Tullibardine 32 Years Old 1989 Prometheus (Michiel Wigman)

Michiel Wigman selected this Tullibardine, a 32 year old from 1989 and bottled at 49.2%. 49 bottles in all. Set in Perthshire, off the A9, Tullibardine has distilled since 1949. It is one of few distilleries to distil, mature and bottle all on the one site.

The spirit was made in copper stills for a soft, fruity make, for a fruity, mellow make. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the soft character to the fore. At thirty years and more it is rich and mellow, candied fruit, honey and old oak in a deep old malt. Years in oak round the spirit, the honey and soft fruit deepening with age. Tullibardine was founded in 1949 by the architect William Delme-Evans, the first new distillery in post war Scotland. King James IV is said to have bought ale at a Blackford brewery in 1488, on the site the distillery now occupies. Its water rises in the Ochil Hills, the same source that feeds the Highland Spring brand.

Undiluted at 49.2%, it is layered. Vanilla and a light toffee from the barrel runs under apple, honey and a gentle spice. It is fruity and soft, the fruit and oak well matched. A warming, honeyed finish lingers. This is a honeyed Highland single malt from Perthshire.