Background: there are multiple 19-year-old single cask bottlings by Kill Devil from the 1998 Bellevue vintage. Going by a.b.v. is one way of distinguishing between them. This bottling has an a.b.v. of 59.7%. Incidentally, Serge from whiskyfun.com rated this 93 points.

Nose: dark chocolate; toffee; creme brulee; menthol; Christmas tree; baked almonds and walnuts; grapefruit juice; orange marmalade; liquorice; vegetable-tanned Tuscan leather; beef jerky; stewed game meat; old balsamic; all kinds of dried fruits -- figs and apricots and grapes; molasses; caramel syrup; an earthy, savoury herbal note, like that of cordyceps soup; dirty, industrial notes make up the foundations of the nose -- tar, diesel, burnt plastic.

Palate: dense mouthfeel; a sweet-savoury entry; fried chestnuts; candied pork floss, or perhaps a heavily caramelised char siew; salted, roasted cashews; sugar-glazed nuts; pencil shavings; Chinese five spice; aniseed; beef jerky; salty liquorice; baking spices; ginger candy; toffee; cola; dark cherries; dried prunes.

Finish: long and woody; chocolate; tobacco; sweet liquorice; baked nuts; dried figs; brown and golden raisins; baking spices; an aftertaste of dried plums and prunes and more sugar-glazed nuts.

Conclusion: I get what Serge is on about when he alludes to the sherried scotch whiskies of yore, in his review of this bottling. What a smorgasbord of dried fruits and nuts! In a somewhat similar vein as this Diamond; less complex, but more easy-drinking.

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 91/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

u/zoorado