Edradour 10 Years Old 2009 Cask #80 (Signatory)

An Edradour of a 10 year old chosen by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, distilled in 2009, from cask 80, bottled at 46%. Edradour is a rich Highland malt from the pocket glen at Balnauld, distilled since 1825. It was bought in 2002 by Andrew Symington of the independent bottler Signatory Vintage.

Run through the small stills with their boil ball purifiers, building the creamy Edradour style. It was matured in an Oloroso 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. Refill oak lets the rich, oily Edradour character lead the way. Signatory's wide cask range gives the small distillery an unusual variety of finishes. It keeps the old ways, with an open cast iron mash tun, Oregon pine washbacks and worm tub condensers. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

At 46% it is smooth and rich. Baked apple, marzipan and a creamy malt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Soft chocolate and a nutty oil sit behind the cask. The finish is long, oily and gently spiced. This is Edradour's full bodied, sherried Highland style.