We stepped into a tropical greenhouse of palm trees, orchids, cacti and a pond with water lilies – while a hummingbird buzzed and darted among the foliage. On the palate, we found the intense yet delicate sweetness of cotton candy grapes served alongside a silky-smooth goat's cheese with a lingering floral yet earthy taste. Water opened another avenue with sweet acacia honey, a lemon treacle tart and a seville orange, rum and ginger marmalade. The taste was of juicy, vanilla rum-soaked cherries served with white chocolate and chilli ice cream. After five years in a bourbon barrel, we transferred this whisky into a first fill barrique from a privately owned small bodega, now in its ninth generation, that focuses exclusively on the Pedro Ximénez grape.