North of Scotland 1964 50 yo

 

 

 

40,4°

Distillery : North of Scotland - Lowlands

Ex-Bourbon Barrels

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Grain

Bottled in 2017

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength 

Totally Unpeated

The North of Scotland distillery existed between 1957 and 1980. As its name doesn't suggest, it was located in the Lowlands, more in the south of Scotland, in the town of Alloa. The bottling we are talking about here is the distillery's only original bottling; there will be no other. In fact, I wonder how it came to be released in 2017, 37 years after the distillery closed. To be honest, it was on the Elixir Distillers stand at the last Whisky Live Paris, so I think the trading company was involved in the distribution of the product, if not the bottling. It's a blend of 6 Bourbon Barrels, distilled in 1964 and bottled in 2017, so it's more like 52 years old actually. 1500 bottles were released.

Let's Taste It : 

It's very well-balanced, with caramelized cereals, maple syrup, baked apple, wood resin, nougatine. A drizzle of red fruit, or perhaps blood oranges, on a mattress of brioche, vanilla ice cream. It's very smooth on the palate, crème caramel, forest honey, egg custard, roasted cereals and hazelnuts. Delicate spices, cinnamon, oregano, cloves. The finish is long but not aggressive, with almonds and cashew nuts, more butterscotch and bark, warm chestnuts, heather.

In Short, 

It's obviously very good, but I'm not entirely convinced. The price is of course astronomical, and for that price I expect a little more character or originality. This is just an extremely well-made grain whisky, so it should be reserved for absolute fans of this type of profile.

Score : 89

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Christian Nieves- Jumba Ribara