Bottled at traditional British high strength to enhance its power and allow you to better choose how much water to add until you reach your perfect comfort zone, this Speyside malt received a finishing of over 12 months in a first fill Pedro Ximenez cask that enriched its naturally sweet, malty and fruity profile. In spite of the high strength, it’s a very round and smooth whisky: adding water simply allows for more complexity and nuances to shine through. Intense notes of sultana raisins, but also of candied oranges, dried fruits (peaches, apricots, plums), with a rich touch of beeswax and chestnut honey: not exceedingly sweet, though, as a delicately sour note, a vibrant liveliness and a clean minerality prevent it from becoming a strictly “dessert malt”.