The Singleton of Glen Ord 40 Year Old

The oldest Glen Ord bottled to date. This glorious 40 year old Scotch whisky was distilled in 1982 and after 12 years of maturation was filled into Caribbean rum casks to mature for another 28 years, with only 1,716 bottles produced.

Nose: The nose is mellow, with a little prickle at first; fruity top notes hint at dried apple and are soon backed by a more savoury aroma evoking sage, while richer hints of fruit, soon suggesting plums enrobed in dark chocolate, sit on a balancing base of sweetly spicy oak, with light aromas of hard toffee and oak shavings. A drop of water introduces a wisp of waxy smoke.

Palate: At natural strength, the texture is decadently smooth and lightly waxy while the taste starts sweet, vibrant and very fruity, becoming slightly salty and plumsour mid-palate. Complex layers of flavour suggest pears slathered indulgently in dark chocolate and caramelised tropical fruits, as with toffee-covered banana and pineapple. Beautifully balanced and super-smooth, with sustained rich, sweet fruitiness balanced by slow-building black pepper. Velvet smooth dark chocolate tannins herald an appetising drying note. A drop of water emphasises the fruit and softens the spice, bringing out a mouth-cooling aftertaste.

Finish: Quite long, deep-flavoured and lightly drying, with black pepper spice and another hint of waxy smoke.