17 years old, distilled 3rd March 1997, 57.2% abv, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 253 bottles

The nose has crisp smoke, basil, thyme, and vanilla. The mouthfeel is thin with little coating. The body has a little less of the herbal notes in the nose - more cinnamon, vanilla ice-cream and crisp bonfire smoke. The finish is smoke, smoke and more smoke. Crisp, clean, dry bonfire smoke.

Water brings rapidly expanding whorling that settles into mottling. The nose now has more of the herbal notes, with the vanilla subdued. Still plenty of smoke! The body has less cinnamon, more smoke. The finish is much the same.

A superb expression of this distillery, delivering the smoke you'd want. Not something for everyday drinking, but a great finishing dram.

4/5