SMWS 68.8 / 1975 / 24 Year Old / Tarte Tatin Dried Flowers

Although the distillery takes its name from another, smaller village some 5 or 6 miles further up the A9, it is located in Pitlochry. It was once owned by Arthur Bell & Sons and is well known for producing a weighty malt - a good thing when it lies in its cask for as long as this example has. Despite this, the cask influence has not been too powerful; the colour is a gentle mid-gold, like young Sauternes, and the nose-feel is still prickly and difficult to penetrate at first. After acclimatisation, scents of over-ripe apples begin to emerge, then cooked apples, then tarte tatin. Water freshens the apples up somewhat, adds cooked bananas and dried flowers. Tasted neat, the flavour is nicely balanced, with all the primary tastes represented and a pleasantly full mouth-feel. A medium-length finish, with a thread of smoke. One that gets better for the knowing.