[43.0%・5 Years Old・Bottled Circa 1969・Ainslie & Heilbronn Bottling for M. Di Chiano Milano・Limited Release]
Nose:
Words don’t do the nose justice, ripe green fruits melt into the richness of French vanilla, beeswax and honeycomb; all the while there is this fascinating hint of ashiness. As the nose unfolds, there comes more rhubarb, creamed honey and soft nougat that extend the velvet like creaminess that which is complimented by subtle hints of lemon marmalade and grass. It grows more expressive in time, slight bursts of citrus and floral notes as the toasted cereal become more prominent.
Palate & Finish:
The palate follows the theme, again fascinating with a near perfect blend of ripe fruits and nougat, excellent mouthfeel with the aged lemon peels adding to the weight and dark chocolate dust unveiling on delay to create the depth. Fine brushes of vanilla mousse and icing sugar as the dryness sets in.
Hint of menthol in the finish, light wood spices and surprisingly leathery but not at all disruptive, tails off with notes of cappuccino generously sprinkled with chocolate dust..
Thoughts:
Distillate from Pre-Brora Clynelish, they say never meet your heroes, but what a wonderful introduction this is for me to those legendary years..
The dram is elegance exemplified, sophisticated for an antique, exceptionally vibrant nose and palate with an incredibly lengthy and lovely finish. Close to scoring three stars..
☆☆ [Highly Recommended]
-Nicholas
WhiskNick 