Sutherland 5 Year Old, 2023 Edition, Thompson Bros (70cl, 48.5%)

A five year old blended malt from Thompson Bros, bringing together the three distilleries of Sutherland. This is the 2023 edition, bottled at 48.5% in a 70cl bottle, with 636 bottles in the run. The nose combines damp cask, copper, a mechanic's workshop and eucalyptus with ripe pineapple, wax, honey, chalk, hops and lemon cake. On the palate ripe fruit, pineapple and pear sit alongside the smoke of a 1990s Laphroaig, with wax, bitter chocolate and apricot kernel. The finish brings cocoa, lemon cake, beeswax, custard and a salty note.