As an aperitif, we tried the Glen Elgin 1984 by Thosop, a nice dram with fruity, waxy and mineral notes on the nose, joined by some herbs and soft bitter notes on the palate.

Then it turned out the theme was Caperdonich 1972.

Here’s the line-up:

• Caperdonich 1972 (46%, G&M 2010, Connoisseurs Choice)
• Caperdonich 1972 (46%, G&M 2011, Connoisseurs Choice)
• Caperdonich 35 yo 1972 (48,3%, The Whisky Fair, 188 btl.)
• Caperdonich 38 yo 1972 (53,6%, DT RoR, cask #7440, 181 btl.)
• Caperdonich 38 yo 1972 (57,4%, Malts of Scotland, cask #1144, 98 btl.)
• Caperdonich 38 yo 1972 (58,4%, Whisky Agency Perfect Dram, 145 btl.)
• Caperdonich 39 yo 1972 (52,8%, Whisky Agency Private Stock, 57 btl.)

I had already tried most of them, except for the first two and the last one. The Gordon & MacPhail bottlings stood out because of their rather heavy sherry influence. At first I really liked them, but they came out last in our ranking as the refill sherry of the other releases suits the natural Caperdonich fruitiness much better.

Not everyone agreed on the rest of the ranking, but the recent release in the Private Stock series won the battle with a surprisingly unanimous vote. Indeed it’s marginally better than the Perfect Dram version which Luc, Johan and myself raved about no so long ago. Don’t bother looking for it, it’s gone already and I don’t even have a bottle myself.

By the way, I’m planning a big Caperdonich 1972 line-up myself with at least 24 versions waiting to be sampled. This will also include the 1972 DT for The Nectar which some people think of as the benchmark Caperdonich.

This Glenfarclas 1968 cask #697 was selected by Luc Timmermans who previously selected cask #699 (Fino) and #702 / #5240 (Cream + Fino). All of these are 1968 casks of which he has been monitoring the evolution for a couple of years now.

This cask was previously used by Pedro Domecq to mature manzanilla, the most peculiar type of sherry, with a dry, briny and delicate profile – a coastal Fino so to speak. This type of wine is made exclusively in the charming seaside town called Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Glenfarclas 43 yo 1968 (47,5%, OB Family Cask ‘selected by Luc Timmermans’, Manzanilla cask #697, 133 btl.)

Nose: great nose, on aromatic fruits (kumquats, Seville oranges, peach pits, guava, yellow plums, grapes – not the usual oloroso sherry fruits) and beautiful waxy / mineral notes (paraffin, scented balm). Buttercups. Quite some spices (nutmeg, mint) as well as nicely integrated, polished oak. Light tobacco. Mouth: half sweet, half spicy. The fruits are more pronounced now, more jammy with slightly more tropical hints. Soft pepper and ginger, hints of eucalyptus. Distant traces of nuts. Growing savoury, more oaky and slightly bitter towards the end. Finish: long, with lingering fruit, chamomile tea (or is that the power of suggestion?) and drying spices. Indeed, there’s also a faint salty edge.

Another impressively complex Glenfarclas from 1968. It’s a little more ‘intellectual’ than the previous two, but it’s also more unique. The price is higher, perhaps because of the official label and the cardboard box: around € 380. Cheers Luc!

Score: 93/100

Bowmore 21 yo 1989 (51,2%, QV.ID / Whiskysite.nl 2011, bourbon hogshead, 233 btl.)

Nose: quite some sea air, seaweed and hints of iodine. Ashes. Wet wool. Lemon. Bold and coastal but nicely softened by almond paste, vanilla and hazelnut butter. Soft hints of mashed potatoes. Develops sweet moccha over time. Entertaining and balanced. Mouth: even bolder now, with plenty of peat and smoke, with a sharp grassiness and brine. Pepper. Lemon. Very clean. It’s not very dry but it misses some roundness compared to the nose. Hints of apple maybe? Fades on slightly bitter notes (tonic). Finish: long, with smoke, lots of salty liquorice and some lemon zest.

A very clean Bowmore, with the balanced nose as its best feature. Better than the recent Bowmore 1989 by Daily Dram and almost 20% cheaper as well. Around € 95.

Score: 88/100

Port Ellen 28yo 1982 (57,5%, Whiskysite.nl / QV.ID 2010, refill sherry puncheon, 136 btl.)

Nose: an array of typical Port Ellen notes. Gentle peat and maritime notes (seashells). Hints of plaster. Velvety vanilla as well (which I think is essential in a good Port Ellen). Almonds. Soft hints of sweet fruits but no real sherry character. Gets a tad drier over time with some nutmeg and tobacco. Mouth: mouth-coating and creamy, again nicely sweet and fruity. Sugared lemon juice. A bit of pepper, a bit of salt. More peat than on the nose, as well as some mineral notes, but it returns nicely to soft vanilla and a little honey. Rich and balanced. Finish: lemon and smoke with a hint of aniseed in the very end.

A couple of years ago, it seemed 1982/83 were lesser years for Port Ellen. We already know it’s not true. Congratulations to Luc, Jack and Koen for this great selection. Around € 200 – now sold out.

Score: 92/100

Luc decided to go in another direction, but I’m sure he will announce a new venture in the whisky world soon…

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I received four mystery samples with no further information. “One of them will be my next bottling”, Luc said, “I’m considering different options again, let me know what you think”. So I tasted them all and had two clear favourites.

Afterwards, it turned out to be a nifty selection (left to right in the picture):

• The first sample had lots of chocolate truffle, dried figs, forest fruits, mint and walnuts. Very intense but not really subtle. It reminded me of the one I had tasted before and indeed, it was the same cask #702, a first fill Cream sherry hogshead (February 1968).
• Sample n°2 clearly had a different maturation. It showed old roses, wax, precious wood and a whole range of herbs and spices (sage, thyme, cloves). This was just as intense but in another direction, with more obvious woody notes. It was drawn from cask #5240, a first fill Fino cask (which is not very common). Distilled December 1968.
• The third sample was the most vivid one. It showed dried fruits as well as fresh red fruits, mixed with nice touches of oak polish and spices. After half an hour in the glass, this one really stood out. It was clearly the most balanced so far. Afterwards it turned out to be a vatting of the two others. One and one is three, no… four!
• Finally there was a placebo: it was last year’s cask #699. I didn’t recognize it, but I discovered some new elements, which proves that it surely was a complex whisky.

No need to tell you that I preferred n°3 and n°4 in the blind tasting. Another great Glenfarclas was ready to be bottled!

The casks will be bottled as we speak, on this very day, and we can expect the bottles to be available soon. It’s great to see that Glenfarclas was willing to modify the official Family Cask label and blend in the hand-written style of the other Thosop bottlings. Very clever!

Glenfarclas 41 yo 1968 (49,7%, OB 2010 for Thosop, cask #702 & 5240, 318 btl.)

Nose: the sweeter sherry is easy to notice, but it shows much more layers. There’s a fresh layer of sweet fruits (mirabelles, redcurrant marmalade, lovely ripe tangerine and even raspberry jelly) and a darker layer of dried fruits (dates, raisins), chocolate and toffee. And a third layer of spices, oak polish, cigar boxes and some mint and eucalyptus. Just a hint of dusty oak and old leather book covers in the background. After some time it gets more playful, the fruits becomes bigger and the masculine side of the sherry makes place for a feminine softness and sweetness. A thrilling nose with awesome complexity. Mouth: a firm attack. There are woody notes, prunes, lots of dark chocolate and some cold coffee. A few notes that remind me of a meat sauce with wine (must be the mix of sherry with the herbal elements). A little mint and soft pepper. Fig and blackcurrant jam. A tad less wide than on the nose but really impressive at this age. Finish: long, drying, with lingering fruits.

In a way, this is like a richer, more powerful version of the official Glenfarclas 40yo: it shows different types of Glenfarclas style (with just two casks!), mixed together to create an even better result. Not nearly as elegant as last year’s cask #699, but just as good in its own style. Now let’s stop typing and simply enjoy…

Score: 93/100

Now there’s the announcement of a new cask from the same year. It is a vatting of two sherry casks, one oloroso and one fino cask. By mixing them, the specific aromas from both cask types were extracted and the result turned out to be exponentially better than the individual casks.

Interestingly, the Grant family agreed to have a special label, with elements of both the classic Family Cask labels and the specific hand-written labels of the Thosop bottlings.

It will be bottled on August 18th, with the first impressions published on WhiskyNotes that very same day!

As expected, the line-up was impressive. All of these whiskies are extinct expressions:

• Ambassador blend 25 yo (43%, OB – Taylor & Ferguson pre-1974)
• Cardhu 12 yo (43%, OB – Wax & Vitale pre-1974)
• Miltonduff 13 yo (43%, OB – Salengo Import 1970’s)
• Glenfarclas 42 yo 1966 (44,4%, SMWS 2008, 1.146, 76 btl.)
• Caol Ila 1969 (54,6%, G&M for Meregalli 1986)
• Longmorn 1969 (54,6%, G&M for The Whisky Fair 2008, cask #3724)
• Ardbeg 18 yo 1974 (54,6%, Wilson & Morgan 1993, 285 btl.)

Without going into detail: awesome! Especially since the line-up was spiced up with a few comparison drams like the Ardbeg 1976/2002 cask #2390 or a legendary Springbank 12 yo for Samaroli which Whiskyfun scores 98/100. Thanks a million for sharing these beauties with us. I’ll review a couple of them later, but here’s one to start.

Glenfarclas 42 yo 1966 ‘Exotic Dusky Maiden’ (44,4%, SMWS 2008, 1.146, 76 btl.)

Nose: hints of glue and wood polish. Pineapple candy. Passion fruits. Wonderful notes of marshmallow. It goes from Turkish rosewater delight to orange water and actual flowers (which is probably why they called it Dusky Maiden – a rose variety). A candy store really, but a few background notes of spicy oak and dusty books tell you this is older than it may seem. Very special. Mouth: a rather oily mouthfeel, again very fruity with oranges and honey. The oak is also on the foreground now, with a spicy kick of cinnamon and ginger. Finish: long, exotic and spicy. Very elegant.

Old Glenfarclas from a bourbon cask is not very common, but this is a unique example full of exotic fruits. The nose is on a higher level than the palate. Around € 200 at the time but sold out now.

Score: 92/100

ps/ The rest of the bottle is available on his website

To celebrate the anniversary, 50 new samples will be released in November which will increase the total number of samples from 200 to 250. Great! In the meantime, Whiskysamples released 60 relabeled bottles of the excellent Glenfarclas 1968 / 2009 Family Cask #699.