Annandale 2015 First Fill Ruby Port Best Dram – 56.3%

The Annandale 2015/2023, for example, matured in first-fill barrique barrels that were pre-filled with strong Ruby Port wine. At 7 years old, the sweet, fruity single malt is one of the oldest bottlings from the Lowland distillery.

Unique casks, personally and locallyselected in Scotland’s whiskey regions, always cask strength, never chill-filtered or coloured. Sounds magical? No wonder, because these Best Drams are the work of Michel Reick, who, as a whiskey druid, makes the magic of hand-picked casks accessible to connoisseurs. Six newcomers allow magical moments of pleasure this week.

The new Best Drams had between 7 and 16 years to develop their exquisite aromas. The single cask bottlings open up exciting perspectives on distilleries on the island of Islay, Speyside and the Lowlands and Highlands for whiskey fans – in combination with aromatic (strong) wine casks.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A deep, dark port sweetness with prunes, raisins, some dark caramel (Storck Riesen) and a hint of cherry.

Palate: Strong on entry, then the sweetness shows up again immediately. Notes of forest fruit jam are pleasantly accompanied by a little cask spice towards the end.

Finish: Slow, intense and rounded sweet.