Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask

I got this bottle for Christmas from my wife and it has since established itself as my favourite Speyside malt, and one of my favourite Scotches overall.

Nose: rich, sweet, deep, and full. Certainly sherry but also licorice, wood polish, menthol, cherry syrup; proof that whisky doesn't have to be smoky to be complex. Water brings out vanilla and caramel. I can keep my nose in this one a long time.

Taste: bold and sweet with a strong alcohol kick for its age. Tons of malt. The sweet fruit is balanced by a sharper, more bitter herbal note which develops over time. Becomes oaky at the back of the mouth, with the vaguest suggestion of peat. With water, it is smoother and almost chocolatey on the palate entry.

Finish: beautifully consistent with the flavour development. Leaves pleasant wood and grape flavours that linger for a good length.

Balance: this whisky has everything I look for in a good malt. It won't satisfy peat-heads but it is not meant to; I believe peat would only smother some of the fine complexity here (in fact I've tried blending with a bit of Islay malt and it doesn't work). A powerhouse Speyside, and an example of how double-matured whisky should be done.