This relative newcomer to the Highland scene is making waves with some seriously impressive expressions that showcase top-quality juice and a truly imaginative blending team. For a core item, the Cask Strength Single Malt still sees pretty limited production, with just 2,400 bottles making it to the U.S. market. Markedly different than the Sherry Cask bottling, this is composed of 87% peated malt and aged almost entirely in ex-bourbon barrels, with a small percentage done in sherry cask. For a whisky with such a high proportion of peated malt, the smoky quality is incredibly refined on the nose. It’s there in spades, but it’s no smoke bomb. Beautifully layered notes of green orchard fruit, golden raisin, and cobbler come to the fore, but some aggressive aeration brings out tons of added nuance like petrol, toasted cereals, warm biscuit crust, toffee undertones, chocolate-covered raisins, citrus confit, and chocolate chip cookie dough. The palate, much like the nose, shows the distillery’s penchant for refinement and precision. The rich, round texture is shockingly gentle for a cask strength bottling so you can go at this right away with no water. Toned down on the fruit, the flavors instead center on toasted cereals and ultrafine peat in the form of smoldering embers and gunpowder. The whisky’s remarkable balance is underscored by dried herbs, charred citrus peel, smoky minerality on the long, persistent finish. I really can’t overstate how impressed I am with this distillery. If the core items are this good, I can’t wait to see what’s in store as their stocks mature and they start turning out more limited expressions.
93 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Champagne Buyer (Jul 2025)
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