[40.8%・57 Years Old・Distilled in 1961・Bottled in 2018・Gordon & MacPhail Bottling・Cask No. 512・Single Cask Release of 97 Bottles]
Nose:
The oak feels ancient and substantial, carrying the umami note with pride but somehow also carrying those ripe white fruits and extracting acidity from them. The Sherry is expressive and stately, unmistakably G&M with coconut cream and soft peaches at its juiciest. As the mahogany peels away the malt surfaces, mellow sweetness countered by what years of ageing in wood has given the dram.
Palate & Finish:
A syrupy and acidic spike with the plums followed by the plateaued but matured tones of barley sugar and oak gently chiming along. Cocoa and leather insert themselves to the stupendously woody body.
Dry and tannic on the backend, the tail stretches incredibly long to uncompromisingly reveal the marks left by those glorious and historic oak staves that housed the malt and somehow a very faint reminiscent of can peaches has persevered through all those decades..
Thoughts:
Oh wow, if the wood makes the whisky then this dram unequivocally had taken all that the wood had to give. Whiskies like these two casks selected by Mr. Stuart Urquhart and Mr. Richard Urquhart are almost in a league of their own. Whether it’s a dram for someone ultimately comes down to personal preference but the whisky justifiably demands the audience to hold a certain understanding and appreciation. And in this case, I think the appreciation is rightfully earned.
Whilst debating whether this is for me however, I noticed that this is a recently bottled whisky that displays some OBE traits and now here’s what I believe.. the form of the vessel doesn’t matter just as long as the whisky spends enough time in it to develop OBE..
A whisky that inspired a theory, what more could you ask for?
☆ [Recommended]
Thank you Gordon & MacPhail for the sample, it’s much appreciated.
-Nicholas
