Edradour Straight from the Cask 10 Years Old 2009 (57.2%)

An official release of Edradour, a 10 year old, from 2009, cask 42, at 57.2%, 945 bottles in all. Edradour is a Highland single malt from a 19th century farm distillery run by a handful of hands. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry.

Worked through Oregon pine washbacks and tiny stills for a rich, oily spirit, for the rich, oily make Edradour is known for. 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. The cool Highland air of the glen gives a slow, even maturation in the small Edradour warehouses. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem. Active wood frames the rich fruit without overwhelming the oily Highland spirit.

At a natural 57.2% it is full and oily. Chocolate, dried fruit and a waxy oil, 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 little gem of the Highlands at Pitlochry.