A birthday session! This is usually a good excuse to dig into my sample archive, especially the drawer that was filled in the period that I was living in Madrid (2008-2010). Those were the days that whisky from the 1960s or 1970s was readily available, although we argued it was becoming too expensive…
Tomatin 45 yo 1966 (46,1%, The Whisky Agency + The Nectar 2011, sherry butt, 391 btl.)
Nose: old-style sherry, with herbal notes, cinnamon and leather taking the upper hand. Instead of the fruit bowl that everyone was expecting. Then nice raisins, something of spiced marzipan, clove studded oranges and ripe melons. Some waxy oak. Later also prunes and whiffs of shoe polish.
Mouth: a generous sweet layer, with caramelized nuts, dried fig and thyme syrup. Here as well there are herbs like black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Prunes and raisins again, along with tobacco and a bit of minty freshness.
Finish: a long mix of wood tannins, dried fruits and hints of Chartreuse.
You know, this had a reputation of being a disappointing Tomatin, mostly because we knew the ones from refill wood had such a lovely fruitiness and less oaky notes. Understandable in times of abundance. On the other hand I still find it a good whisky that deserves praise.
Lochside 46 yo 1963 (46,6%, First Cask for WIN’s 5th anniversary 2010, refill sherry, 71 btl.)
Nose: forest honey, with some brown sugar and dried apricots. Then a classic mix of coconut and banana, albeit far less in-your-face than other grain whiskies. Then sweet walnuts come out, with raisins and very light plums. Toffee and mild tobacco as well. It could be mistaken for a bourbon whiskey at times.
Mouth: starts on spiced oak with some allspice. Mid-palate it turns towards spectacular hints of cassis, tangerines and maracuya syrup. Also bright honey, kumquats, toffee and mild herbal drops. Simple pleasures, and I’m always intruiged by these hybrid styles.
Finish: not extremely long, but showing beautiful dark fruits, toffee and drying cinnamon.
Some people doubt whether these 1963s are actually single grain whiskies (as stated on the label). Lochside produced both grain and malt and apparently they had terrible records. Sometimes Mr Hobbes, the owner, even blended the two types at birth, creating a single blend. Whatever this is, it’s great to see the fruits shine through the sherry cask. Score: 91/100
Clynelish 38 yo 1971 (47,9%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 2009, ref. 5055, 145 btl.)
Nose: ah yes. The typical waxiness and brass polish, with apricot and spearmint. Quite a bit of buttery vanilla, not always necessary but here it combines nicely with the natural waxiness. Then oranges, hay and nice hints of library dust.
Mouth: these nice hints of beeswax and chalk again, maybe a hint of flour, rounded by jammy orchard fruits and marmalade. Then tangerines, mild acacia honey and a faint bitter / herbal edge. Spices grow stronger over time. Candied ginger. The woody side becomes a tad ‘new Ikea pack’ but that’s fine.
Finish: quite long, nice, with warming fruits, ginger cake and oranges.
I was a little surprised of the oakiness at times, but overall this is a lovely drop. The expected waxiness is there, along with velvety fruits, great to experience this profile again. I don’t have an up-to-date inventory but my latest list says I have a bottle of this, which I once bought for € 145. Score: 93/100
Dalmore 30 yo 1966 (52,3%, The Bottlers 1996, cask #6871 btl.)
Nose: Highlands style, with a moderate fruitiness, mainly ripe yellow apple. A bit neutral perhaps, but there’s a nice coffee hint in the distance and some oak spice to, well, spice it up a little. Then some lovely waxy sweetness, natural vanilla, marmalade. Whiffs of apricot jam and tinned pineapple even. It keeps improving and the waxiness makes this nicer than expected.
Mouth: good strength, balancing between a rugged Highlands character (pepper, some bitter orange peels) and more refined fruits (tangerines, fresh plums and melons). Some herbal tea and mild bitter notes take over towards the end.
Finish: long and drying, with more (Seville) oranges, bittersweet spice, a drop of coffee and some bruised apples.
Is this spectacular enough for a birthday session, I hear you say? Hey, it’s not like I’m turning 50, right? This was a nice surprise though: good complexity, a decent amount of fruits, a great nose overall and a certain ruggedness that seems far less common nowadays, even in the Highlands. I’m a happy man, cheers! Score: 90/100