Tasting Notes
The following notes are written by Hamish Black and the cellar team for technical reference. They are intended for trained palates and are unedited for marketing purposes. Where a note seems unflattering, it is meant.
18 Year Single Malt
Dark honey, dried fig, walnut oil, polished oak, faint coastal smoke.
Sherry-soaked sultana, bitter orange marmalade, dark chocolate, antique leather.
Long, drying, with a return of walnut and a mineral tail.
25 Year Reserve
Beeswax, candied orange peel, leather-bound books, beef consommé, hint of saddle soap.
Layered: pressed dates, espresso crema, oloroso oxidation, treacle toffee, struck flint.
Very long. Tobacco leaf, distant smoke, and a clean mineral note recalling spring water on granite.
Cask Strength Edition
Vanilla pod, charred oak, white pepper, fresh sawdust, a flicker of pineapple.
Big, oily, oak-driven. Coconut shavings, crème brûlée, black pepper, structural tannin.
Powerful. Requires water. Opens to honeyed cereal, lemon zest, and warm pastry.
The Founder's Dram 1994 Vintage
Antique mahogany, stewed quince, tobacco leaf, old church wood, mushroom and leather.
Profound depth. Wood-aged balsamic, prune, dark cherry liqueur, clove, walnut bitterness.
Endless. Sandalwood, dried mint, espresso grounds, a final note of cold ash.
"A whisky should be tasted in a tulip glass, at room temperature, with one part soft water added after the first nosing. Anything else is a matter of personal habit."