Douglas Laing manages a large series of Glenfarclas casks, but since Glenfarclas doesn’t allow independent bottlers to use that name, Douglas Laing bottles them as Speyside’s Finest.
They’re all very old (most of them were distilled in the 1960’s) and matured in sherry casks. This one was bottled for The Whisky Show in London in November 2009.
Speyside’s Finest 43 yo 1966 (48,2%, Douglas Laing OMC 2009, cask #5525, 197 btl.)
Nose: full blown sherry, with lovely notes of tobacco and cocoa. Chocolate. Quite dry with a nice savoury / herbal touch (parsley and mint). Balsamic syrup. Excellent. Water adds some raspberry liqueur. Mouth: the usual raisins, chocolate and orange liqueur. Drying towards the finish (hints of dark tea), with some liquorice. Mint again. Finish: very long, spicy and really dry.
It’s safe to say these Speyside’s Finest bottlings are all very good, and some are quite excellent. Around € 145 and still available from TWE.
Score: 91/100
This blog is my personal collection of impressions, written while searching for the ultimate single malt whisky.
