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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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March 19, 2018 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
today Stronachie new vs. '1901' |
Let’s do something madder than usual, that is to say taste and compare an old original Stronachie with one of the contemporary bottlings by A.D. Rattray that bears the same name and that’s meant to be a good replica of Stronachie’s original style, as experienced from an original bottle of 1904 (but we’ll have an even older one!) The ‘newer’ Stronachie is actually a Benrinnes, but sadly, we’ve only got a sherry finish at hand, no the proper ‘natural’ one… |
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Stronachie 10 yo ‘Sherry cask finish’ (46%, A.D. Rattray, 6000 bottles, +/-2017) 
It’s well a single malt whisky, not a blended malt. It must have been rather tricky to replicate an old single malt using another single malt instead of a vatting of various origins. Colour: straw. Nose: it does have something clearly ‘ancient’, with more soot than in modern whiskies, more mineral grasses, and some green nuttiness, as in fresh walnut skins. Perhaps wee touches of goji berries and crushed mints. Mouth: really unusual, starting with some green pepper, some cardamom, and a bitter leather, then we have rather some cured ham and quite a lot of caraway. A sweet and sour style that’s not often to be encountered. Finish: medium, grassy, with bitter fruits. A little soy sauce as well, more cumin, ginger… Comments: good but this is not a style that I usually cherish. It reminds of that ‘sherry’ that you may taste from the casks at he bodegas that specialise in making bespoke seasoned ‘sherry casks’ for the whisky industry.
SGP:361 - 79 points. |
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Stronachie 1901 (no ABV stated, OB, Alexander & MacDonald, +/-1925?) 
There are chances that this is a genuine old Stronachie, but as they say, you never know for sure when bottles are this rare and when it’s hard to do any proper comparisons. What’s sure is that it had the original Stronachie foil over the driven cork, and it seems that that cork was ‘coherent’. As for Stronachie Distillery, it was located near Perth and had only been active for around 30 to 40 years. It was mothballed in 1928. Colour: gold, slightly cloudy. Nose: it’s richer and rounder than the current 10, more complex as well. There’s some faint rubber, some soot, a feeling of old honey jar, old mead, honeysuckle, then rather more medicinal notes, old ointments, tiger balm, then rather gravel and clay, rancio… It does nose ‘old’ and does have wee hints of stoneware (clay), but it hasn’t got much OBE as such, although that’s no proof of either outcome. Could be an old bottle indeed. |
Mouth: it’s funny and even troubling that we would find similarities with the new one. These leafy tobacco and leather, for example, or these touches of soy sauce, bouillon, marrow… Some old arrak as well, perhaps… Tends to become a little fragile after thirty seconds, and that, indeed, often happens with very old bottles. Finish: medium, rather chalky, with more tobacco and pine resin. Touches of medicinal eucalyptus and plasticine in the aftertaste – again, nothing abnormal. Comments: it is very good old-style whisky, for sure. Original Stronachie indeed or just a good old pre-WWII blend? Could well be indeed, but I also don't know the opposite. No, comparisons with the new one wouldn’t tell…
SGP:452 - 86 points. |
Old Stronachie tankard (picture courtesy Stronach-Dutton Road-Rail) |
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