Edradour Vintage – Bordeaux Cask Finish 22 Years Old 1999

A 22 year old Edradour, a distillery bottling, from 1999, cask 803 + 804, at 55.8%, 576 bottles in all. Edradour is a Highland single malt distilled in a pocket glen near Pitlochry since 1825. The distillery sits in a pocket glen at Balnauld, in the hills above Pitlochry in Perthshire.

The spirit was distilled slowly in the old farm stillhouse on Ben Vrackie water, the worm tubs lending a weighty, oily character. Maturation came in a Bordeaux cask, layered over the rich Edradour make. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings dried fruit, fig and a chocolate depth over the oily softness. Signatory's wide cask range gives the small distillery an unusual variety of finishes. It keeps the old ways, with an open cast iron mash tun, Oregon pine washbacks and worm tub condensers. The worm tubs leave an oily weight that carries through the years in cask.

At its natural 55.8% it is rich and full bodied. Chocolate, dried fruit and a waxy oil, with a dark berry and a dry tannin from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, chocolate and a soft oil. Dried fruit, chocolate and a soft oak see out a long finish. This is a creamy, nutty Highland single malt.