Origin: Lowlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Strength: 43.1%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refiill
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Morisco Spirits
Price: € 125.00 on Morisco Spirits
Official website: moriscospirits.com
Vote: 87/100
This is the last of the four bottles in the first iteration of Morisco Spirits’ Wunderkammer series, and the most unusual and perhaps boldest. While the age is remarkable, the single grain nature of this whisky is understandably puzzling: not exactly a distillate known for complexity and richness, on paper it would certainly not be the first choice of an independent bottler.
Given that the year of production coincides with the birth of the label’s founder, the choice is perhaps a little understandable, but having full faith in Andrea Morisco’s talent (and taste), I trust that there is more in the glass than a mere coincidence of vintage.
One clarification: the low alcohol content is cask strength.
Tasting Notes
The years have done this grain some good, smoothing out the acidic parts and making them an integral part of a fruity (pineapple, green apple, pear, unripe banana), floral (hawthorn) and sweet (vanilla, sugar paste) ensemble, which together create a fresh, pungent nose. In the background, there are almonds, linden honey and a slight lactic note. With time, it becomes softer, with hints of toffee and milk chocolate.
On the palate, it has a nice creaminess, with fruity notes (even in the cooked version) and sweet notes (sprouted cake), with hints of black pepper and ginger on nuts (roasted hazelnuts and almonds), aniseed, liquorice root and a light balsamic note. Toffee and chocolate also return, but quietly and always at a distance.
The aftertaste is not very long, with a light stitch of spices on sweet liquorice, nuts, icing sugar and baked apple.
It is pointless to look for complex depth in a grain, but it is a rare thing to be confronted with such a full dram, thanks to a not too charged cask that has been able to enrich the distillate without weighing it down.