22 years old, distilled 23rd October 1997, 55.1% abv, Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 252 bottles, dram price F

The nose has rough leather, old unpolished oak, dunnage warehouses, and hints of cherries and sweet tea. The mouthfeel is thin with a little cling. The body has cherries and the artificial orange flavour used in cough sweets. There’s also old unpolished oak, soft leather and hints of sandalwood. The finish has cherries and sandalwood.

Water brings out thin, compact whorling that dissipates quickly without much mottling. The nose gains gentle wood spices and more cherry, and loses the dunnage warehouses and some of the old oak. The body gains more cherry, some kola cubes and some cinnamon spice. The finish gains cinnamon spice and kola cubes.

A fine old whisky, which gets a little spicy after water. But it’s definitely worth exploring, and is a rewarding dram.

One for autumn evenings.

Technical score: 4/5

Personal preference: I’d have another dram.

This whisky was provided by the SMWS in a preview session - thanks to them for that. Full editorial control has been retained in the tasting process.