Edradour Straight From The Cask – Marsala Finish 10 Years Old 1994

This official Edradour, a 10 year old, from 1994, cask 04/157/2, at 56.2%, 479 bottles in all. Edradour is a rich Highland malt from the pocket glen at Balnauld, distilled since 1825. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry.

It was made in the smallest of stills and condensed in worm tubs, for the rich, oily make Edradour is known for. It was matured in a Marsala cask, the wood working slowly into the rich malt. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the oily malt, the body fuller and creamier. Years in oak round the spirit, the dried fruit and chocolate deepening over the oily core. It was bought in 2002 by Andrew Symington of the independent bottler Signatory Vintage. The distillery sits in a pocket glen at Balnauld, in the hills above Pitlochry in Perthshire.

At a hearty 56.2% it carries real weight. Dried fruit, nut and a soft chocolate, with a raisined, herbal sweetness from the cask. The texture is oily and creamy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. Dried fruit, chocolate and a soft oak see out a long finish. This is a Highland single malt of real character.