A.D Rattray Cask Orkney 18 yr

An eighteen-year-old malt from an unspecified Orkney distillery - very likely a well-known one. Bottled by a specific company in spring 2018. Aroma: Pleasant, buttery, oat-like, with light vanilla. Taste: Buttery, saline, with mild sweet peat smoke. Finish: Nutty, prolonged finish, with dusty oak/wood. A drying, peaty finish. A citrus aftertaste. It has a good equilibrium between smokiness, saltiness, and oiliness. Nicely balanced. Adding water enhances the oak and fruit notes and mellows the oak. The finish becomes drier and more woody. This expression tied for third place out of the six whiskies sampled, receiving 10% of the votes for favorite. It was my top choice from the tasting.

A moderate peat level, similar to a certain distillery's product. It possesses a bit more sweetness on the palate than other expressions I've sampled from that distillery, though I'm uncertain why I'm drawing comparisons, as any distillery on Orkney that produced peated whisky two decades ago could have made this.

Peat, citrus zest, and sea salt. Very smooth. Excellent value. The distillery isn't specified, but I'd guess Highland Park.

Complex, with smoke on the finish.

Peat is prominent in the finish.

Event name: Dramfest 2020