33 years old, distilled 13th December 1980, 51.5% abv, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 130 bottles

The nose is quite soft - tea chests and golden syrup, polished mahogany. The body is light, with more tea and hints of fruit (mango?). The mouth-feel is very smooth - velvet! The finish is toffee and tannins.

With water it produces fantastic big whorls that spread out very nicely. The nose has less tea and more mango and melon, and the polished wood is fainter. The body has a more pronounced move towards fruit - mango, melon, peaches, pears. The finish is fruitiest of all. Julian and Sandy didn't have this much fruit - the tannins and toffee have been completely replaced with a fruit salad.

The more I drink it, the fruitier it gets.

4/5