Caisteal Chamuis 12 Year Old Peated Blended Malt Sherry Cask Finish (70cl, 46%)

This is a peated blended malt from Caisteal Chamuis, the Mossburn Distillers & Blenders brand built around peated malts from the Scottish islands. It is bottled at 46% in a 70cl bottle, non-chill-filtered and without added colour. The malts spend twelve years in used American oak hogsheads. The blend then moves into 230-litre American oak casks that previously held Oloroso for five years, and finally into custom-made 500-litre European oak Oloroso butts that form a solera-style system. The Oloroso adds depth, oak spice and a light sweetness to the island smoke. Smoke and fruit meet on the nose, with burnt caramel, hazelnut, white peach and yellow plum. The palate is round and smoky with a pale wine-gum character, and the finish holds warm oak smoke.