Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive Bottling Cask #Batch 1

An official release of Dalwhinnie, cask Batch 1, at 48%, 7500 bottles in all. Dalwhinnie, owned by Diageo, makes a soft, honeyed malt at Scotland's highest working distillery. It was founded in 1897 as Strathspey and renamed Dalwhinnie soon after by its new owners.

It was worked through the stills and worm tubs for a soft, waxy make, giving the soft, honeyed Highland spirit. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light vanilla and honey. With no age statement, the oak has given vanillin as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over the soft, honeyed spirit. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the gentle Highland spirit. Cold warehouses on the high ground slow the spirit's loss to the angels' share. In 1934 a fire destroyed much of the stillhouse, which was rebuilt around the original worm tubs. The worm tubs leave a waxy weight that carries through the years in cask.

At its natural 48% it is concentrated. Baked apple, honey and a waxy note, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft orchard fruit and heather honey sit behind the cask. The finish is rounded, honeyed and gently warming. This is a light, honeyed Highland malt with a waxy heart.