Edradour 10 Years Old 2008 Cask #14 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Edradour, a 10 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 14, bottled at 46%. Edradour is a small batch Highland malt, owned by the independent bottler Signatory Vintage. It is one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, long run by just two or three hands.

The spirit was worked through Oregon pine washbacks and tiny stills for a rich, oily spirit, the worm tubs lending a weighty, oily character. An Oloroso cask held it, shaping the oily spirit over the years. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper apple and dried fruit. Signatory's wide cask range gives the small distillery an unusual variety of finishes. The distillery sits in a pocket glen at Balnauld, in the hills above Pitlochry in Perthshire. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

At 46% it is creamy and full. A rich, nutty sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is rich and oily, the full bodied spirit shining through. The close is oily and warming, fruit over a gentle oak. This is the little gem of the Highlands at Pitlochry.