VS Distillers J. Gow Wild Yeast Series NMO 2021 Moscatel

 I can some this up in two words: - Nearly there!! Either it required a longer maturation to eek out more moscatel influence and flavours or maybe a fresher cask for next time - the distillate is 100% robust to handle a fresher cask so impressed with this one The nose and palate are somewhat closed off initially however given time to get the air into it, the complexity (or what’s there) starts to come out to play On the nose, there’s a little bit of oak, little bit of spice, little bit of leather and then after a while coconut alongside either guava or watermelon (those fruits that have a gentle aroma and gentler taste) On the palate, the first bit that hits the tip of your tongue is a cherry or sour cherry confectionary note (almost fizzy like a sour cherry jelly sweet) then a warming wave of that J Gow yeasty character alongside some muted fruits - honestly couldn’t tell you what ones, just a generic fruity flavour that’s hard to identify! However what I will say is it reminds me of Appleton Estate Signature with that ester-y banana or possibly dunder-like fermented fruit note! Quite bizarre but enjoyable nonetheless If J Gow release a rum with either a relatively fresh Port Cask or Oloroso/Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask then I’ll be onboard big time! That might integrate with the distillate a bit better and let it shine through - feels like the distillate is waiting on the right cask to properly shine 6.5/10

 Not much of a nose but lovely complex palate. The nose is litchi, guava and sour cherry. The palate carries the tropical flavours, crème brûlée, black tea, and fresh grassy flavours. The black tea and grass continue into the finish. The alcohol is very well integrated and it drinks very smoothly.