Edradour German Fortified Wine Barrique Finish 16 Years Old 1999

This official Edradour, a 16 year old, from 1999, at 54.4%, 290 bottles in all. Edradour is a Highland single malt from the tiny farm distillery at Pitlochry, long called Scotland's smallest. Its tiny copper stills and worm tubs give a rich, oily, full bodied spirit.

Distilled from unpeated malt in tiny copper stills and worm tubs, for the rich, oily make Edradour is known for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the rich spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins add a gentle, drying grip over the oily malt. Maturation in the dunnage warehouses at Pitlochry is slow and steady. The distillery sits in a pocket glen at Balnauld, in the hills above Pitlochry in Perthshire. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. Signatory's wide cask range gives the small distillery an unusual variety of finishes.

At 54.4%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. Chocolate, dried fruit and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is rich and oily, the full bodied spirit shining through. The finish runs long, nutty and warming. This is a creamy, nutty Highland single malt.