Tullibardine 17 Years Old 2007 (East Village Whisky Company)

From East Village Whisky Company comes this Tullibardine, aged 17 year old from 2007 and bottled at 52.1%. A release of 186 bottles. Tullibardine was established in 1949 at Blackford in Perthshire, and it distils, matures and bottles on one site. 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. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the malt. Around the mid teens the malt gains a fuller honey and a riper fruit. Refill oak lets the honeyed Tullibardine character lead, vanilla over toffee. 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.

Undiluted at 52.1%, it is layered. Oats, honey and a touch of ginger sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is gentle and honeyed, the soft spirit shining through. It closes soft, honeyed and warm. This is a wine finished Highland malt from Blackford.