Balmenach 10-year-old Scottish Wildlife Signatory Vintage / 43% / 0.7l

Balmenach Distillery, based in Speyside, has been producing whisky since 1824. From 1925 to 1997 it was owned by DCL (and its successor UD), and most of the Balmenach whisky went into Johnnie Walker blends.

In 1993, the group suspended production at the distillery, and four years later sold it to Inver House Distillers without any stock. Balmenach produces around 2.8 million litres of distillate annually, but it does not have an official edition (almost all of it is consumed by Inver House blends) and is rarely offered by independent publishers. The Balmenach 10 years old presented here is a Signatory Vintage proposal from 1995 in the Scottish Wildlife series promoting Scottish fauna. The distillery's "calling card" is the capercaillie.

Nose: fresh barley malt, spring meadow, green apples, pears, orange peel, rose water, vanilla, caramel, white pepper and traces of peat.

Palate : mild, vanilla, honeyed breakfast cereals, baked apples sprinkled with brown sugar, orange and lemon peel, white pepper, notes of ginger and oak.

Finish : medium long, with notes of citrus, vanilla, eucalyptus drops, white pepper, ginger, peat and oak.