Edradour Oloroso Sherry Butts 12 Years Old 2012 (58.6%)

An official release of Edradour, a 12 year old, from 2012, cask 154/7,163,252/5/8, at 58.6%, 5095 bottles in all. Edradour is a small batch Highland malt, owned by the independent bottler Signatory Vintage. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

Worked through Oregon pine washbacks and tiny stills for a rich, oily spirit, the worm tubs lending a weighty, oily character. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the rich Edradour make. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the rich, oily spirit growing creamier. The tiny stills and worm tubs give an oily spirit that takes the cask well. The worm tubs leave an oily weight that carries through the years in cask. Its tiny copper stills and worm tubs give a rich, oily, full bodied spirit. It is one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, long run by just two or three hands.

At 58.6%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. A rich, nutty sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. A long, nutty finish carries dried fruit and a soft spice. This is the oily, rich malt of tiny Edradour.