Edradour Natural Cask Strength 10 Years Old 2012

Edradour from the distillery, a 10 year old, from 2012, cask 47, 50, 53-55, 57,61, at 59.6%, 1783 bottles in all. Edradour is a Highland single malt from a 19th century farm distillery run by a handful of hands. It was bought in 2002 by Andrew Symington of the independent bottler Signatory Vintage.

It was distilled slowly in the old farm stillhouse on Ben Vrackie water, giving the full bodied, creamy Highland spirit. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the oily make lead. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the malt, the nutty chocolate deepening. 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. It once supplied blends such as House of Lords and King's Ransom. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit.

Bottled at a cask strength 59.6%, it is rich. A rich, nutty sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. The finish is long, oily and gently spiced. This is a rich, oily Highland single malt.