The bottle may project a Tolkienesque image of a craft distillery run by Bilbo Baggins, but this is produced at Taiwan’s state-owned Nantou Distillery. This lacks sweetness and structure. The meaty nose has prune juice, star anise, lamb tagine, and predominant sour notes throughout the syrupy-textured palate, with flavors of raspberry syrup, pomegranate, and gummy cherries, then tame spices and jumbled savory notes.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2019)