Dear Customer,

This month we are pleased to offer you seven (7) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label, two (2) from OLD & RARE, and five (5) Old CLAN DENNY GRAIN bottlings. There is also an update on BIG PEAT.

Tasting notes for OLD MALT CASK follow –

OMC 1985 Auchentoshan 13 Year Old
Nose: Opens fresh & sweetly – runs to toffee’d apple + vanilla & liquorice
Palate: The round & mellow character carries a caramelised fruit quality
Finish: Replicates nose and palate – now with an attractive orange tang (J)

OMC 2052 Bunnahabhain 14 Year Old
Nose: Opens fresh – runs to an earthy style – a bonfire in a damp forest!
Palate: Surprisingly smoky – softly peated with an attractively sweetly spiced style
Finish: Remains softly smoked – now with burnt orange peel + leather (J)

OMC 1889 Probably Speyside’s Finest 18 Year Old Wine finished
Nose: Opens fresh & sweet and runs to macerated raspberries
Palate: Warmingly spiced, still sweet, chewy – with a mulled wine style
Finish: Long with a spiced/fruit tang – black cherries in dark chocolate (J)

OMC 2077 Laphroiag 19 Year Old
Nose: Opens with a peat and ash character-runs to a flamed lemon zestiness
Palate: Mouth coatingly peated with a rich creosote style plus damp bonfire ashes
Finish: Long – with a lingering soot and burnt wood quality + creosote (J)

OMC 2080 Blair Athol 21 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweetly – carrying a freshly baked pastry style + ripe fruit
Palate: Still sweet with a spicy fruit in syrup quality + an orange pith trait
Finish: Medium long – still fruitily spiced running to a drier gristy style (J)

OMC 2082 Bunnanabhain 21 Year Old
Nose: Opens fresh & honeyed and runs to polished wood & bees wax
Palate: Rich & mouth coatingly spiced, creamy + a liqueur chocolate style
Finish: Medium long – still sweetly spiced in a more-ish kind of way (J)

OMC 2078 Clynelish 28 Year Old
Nose: Fresh, clean & citrusy – very ripe lemons, spiced with cloves
Palate: Round with candied lemon peel + orange flambéed crepes (suzette)
Finish: Medium long carrying a crushed sugar and candied orange style (J)

Tasting Notes for OLD & RARE are:

OAR 0143 Macallan 32 Year Old
Honeyed and spiced initially on the nose – it opens beyond that to a light oak and dried fruit profile. Soft on the palate – then when held there – detect that same light oak and spiced formula plus juicy, chewy barley and a hint of smoke …… all leading to a finish carrying malted barley, camphor, coconut, more spice, honey and drifting smoke. (F)

OAR 0142 Banff 35 Year Old
First impression when nosing this dram is like walking into a damp dunnage warehouse – fresh, spicy carrying an old oak-saturated-with-whisky character plus an attractive citrus style. The richly spiced quality immediately coats your palate with caramelised peaches & cinnamon running to more (now dry) oak. The finish is long and remains oaky and spicy with a pleasantly sweet creamy toffee character – culminating in soft chewy leather, tobacco and cedar wood. (J)

And lastly, Tasting Notes for CLAN DENNY GRAIN –

DEN 0076 Cameronbridge 21 Year Old
Clean and fresh on the nose carrying a fruity (grated lemon zest) character with a sherbet style. The palate is sweet, still zesty with a fresh fruit trait running to a peaches-in-alcoholic-syrup trait. The finish is typically short and remains fruitily sweet now with an attractively spiced quality. (J)

DEN 0077 Port Dundas 33 Year Old
Opens sweetly spiced on the nose with a rich cinnamon and vanilla character. The mellow palate remains sweet carrying a warming and mouth coatingly spiced trait showing the American origin of the cask. The finish is long for a Grain Whisky and runs to an attractive oak and chocolate style. (J)

DEN 0072 Carsebridge 45 Year Old
Beautifully fruity and full on the nose with vanilla, barley sugar and Bourbon all evident. The soft palate warms to spices and Caribbean citric fruits in a sauce – poured over alcoholic vanilla ice cream. The (longer than anticipated) finish on this Carsebridge is spiced, citric and creamy. (F)

DEN 0073 Caledonian 45 Year Old
Sweetly spiced on the nose, running to warm butterscotch sauce on vanilla ice cream. The palate remains sweet & vanilla’d and is reminiscent of hard almond biscuits dipped in mocha. The finish is surprisingly long for a Grain Whisky and has a warming Rum-style character – with honey & spices. (J)

DEN 0075 Dumbarton 46 Year Old Bourbon finished
Massively and sweetly spiced early on the nose – it then softens to a truly fruity mixed bag – beyond which detect sugar and light oak. The palate is BIG, still fructiferous but carries black coffee, sweet spices and vanilla flavours – all neatly (and too swiftly) replicated on the finish. (F)

REALLY BIG PEAT could make a huge impact as his increased stature commands more attention in 4.5 litre capacity – released officially now, together with the first (soon to be the last judging from initial interest) of BIG PEAT@CHRISTMAS. Bottled at cask strength as you can see, he has disguised himself as Saint Nicolas, but his normal big feisty Islay character cannot be hidden – he is straight down the chimney (as he does in Britain) dusted in soot and ash.

Hopefully all these releases will be useful for you to consider.

Yours sincerely

Fred Laing

Visit Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd. at www.douglaslaing.com