Angostura Reserva 40%
Tasted: Oct 2014
Nose: Lightly earthy with plenty of sweet vanilla and a touch of cane sugar. With time the aromas become quite sweet with a light smokiness becoming evident.
Palate: Soft and heavily vanilla’d. The spirit character is a bit swamped. There’s a subtle dried fruit note, but it’s a lot less expressive than the nose.
Finish: Good, spicy finish.
Conclusion: Pleasant nose, bland palate!
Angostura 1919 40%
Tasted: Oct 2014
Nose: Very vanilla’d and chocolaty (milk). Quite floral with lightly oiled dried fruit and hints of menthol. Although the aromas are on the dry side there is just a touch of golden syrup sweetness and with time a light burnt toffee note.
Palate: Soft, sweetly vanilla’d with dried fruit. A lot less complex than the nose. Gain quite dry with a light, nutty, syrup middle.
Finish: Medium length with hints of chocolate spice and lingering toffee.
Conclusion: The palate is blunted by the oak.
Angostura 5 year old 40%
Tasted: Oct 2014
Nose. Neutral column still aromas dominate with just a touch of dried fruit and coffee. Fairly dull and bland.
Palate: Soft and toffee’d with a little more character, but it’s still pretty simple. Subtle, lightly oiled dried fruit and column still spices follow.
Finish A bit hot with developing spices.
Conclusion: Lacks any real character.
Angostura 7 year old 40%
Tasted: Oct 2014
Nose: Deep but a little unyielding. Quite earthy and almost peated with duty cinnamon spice, dense raisinated fruit, manure, salted meat and dark toffee.
Palate: Opens with plenty of coffee/ toffee and raisinated fruit. A little more polished than the nose but less complex. Pleasantly earthy though.
Finish: good length with a touch of mentholated herbs coming through.
Conclusion: Very interesting and complex nose, unfortunately the palate isn’t as complex, but a great finish.
Angostura 1824 (12 year old) 40%
Btl No 157221
Tasted: Arp 2011
Quite a light nose, displaying plenty of vanilla oak, which with some time becomes a bit sawdusty in character along with some edgy, high toned dried fruit notes. Densly perfumed (violets?) with tropical fruit mix – dried banana, apricot, nuts and a touch of smoke. Absolutely stunning depth with the spicy smoke building.
The palate is dry-ish and light with a gentle sweetness. More nutty, slightly antiseptic in character with a hint of an oxidised rancio. Extremely spiced middle with the antiseptic notes taking hold and dominating right through until the end where it finishes with a pure liquorice root note and a sweetly-spiced after taste.
The palate shows a lovely progression from initial dryness through to a sweeter finish. Superb!
Angostura 1824 (12 year old) 40%
Re-Tasted: Oct 2014
Nose: Pungent aromas of toffee, cigar leaf, molasses, crystallised sugar and violets. Distinctly aged rancio with a touch of paraffin wax, dark coffee, earth and what maybe some rich, sherry cask notes.
Palate: Opens with molasses and dark toffee, coffee and a fair amount of oak vanillins. Mouth-filling and chocolatey with a lovely, mature dried fruit rancio.
Finish: Long with lingering dried fruit and wood spices.
Conclusion: A superb, vibrant nose. The wood takes the edge of the palate a little but still very impressive.
