Tullibardine Custodian Collection 51 Years Old 1964

This Tullibardine, an official release, aged 51 year old from 1964 and bottled at 40.4%. A release of 242 bottles. Set beneath the Ochil Hills at Blackford, Tullibardine has distilled since 1949. 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. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. At this great age the malt is full and mellow, the honey deep and the oak soft. The soft, fruity spirit takes a wine finish particularly well, in the Picard house style. 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.

At a hearty 40.4% it carries real weight. A malty, honeyed sweetness sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A baked apple and a gentle ginger lift it. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is Tullibardine, the lookout hill malt.