Its deep ruby amber colour betrays the long finish in a first fill Oloroso sherry hogshead for 55 months, resulting in a particularly intense and mature Speyside malt. The influence of the sherry is unmistakeable at the nose, too: very winey, rich, nutty. The style is definitely dry and oaky, with coffee, dark chocolate, and liquorice root. A balsamic note of old wooden furniture too. The initial attack at the palate is very oaky, too, with echoes of pinewood… but also some fragrance of cereals! While tannic, it also has plenty of dried plums, orange peel, blueberry jam, black cherries, bitter cocoa powder. And in the end, we also find a note of salted black liquorice! This curiously appetizing saltiness grows in the finale, contrasting the spicy and oaky notes.