11 years old, distilled 9th February 2007, 60.9% abv, Second Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 252 bottles, dram price B

(Festival label)

The nose has vanilla, buttered popcorn, rosewater and cherries. The mouthfeel is thin with no cling. The body has vanilla, rosewater, cinnamon and hints of lemon meringue. The finish has cherries, vanilla and cinnamon.

Water brings out thin, rapidly expanding whorling that settles into lingering mottling. The nose gains strawberries, the popcorn is quieter and it loses the cherries. The body gains strawberries and cream, and more lemon. The finish gains strawberries and lemon and loses the cherries. The cinnamon is more dominant, and that’s my only criticism of this dram.

Quite simple my kind of dram, with a nose I could enjoy for hours. Fruity, sweet and superbly balanced, this is a great dram. Only the cinnamon stops it from getting a 5.

One for summer afternoons.

Technical score: 4.5/5

Personal preference: I’d like a bottle.

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.