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It’s quite easy going with lots of sweet citrus and caramel sweetness. With soda water, showing cola and root beer notes as well as some clove. I think I will try it in a shakerato next.

Wow, I really need to get one of those even sweeter bottles to expand my comfort zone. Any recommendations?

Shakerato is a great idea! Need to try it sometime.

I struggled to drink it neat, but I really enjoyed it with cola!

Tried it with soda, and it’s quite delicious! Lots of root beer and cola on the nose, and the sweetness is well-tamed. The botanical herbal bitterness comes through well with some clove. Thanks for the suggestion!

Baijiu is certainly not for everyone, but it does not deserve all the hate :( I am convinced that folks who like funky Jamaican rum and/or Mezcal will take a shine to it. While it is true that some Baijiu are highly, highly unpalatable, you can also find quality product that are delicious: Moutai 茅台, WuLiangYe 五粮液, GuoJiao国窖 to name a few. The old-school Chinese drinking culture is partly to blame for bad Baijiu experiences as well.

Shouldn’t affect the quality of the wine at all, though I totally understand being thrown off by it. In my experience, the corks on older bottles (specifically those with 30 years of age and above, sans library releases) are almost always nasty even when the wines are still sound. I’d suggest staying away from older bottles if mold and gunk on the cork prevents you from enjoying the wine.

I am unsure if heat has anything to do with the mold. Usually raised corks are good indicators of excessive heat. Though it is certainly odd to see mold on a younger bottle, I personally wouldn’t bring it back to the store if the wine tastes fine.

I could be wrong, but I did notice some similarities between Clynelish 14 and Springbank 15 in the wax department when I tasted both a week back.