Speyside's Finest 1967 Xtra Old Particular Celebrating 75 Glorious Years of Whisky 55 yo

 

 

 

52,5°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Speyside

Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

To celebrate the company's 75th anniversary, Douglas Laing & Co. is launching 6 absolutely exceptional bottlings, all Single Cask, all delivered with a hand-cut crystal tasting set by renowned glass-cutter Richard Brendon. Here we have a Whisky from Speyside aged 55 years and 9 months. Distilled in November 1967, it was bottled in July 2023. I certainly haven't tasted anything older, and I'm not even sure it exists. What's more, these 55 years were spent in a Sherry Butt, which promises a very expressive distillate. 310 bottles went on sale. The demonstrator made us promise secrecy as to the identity of the distillery, and I shall respect that oath, but I can say in any case that this is a distillery that uses only Sherry casks and is famous for that. It's also famous for storing a lot of old casks, which makes sense after all.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

On the nose, soft prunes, dates and filled cherries, dried bananas, melting caramel, all set off by woody spices, grated nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Liquorice and chocolate milk, after eight, a few leafy hints and forest berries. It's extremely complex. On the other hand, the palate is a tad light and drying, with more red fruits, blueberries, blackberries and gooseberries, even cranberries, and once again very lively and intense spices. The finish is long and woody, notes of coffee, cloves, chai, tall herbs and holly leaves. Not very explosive.

 

In Short, 

To be honest, I'm slightly disappointed. Of course, it's better than 99% of the whiskies on the market, but at this age, I was expecting more. Which proves that age isn't everything. It remains an excellent product, subtle and deep, with a recognisable Sherry profile, even a little overwhelming. The price is that of a small second-hand car, so it's up to you whether you prefer to travel or stay at home this winter. Public transport has its charm, it's true.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Peter Hammill - In The End