Lost Prophet
Batch Tul-Tr-1
45.05% ABV (90.1 proof)
~$120 (sample provided)
Color: medium brown, orange tint.
Smell: really, really nice. Very perfume-like: lots of delicate floral aromas with sweet caramel sweetness as the backbone. I came in bracing for an oak explosion considering the aging time, but there is virtually none. Instead, for me there is a slightly musty and funky leather/furniture polish smell that accents the fruity and sweet bouquet beautifully. This is borderline obnoxious, but I'm thinking of Tom Robbins describing how the great perfume houses use ambergris (sperm whale excrement) to provide a backbone for perfumes - you need the funk to carry all that sweetness.
Taste: different than the nose, but not bad. Soft sweetness on entry gives way quickly to tannic elements. It doesn't sting going down, but this is where the years in wood make themselves known - definite lumber element on the palate. Mercifully, the medium-length finish somehow brings back some of the floral and sweet flavors I got on the initial whiff.Overall: it's certainly unique, and I'm really glad I tasted it. Definitely one of the best whiskies I've been lucky enough to smell (4R LE SB, VW 12, Lot 40, Corryvreckan, '14 BTAC ER territory), but the palate fell apart slightly for me, with too much wood overtaking the masterfully subtle promises made by the nose. Solid A-, and worth seeking out for a taste (if your wallet agrees) for uniqueness alone, but $120 is obviously a big hit.
