Pintail Girvan 17 Year Old Fine Bretagne Finish (70cl, 55.1%)

This is a 17 year old single grain whisky from the Girvan distillery in the Lowlands, bottled by The Whisky Cellar in its Pintail range at 55.1% in a 70cl bottle. It has natural colour and is not chill-filtered. The whisky spent a year in a barrel that previously held Fine Bretagne, an apple brandy made from distilled cider in Brittany. That barrel held XO eaux-de-vie aged for around 15 years. The outturn is 256 bottles. The nose is creamy and delicate, with vanilla custard, apple juice, pear drops, Galia melon, shortbread and marzipan. The palate brings warm apple tarte tatin, lemon sherbet and jasmine blossom, and the finish has white pepper, almond oil and sweet apple butter pastries.