Las bodegas de Fort William

An immediately assertive nose full of personality. We found ginger wine, sultanas, brown bread, treacle, aged leather, pipe tobacco and dark chocolate. With time it evolved towards heather flowers, walnuts and rancio, before water brought dried flowers, mango chunks, walnut oil, marzipan and cough mixtures – this is a big, no-nonsense sherried west Highland whisky. The palate was superbly oily and fat; full of sweet waxes, dark fruit cordials, aged armagnac, rustic earthiness and hints of balsamic glaze and crystallised exotic fruits. With water came notes of salted pistachios, aged mead, camphor, mineral oils and malt extract. This was matured for six years in a bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a second fill oloroso sherry hogshead.