Bladnoch 19 Year Old – 70cl

Nineteen years in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, from the most southerly distillery in Scotland. That is a long, patient maturation for a Lowland malt — and it shows.

Bladnoch sits on the banks of its own river near Wigtown, deep in the green hills of Galloway. Licensed in 1817, it is one of the oldest distilleries in the country, and firmly Lowland — so the spirit underneath is lighter and more delicate than anything from Speyside or the islands. This 19 Year Old belongs to the Galloway Collection and has spent its entire life in first-fill PX casks. That is unusual. Most distilleries reach for sherry as a finishing flourish; here it is the whole story.

The colour gives it away first: deep gold. The nose leans into dark liquorice and aged oak, with a floral thread running behind. Take a sip and the liquorice returns, joined by dried apricot, toasted almond and a dusting of nutmeg. What catches most people out is the finish — long, but dry rather than sticky. For a whisky raised entirely on Pedro Ximénez, that restraint is the clever part.

This is an after-dinner dram for an unhurried evening. At just under £160 it slips in below the distillery's own £175, which for a fully PX-matured nineteen-year-old is a fair deal.

How to Serve

Neat, in a tulip or copita glass. It is bottled at 46.7%, so a few drops of water will loosen the oak and lift the fruit. Add them slowly and taste as you go.

Where to Drink It

Dukes Bar in St James's, for the kind of hushed room this whisky deserves. The Connaught Bar in Mayfair, if you would rather make an occasion of it. Black Rock in Shoreditch for a younger, looser take on the same reverence.

Food Pairings

A wedge of properly aged hard cheese is the pairing here — the dry, nutty finish loves it. A few walnuts alongside won't hurt.