Dornoch Single Cask #108 4 Years Old 2018 (Ex-Bourbon)

Dornoch from the distillery, a 4 year old, from 2018, cask 108, at 57.57%, 84 bottles in all. Dornoch is the tiny Sutherland distillery of Phil and Simon Thompson, chasing the whisky of the 1960s and 70s. Its house barley is Plumage Archer, a heritage variety once common in the 1920s and 30s.

It was fermented long and distilled slow for an oily, fruity spirit, for an oily, fruit driven make. An ex-Bourbon barrel held it, vanillin lending vanilla under the fruit. Young but intense, the heritage barley and brewer's yeast give a rich, oily make, ethyl esters lending orchard and tropical fruit over a light vanillin vanilla. The brewer's yeast and long ferment leave a savoury, fruity depth in the spirit. It sits in a restored 1880s fire station beside Dornoch Castle in Sutherland. Only organic, heritage barley goes into the make, milled and mashed in a small mash tun.

At a hearty 57.57% it carries real weight. Honey, malt and a savoury depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A young oak and a soft vanilla give it shape. The finish is long, oily and fruity. This is the heritage barley malt of the Thompson Brothers.