Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 41.1%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Hunter Laing & Company
Average price: € 240.00
Official website: hunterlaing.com
Vote: 87/100
After some time, the ‘first editions’ of Hunter Laing, single casks with often significant ageing, return to the blog with a whisky from Tullibardine, the Highlands distillery founded in 1949 by William Delmé-Evans, whose single malts do not enjoy such credence among enthusiasts. But indie bottlers also serve to remind us that, beyond personal and legitimate taste preferences, many times the problem lies more in the ‘management’ of the product than in the distillate itself, so we are moderately confident.
Hogshead ex bourbon refill filled in 1992 and bottled in only 81 bottles in 2019 at a strength of 41.1%ABV. As can easily be imagined, the availability of this whisky is now nil.
Tasting notes
The colour is gold.
On the nose, the very first suggestion is tropical, with a hint of ripe pineapple that is decidedly unexpected and, moreover, fleeting. An impression of walnut and one, quite peculiar, of wood, as if we were entering an old woodshed, where the logs were stacked on top of each other a long time ago. A light nutmeg spice accompanies a faint hint of pastry and a touch of lemon peel. A floral vagueness serves as a tray on which vanilla and apricot cream are delicately placed. The Caribbean accent returns with mango.
On the palate, it is the fruity dimension that prevails, with a fruit salad of yellow apple, nectarine (admittedly a little unripe) and kaiser pear. Here the apricot is dehydrated. Peanuts and walnuts push the profile into nuts territories, before a note of meringue opens the door to a medium-length finish in which yellow apple, dried biscuits and apricot yoghurt are joined by a tasty reminder of sugared almond on the last breath.
In its aromas, this whisky may not be a monster of originality, but it is certainly a champion of smoothness and balance, with the different aromatic tones admirably juxtaposed in a score of seductive harmony.