Tullibardine 8 Years Old 2013 (Battlehill Scotch Whisky Co.)

Battlehill Scotch Whisky Co bottled this Tullibardine single malt matured to 8 year old from 2013 and bottled at 46%. Tullibardine, first built in 1949 in the southern Highlands near Gleneagles, is known for its wine cask finishes. It was founded by the distillery architect William Delme-Evans, the first new distillery in Scotland after the war.

The spirit was run through the distillery's compact copper stills, to build a honeyed, malty character. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. At a youthful age the fruit is gentle and the malt soft. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the honeyed, malty core over time. 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. Delme-Evans, a noted gravity flow designer, also drew up the Jura and GlenAllachie distilleries.

At 46% it is supple and mellow. A soft, fruity vanilla meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Beneath it run honey, toffee and a soft spice. A honeyed, lightly spiced finish lingers. This is a soft, honeyed Highland single malt.