Nose: Very old, fragrant oak saturated with high quality sherry. Powdered ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruits, hazelnuts and citrus peel. With time in the glass a heavy floral aroma emerges with honeyish overtones. It’s like vanilla and honeysuckle, but aged. The nose just keeps improving over time and never seems to run short of new elegant facets to display. 92/100 Palate: The arrival is soft but a firm structure appears as it develops. In the development I found oak, dried fruits, citrus, baking spices and a great deal of supple tannin that treads a fine line between powerful flavor and astringency. Later still there is a little white pepper, caraway seed and sweet chewing tobacco. The texture is oily and heavy. 90/100 Finish: Very Long. Tobacco, spices and fruit. 91/100 This is a magisterial old whisky that demands focused attention and respectful tasting. On initially opening the bottle I feared it was too tannic but a few days of rest and a breath of fresh oxygen in the bottle has achieved perfect balance. Complexity and sophistication are the summary words here, as the 27 year old components of oak wood, sherry and Balblair distillate combine into a mélange that delights the senses and seems to never end. Whisky does not have to be old to be great, but this is really great old whisky. Reduction kills the nose and brings out too much bitter tannin on the palate, and the dram never recovers. I generally add a dash of water to most whiskies, but this one is definitely best taken neat. When I bought this in 2020 it was AUD$270, and from Whiskybase it looks like the current price is around twice that. If you can find it for $200-250 US$/Euro it would be a steal. “Outstanding” : 91/100 (5 stars)