Fifty-two years in oak define the Alexander Murray & Co Highland 52 Year, a cask-strength single malt Scotch from an undisclosed Highland distillery. Alexander Murray works as an independent bottler, sourcing mature casks and releasing them under its own label rather than the distillery’s the source here is named only as ‘Highland,’ a common arrangement for spirit this old. Whisky that spends more than five decades in wood is rare by simple attrition; most casks are emptied or ruined long before they reach this age. Bottled without dilution at cask strength, a malt this old is a contemplative, once-in-a-while dram served neat in a Glencairn, given time to sit, with water added drop by drop only if you choose.