nail in the coffin

1 1/2 oz Yamazaki 12 Year Single Malt (Kavalan Classic)
3/4 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Licor 43 or Other Vanilla Liqueur (Licor 43)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with grated black cardamom.
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to Daniel Yaffee's Drink More Whiskey book and decided on the Nail in the Coffin by Brian Means from San Francisco. This Rusty Nail riff was unique for it did not call for Drambuie as one of the ingredients as others like the Tooth and Nail and Bitter Nail had; instead, it utilized a trio of Madeira, Licor 43, and Fernet as the modifiers. While I lacked a Japanese whisky in my collection, I figured that a Taiwanese single malt was a good substitute in a quarantine situation. Once stirred and strained, the Nail in the Coffin proffered a cardamom, vanilla, and herbal nose. Next, malt and grape swirled on the sip, and the swallow gave forth whisky, vanilla, gentian, and menthol flavors that rather kept the Fernet Branca in check.