Edradour 9 Years Old 2006 Cask #249 (van Wees)

An Edradour of a 9 year old chosen by the Dutch bottler van Wees, distilled in 2006, from cask 249, bottled at 59.6%, one of 697 bottles. Edradour is a creamy, sherried Highland single malt from one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland. It keeps the old ways, with an open cast iron mash tun, Oregon pine washbacks and worm tub condensers.

The spirit was made in the smallest of stills and condensed in worm tubs, the worm tubs lending a weighty, oily character. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working slowly into the rich malt. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted sugars (light caramel) over the creamy make. Maturation in the dunnage warehouses at Pitlochry is slow and steady. Its water comes from the Ben Vrackie springs in the hills above the distillery. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry.

At a natural 59.6% it is full and oily. A full, fruity sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. A rich finish ends on dried fruit and a soft oak. This is a rich, oily Highland single malt.