Nose: Juicy and honeyed with sweet barley and orange. Hugely buttery and quite meaty, extremely well-rounded. Nettle, buttercups, oak, cakey-ness and a little pepper.
Palate: Big, satisfying entry with plenty of classic Sherry influence, herbal and malty with cherries and chocolate.
Finish: Rich oak, chocolate and fantastic creamy Black Forest gâteau.
Overall: Reference Series II has a much higher proportion of very old single malts than I, producing a tremendous blended malt that's also the second control whisky for the brand's ongoing whisky experiments!