Distilled in July 2005, it was the first 10 year old released with a vintage statement. It’s produced from ~30ppm barley, matured exclusively in American oak casks, bottled at an ABV of 44.6%, and has an outturn of around 11,000 bottles.
Appearance: Light gold/white wine. A lovely viscous whisky with plenty of quick-forming medium legs and teardrops.
Nose: A decent ABV wave hits the nose first. It’s shrouded in bonfire smoke and barrel char. There’s also sweet confectionary sugar and fruit salad sweets. Toffee apple, a slight hint of spearmint and cereal now.
Palate: A fairly decent viscosity. More cereal and less smoke on the palate. A touch of tannic and some spice rises from the chest in the form of black pepper. Oddly, for me, it’s a touch porky? Like peppered crackling? It actually gets more malty/honey cereal the more you drink.
Finish: The finish is more spice and some gentle dying bonfire. Medium in length regarding flavours but the warmth last for some time.
Overall: A very pleasant dram indeed. Presented like a higher ABV I’d say but the flavours were well-married and a lovely balance. Nice!
