The Speyside region of Scotland is known for its rich, alluvial soils and golden barley fields, which result in elegant and incredibly complex whiskies. In addition, the region’s unique microclimate and location along the North Sea shelter it from the Gulf Stream, providing an ideal environment for maturing an opulent and lush whisky. As a result, over 50 working distilleries call the Speyside region of Scotland home.
Rattray’s Selection Batch #2 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is crafted from a unique blend of four different Speyside single malt whiskies produced by four distilleries: Tamdhu, Strathmill, Cragganmore and Mortlach. Each whisky was hand-selected based on its quality and depth of flavor.
The backbone of the blend is composed of single malt whisky sourced from the Tamdhu Distillery. The whisky was distilled on September 29, 1989, and matured in a cask that was previously used to mature bourbon (Cask #8150) for 23 years. The Tamdhu whisky contributes bold notes of sharp fruit, barley and spices to the flavor profile of blend.
The Strathmill Single Malt Whisky used in the blend was distilled on May 25, 1991, and also matured in an ex-bourbon barrel (Cask #1289) for 21 years. The Strathmill whisky contributes lighter notes of salt, black pepper and chilies to the blend. The Cragganmore Single Malt Whisky used in the blend was distilled on March 8, 1991, and matured in Cask #1155 for 22 years. It provides rich, heavy notes of vanilla, caramel and toffee to the blend. The fourth single malt used in the blend was distilled by the Mortlach Distillery on June 3, 1992. The whisky was matured for 21 years and contributes notes of brown sugar and intense fruit to the blend.
Once the four whiskies were identified, they were married together and then matured for an additional six months in casks that were previously used to mature Oloroso Sherry. This secondary beautyrest in the Oloroso Sherry casks created a whisky that is engagingly deep and complex, with a lush, dark and heavy flavor profile.…