579. Rey Fernando de Castilla, Antique Amontillado Sherry, NV (2011)

A notable bottle-deposit – is this unfiltered? Either way, a pretty good Amontillado. A little more ‘mainstream’ perhaps than Bota No. 23, and probably closer to my tastes. Medium amber colour, fading to a broad watery rim, without obvious olive colour gradation. Medium+ intensity, hazelnut-led nose, with gentle oak spice, cinnamon, vanilla and sweet-ish caramel touches. Nutty rather than rancio or orange-peel style. Dry, but rounded, rich and almost waxy. Again, quite hazenutty, though with some lemon on the mid-palate, with a salty undertow, and a smoky oak-spice finish. Quite rich and soft, and medium+ bodied.