Cú Dhub (70cl)

Cú Dhub is a single malt from a Speyside distillery, in a 70cl bottle. The name is thought to mean black dog in Gaelic and refers to the legend of the Witch of Laggan, who was said to roam the Forest of Gaick near Kingussie and was brought down by two black dogs. Its clearly black colour was inspired by the Loch Dhu bottling from Mannochmore in the mid-1990s. Loch Dhu took its dark colour from 10 years in deeply charred oak, whereas Cú Dhub gets its tone from a generous amount of spirit caramel. The notes are of vanilla, liquorice and tobacco, and are gentler than the older bottling.