Tullibardine 26 Years Old (Small Batch)

From Cadenhead's comes this Tullibardine, a 26 year old and bottled at 46.9%. Just 276 bottles were filled. Set at Blackford in Perthshire, Tullibardine has distilled since 1949. 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 refill American oak cask held it, keeping the soft character to the fore. Beyond twenty years the malt grows deep and honeyed, dried fruit and oak spice over a soft toffee. The honeyed spirit makes a fine base for a fortified or wine cask. 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. Tullibardine was founded in 1949 by the architect William Delme-Evans, the first new distillery in post war Scotland.

At 46.9% it is smooth and honeyed. A malty, honeyed sweetness sit alongside a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. A baked apple and a gentle ginger lift it. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is Tullibardine, the lookout hill malt.