Tullibardine Single Cask Edition 20 Years Old 1992

This Tullibardine, an official release, a 20 year old Highland malt from 1992, drawn from cask 10032 and bottled at 46%. The outturn was 324 bottles. Tullibardine was founded in 1949 by William Delme-Evans in the southern Highlands near Gleneagles, and it stands on a site with five centuries of brewing. Mothballed in 1994, the distillery was revived in 2003 and bought by the French wine house Picard in 2011.

The spirit was run through the distillery's compact copper stills, to build a honeyed, malty character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. By this age the soft spirit rounds into honeyed fruit and a gentle oak. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the honeyed, malty core over time. The malt also feeds the Highland Queen blend, another brand in the Picard stable. Part of the old estate was turned into a retail outlet during the lean years. The distillery sits just off the A9 near Gleneagles, one of Scotland's more accessible.

At 46% it is smooth and honeyed. A malty, honeyed sweetness sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. A baked apple and a gentle ginger lift it. It closes soft, honeyed and warm. This is Tullibardine, the lookout hill malt.