11 year old Tullibardine drawn from a 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel. Juicy, oak and vanilla profile.
Nose: Few if any peaches for me – this goes straight down the orchard route with pear and apple – freshly picked, or brewed into cider/perry. There’s a sharp citric centre to this – part lemon, part balsamic, almost cider vinegar. It’s tart and awakening. Running throughout, honey, ginger and a touch of salinity. Water further pronounces the salt with outright minerality as well as adding in some unripe green fruits.
Taste: Very ex-bourbon in its focus with buttercream, vanilla, coconut, toast and cask char. Adding some additional interest is a dusty, almost coal-dust pepperiness along with both spearmint and coolmint. Dilution adds florals with grass and hay as well as heightening the minerality into something fairly chiselled.
Finish: Medium with vanilla pod, coconut and plenty of chalky rocks.
A straight-forward ex-bourbon matured Tullibardine with a real mineral underbelly that’s particularly pronounced when reduced.