Douglas Laing PROVENANCE Bottlings For August 2011 – Scotch Whisky News
Dear Customer
We have six (6) new PROVENANCE bottlings this month, whose Tasting Notes follow –
PRV 0711 Caol Ila 10 Year Old
Wonderfully phenolic – and full of sweetly peated barley quality (initially) on the nose – then it softens to a ferry engine room and earthy style. The palate is sweet, spicy, peaty and full of Islay character – with the finish reflecting that character plus drier spices, tar and soot. (F)
PRV 0717 Aultmore 10 Year Old
Opens fresh and clean on the nose, carrying an attractive character of freshly cut wood plus a (fermenting) pear quality – with an almost ciderlike style. The palate remains fresh with early citrus then turns elegantly fruity and gristy, with a sweet candy quality. The finish is medium long with a lime zest tangy character. (F & J)
PRV 0720 Blair Athol 11 Year Old
Opens clean, fresh and fruity on the nose and runs to a sweet custard powder/vanilla quality. The palate is sweet with a crushed sugar character developing to an eggnog and cream trait. The finish is medium long and carries a candied orange zest style. (J)
PRV 0719 Craigellachie 12 Year Old Sherry
On the nose it is spiced and raisiny – with an interesting richness akin to fresh peaches in a wood carry box. Palatewise, it is full and sweetly barley’d – peppery – with more (now macerated) soft fruit dark very much evident. All this leads to a considerably drier finish with hints of tobacco, ginger and nutmeg (F)
PRV 0710 Auchentoshan 12 Year Old
The nose is fresh and fruity (apples) – carrying a sweet and creamy character (like cream on a fruit salad). The palate remains fruitily sweet and runs to a spicy and distinctly vanilla’d style. The finish is medium long, still sweetly spiced, with a fresh fruit tang. (J)
PRV 0718 Highland Park 12 Year Old
The nose opens with toffee and sweet spices and develops to a burnt toast plus honey character. The palate is sweet carrying a home baked quality, more toffee and runs to an attractively smoky style. The finish is long, attractively spiced with more smoke tailing. (J)
We hope you will see these additions as attractive, having read the tasting notes.
All best wishes.
Yours sincerely
Fred Laing
PROVENANCE
You can get all the seasons in one day in Scotland – indeed, it’s a bit of a tourist attraction.
Through its distinctive labelling, our PROVENANCE collection highlights the particular distillation of the seasons through Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter.
This ever-increasing range of single cask and “small batch” bottlings emerged from tastings at the office and at home – recreationally, a real labour of love for us. Well, it beats DIY and gardening, doesn’t it?
Pleasingly, this has been a great success, so we reckon it pays to take your work home.
By the way – the McGIBBONS connection comes from the “boys” mother’s side of the family – Ileachs through and through – with some of the family still visited on Islay by Stewart & Fred but they are 6 feet under in the Round Kirk of Bowmore (so conversation is difficult).
Visit Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd. at www.douglaslaing.com
