As muscular as usual, the whisky from this unconventional Highlands distillery has a moderately peated touch, which benefits from the magical interaction with sherry. It’s less of a sherry bomb than previous releases, in spite of having received a finish of 44 months in a first fill Oloroso hogshead. At the nose it’s extremely nutty, with a dry winey character, peppery and pungent: sour cherries, then medicinal herbs, notes of old oak, damp earth and leather. The same dry and tannic profile is found at the palate: initially quite sharp, it then opens up (especially with a drop of water) while still remaining very full bodied. No fruity sweetness, but again plenty of nuts, and a very chewy balance between red cherries and the leathery traits that are typical of the interaction between peat smoke and Oloroso. The finale is very spicy and tannic.