Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Morrison Distillers
Official website: www.morrisondistillers.com
The Celebration of the Cask series is certainly the most prestigious of Morrison Distillers’ signature Càrn Mòr series: important ageing at important costs, in very limited releases.
Today in the virtual ring of Whisky Art, two single casks, both from Speyside and both matured in ex-Bourbon casks, challenge each other without chillfiltration and in their natural colour, at cask strength.
Seconds out of the ring!
Drink up!
Dailuaine 22yo (1995 – 2018)
Strength: 58,8%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex bourbon barrel
Average price: € 250.00
Vote: 87/100
Distilled on 15 March 1995 and bottled on 1 March 2018 at 58.8% ABV, after almost 23 years spent in a former bourbon barrel, No. 3061, in 130 bottles complicated but not impossible to find.
Tasting notes
The colour is amber.
The nose is a riot of fruit (apricot, peach, yellow apple), with a floral undertone and a definite hint of wildflower honey. There is a really pleasant touch of wood, while a spicy white pepper and clove base anticipates a curious incursion of rosemary. A very timid vanilla peeps out after a few minutes.
On the palate, with the exception of a robust impression of yellow orange, it is a copy/paste of the nose. Even supported by an alcohol content for experienced drinkers, the fruity dimension tends to take over, while the finish, long and, needless to say, still very fruity, confirms the range of aromas recorded earlier.
A cask strength fruit salad not recommended for devotees of peat but recommended for everyone else. A few degrees less would perhaps have helped, but these are details: it’s already delicious as it is.
Aultmore 28yo (1993 – 2022)
Strength: 47.4%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon hogshead
Average price: € 340.00
Vote: 88/100
Distilled on 10 June 1993 and bottled on 2 May 2022 at 47.4%, after almost 29 years in a former bourbon hogshead, No. 4434, in 233 examples not easy to find.
Tasting notes
The colour is light gold.
On the nose, the entry is on a malty note, accompanied by fruity hints of yellow apple, peach and pear under spirits, with an important nuance of pastry and a vague creamy reminiscence in the background. The balance and calmness of this nose are truly extraordinary.
On the palate, it’s still a little malty, then white-fleshed fruits (apple and pear) are unleashed, while an impression of butter biscuits slightly anticipates, like the prologue to a wild Caribbean dance, a powerful tropical lunge, with mango and maracuja on the shields.
The finish, of medium to long persistence, is spicy, with white fruit again keeping attention.
A gentleman’s sense of smell and a Cuban holiday palate are the two faces of an enjoyable dram that will satisfy the most discerning drinker.