Tullibardine Vintage Edition 14 Years Old 1992

A distillery bottling of Tullibardine, aged 14 year old from 1992 and bottled at 46%. Set at the foot of the Ochil Hills, Tullibardine has distilled since 1949. Water comes from the Ochil Hills springs, the same source as the Highland Spring bottled water.

Distilled in copper stills on Ochil Hills spring water, giving the light, fruity spirit at its heart. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. Past a decade the malt deepens into honey, toffee and a soft orchard fruit. The cool Highland climate gives a slow, even maturation over the years. Picard is a Burgundy wine family, and their casks come from vineyards across France. The name comes from the Gaelic for lookout hill, after a hill once used to watch for strangers. It is one of few distilleries to distil, mature and bottle entirely on the one site. Delme-Evans, a noted gravity flow designer, also drew up the Jura and GlenAllachie distilleries.

At 46% it is supple and mellow. Raisin and a nutty sherry depth build, and the refill oak lending honey and vanilla, with honey, vanilla and a soft toffee. The mouthfeel is soft, the fruit carried on a honeyed body. A warming, honeyed finish lingers. This is a mellow, fruity Highland single malt.