S.B.S 2006

This S.B.S bottling comes from 1423 in Denmark, whose Single Barrel Selection is built on transparency, cask strength and no added sugar. Drawn from a single 2006 Dominican cask and aged twelve years in ex bourbon wood, it bottles the island's molasses based column spirit in a far drier, more muscular form than the sweet Dominican mainstream. The nose is caramel, fruit and young oak, with the wood already prominent.

The palate is firmly wood led, roasted oak and chocolate over a caramel base, finishing on chocolate, coffee and a bitter edge. At 55% with no sugar to soften it, this is a structural, oak forward sipper that asks for attention rather than offering easy sweetness, and some drinkers find the wood pushes hard against the other flavours. For anyone who likes the Dominican profile but wants higher strength and no additives, it is a clear, honest alternative to the sweeter house bottlings.