A finish for 28 months in a fresh Pedro Ximenez barrel gave this exquisite Speyside single malt a deep mahogany colour, which immediately betrays the richness of the influence of the sweet Spanish wine. At the nose it’s very raisiny, with deep notes of brown cane sugar, coffee, dark chocolate, maraschino cherries, dried plums: it’s quite extreme, intense but also velvety and juicy. The same depth and richness of character is found at the palate: very intensely sweet, almost buttery, with some deep notes of esters as from overripe tropical fruits. Again, sweet dried plums and raisins: very chewy at cask strength, it’s doesn’t require much water to open up. Toward the end, it picks up medicinal herbal notes, with strongly infused black tea and an increasingly firm tannic and peppery character.