This month we have a wide ranging selection of seven (7) different OLD MALT CASK bottlings with two (2) from OLD AND RARE, one (1) from DIRECTOR’S CUT, plus one (1) ADVANCE SAMPLE .

Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK:

OMC 2160 Bunnahabhain 10 Year Old Sherry
Nose: Spicy + a crushed muscovado sugar character + orange zest
Palate: Sweetly spiced develops to a milk chocolate and nutty quality
Finish: A sweet dried fruit style runs to herbal cough drops!(J)

OMC 2161 Allt-a-Bhainne 15 Year Old Sherry
Nose: Sweet & toffee’d + vanilla custard – a home baked character
Palate: Smooth, sweetly spiced + caramelised apples (tarte tatin style)
Finish: long – still sweetly spiced – now runs to a roast malt quality (J)

OMC 2172 Aberfeldy 18 Year Old
Nose: Opens fruity – now sweet & buttery + apricot jam on warm scones
Palate: Clean & fresh – barley sweet + more apricots now caramelised
Finish: remains sweet, softly spiced + creamy butterscotch + soft oak (J)

OMC 2188 Caperdonich 18 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweet & fruity – running to an attractively spiced style
Palate: Mild & sugary sweet then light vanilla’d + poached peaches
Finish: Long – surprisingly fresh – with lemon zest & barley sugar (J)

OMC 2193 Macallan 18 Year Old
Nose: Lightly spiced with barley grist, ginger & late honey sweetness.
Palate: Full and round – still honied – plus vanilla toffee and sugary Malt.
Finish: Crushed sugar with cough drop spices & a wee ginger bite. (F)

OMC 2175 Miltonduff 21 Year Old
Nose: Distinctly sweet & softly spiced running to a honeyed style
Palate: Still sweetly spiced developing to muscovado sugar & toffee
Finish: Replicates nose & palate – now drier with a soft oak quality (J)

OMC 2171 Inchgower 30 Year Old
Nose: Carries barley sugar – citric zest – a dry gristiness + light spices.
Palate: Vanilla fudge + soft cedar tones +tobacco leaf & coffee/mocha.
Finish: All those same flavours are replicated + more soft warming spices. (F)

Advance Sample 20 cl.

SMC 0423 Laphroaig 12 Year Old

Tasting Notes follow here for OLD AND RARE

OAR 0172 Ardbeg 20 Year Old
On the nose detect creosote, ash, soot and beachy rock pools. Tar is apparent early on the palate – all very Islay in character – then a sweet maltiness, more creosote with typical soft chewed leather all developing. The finish is fudge-y sweet, still with that earlier gristiness plus tar (again!) and a damp bonfire ashiness. (F)

OAR 0167 Tamdhu 21 Year Old Sherry
Sweetly Sherried – full of thick dark juicy fruited quality with molasses and a late barley gristiness all apparent on the nose. Palatewise – anticipate those some raisin, grape, date and citric hues plus vanilla pods all running to a soft, subtle sugary/oaked finish. (F)

DIRECTOR’S CUT Tasting Notes:

DIR 0022 Macallan 35 Year Old
Nose: Carries wooden fruit boxes – softens to Scotch tablet/vanilla fudge, honey and citric tones
Palate: Nicely spiced – gingery – lightly oaked + a treacle toffee and biscuit quality with a late cognac suggestion
Finish: Long, warming – still sweetly spiced – now lightly smoked with a late mocha’d finish (F)

All rather interesting we hope for you and your clients – with the 3rd release coming through of the DOUBLE BARREL Mortlach/Laphroaig.

All best wishes

Fred Laing

Visit Douglas Laing at www.douglaslaing.com