Amrut Portonova

The Amrut Portonova and Amrut Intermediate Sherry are (I believe) both newly arrived in Australia. Having previously tried only the Fusion - it's great value, fantastic for the price, and I bought two bottles only the other week when on special and probably should have bought more - I was very keen to try both, so purchased some samples (from smwhisky.com.au - they're selling samples, but not full bottles of this), along with a sample of the Amrut Cask Strength for good measure.

Today I review the Portonvova (with the Intermediate Sherry to soon follow), a whisky matured first in bourbon barrels, then in Port pipes, and then racked back into (the same? I don't know) bourbon barrels to make something that is now known, apparently, as a "port-pipe sandwich".
Mmmm, sandwich.

Amrut Portonova (NAS) 62.1% (2013, Batch 4)

Nose: Surprisingly, given the ABV, it's not super-aggressive first up out of the sample bottle - rather closed in fact and revealing only shortbread, vague malt aromas and a touch of butter. After fifteen minutes or so the wine has really come to the surface and begins to dominate - proper fortified fumes coming off it now. Water releases a bit of peat, as well as some spiced orange, dried apricot and sweet spices.

Palate: Powerful and invasive, clawing its way up the back of the throat. Hot and sweet on red fruits. Water expands and levels out the palate a fraction, bringing out spices, gentle peat, dried fruit, oranges and dark chocolate, while knocking back some of the fire. The port itself is now nowhere near as obvious as it was on the nose.

Finish: Emphatic, but short. Water both lengthens and broadens things, lengthening the dried fruit and spices from the palate while introducing some slightly drying cigar notes, which end up lingering longest and balancing out any residual sweetness.

I was a little late to the Amrut party, but now that I'm in I aint leaving anytime soon. This is an excellent (partially) Port-matured whisky. I'm buying.