For very old malts, we usually favour second fill Oloroso, as we believe that it’s better to have a long but slow influence from the cask: in this case, the whisky was perfect after a very extended finish of 94 months. It’s obviously very winey, but in a rather brooding way: leathery, with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, not lightly fruity or sunny at all. The same austerity of character is even more evident at the first sip: quite dry and astringent, earthy, with huge notes of orange peels, a toasted touch, and smoky English pipe tobacco. Just add a drop of water, and the darker leathery notes will disappear, revealing more sweetness and fruitiness. The spicy dry character becomes more intense in the very lively finale, which grows in fiery astringency.