Edradour Straight from the Cask 10 Years Old 2008 (57.4%)

An official release of Edradour, a 10 year old, from 2008, cask 159, at 57.4%, 1007 bottles in all. Edradour is a Highland single malt from a 19th century farm distillery run by a handful of hands. It is one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, long run by just two or three hands.

Made in the smallest of stills and condensed in worm tubs, building the creamy Edradour style. Finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building over the oily, full bodied spirit. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the malt, the nutty chocolate deepening. A small distillery and a hands on approach shape every cask by hand. A gentle maturation suits the oily make, the nutty richness growing with time. A rare Morton refrigerator still cools the wort, one of the last in use in Scotland. The cool Highland air of the glen gives a slow, even maturation in the small Edradour warehouses.

At 57.4%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. Baked apple, marzipan and a creamy malt, 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 Edradour's full bodied, sherried Highland style.