Edradour 10 Years Old 1972 (Connoisseurs Choice)

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail bottled this Edradour, a 10 year old, distilled in 1972, bottled at 40%. Edradour is a small batch Highland malt, owned by the independent bottler Signatory Vintage. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

The spirit was distilled slowly in the old farm stillhouse on Ben Vrackie water, building the creamy Edradour style. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the rich spirit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the oily malt, the body fuller and creamier. Signatory's wide cask range gives the small distillery an unusual variety of finishes. Years in oak round the spirit, the dried fruit and chocolate deepening over the oily core. The worm tubs leave an oily weight that carries through the years in cask. The tiny stills and worm tubs give an oily spirit that takes the cask well.

At 40% it is smooth and rich. Dried fruit, nut and a soft chocolate, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, the fruit on a creamy body. The finish is long, oily and gently spiced. This is a creamy, nutty Highland single malt.