A hollowed orange stuffed with marmalade and dunked in dark chocolate greeted us on the nose, along with dates and plum jam. The palate began with a generous crunch of cracked black pepper, followed by a cup of earl grey tea and malt biscuits. Water gave even more life to the nose, with clove-adorned honey-baked ham, raisin purée, figs dipped in chocolate and candied rhubarb.

The palate was equally enlivened by introducing water, offering treacle scones drizzled with butterscotch, strawberry jam stirred with liquorice, and parma violet frosting served on a butterscotch taffy spoon. After 10 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, we transferred this to a 1st fill American oak Pedro Ximenez hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.