Have just tried ... Tullibardine 1992 Vintage

Earlier this week, Matt wrote a guest post on the soft drinks blog Drink Station. In return, we welcome Drink Station's writer and founder Chris Maclean to Whisky For Everyone. Chris has agreed to write a post for our 'Have just tried ...' series and selected a whisky to sample and review. He chose this relatively new release from the little known Tullibardine distillery. We hope that you enjoy reading! So here goes, over to Chris' review ...

Tullibardine is a Highland Malt. The distillery is located at Blackford in Perthshire, and stands on the site of a former brewery. It was designed by the architect Delme Evans and built in 1949, so is relatively young in the context of Scottish distilling.

The distillery has a chequered past, including changes of ownership and a period between 1994 and 2003 when it was inactive (or ‘mothballed’). Since 2003 the distillery has been privately owned, and production has recommenced. The first release of this new production is scheduled for bottling in 2014, with current releases being drawn from stock inherited from the previous owners, Whyte & Mackay.

This bottling was distilled in 1992 and bottled at 46% ABV (alcohol by volume) in 2006. It has been drawn from a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, and should be priced around £30- £35 from specialist retailers.

The whisky is a pale lemon yellow colour. On the nose aromas are clean, fresh and light: Lemon citrus is followed by a sweet grassiness, milled cereal and pears. As the whisky opens up the elements become warmer and richer, with vanilla, honey, almonds and even butter coming through now.

Moving to the palate, flavours are lemony fresh, with a mouthwatering zest and good intensity. There is enough malty, honeyed sweetness to balance this, and a buttery texture to chew on. This bottling has a firm finish, drying and turning pleasantly bitter as it slowly fades.

In conclusion, with such clean, zesty flavours this would make an excellent aperitif whisky. It is light but shows excellent intensity and length on the finish, no doubt aided by the 46% ABV bottling strength.