Blair Athol 2008 16 Year Old

Blair Athol distillery is located in Pitlochry in the Highlands, one of Scotland's oldest working distilleries, founded in 1798. Much of its output goes into Bell's blended whisky, making independent single malt bottlings like this a rarer opportunity to taste the distillery's character on its own.

This 16 Year Old was distilled in 2008 and bottled by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength series, matured in a first-fill sherry hogshead (cask #18601602), yielding a limited run of around 313 bottles at cask strength, 57.8% ABV.

Nose: fragrant raisin, tangerine zest and clove spice, with dark honey and oak. Palate: rich and full-bodied, with stewed forest fruits, toasted walnut, baked apple, dark chocolate, cinnamon and caramelised fig. Finish: long, with raspberry compote and fresh mint.

Region: Highland  |  Style: Single Malt  |  ABV: 57.8% (Cask Strength)  |  Size: 700ml  |  Cask: First-fill sherry hogshead (cask #18601602)