Pittyvaich 30 Year Old Diageo Special Release 2020 - 50.8% 70cl

The 2020 Special Releases are an annual collection of limited-edition natural cask strength Scotch whiskies that feature rare and unusual releases from some of Scotland’s most loved distilleries.

This elusive 1989 Pittyvaich from the last remaining stocks is the first ever to be finished in first-fill ex-bourbon
casks. This finely crafted finishing has brought an exotic, rich vanilla sweetness to the light, creamy, fruity aromas
and flavours of a less well known Speyside gem, until now familiar only to a knowledgeable few.

A ‘ghost’ distillery that worked for only 18 years before falling victim to industry consolidation in 1993, the
buildings of Pittyvaich have long since vanished. Its dwindling stock is as rarely sighted today as the shy
capercaillie, a bird occasionally spotted in Scottish pine forests.

A very rare long-aged release of only 7,056 bottles from a closed distillery.

Nose: Mellow in feel and slightly drying, with no prickle, leaving an unctuous fruity-oily first impression. The rich top notes suggest a salad of ripe tropical fruits; pear, papaya, pineapple and banana, sitting on a green base of fragrant oil or tropical forest foliage. Unusually, a drop of water increases all of these aromas.

Palate: At natural 50.8% strength lightly oily and very smooth in texture, mouth-filling and lightly mouth-drying. The taste is rich and creamy vanilla-sweet overall, with some balancing fruity acidity, drying lightly in the finish. Easy to enjoy straight at this strength. Water, not too much, makes it smoother and sweeter still.

Finish: Quite short, sweet and smooth, and lightly drying, with a lingering spicy warmth. With water, smooth and sweet still and just gently spicy at the end.