ELIJAH CRAIG 9 ans Private Barrel - 60 ans LMDW

Nose : refined, warm. Coriander, vanilla and yellow peaches make up the first impression of the intricately layered aromatic palette. It then develops into notes of cinnamon, pepper and salted butter caramel. Allowed to breathe, heady florals (iris, carnations), dark chocolate and heather honey provide another range of highly complex aromas.

Palate : creamy, clean. The attack is then warm and powerful. Very quickly, however, coconut and vanilla arrive to refresh the palate. The mid-palate is balsamic (cypress, thuja) and floral (lilac, purple lilac, lavender). Peaches and apricots gradually coat the taste buds with their juicy flesh. The finish is initially very spicy (ginger, cloves, nutmeg), before a pronounced, creamy corn flavour melts the palate.

Overall : long, elegant. Indulgent#P,& at first, it quite clearly evokes an apricot tart. Then, herbaceous, it lingers with notes of fern and ivy. Coffee and tobacco flavours with plenty of character make up the grand finale. The retro-nasal olfaction is floral (peony), milky (almond), gently spicy (cardamom) and fruity (orange, quince). The empty glass is delicately woody (oak), with notes of vanilla, liquorice and saffron.