Root beers and triple secs

The initial nose made us think of reading glossy magazines at breakfast, with an enticing array of jams (blackcurrant, strawberry and apricot) to spread over wholemeal toast. The neat palate was intensely tannic, chewy and full bodied, delivering bitter chocolate, aniseed balls, chilli and garam masala, plus root beer, tree bark and cinnamon gum. Adding water shifted the nose towards coconut, vanilla and butterscotch, with subtle hints of sawdust and yet more fruit (orange and papaya). On the palate, we noticed a pleasant chalky texture and lots of tangy fruit tart and custard flavours, finishing with orange zest, triple sec and nutmeg.