Colour: Amber.
Nose: Sweet and fruity start on the nose with barley sugar, honey and orchard fruits. Then vanilla and butterscotch arrive, followed by a spicy touch of oak and white pepper. Notes of dark chocolate linger with a touch of herbal notes in the background.

Palate: Sweet on the palate with vanilla, Demerara sugar and toffee. Slightly warming with white pepper and oak. Then notes of honey, apples and lemons emerge, nicely mixed with herbal lemonade and subtle milk chocolate towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is long, warm, and deliciously sweet with brown sugar and toffee. Subtle spicy and slightly dry with oak and dark chocolate on the tail.
With water: A few drops of water slightly tame the delicate sweetness while more herbal notes and lemonade come to the fore. Lots of sweetness on the palate with vanilla, toffee and barley sugar. Delicate orchard fruits mixed with herbal lemonade and only a hint of warming spices. The finish shows medium-length and becomes drier on the tail with oak and cocoa.
Comments: A beautiful, fruity single grain whisky from the closed distillery Carsebridge. Perfectly balanced with delicate fruits, delicious sweetness and slightly warming spices. Poised and elegant. Such a long ageing hasn't made the oak wood too dominating. On the contrary, the interesting notes of herbal lemonade provide freshness and liveliness. Best to enjoy neat.

 

I thank Douglas Laing for the sample and the photograph!