For you this month we have five (5) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label, together with two (2) DIRECTOR’S CUT and five (5) from the CLAN DENNY Grains.

OLD MALT CASK Tasting Notes:

OMC2249 Macallan 15 years

Nose: Honied – floral – spiced with sweet barley & light oaky tones.

Palate: Opens honey sweet – then vanilla toffee, soft camphor & citrus.

Finish: Softly spiced now – with that same toffee & cough drop style (F)

OMC2244 Caol Ila 16 years

Nose: Briny & peaty quality + beach bonfire ashes + smoked ham

Palate: Opens sweetly – develops to cigar smoke + dark chocolate

Finish: Long – still sweet & smoky character + soft, chewy tar (J)

OMC2248 Strathisla 21 years

Nose: Sweet & fresh – fragrantly spiced + honey & vanilla

Palate: Still sweet – honey on buttered toast + barley sugar

Finish: Medium long – sweet throughout – spicy + late oak (J)

OMC2246 Bunnahabhain 25 years

Nose: Opens with charred oak – soft leather + subtle smoke

Palate: Iodine – a sweet & smoky character + burnt orange zest

Finish: Long – still carrying a gentle smoke quality + lemon pith (J)

OMC2245 Ben Nevis 46 year old

Nose: Sweetly spiced + bees wax + creamy vanilla & caramelised orange

Palate: Milk chocolate + macerated fruit + a sweetly spiced toffee style

Finish: Medium long – still sweet + soft oak & a spicy, tangy quality (J)

DIRECTOR’S CUT Tasting Notes:

DIR0039 Macallan 20 year old

Nose: Honey outbids a floral tribute then barley and vanilla take over,.

Palate: More honey + syrup + spice selection + wholemeal toast and butter.

Finish: Soft and subtle, warming with a liqueur – and rather fruity – style. (F)

DIR0042 Longmorn 20 year old

Nose: Opens with a fruity & fresh quality – reminiscent of a candy shop with pear drops apparent

Palate: Sweet & vanilla’d – American Cream Soda style – runs to macerated summer fruits

Finish: Medium long – carrying a sweet malt quality + a chocolate and orange tang (J)

Tasting notes for CLAN DENNY Grains:

DEN0100 Girvan 21 year old

Clean and very sweet as the nose opens – warming to soft vanilla, sugar and aromatic spices. On the palate – detect a real big mouthcoating dulcet quality with a late corn and mild cough drop mix … all neatly replicated on the sugary – too short! – finish. (F)

DEN0104 Port Dundas 21 year old

Big and spiced on its candied nose initially – it warms to subtle spice suggestions plus powdered chocolate. The palate is massively sweet – lightly spiced – then mouthcoats in a honey, vanilla and Bourbon manner. The finish is fruity with the same flavours from the palate apparent. (F)

DEN0102 Cameronbridge 38year old

The nose opens sweetly and carries an oily, bees wax character that runs to an orange liqueur style. More orange flavours are apparent on the palate plus caramelised zest and barley sugar. This citric quality is replicated on the medium long finish but with a more tangy, still dulcet character. (J)

DEN0098 Strathclyde 38 year old

Opens with a distinct macerated dried fruit quality on the nose and develops to a honey and butterscotch character. The palate remains sweet and richly spiced carrying a milk chocolate and toffee style. The finish is surprisingly long for a Single Grain Whisky, still sweet plus cedar wood. (J)

DEN0103 Carsebridge 47 year old

Big – full – round and massively fructiferous initially on the nose – warming to subtle oak, spices and fruit boxes. The palate is wonderfully sweet then heads to crunched sugars – honey and late fruit toffee flavours. It finisheslightly oaked – still spiced with a hard candy style (F).

After 11-12 years of writing tasting notes for OMC, these are the last you will see for that brand from Fred and Jan (F & J) – but they indicate they will be back!

Yours faithfully

Douglas Laing who can be visited at www.douglaslaing.com