September 2009

Dear Customer

As we approach the Christmas Season(!) we have an interesting selection of two (2) new bottlings for OLD MALT CASK, as well as two (2) bottlings of OLD & RARE packs plus two (2) ANNIVERSARY BOTTLINGS – and one with a new brand (see below). Beyond them, and as indicated last month, such has been the success of the DOUBLE BARREL bottling of MACALLAN/LAPHROAIG that the range has been extended to include
ARDBEG/GLENROTHES and HIGHLAND PARK/BOWMORE bottlings – already well received from samplings carried out with visitors to our office.

For “something completely different” from the Laings, we are introducing you to BIG PEAT from Islay – a really colourful personality full of Islay Malts including (amongst others) ARDBEG, BOWMORE, CAOL ILA and PORT ELLEN. BIG PEAT really lives up to the name and taps into the enthusiasm for Islay Malts which we hope will establish a long term presence with its “small batch” bottlings at 46% alc vol, its uniquely quirky packaging, and aggressive pricing due to the depth we have of Islay stock.

Meantime, the OLD MALT CASK Tasting Notes follow:

OMC 1751 ARDBEG 18 YEAR OLD
Nose: Starts sweet, warms to barley, tails to peat.
Palate: Heavily and sweetly phenolic, now tarry/creosoted
Finish: Sweet with soft tar, plus light smoke ‘n’ spice (F)

OMC 1747 PORT ELLEN 26 YEAR OLD
Nose: Fresh / clean & gristy sweet + eucalyptus + home baking
Palate: Complex, creamy, vanilla’d with late gently peated smoke
Finish: Smokey and sweet, very mellow with soft tar and ashes (J)

OLD & RARE Tasting Notes as follows:

OAR0081 BRORA 28 YEAR OLD SHERRY MATURED
The nose is complex with leather, dried fruit and comes over rather mentholated. The full bodied and mouthcoating palate opens dry and fresh, almost saline, lightly peated and develops to a rich herbal character with dried plums. The finish remains complex with a beachy style, sweet spices and an oak tang. (J)

0AR0079 LAPHROAIG 20 YEAR OLD SHERRY MATURED
This “middle-aged” Laphroaig opens with citrus, developing a character of freshly malted barley, with ripe bananas and marzipan appearing as it opens further. The rich, mouthcoating palate opens sweetly and evolves in a tarry, smokey style. The finish is medium long with a burning wood smokiness, more tar and a salty, beach quality. (J)

We hope you find some interesting and exciting expressions not only from our traditional single cask bottlings with which you are already familiar, but also from the extended selection offered under DOUBLE BARREL allied to the interesting character that BIG PEAT will offer you.

Beyond them our 60th ANNIVERSARY BOTTLING for September is a fabulous cask of undoubtedly FDL’s favourite Malt, being a Port Ellen (in this case 30 years old) and as Stewart and Fred also wanted to make their own contribution Fred is releasing “his” 36 year old ARDBEG, being the last at this age in the Douglas Laing stock. We hope these Malts will excite you and send you our best regards,

Yours faithfully

Fred Laing

http://www.douglaslaing.com/