Last year, we introduced you to a magnificent Glentauchers bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky company to celebrate the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky. This year, it is a true Speyside institution that has caught their eye, an independent distillery in Ballindaloch whose aficionados – of which there are many throughout the world – will have no doubt recognized. Without austerity and with a nobility that commands respect, this sherry-cask bottling distilled in 2008 wonderfully embodies the elegant, complex, slender and powerful style of a single malt that never takes the easy way out.

Profile: the well-balanced initial nose is characterized by notes of caramel and bitter orange. Allowed to breathe, it becomes exotic (mango, guava) and spicy (pepper, cinnamon). The deep attack is nobly malty and lush (rosemary, thyme). Red fruit (Morello cherry, pomegranate) brings freshness to the end of the palate. The silky finish is vanilla and herbaceous (gentian). The retro- nasal olfaction is tertiary (mushroom, date, tobacco).

Nose : slender, balanced. Notes of salted butter caramel and bitter orange carry the initial nose. This is then enriched with polish, exotic fruit (mango, guava), red fruit (strawberry, raspberry) and gooseberry. With warmth, it gradually becomes spicy (pepper, cinnamon) and liquorice. New ripe fruits (Mirabelle plum, pear) appear.

Palate : rich, deep. At first, a spicy register seizes the palate and lends huge momentum to the start of the palate. Then, with rediscovered serenity, the mid-palate is exotic (banana, pineapple) and nobly malty. The end of the palate is herbaceous and lush (rosemary, bay leaf, thyme). Red fruits resurface (Morello cherry, pomegranate).

Overall : long, silky. Hugely delicate vanilla and praline tannins envelop the taste buds. Malted barley enters into play, bringing a fruity (pear, apple), spicy (cinnamon) and herbaceous (gentian) register. The retro-nasal olfaction is characterized by notes of tobacco, mushroom and dried fruit (walnut, date). The empty glass is spiced, roasted and delicately woody (Cypress, eucalyptus).