The New Zealand Whisky Collection 33 Year Old 1988 Single Cask Conquete

Palate: Powerful, lively. The energetic attack is tangy at first (grapefruit zest). Very quickly, however, it becomes rich (Normandy tart), spicy (star anise, ginger), honeyed (beeswax) and mentholated. Note that, like the nose, the palate shows an indefatigable youthful spirit, reflected in fruity elements of marmalade and quince jelly.

Overall: Long, alert. Like a Northern Highlands single malt, the start of the finish boasts a very pleasant salinity. It is also incredibly malty and rooted in absorbent earth rich in trace minerals. Zan liquorice sweets then bring lots of softness to the retro-nasal olfaction. All of these tones move unmistakably closer to peat, a move confirmed in the medicinal notes that then arrive (ointment, camphor). The empty glass is a mass of malted, floral, mentholated, liquorice and earthy aromas.

Originally founded in Dunedin in 1974, the Willowbank distillery closed in 2000. When it was bought by the New Zealand Whisky Company, the few remaining casks were moved to a warehouse in Oamuru for storage, some 60 miles away. With a remarkably fresh expression, this venerable bottling is at once powerful, firm, intensely fruity and spicy, all while flirting with peat and smoke on the finish.

Profile: Fine, complex. Acacia, clove, pear.