Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 50%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Sherry butt
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Hunter Laing & Co.
Average price: € 140.00
Official website: www.hunterlaing.com/range/old-malt-cask
Vote: 88/100
Sharing is caring: this is the mantra of every whisky enthusiast. Exchanging impressions and samples is almost a ritual at every meeting occasion, and when you can’t see each other, social media comes to the rescue. If you get your hands on a really good whisky, or simply if you think someone else might like what you are drinking, you make an effort so that they can enjoy it too.
All of which is to say that we owe today’s tasting to the generosity of Federico Demartini (whom we thank wholeheartedly), who, having intercepted our passion for Blair Athol’s whisky, took the trouble to send us a generous sample of this 18-year-old whose bottle he owned.
It is a single cask ex sherry distilled in November 1995 and bottled in February 2014 at 50%ABV, in its natural colour and without chillfiltration, by Hunter Laing in the Old Malt Cask series, for a total of 585 examples, still miraculously available from a few specialised retailers.
Tasting notes
The colour is light amber.
The nose immediately appears very spicy with pepper and chilli pepper unleashed, at least at first, and sweeter touches of caramel and dates. A slight hint of wildflower honey is matched by a balsamic touch that can be traced back to menthol, while an impression of orange peel becomes more and more intense as the drink progresses. But the basso continuo of this olfactory reconnaissance is a note of boiled meat that reminds us very closely of Mortlach.
On the palate, pepper and chilli pepper still occupy the front row, and the citrus side, in the guise of yellow orange and ripe mandarin, is accompanied by an interesting drift into the creamy, with summery reminiscences of malaga and stracciatella. The aromatic range is completed by a memory of old woodshed. A cheeky, naughty palate that retains a surprising dynamism over time.
The finish is long, spicy and creamy, with chilli, malaga and yellow orange drying out the mouth and preparing for the next sip.
Supported by a gravity that pushes the aromas and enhances the texture, a pleasantly spicy dram, as is often the case with certain Blair Athol single casks. An entertaining and instructive dram that exhibits the expressive potential of this distillery’s whiskies at their best.