Speyside Distillery 30 Year Old 1991 W&M Special Release

A refill sherry cask was the key to give this very old Speyside whisky complexity and maturity, without forgetting to achieve balance between the rich malty character of the spirit and the fruity and nutty influence of Oloroso. As such, it’s definitely a sherried whisky, but without tannic and winey excesses: the nose dances on a complex interaction between dry austerity and sultana raisins fragrance, between wine and malty freshness, between fragrant roasted chestnuts and old bookcases. The taste remains clean, not fat nor exceedingly tannic, fruity but neither fat nor dusty, never dominated by the Oloroso: it’s spicy, but also with a creamy note of candied oranges. There’s a note of aperitif bitters that contrasts well with the raisiny sweetness, and only in the persistent aftertaste it becomes very peppery, mineral, nutty.