• Nose – Subtle, fruity with sweet grass, a bit shy yet lovely, some tobacco leaf, walnut and raspberries
• Palate – Gorgeous! Something very unusual – a curious sweetness that strangely reminded me of skunk – sounds horrible but it wasn’t. There was a rusty rustic spice,  more fruit and berries, beeswax, ginger, cinnamon
• Finish – More of the sweet spices with a sprinkle of salt on top – lovely

This was again a whisky that needed a bit of time to open up… becoming sweeter the longer it aired… taking on an increasing honey-fruity sweetness mixed with light cereals, sweet grass, and fresh tobacco leaf.

Unfortunately, just as this dram was no longer available to purchase, the notes and any further details have also disappeared from The Whisky Warehouse No 8 website!

As we reflected on our evening, my tasting companions and I overall enjoyed our quartet from The Whisky Warehouse No 8…Tthere wasn’t much debate about our preferences with:

1. The Linkwood 11 year (2007 / 2019) 58.2% was a clear favourite!
2. It was followed by our respective separate samples – my companions enjoyed their Tomatin and I think this Benrinnes would rank as #2 for me
3. Next up was the Auchentoshan 18 year (1998 / 2017) 48.3%
4. Closing with the Dailuaine 11 year (2007 / 2020) 61.5%

For me it was such a delight to be sampling from India, sitting at my very unique desk… an old piano lovingly refurbished by my husband, repurposed to become a comfortable creative corner in our country home. In the background I could hear the cicadas and soft music selected for the evening… my belly happily full of homemade dosas with delicious peanut coconut chutney… our pair of country cats curled up companionably together on the bed behind me… perfection!