Tullibardine 7 Years Old 2010 Cask #47/2010 (Aceo Limited)

Single malt Tullibardine, an independent Aceo Limited bottling, a 7 year old release from 2010, drawn from cask 47/2010 and bottled at 60%. Only 344 bottles were released. Tullibardine was built in 1949 beneath the Ochil Hills at Blackford; its honeyed malt has a quiet following. The name is Gaelic for lookout hill, after a nearby hill once used to watch for approaching strangers.

Distilled on soft Highland spring water, building the gentle Tullibardine style. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the soft character to the fore. Still young, the malt is honeyed and fruity with a soft spice. Soft Ochil Hills water gives a clean, malty make. It is one of few distilleries to distil, mature and bottle entirely on the one site. Delme-Evans, a noted gravity flow designer, also drew up the Jura and GlenAllachie distilleries. The malt also feeds the Highland Queen blend, another brand in the Picard stable.

Undiluted at 60%, it is layered. Vanilla, toffee and orchard fruit meet honeyed oak sweetness underneath. 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.