March 12, 2015

Another hotchpotch of undisclosed malts

A mixed bag of recent singles and maybe vatted, we’ll see what we can find. We’ll do that in no particular order.

Prometheus 26 yo (47%, Glasgow Distillery Company, first fill sherry)

After HP’s Norse gods, here come the Romans. Yeah I know, Prometheus wasn’t exactly a god, was he? As for the distillery this new baby’s coming from, mum’s the word! Colour: deep gold. Nose: a Speysidy side, with overripe apples, roasted malt and nuts, some honey, touches of grass and hay, an earthiness, notes of orange marmalade, raisins… Grass and barley win in the end, which is just as nice. Also roots and touches of stout. This is a complex nose, and the orchestra plays in tune. Mouth: we’ve had some old style Glenlivets that were exactly like this – not saying this is Glenlivet of course. Ripe apples, tarte tatin, sultanas… Having said that, there are also smoky and honeyed/leathery notes that do hint at Highland Park. Oh well, let’s not try to find out, that’s impossible anyway. Notes of dried pears as well. The mouth feel is pretty perfect. Finish: quite long, honeyed and fruity, with a smoky touch. Comments: nah, I think this is a good old lightly sherried Speysider. And a rather pricy one, at around £380. But after all, although we don’t have the name, we’ve got the age. Ha! SGP:452 - 87 points.

Let’s simply go on with random undisclosed ones…

Speyside 23 yo 1991/2014 (48.8%, The Whisky Fair, bourbon hogshead, 363 bottles)

So, do you see this label white or do you see it blue? ;) Colour: straw. Nose: smells rather natural, perhaps a tad raw and spirity, but with some pleasant orchardy notes. We’re talking apples, greengages and candy sugar. In the background, a little chalk and unexpected medicinal notes. A drop of antiseptic on a large basket of ripe apples. Mouth: ah, this has power and structure! Again, no fancy tastes and flavours, but it’s quite precise on sweet barley and butterscotch. Notes of Werther’s Originals, and maybe Mars bar while we’re at it. Some caramel for sure. Finish: quite long, sweet and malty. Ovaltine. Comments: it’s not that often that you come across some very malty malt whisky. A paradox? Good stuff for sure. SGP:551 - 85 points.

Glen Gordon 15 yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, +/-1986)

Don’t we all love this very outmoded label? Glen Gordon’s always been said to be Macallan, but nobody will ever swear that it is. Colour: full gold. Nose: oh lovely! This is very floral, with lilies, large bouquets, also cut grass, fresh walnuts, all these sorts of things… As a consequence, I don’t find much fruits, nor do I find nutty or honeyed smells. Floral it is! And a little mentholated too. Mouth: OBE in action here, with mint and camphor, tar, old herbal liqueurs and all that. There’s some complexity to it but the profile has probably been bent by time in glass. A touch of soap as well, something metallic… That’s not really normal. And yet, no loss of body, it’s even a little fat. Finish: medium, grassy and bitter. Comments: I’ll score this baby because that’s my duty (heavy duty), and because the nose was really pleasant. But this score only goes with this particular bottle, I’m totally sure that other bottles will be much better. SGP:271 - 70 points.

We’re going downwards, aren’t we? Maybe a youngster…

Whisky Galore 5 yo (40%, Whisky Galore, +/-2014)

The company's located in Huntly, which may hint at Duncan Taylor. I appreciate the fact that they do not hide the age of this wee baby, which is a single malt. Colour: straw. Nose: I’ll tell you what, it reeks of fresh barley, dough, brioche from ten minutes ago, baker’s yeast, cut pears and plain bread, but that’s just very fine. I also seem to detect whiffs of kippers or rollmops, not too sure where that comes from. Mouth: excellent! Barley again, salted fish, overripe apples, sour dough, porridge, grass, Maggi sauce… Young malt as nature intended, full of flaws, full of character, and very honest. A mezcal from Scotland. Finish: rather long, salty, bready and yeasty. Comments: a great surprise. Sure this isn’t 85 or 90 material, and the 40% vol. might be a bit low, but I could sip this away for hours. Right, minutes. SGP:362 - 82 points.

Let’s try to find a worthy finale… Fireworks and drum roll please!

Glen Calder 40yo 1949 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, +/-1989)

A very unusual bottling, as this is a blended Scotch - not blended malt, and yet it’s a single vintage bottling. How unusual indeed, do you know of many vintage blends? Colour: full gold. Nose: I sometimes find old whiskies that do nose like a great old Sauternes, and this baby’s one of them. Some roasted things, plenty of ripe and jammy yellow fruits, a good deal of honey, more raisins than in Raisinland, and a distant smoke that rather hints at coal or charcoal. You’re feeling like you’re sitting with Sir Winston in some much polished London club, a long time ago. Mouth: is there any grain whisky in there? May we see the papers? There’s some artisan cider, some mead, plenty of raisins again, a combination of my favourite honeys (chestnut, thyme, fir), and, of course, a good glass of Yquem and their ilk. Although the roasted side may rather hint at Barsac (showing off now). Only flipside, the low strength makes it slightly ‘hollow’. Finish: maybe a bit short, but what a marvellous old wine. I mean, whisky. Comments: superb. Really old style whisky de salon, only the low power makes it a tad too uncontemporary. SGP:641 - 89 points. (and thank you Sir Angus)