Tullibardine 15 Years Old 2006 Cask #800047 (Best Dram)

From Best Dram comes this Tullibardine, a 15 year old Highland malt from 2006, drawn from cask 800047 and bottled at 55.2%. Only 211 bottles were released. Built in 1949 at Blackford in Perthshire, Tullibardine is a soft, honeyed Highland malt. Picard brought a range of wine cask finishes, named for the size of the cask: the 225 Sauternes, 228 Burgundy and 500 Sherry.

It was worked through the distillery's pot stills, for the soft, honeyed Highland make Tullibardine is known for. A wine cask finish shaped it, the fruit meeting the honeyed spirit. Past a decade the malt deepens into honey, toffee and a soft orchard fruit. Wine cask finishing is central to the modern range, layering extra fruit. Its water rises in the Ochil Hills, the same source that feeds the Highland Spring brand. After lean years and a long silence, private investors brought the distillery back to life in 2003.

At a hearty 55.2% it carries real weight. The wine cask lends red fruit, chocolate and a soft spice, and vanilla, toffee and orchard fruit meet a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. Soft orchard fruit and vanilla sit behind the sweetness. It finishes soft, honeyed and clean. This is the soft Highland malt of Blackford.