Glenkinchie 2008, 18yrs, 53.4 %, Sansibar für deinwhisky.de, WB297947

This is a real rarity; there are hardly any independent bottlings, it really stands out as a serial absentee. A rarity, a Lowland whisky and a distillery with worm tubs – it must be Christmas.
Nose: Stewed dark fruits, strawberries, but also plums, perhaps cherries? I’ll soldier on and explore the nose a bit more. But there’s also something baked – cake? Black Forest gateau. There are dates too, and a different kind of heavy sweetness: maple syrup, pine honey, sugar syrup. I admit, I’ve no idea about the distillery’s character; all I can detect here is this fantastic cask. Now there’s leather too, a hint of sawdust, but old and dusty. Coffee aromas. Will that linger in the mouth?

Palate: Heavy red wine, Spain, Ribera del Duero. Very strong coffee, perhaps even espresso, slightly sweetened. Stewed fruit drowns in coffee and red wine aromas, strong tannins. 
Finish: Very dry. Espresso notes fill the entire mouth, hellish astringency. Rarity or not, the cask gives you no chance to learn anything about the distillate – no Glenkinchie here, yet still a great drink.
 

88/87/87