Breath of Speyside 1991

15 year old Speyside 60.3 % vol

1 of only 615 bottles from cask no. 5642

This unnamable Speyside distillery exclusively uses ex-sherry casks for its proprietary bottlings: the rich style of the make suits this wood perfectly. We reckon this might be a first-fill ex-sherry butt: the whisky has a deep magenta hue, shot with ruby. The nose is all rich fruits and mixed peel, with marmalade, then marmalade cake - even Jaffa Cakes, for after a while a distinct chocolate note emerges, becoming cherries ‘robed’ (as they say) in dark chocolate. There is a hint of pencil erasers, especially when tasted at full strength and when water is added, and brown sugar at reduced strength. The latter becomes burnt sugar in the mouth – sweet, then bitter-sweet – and the overall effect is curiously cooling in the mouth after a lengthy finish. An excellent example and a fine digestif malt.

Winner of a Gold Medal, Malt Maniacs' Awards 2006

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