Reviews for Speckled Ax
Evaluated as espresso. Ken intensely admired this classic washed profile for its round brightness, plum-toned fruit, rose-toned flowers, and chocolaty and cedary balance, rating it 95. For co-taster John DiRuocco, the profile was pleasing but one-dimensional, though he rewarded the smooth mouthfeel, citrusy brightness and clean balance with a 92. Ken found the floral chocolate and cedary base particularly impressive in three parts milk.
Richly earthy, deeply spice-toned. Graphite, pink peppercorn, guava, fresh-cut cedar, lemon verbena in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet-savory with gently bright acidity; very full, satiny mouthfeel. Pleasing savory-leaning finish centered around graphite and pink peppercorn with undertones of sweet-tart guava.
Richly fruit- and spice-toned. Blackberry, scorchy cardamom, cherry blossom, Graham cracker, cocoa powder in aroma and cup. Sweetly deep with lyrically bright acidity; lightly creamy mouthfeel. The crisp finish centers around cardamom and cocoa powder.
Very sweet, intricately balanced. Milk chocolate, pineapple, nougat, oak, lily in aroma and cup. Sweet-toned with very balanced acidity; crisp, lightly satiny mouthfeel. There’s a hint of sweet chocolate in the gently drying finish that’s predominated by aromatic wood notes.
Richly chocolaty, deep-toned. Dark chocolate, hop flowers, black cherry, cinammon, fresh-cut cedar in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with gentle, round acidity; plush, creamy mouthfeel. Chocolaty finish with supporting notes of hop flowers and cinnamon.
Fruit-forward, crisply sweet. Peach, grapefruit zest, hazelnut, molasses, oak in aroma and cup. Savory-sweet structure with round, gentle acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. The resonant finish centers around notes of peach, grapefruit zest and oak.
Intense, dynamic, richly sweet-savory. Passionfruit jam, baker’s chocolate, aromatic orchid, sandalwood, almond in aroma and cup. Bright, sweetly tart in structure; full, velvety mouthfeel. The resonant finish is crisply sweet, with layers of complex fruit and floral notes in the short, consolidating to baker’s chocolate and almond in the long.
Deeply sweet-savory, uniquely pungent. Ripe tomato, pink peppercorn, lantana-like flowers, blood orange zest, fresh pipe tobacco in aroma and cup. Savory-leaning, richly sweet in structure; plush and syrupy in mouthfeel. The finish is equal parts sweet and savory. Notes of citrus zest and lantana linger in the short and rich pipe tobacco in the long, while ripe tomato resonates throughout.
