This is the kind of cask that our single malt program is built upon. A gem of a cask from a relatively unheralded distillery that is packed with so much flavor you can't help but notice, all for a song, even in today's bonkers whisky market. This cask is precisely why relationships matter. For 11 years old it is D.A.R.K. Rich mahogany in the glass it pours beautifully. The nose is just as intense as the color. It is hugely sweet, redolent with dates, candied apricots, salted nuts, fruit syrup, toffee, and chocolate - one of the sweetest noses we've seen in a long time. It makes me wonder if the cask was a PX cask, but surely it would have been labeled as such and cost much more if that were the case. If the nose strikes as syrupy, the palate doubles down. It coats your tongue like Robitussin, thick and sticky. Thank God it's a bruising 64.7% ABV or it would be cloyingly sweet. Raisins, figs, rice candy with the paper, toffee, chocolate truffles, and honey all overwhelm your senses in turn. The finish doesn't stop - a slight sweet herbaceousness comes through, somewhere between mint and anise and the alcohol just lights up everything like a Christmas tree. We don't see too many bombs like this anymore. With the skyrocketing prices for sherry casks and the financial world's interest in whisky investing, I thought these gems were all long gone. Fortunately for us and our customers, our relationships in Scotland run deep and still turn up these miraculous finds.