Tullibardine 10 Years Old 2012 Cask #DL 17234 (Provenance)

Douglas Laing bottled this Tullibardine single malt, a 10 year old release from 2012, drawn from cask DL 17234 and bottled at 46%. Only 385 bottles were released. Tullibardine was opened in 1949 in the southern Highlands near Gleneagles; it is owned by the French wine house Picard. It was founded by the distillery architect William Delme-Evans, the first new distillery in Scotland after the war.

The spirit was run through the distillery's compact copper stills, to build a honeyed, malty character. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. Younger here, it keeps a light, honeyed freshness over vanilla. The honeyed spirit makes a fine base for a fortified or wine cask. Under French wine ownership the distillery has leaned into its cask finishes. The Murray and Custodian's Collections gather its older and rarer bottlings. Blackford's spring water has drawn brewers and distillers to the village for centuries.

At an approachable 46% it is soft and balanced. Vanilla, toffee and orchard fruit meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Soft orchard fruit and vanilla sit behind the sweetness. Vanilla and a soft ginger draw out the close. This is the soft Highland malt of Blackford.