Strathmill 37 yo 1974 (44,5%, Archives 2011, bourbon hogshead #1231, 180 btl.)

Nose: very fruity and honeyed, although maybe a tad less thick and buttery. Big hints of sweet orange juice. A little pineapple, less banana this time. Some vanilla cake. Over time it also shows some softly herbal, “green” notes and mint. Mouth: still fruity but again it’s less warm with more sourish and slightly bitter fruits (oranges, tangerine). Hints of green tea. More oak spices as well (especially ginger). Finish: medium long on oranges and lemons. Hints of tea with some warming oak.

It may be less stellar than its sister cask by The Nectar of the Daily Drams, but on its own it’s still a great dram from an otherwise underrated distillery. Around € 170.

Score: 90/100

A good reason to try this Glencadam 1974, a joint bottling between Whisky-Fässle and Whiskybase.

Glencadam 37 yo 1974 (41,5%,
Whisky-Fässle 2011, refill sherry,
joint bottling with Whiskybase)

Nose: complex and refined. A slightly subdued fruity layer (orange, tangerine, maybe guava) with additional layers of dried flowers and soft herbs (lovage), a leathery / oily touch and  faint hints of mocha. Subtle oak as well. More delicately sherried than last year’s Malts of Scotland release. Mouth: not extremely powerful (no surprise) but pleasant. Fruity notes (oranges), a little ginger and hints of herbal tea. Leather notes and oak. Finish: similar flavours. Medium long, nicely balanced and not too dry.

Not a flavour bomb, but still an excellent balance and pleasant ‘oldness’. A great example of this overlooked distillery. Around € 155.

Score: 90/100

Strathmill

Released under the Daily Dram label in cooperation with The Whisky Agency.

Strathmill 37 yo 1974 (44,4%, Daily Dram 2011, joint bottling with The Whisky Agency)

Nose: excellent start – sweet and buttery (fresh croissant, vanilla) with huge beehive notes (honey, mead, beeswax). Very fruity as well – first ripe banana, melon and apricot, then moving to crispier oranges. Hints of praline, coconut and dried flowers. Great nose, very thick and honeyed. Mouth: gentle and elegant. Almost completely on honey and oranges (fresh and liqueur). Backbone of malt, medium oak and spices (soft pepper, cinnamon). Nice vanilla, apricot and coconut. Finish: slightly drier, with some tannins and spices, dried oranges and faint nutty notes.

What an excellent, luscious nose! The palate is less unique but certainly high quality. Soon in stores. Around € 150 if I’m not mistaken. Recommended.

Score: 92/100

There’s a Caol Ila 1979, Glenlossie 1975, Longmorn 1973, Tomatin 1966, Glen Keith 1970, Highland Park 1975 and this Glenury Royal 1975. All pretty great.

Glenury Royal 37 yo 1973 (43%,
The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2011, bourbon hogshead, 146 btl.)

Nose: honeyed nose with apple pie and caramelized sugar. Baked pear, raisins, apricots. Maybe a little papaya. Some nutty notes. Hay. Soft spices (cinnamon, mint). Nicely mellow and “antique” at the same time. Mouth: a bit too soft, but smooth and juicy, showing mainly oranges, both fresh and candied. Pears as well. Developing a spicy side (mint, clove, aniseed) and tobacco which makes it quite oriental. Honey. Some resinous oak and herbal tea. Faint paraffin notes. Finish: not too long, but nicely minty with a bit of drying oak.

Very good whisky, but quite expensive: around € 240 while last year’s Glenury Royal 1973 from the same bottler was only € 180.

Score: 91/100

Glenlivet 37 yo 1972 (56,8%, The Whisky
Agency – Perfect Dram III 2009,
bourbon hogshead, 141 btl.)

Nose: a rather spirity and grainy start. Folds open with floral notes, pollen and stewed fruits, but overall it keeps hovering around malty aromas. Citrus and apricot jam. A little vanilla and oak polish. Liquorice. Soft spices. Traces of wet limestone. Mouth: intense and very spicy. Still a generous amount of cereal notes. Ripe fruits (pineapple, gooseberries). Slightly bitter tangerine. Vanilla. Almonds. Some grassy notes. Finish: medium length, slightly hot with oak and spices, especially pepper.

This Glenlivet is surely a nice old Speysider, but it failed to impress me as much as it seemed to impress other people. It’s really complex though, and very coherent. A few drops of water take away some of the rough edges by the way. Sold out.

Score: 87/100

As you know, the Lonach series by Duncan Taylor blends one or more underproof casks with stronger sister casks to reach the required 40% limit. As the result is still cask strength, it’s much richer than a cask that has been diluted to the same 40%.

Miltonduff 37 yo 1971 
(40%, Duncan Taylor Lonach 2008)

Nose: beautiful round Speyside elements. Very sophisticated. Big vanilla, some very sweet pineapple, banana and lovely hints of marshmallows! Some honey. Orange gums and cinnamon. Polished oak. Mouth: light but not too soft. Again quite a sweet profile with yellow apples and citrus candy. Pollen and honey. A fair amount of spices from the oak (soft pepper, cinnamon). Some sawdust towards the end. Finish: medium long, on barley sugars, oranges and oak.

This Miltonduff is simply a succulent Speyside whisky. It’s a bit reticent maybe, but very warm and I adore those marshmallow notes! If only
I could find a bottle somewhere. It was around
€ 120 at the time.

Score: 92/100

This Glen Grant 1973 was bottled by Thosop – I’ll compare it to a slightly older Glen Grant 1972 tomorrow, bottled by Whisky-Doris. Both were matured in (refill) sherry casks. 

Glen Grant 37 yo 1973
(46%, Thosop 2010, sherry butt, 120 btl.)

Nose: very seductive with silky fruit notes and delicate oak polish. Ripe gooseberries, kumquats, lime and a little honeysuckle. Undertones of dried apricots from the sherry cask. A nutty / moccha layer as well. Fresh and maybe a tad shy at 46%, although it unfolds nicely over time. Water adds soft waxy notes. Mouth: rich fruity notes with lots of added spices this time (nutmeg, a little pepper and cinnamon). A whole array of oranges, tangerines, a little grapefruit and apricot. Mouth: long, fruity / spicy with faint moccha.

A classic Glen Grant: fruity and balanced, with gentle spices and a subtle sherry influence. Around € 140.

Score: 88/100

Glen Scotia is rare, and a 37 years old Glen Scotia is even rarer. It was matured in a bourbon hogshead.

Glen Scotia 37 yo 1972 (45,1%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask #1926, 197 btl.)

Nose: great start on nice notes of dried fruits (figs especially, also apricots) and gentle waxy / beehive notes. Yellow apples. Old white wine. There’s also a mustiness but a very nice one, kind of an old library smell. Old roses. Warm polished oak. A very light ashy undertone and faint hints of menthol. Ginger tea. This could have been the nose of an old-style Springbank. Really good. Mouth: a slightly bitter attack, perfect strength, with dried fruits, a bit of sour wood and hints of tequila. Walnut skin. Resin. Liquorice. It fades with a soft honeyed touch. Finish: a bit short and surprisingly coastal, with hints of salt water.

This Glen Scotia is definitely from another universe than the Glen Scotia 1992 but they share the attribute of not being a beginners whisky.

The nose is really high-class and probably the closest we can get to the old Campbeltown style nowadays. The palate had to grow on me: at first I thought it was a little austere and harsh (I scored it 88) but after a second tasting it became clear this is quite special and more complex. This should have been in my WWWF 2010 highlights. Around € 190.

Score: 91/100

It would have been interesting to have them all in a direct comparison, but for now it’s just this Daily Dram vs. the Malts of Scotland version.

Glengoyne 37 yo 1972
(52%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: very fruity with tangerine, lemon, pineapple and hints of strawberries. A bit of mint. Very tropical and honeyed. Obviously in line with the Malts of Scotland version, but maybe a tiny bit fruitier, with a higher degree of vanilla. Less oaky spices as well. I prefer this Daily Dram version for having a wider array of flavours, but it’s close. Mouth: an oily attack, fruity with a pleasant acidity. The pineapple and honey are supported by more spices (ginger and cloves) and hints of resinous oak, but less so than in the Malts of Scotland release. Very nice integration. Water brings out soft coconut and some dried prunes. Slightly grassy aftertaste. Finish: long, spicy and drier.

An admirable Glengoyne with a delicious fruitiness and well balanced oak influence. I have a slight preference for this one over the 1972 Malts of Scotland version, although the differences are small. The lower price makes it even more interesting: around € 145. Recommended.

Score: 91/100

Clynelish 37 yo (46%, The Whisky Exchange 10th Anniversary 2009)

Nose: beautiful start on beeswax and honey. Very fruity, with a basket of fresh tropical fruits (mango, pineapple) and more indigenous fruit (pear, orange, tangerine). Haribo bears. Lovely paraffin. Vanilla. Whiffs of oak spices to top it off (cinnamon and light pepper). A little olive oil and camphor. I don’t like to use the word ‘perfect’ but this is close! Mouth: a bit more resinous now. Still fruity (orange, peach, banana) but less exhuberant. Some Turkish delight. Hints of smoke and dust. In the end it shows ginger and a slightly salty hint of liquorice. Finish: very long and waxy with hints of orange skin and resinous dry oak.

Compared to the recent wave of 1982 Clynelish, this is oakier (of course), with more citrus and a more delicate profile. There have been some questions about the fact that it was diluted to 46% instead of earlier cask strength releases, but I can confirm that the end result is a good mix of complexity and drinkability. One to cherish! Available from TWE. Around € 175.

Score: 92/100

Longmorn 37 yo 1972 (51,3%,
Whisky Agency & Three Rivers Tokyo 2010, Perfect Dram IV, 231 btl.)

Nose: superb refill sherry – it shares a lot of influences with the LMdW bottling, but it’s definitely more elegant. The fruity side is bigger (mostly tangerine, banana and mango) and there are more flowery notes (violets and rosewater with some dry flowers). Big hints of furniture polish and cake. More almonds. Rum & raisins. A delicate whiff of peppermint. The heavy sherry of the LMdW bottling made place for a more fragrant and more complex profile with a better balance. No smoke in this one. Water brings out more red fruit (lovely redcurrant) and amplifies the flowers. Really outstanding. Mouth: very rich with lots of red fruits but also apples and apricot marmalade. Leather. Hints of tea yet never dry.
A bit of water makes it even more juicy with fresh figs and lush forest fruits. Finish: very long. The oak is easy to notice but it’s not nearly as invading as in the LMdW.

This Longmorn is exactly how I like my sherry bottlings! One of the best sherried whiskies I’ve come across lately, so “Perfect dram” may well be the truth! Around € 185, but sold out in most places. Too bad I didn’t discover it a bit earlier, because this is a jewel…

Score: 95/100

It’s a 37 year-old, matured in an oloroso sherry butt.

GlenDronach 37 yo 1972 (53,3%, OB 2009 for LMdW, oloroso cask #705, 399 btl.)

Nose: pretty similar to the markethouse bottling. More red fruits (raspberry rather than blueberry / blackcurrant. Citrus as well (blood orange). Water brings out hints of exotic fruits (papaya, mango). Dark chocolate. Some toasted notes. Less oak polish than the OB. Less farmy notes, more the meaty kind of sherry. Ginger, pepper. The LMdW nose is great but compared directly with the OB, it is slightly less complex and less expressive. Mouth: still those very nice red fruits but they are almost drowned by big waves of resinous notes and mentholated oak. Chocolate coated oranges. Tobacco leaves. Getting  quite tannic and dry with a salty hint of liquorice. Finish: woody and dry but very rich with notes of tangerine and milk chocolate.

I guess 1972 already is a legendary year for GlenDronach, in the same way  BenRiach 1976 are all great. I prefer the original bottling though. Still available from La Maison du Whisky at around € 310.

Score: 89/100

Glenrothes 37y 1968 (57,6%, Duncan Taylor 2006, cask #13482, 160 btl.)

Nose: quite powerful and typically Speyside. Honey, heather. Slightly floral, even some varnish. Spicy oak. Oranges. Vanilla. There’s also a peppery / minty edge to it. Nice and immediately demonstrative, which is impressive for a whisky that spent almost 40 years in a wooden cask. The oak influence is clearly noticeable in the spices but never overpowering. Mouth: more vanilla and oranges. Some nutmeg, pepper and honey. Citrus. Hints of a creamy banana milkshake. Big oak now (still within the normal limits of its age). Finish: slightly drying, again lots of oak influence. Hints of peaches and chocolate.

A really vivid Glenrothes, even at this age.
Very tasty with good spices. Other 1960’s Glenrothes releases by Duncan Taylor can be found for +/- € 160. This one is sold out.

Score: 88/100

Thanks for sharing this bottle, Jorgen!