Tullibardine 8 Years Old 2012 Cask #DL 14398 (Provenance)

A Tullibardine single malt, bottled by Douglas Laing, aged 8 year old from 2012, drawn from cask DL 14398 and bottled at 46%. 311 bottles in all. Tullibardine was first built in 1949 beneath the Ochil Hills at Blackford, and it is known for its wine cask finishes. Water comes from the Ochil Hills springs, the same source as the Highland Spring bottled water.

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. After lean years and a long silence, private investors brought the distillery back to life in 2003. Picard is a Burgundy wine family, and their casks come from vineyards across France. The name comes from the Gaelic for lookout hill, after a hill once used to watch for strangers. It is one of few distilleries to distil, mature and bottle entirely on the one site.

Reduced to 46%, it is soft. A malty, honeyed sweetness sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A baked apple and a gentle ginger lift it. It closes soft, honeyed and warm. This is Tullibardine, the lookout hill malt.