Abbey Whisky – Anon. (Batch 1) – 13yo – 51.5%abv

Info: “Distilled in 2001 at one of Scotland’s finest distilleries, Anon. Batch 1 has been aged for 13 years in total, with the last 6 months of maturation spent in an Oloroso sherry cask. Bottled in 2015 at cask strength.”
Colour: Light to medium summer gold.
Nose: Rich, fruity malt, loads of malt, and… fruit! Mushed down red apples with some sultanas and custard. Hints of older oak, honey and some smoky hints from cask char.
Palate: Really thick oils coat your tongue with honey flavoured oaky malt. It’s very smooth for the higher than normal strength. A pinch of spices that make it interesting, but also not enough that it overloads your tongue. There’s a slight cardboardy thing going on nearer to the end.
Finish: Thick, layered fruits mix with the malt to leave a really slow, lingering and warming finish on your palate and on your chest. Right at the end you’re left with much younger oak notes, probably from the 6 month sherry cask finish.
Thoughts: Great stuff, a reminder you don’t need whiskies to be really old to be great. There’s plenty of flavours here to explore and keep you occupied.
Available: Abbey Whisky – £54

Thanks to Abbey Whisky for the sample!