A very fruity single malt from Speyside, finished for 45 months in a first fill Oloroso barrel, released at 100 UK Proof to preserve its intensity. Very fragrant and sweet at the nose, it offers ripe bananas, plums and apricots, with only a moderately winey note from the sherry. It’s just as fruity on the palate; surprisingly, considering the dry Oloroso, it starts on a rather sweet note: ripe apricots, then mirabelles, a touch of quince. It then slowly evolves towards a spicier profile: experiment gradually with water, to find your preferred intensity and to discover how the fruitiness, the sweetness or the pepperiness take control in turn. You can even detect a hint of mostarda di Cremona, with its typical balance of mustard piquancy and candied fruit sweetness. The spiciness and a slightly herbal and oaky note, start to become more dominating in the finale.