Alright, Simon checking in again, with my 5th review from the Douglas Laing/Craft Cellars virtual tasting. This time a 33 year old blend made up of a handful Islay distilleries. Coal Ila, Ardbeg, Bowmore, and Laphroaig, with a tea spoon of Port Ellen. Finished in Cognac and Sherry casks. 47% ABV. I see this online for 250 pounds, but it would be more than that in Canada.
This is by far the oldest scotch I'll have tasted so far. First time I try a scotch older than me (in the barrel)!
Sniff test:
Peat and honey. Cross between earthy and bonfire. It's on the sweeter side of a nose. Nice nose.
Lets dig in:
Peat and honey again at first but then there's way more going on. It's got a mix of herbal spices and mild bitters that blend with that peat. It's got some nice woody cedar notes to it too. There's an leathery amaretto type of sweetness there, that's got a lot of depth to it. The finish has a lot of wood and spicy notes. It's got a good kick. This is savory.
Review: This is great from start to finish. I would not pin it down as super old. This is flavorful with good amount of complexity and a unique blend of notes to it.. Going in blind I'd definitely miss the cognac finish and the sherry is non-existent as far as I can tell, but knowing it's cognac, there's definitely a note there with that leathery amaretto that I can trace back as likely being cask influenced. Overall this is wonderful, but I'll stick to my Octomores for my expensive peat bombs. Stamping an 89 here.
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