fragrant, sweet with notes of slightly ripe banana and pear. Overall very pleasant as the sweeter notes are balanced with a pinch of clove and cinammon, as well as an underlying oak presence. The clove/cinammon was more present with the addition of several drops of water, which were added as previous samplings had a bit of a closed off feeling to them.

Taste - light peat and salt, slightly sweet and grassy. Some honey and pear were noted. The sweet and light notes transferred well from nose to mouth. A closed off sensation permeates for me throughout multiple tastings. I may be missing something, but I am left with feeling that all the notes are present for a wonderful presentation, but for some reason, they just do not assemble fully for the final performance.

Finish - A slightly full mouth feel is created, which transfers to a cinnamon/spice finish that lingers, moreso when water is added. The pear note carries through, in varying degrees, from nose, to mouth, to finish.

Overall, this dram has many positive elements, but ultimately I am left feeling that this dram never fully opens up. Promise for something great seems to be left lingering in the glass...