45,1°
Various Distilleries, all unknown
Sherry Butt Finish
Independent Bottling
By Decadent Drinks
Limited Edition
Blended Malt
Bottled in 2022
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Totally Unpeated
An unusual way of making a blended whisky: you take all the cask bottoms from Signatory Vintage, all the cask samples and bottling run ends, put them together in a Sherry Butt to smooth out the rough edges, and wait. Sixteen years. Angus MacRaild has dared to commercialise such an expression, and has even made it the spearhead of his new series, Notable Age Statements, of which this is the very first bottling, released in September 2022. In the hodgepodge of juices that have provided this Blended, some are much older than 30 years, dating back to the 1960s. That's very intriguing, but on the other hand we don't know how many bottles were produced.
Let's Taste It :
Delicately waxed wood, along with a wide variety of fresh fruits, apples, bananas, strawberries, but also dried fruits, dates, apricots, and then it's velvety, then tomato soup, a whiff of iodine, icing sugar, salted butter caramel, with a few earthy and barky notes, chocolate fondant, raspberry coulis, malty hints. On the palate, more on honey, lots of red fruits in the background, malt again, woodwax, some spices but light, cumin, cardamom pepper. Chocolate chips, wood liqueur. Long, very woody finish, cedar, tinder, hazelnuts, maple syrup. Cola, minty undertone.
In Short,
The result is truly impressive. The sixteen years of finishing have produced a fine balance, with a honeyed, woody, chocolatey bouquet. It's an old school whisky, with the patina and bewitching charm of old things. The finish, however, is not quite up to the level of the rest, with a slight lack of power and length. Still, the standards are very high. Two years after its release, you can still find it, but now the price is a bit high, I don't know if it's worth it.
Score : 90
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Blues Delight - If I had Money
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