Tomatin 1976 Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 34 yo c. 6822

 

 

 

51° 

Distillery : Tomatin -Highlands

Refill Dark Sherry Cask

Independent Bottling 

By Duncan Taylor Limited

Limited Edtion 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2011

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The Rare Auld range is, to my knowledge, Duncan Taylor's most prestigious, a company that is itself already so reputable that it takes the liberty of bringing its own casks to the distilleries of its choice, in order to age the whisky on site. Here we have a 34-year-old Tomatin, aged in a dark Sherry cask and sold in only 301 bottles. This is the famous 6822 cask, and this bottling is well known to the experts, so we're going to have some fun.

Let's Taste It : 

Raspberry coulis, blueberry tart and light woodiness, on a layer of candied vanilla. Blood orange and flambéed clementine skin. A zest of lemon, a slice of pineapple drizzled with grapefruit juice, pomegranate seeds and a slice of strawberry. Gooseberries of all colours, mango, papaya, prickly pears. Crushed blackberries. Wood splinters, drying varnish. Shoe polish, sharpening cream. A sublime balance between the acidity and sweetness of fruits, the wood and the earth. With a pinch of water, it becomes moister, like a forest clearing in autumn, decomposing tree leaves, humus. Game blood sauce, also known as "grand veneur" sauce. Lingonberry jam. Cranberries. Chiselled palate, with red plum, muscat grape, but with intense spices, paprika, ginger, cloves and cinnamon, fennel and nutmeg. I feel like I'm penetrating the wood, licking the grooves, extracting from it an essential oil. Walnut powder. It's a bit syrupy. Red fruits in the background. Very long finish, charcoal and rich earth, black, green tea, vegetal touch, bay leaf. Mustard seeds. Aniseed, light cottony bitterness. Drops of fresh water. Liquid honey.

 

In Short, 

How can I put it briefly? It's quite simply a killer, as we say in the jargon. The nose is absolutely exceptional, one of the best I've ever smelt. The palate is a little lower, with a very slight bitterness that I didn't like, but it remains at a stratospheric level. The finish is very long, never-ending, and takes us through different states. This is a whisky of incredible complexity and balance, and that nose, my goodness that nose... In a few words. This is one of those bottles you can spend a lifetime looking for, and which is worth every sacrifice.

Note : 92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                            Jeff Buckley - So Real

Bowmore 1982 Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 23 yo c. 85184

 

 

 

54,7°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay

Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Duncan Taylor Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2006

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

Founded in 1938, Duncan Taylor Limited is a trading company so respected that they bring their own casks to the distilleries to fill and leave the whisky to age on site. In particular, they have a very special relationship with Bowmore and brought the best bottlings to market in the 1960s. Here we have a Bowmore distilled in 1982, aged in a single Bourbon cask, and produced in just 208 bottles. A rarity. The Rare Auld range seems to be dead. There were still some in 2021, but not yet this year. And there's no mention of it on the company's website.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Banana and white plum, mirabelle, periwinkles, hint of smoke. The exotic fruits increase in intensity, papaya, maracuja, mango, and become softer and sweeter, in the end resembling Haribo candies. At the same time, the smoke thickens, with gravel and coarse salt, without the fruit weakening: chasselas grapes, kumquat, Williams pear. Ointment, pomade, incense, Vicks vaporub. The palate is satiny at first, with rose loukoum, crushed almonds, lemon zest, then a firework of spices, paprika, cumin, nutmeg, ras el hanout. The finish is very long, explosive but with a slight restraint, black earth and liquorice, very rich exotic fruits, the banana becomes very ripe, black and dried.

 

In Short, 

It’s a little masterpiece, as you might expect. Bourbon barrel ageing is not my favorite, yet here we have a major accomplishment. Deeply fruity, and at the same time the smoke and the medicinal Islay character are present. Superb. On the other hand I did not smell any floral fragrances, it is possible that I missed something. The price is not so incredible, but you have to find this bottle, it is not easy. 

Score: 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Big Thief - Not

Highland Park 1966 The Whisky Fair 38 yo

 

 

 

42,4°

Distillery : Highland Park - Islands 

Bourbon Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Duncan Taylor Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2005

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

The story of Duncan Taylor begins in 1938 in Glasgow. At the time, the company was mainly buying, storing and reselling barrels. In 2001 Euan Shand bought it, and moved the headquarters to Huntly. From that date on, he began bottling all the barrels that had been lying dormant for decades in the company’s warehouses. Here we have an antique Highland Park, distilled in 1966 and bottled for The Whisky Fair in Limburg in 2005. Aged for 38 years and 9 months in a single Bourbon Hogshead, 168 bottles were produced. It is a solemn moment to drink this liquor, the hand holding the glass shakes a little.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

First of all, a lovely dry peat, then ashy vanilla, liquid honey and citrus fruits. Typical of the distillery, but more profound and very well balanced. Then there's a hint of encaustic, ointment and wood wax. Vanilla appears, giving the whole a lovely fullness. And the honey, dripping everywhere, is finger-licking good. Enhanced by iodine. A medicinal touch. Exotic fruits, coconut, papaya. Concentrated lemon. Intense. More peach, very fruity. Lemon tart, cheese cake. Frosted lemon. Very mild smoke. Intensely fruity palate, slightly peppery. Mint leaf. Cereal touch. Ether. Cooling liquid. The spices come through at the end, but it's also a little watery. Very long finish, quite fresh, fluoridated, earth and cola, wine lees, heather, fine sand, a pinch of charcoal. Oak leaf.

 

In Short, 

It is incredibly complex, very well-balanced and intense. Despite a few minor flaws, a slightly watery palate and a few strange flavours that stand out, it's still exceptional to drink, a real trip. There were at least 4 or 5 different noses, and the finish, admittedly not very powerful, is interminable, lasting minutes. You can go to bed after that. As for the price, don't even think about it, it's pointless.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened Wihle Sipping :

  

                                          Dougie Maclean - Caledonia

Highland Park 2003 The Octave Exclusively Bottled for Kirsch Import 16 yo

 

 

 

53,3°

Distillery : Highland Park - Islands

Bourbon Cask and Oloroso Sherry Octave Finish

Independent Bottling 

By Duncan Taylor Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

The Octave range is unique in that all its whiskies are finished for a few months in Octave casks, which are so small that they can hold no more than 50 litres. This means that the maturation process is much more intense. These are apparently Oloroso Sherry casks. This Highland Park spent 16 years in classic oak casks, then 9 months in an Octave cask, before being released in a limited edition of 78 bottles, and handed over to the German distributor Kirsch Import for exclusive sale in Germany. 

Let's Taste It : 

Ripe vanilla and yellow plums, fairly acidic lemon, spicy iodine. Plentiful mirabelles, varnished wood, holly and heather. Liquid honey. The peat is quite mild, slightly salty. Well-balanced. Juicy white peaches. Icing sugar. Once again very fruity on the palate, with vanilla and exotic fruits such as papaya and mango. Slight astringency behind, mixed with peat and clay. Quite full-bodied spices after a while. Long, charred and powerful finish. Cola, latte, brown sugar. Almost pastry-like in the end.

 

In Short, 

It's very pleasant, retaining the distillery's hallmarks of light peat, heather, honey and exotic fruits, and adding a soft, woody and silky touch. It's a success, but I must point out that it needs water to open up, and that the price is, in my opinion, excessive.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

   

                                          Air - La Femme d'argent

Bunnahabhain 1990 Pitcaple for RYF 21 yo

46°

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay

Sherry Casks

Independent Bottling

By Duncan Taylor Limited

Limited Edition

Single Malt

Bottled in 2012

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Almost Unpeated

RYF is an independent bottler. With this edition, Duncan Taylor pays a sort of tribute to one of his colleagues.

Let's Taste It : 

Varnished wood, thick caramel, cranberry syrup, prunes, a barely perceptible wisp of smoke, hazelnuts and chocolate cream, peanut butter, exotic fruits that gently impose themselves, papaya, mango, maracuja, a touch of genoise and candy sugar, candied fruits galore, with an ounce of iodine and lemon, or maybe sour apple, pistachio. Slightly salty and earthy. The palate is liquorish, a bit bland but with lemon and apple, then the spices, which are quite strong, draw the attention. Woody, cough syrup, pear and apricot, with a light, fruity, fairly long finish. Then the wood returns, with a hint of soft caramel.

 

In Short, 

Very subtle and original, you shouldn't hesitate if you find a copy of this now unobtainable nectar at a reasonable price. 

Score : 88

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

   

                                          Charlie Haden Quartet West - First Song