Dalwhinnie 36 yo 1966/2002 (47.2%, OB 'Special Releases', 1500 bottles)
One of many highly impressive early releases in this series, although I always felt it got a little forgotten about over the years. Now, Mr SV recorded notes for this one all the way back in 2005 and was impressed but maybe not 'aggressively' so with WF88. Colour: pale bronze. Nose: typically old and old school at the same time. Rather mentholated, polished and medicinal with animal fats, tiger balm, sooty and coppery notes and wee impressions of aged mead, camphor, marzipan and ginger. There's also dried herbs and ointments with a few various glazed and crystallised fruits. I also find some interestingly fat beery and malt extract notes. Mouth: excellent arrival, powerful even at this ABV, loads of medicinal waxes, boot polish, soot, camphor, oils, a glimmer of peat smoke and a few rather extracted exotic fruit teas, mineral oils and natural tar resin. Becoming more and more reminiscent of some much older Scotch whiskies in the way it makes you think of long-aged herbal liqueurs and curious old medicines. Finish: good length, rather warming, gently peppery, some ginger once again, more beers, dark grains, medicines and camphor. Comments: 1960s Dalwhinnie seems to have been involved considerably more with peat than today's make. There's many aspects about this that make you think of properly historic 'antique' profiles of Scotch Whisky. 90 big fat points in my wee book, but I would say what distinguishes this from many modern bottlings that also easily hit that mark, is that this would be a 'soulful' 90, rather than a 'technical' 90 - I'm sure you see what I mean.
SGP: 563 - 90 points.

Dalwhinnie 37 yo 1965/2003 (58.1%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 102.14 'An off-road oldie')
Once again, Serge beat me to this one with WF90 back in 2018. I was always a fan of this bottling as, as far as I'm aware, it's a unique single cask with no sibling stocks to be found at any other bottler; a bonnie wee slice of Scottish distilling history. Colour: gold. Nose: many proximate qualities to the 1966, only I would say this is immediately sharper and more powerfully on medical embrocations, wintergreen, herbal wines, bandages, vapour rubs and even touches of iodine and citronella wax. A highly distinctive and unusual profile, even for the 1960s I would say. With water: superbly fat, oily, waxy and even farmy now. These peaty and medicinal aspects and subdivided into something greasier, earthier and more old school waxy/mechanical. Also some more refined notes of smoked olive oil and good old classic hessian. Really charming! Mouth: very herbal, oily, medicinal and camphory. I also find quite a lot of pepper, hints of anchovy paste, sandalwood and some wonderfully crisp and elegant old school peat smoke. It's also rather salty and with slight meaty notes like a top quality slice of Serrano. With water: lots of herbs, fir wood resins, natural tar extracts, medical embrocations, wee notes of smoked tea, iodine and many more assertive feelings of camphor, putty, hessian and medical balms. Finish: long, resinous, herbal, medicinal and with sweet tar and gentle peat smoke. Comments: I have to say, I find this outstanding. A brilliant whisky that's both soulful and technically great, but also a true example of a properly unique single cask. I have to say, this wee session also reveals the difference between Serge and I. He is a far more disciplined taster, whereas I am an over-emotional and giddy Scotsman who gets too excited about these sorts of whiskies. Hence…
SGP: 364 - 92 points.