Duncan Taylor The Octave Braeval 25 Year Old 1996 51.1% ABV

Duncan Taylor The Octave Braeval 25 Year Old 1996 is a cask-strength single malt from Braeval, a Speyside distillery whose whisky is rarely bottled on its own. Distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2021 by independent bottler Duncan Taylor, it spent part of its maturation in an octave, a very small cask that gives the spirit more contact with the wood. Only 86 bottles came from the cask. It is bottled at its natural strength of 51.1% ABV in a 700ml bottle, and the long ageing shows in a profile that moves from nutty, fruity sweetness to savoury spice and oak.

Tasting Notes: Flapjack, strawberry, maple, nutmeg, ginger, oak and tropical fruit.

Nose: Nutty flapjack and fresh strawberries with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Palate: More savoury, with nutmeg, dry oak and spicy ginger before maple syrup and baked goods return.

Finish: A bright splash of tropical fruit right at the end.

Serve: Neat, or with a few drops of water to open the aromas.