Douro Cruise - Blended Batch 14

From creator Euan Campbell: This wonderfully ruby red small batch is a celebration of sweet complexity. We've drawn together selected casks of Speyside single malt, some matured full term in bourbon barrels and some additionally matured in ex-Ruby Port pipes for no less than two years. The result is rich, fruity and evocative of trips to sunnier climes.

We imagined walking through a wine cellar of one of the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia located close to the Douro River. The air was filled with sweet wood char, dark toffee and dried strawberries. On the palate neat the tart juicy cherries and orange peel bitterness was wonderfully balanced by the sweet flavour of wild cranberries. After the addition of water, the scent of sweet tobacco and tropical fruits appeared at first but soon the strawberries were back, this time fresh and dipped in chocolate and topped with toasted coconut. The taste reminded us of a long barrel aged Colheita Port, which in essence is a Tawny from one single harvest/vintage – you should try it!