The Glenlivet 25 Year Old Double Cask - The Sample Room Collection (70cl, 43%)

A 25-year-old Speyside single malt from The Glenlivet, part of the Sample Room Collection. The collection takes its name from the room where the distillery assesses cask samples and tries out different finishes. Here the long maturation is followed by a finish in first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and Cognac casks made from Tronçais oak. It is bottled at 43% in a 70cl bottle, chill-filtered and with no added colour. The casks bring chocolate ganache, plum jam and manuka honey, lifted by lemon peel, cinnamon and orange blossom. The nose has caramelised ginger and toasted oak with a hint of lightly charred pineapple. On the palate are sweet figs and blood orange with warming ginger, and the texture is full and velvety. The finish is long and sweet, with gentle spice.