Stop number 60 on the SDT is Tullibardine. This is one of the lesser known Highland distilleries. They struggled through ownership changes several decades ago and was mothballed for a while, but they are making a comeback as of late. This is a NAS expression. The 228 designation is in reference to the burgundy casks used for the finishing. They are 228 liters in size. Bottled at 43% ABV, it is most likely chill filtered. The color is a beautiful dark copper or ruby as they describe it. I want to believe this is natural color derived from the roughly 12 months spent in those burgundy wine casks, but I have no info either way. The nose is full of big fruity red wine notes. A strong oaky presence with vanilla and buttercream. Lots of different fruits. Red grapes, cherries, plums, apples, pears, apricots, strawberries and raisins. Trust me, they are all there, like a huge fruit salad. As my wife said when I had her smell it, “It’s like someone took grapes and cherries and shoved them up my nose”. She has a way with words. A sherry like sweetness. More oak with ginger, caramel, licorice and a light minty/menthol note. Milk chocolate, cocoa powder, some honey and malted barley. After some time grapefruit and oranges appear with a generic nuttiness. The vanilla and chocolate come back around. I love these heavily wine influenced scotches. The palate starts oak heavy with some pepper up front. The burgundy casks really take over and shine through with strong fruity notes. Oranges, grapefruit, pears and plums. More wood spice and oak. It dries the mouth like a good red wine. Some bitter tannins but nothing too unpleasant. Walnuts, cinnamon, toffee and brown sugar. Finally, milk chocolate and some caramel. Quite tasty. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry and mouth coating. The finish is medium long, dry, oaky, fruity, chocolatey with a pinch of spice and slightly bitter. I absolutely loved the nose on this one. It’s very sweet, but the spice helps to balance it a little. It’s more of a dessert dram than not, but I could grab this one any time and get lost in it. The burgundy casks work wonders here and I suspect they are first fill. I haven’t had anything else from Tullibardine, so I have no reference when it comes to distillery character vs cask influence, but I suspect most of what I am getting here is the wine finishing. I bought this bottle for $64 and I feel that’s a pretty good value for money. It might be too sweet for others, but it’s just right for me. 4.25 Cheers