4.202 - "Salt and pepper"

27 years old, distilled 8th December 1986, 45.1% abv, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 261 bottles

The nose has brine, toffee, midget gems and heather. There's also a faint hint of acrid smoke. The mouth-feel is smooth and coating. The body has leather, tobacco, and then heather and soft red apples, followed by brine. The finish is vanilla, cinnamon, leather and a little crisp smoke.

Water brings thin rapidly expanding whorling that lingers for a short while. The nose now has more toffee and less brine, and a little white pepper. The body has less leather and tobacco, more heather and brine with a dash of white pepper. The finish loses the hint of smoke, but gains a little heather.

A superb expression, one of the closest to the distillery own bottling that I've had from an independent bottler. To be drunk on a beach as the sun sets on a warm evening.

4.5/5