BLAIR ATHOL 11 ans 2014 Itinéraires Berry Bros. & Rudd

Nose : fresh, subtle. Opening on notes of honey (acacia), fruit (apple, hazelnut), fermentation (porridge), herbaceous (lucerne), spice (clove) and empyreumatic notes (beeswax), the nose continually gains in depth. Allowed to breathe, vanilla, incense and iris butter gradually seize the air.

Palate : rich, unctuous. Citrus fruit zest (grapefruit, lemon) and vanilla pod initially take the lead. A torrent of malted barley grains then knock down everything in their path, leaving the field open for a plethora of fruits (apple, banana, Mirabelle plum, yellow peach).

Overall : long, silky. Closing ranks with the palate, the finish opens on notes of liquorice, powdered ginger, crushed hazelnut and oil (walnut, sunflower). The retro-nasal olfaction brings spice (curry, nutmeg) before hurrying back to malt (cooked barley) and gentian root. Exactly replicating the nose, the dried extracts in the empty glass reveal notes of fruit, herbs and vanilla.