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: € 160.00
Official website: www.hunterlaing.com
Not long ago, our Bevitore Squattrinato tasted a Blair Athol from the same label and vintage, bottled in February 2014, while today I am taking a considerable leap forward with a product that is similar in every way (single cask ex-sherry, 50% ABV) but with seven more years of maturation.
293 bottles produced in February 2021, like its younger sibling not at cask strength, by bottler Hunter Laing.
Tasting Notes
Chestnut honey, nutmeg and raspberries are the first aromas to rise from the glass to the nose, a slightly tart warmth that envelops the nostrils, leading to cereal bars with dried red fruits (raisins, blackberries, goji berries) and nuts (hazelnuts, pecans). Candied ginger, Jaffa cakes, toffee and a slight hint of wood polish. Over time, it becomes softer, with jam and toffee growing in volume, always enveloped by spices. Elegant.
On the palate, the spiciness remains high, with nutmeg, ginger and aniseed, and an unexpected sparkling liveliness for a quarter-century-old whisky. A bouquet of bitter notes (liquorice root, rhubarb and cinchona) appears, outlining the ever-warm tones, balanced between the sweetness of pastries (trifle, chocolate, candied fruit, honey) and the tartness of red fruits. Vegetable notes linger, along with a hint of coffee.
The finish is quite long and bitter, spicy, with red fruits, nuts, cocoa, vegetal notes (tea leaves, tobacco) and honey.
Review: Not particularly complex but compact and satisfying, the flavours and aromas are clear and well orchestrated, maintaining the elegance perceived on the nose throughout the experience. A verysolid whisky.
Vote: 89/100