Dear Customer

Some of the new releases are big on Islay influence, plus some extreme counter points, with a few really sweet Sherry casks from Speyside and the Highlands, all of which we hope will have a real interest for you and your clients. Amongst the Cigar Malts you may wish to look out for a rather unique 20 year old Ardbeg within our OLD & RARE selection.

Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK

OMC2014 BENRIACH 15 YEARS
Nose: Big, round, full of dark fruits/sugary grist + honey.
Palate: Spicy with macerated red fruits, vanilla, toast + barley.
Finish: Now more toasted & citric with a soft mocha finale. (F)

OMC2029 IMPERIAL 16 YEARS
Nose: clean & fresh carrying a fruity (distinctly pear drops) quality
Palate: Sweet & fruity – round & creamy – more pears, now in syrup!
Finish: Mellow, round – replicating the fresh nose & palate (J)

OMC2022 LAPHROAIG 18 YEARS
Nose: Distinctly peated with a fresh/clean/sweet ozone style.
Palate: Initially soft and sugary building to phenols/ash/cinders.
Finish: Now lightly smoked +cough drop type warming spices. (F)

OMC2015 CAOL ILA 21 YEARS
Nose: Opens smoky before dry hay appears + burnt cookies + liquorice
Palate: Initially sweet + damp ashes with a honey coated BBQ grilled style
Finish: Replicates the sweet & ashy character + a long tail of light smoke (J)

OMC2016 TAMDHU SHERRY MATURED 21 YEARS
Nose: Rich with leather, walnuts and a sweet, toffee’d character
Palate: Mouthcoating – carrying rich spices + an oaky/tannic quality
Finish: Long & spicy – still tannic + an attractive cedar wood style (J)

OMC2013 BEN NEVIS 40 YEARS
Nose: Sweetly fruited + big with dry smoke and a coffee style
Palate: Lightly peated (unusually) with warming dark spices + liquorice
Finish: Now dryly spiced + toasted barley and more smoky peat. (F)

OLD MALT CASK – CIGAR MALT Tasting Notes – for the Macduff and Caol Ila follow

OMC2025 MACDUFF SHERRY MATURED 10 YEARS
Nose: Big, sweet, citric and toffee’d
Palate: Chewy, vanilla’d – with muscovado sugar.
Finish: Barley sugar, spice and sweet dark mocha (F)

OMC2026 CAOL ILA 7 YEARS
Nose: Sweetly peated + hot bbq ashes and soft smoke
Palate: Sweet & smoky + a caramelised burnt fruit style
Finish: Honeyed and ashy with a smoke – and – spices character (J)

OLD & RARE Tasting Notes:

OAR0133 MORTLACH SHERRY MATURED 18 YEARS

This Mortlach opens on the nose with a rich polished wood character and runs to a spicy, caramelised oranges and almond cake quality. The palate is viscous and mouth coating being richly spiced, carrying a flamed orange peel, full “chewy” style. The finish is long, still spicy with warm orange zest and a chocolate richness plus a dark roasted malt character. (J)

OAR0131 ARDBEG 20 YEARS

Initially we have a subtle Islay nose – which warms sweetly to citrus, smoke and salty rock pools in summer. Palatewise it starts saline and dry but held there – the phenols develop plus an interesting (tongue tingling) sprinkle of salt and sweet drifting smoke. The long finish is smokier again – with tar, cinders, oily rags and ash much in evidence – with a great length to it. (F)

OAR0129 LAPHROAIG SHERRY MATURED 22 YEARS

Fragrant, perfumed, and big in a sweet (lightly fruited) and barley style all warming to later suggestions of tar and cinders on the nose. On the palate much more tar is apparent – with chimney soot, barley sweetness and creosote all to the fore. The finish is long, medicated, with peat and more of that same ashy, tarry and creosoted character. (F)

OAR0127 HIGHLAND PARK 33 YEARS

Round, full, spiced and with a (dark) fruit style initially on the nose – it warms later to citrus and old fashioned furniture polish. Palatewise – it is big – immediately and warmly spiced with a camphor type interesting domination – softening to vanilla toffee – now replicated on the early finish which turns once again into a spicy and full warmth. (F)

We believe there are some big interesting Malts within this month’s selection – “bigger” than normal which seems to be the way they have come through our system this month – and we look forward to share some of these on.

All best wishes,

Fred H Laing
Managing Director

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