The Malt Cask

  First of two 40 year-old blended Scotch bottles released recently. And the first one is from a new bottler called Living Souls. It is one of their first four bottlings, alongside a 19yo Islay (Ardbeg), an 18yo Ledaig/Tobermory and a 15yo Blended Scotch. It is bottled with no added colouring or chillfiltration, and at 41.2%. It also looks like this blend was laid down to marry in a sherry butt in 1998 so over 25 years ago! Distillery:  Blended Scotch Bottler:  Living Souls Age:  40 years old Distilled:  n/a Bottled:  2024 Cask:  n/a Abv:  41.2% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:  n/a Price:  £125 Extra:   My tasting notes: Nose:  Fruity, malty with almonds/marzipan notes, dried apricots and figs, roast peach, slight orange blossom, old oak bookcase, vanilla, some crème caramel, some wood spice and hints of smoke. This is fantastic! Palate:  Fruity and creamy, tropical fruit, mango, passion...

  Distillery:  Blended Malt Bottler:  Biggar & Leith Age:  NAS Distilled:  N/A Bottled:  2021 Cask:  N/A Abv:  41% Unchillfiltered:  N/A Natural Colour: N/A Nb of bottles:  N/A Price: around £30 Extra:  Blended Malt Whisky My tasting notes: Nose:  Sweet and fruity, oak spice, vanilla toffee, barley sugar and malted barley and a whiff of smoke. It is a blended malt but there is a faint grain spirit note kicking around. Pleasant! Palate:  Rich, caramel sweetness, oak spice again, some heather notes, cinnamon, citrus hints around and smoke again. Quite a thin mouthfeel but enjoyable enough! Finish:  Warming oak, slight salinity, gentle peat smoke, hints of bitter citrus and vanilla, quite drying and not very long. Pleasantly surprised by this one. The addition of peat is adding to the dram rather than trying to put people off! I don’t know how old it is or which malts have been used but what I can say is that th...

  The last one from Claxton's Spirits and The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is maybe the one I’ve been excited the most: a 30 year-old Bowmore! It was distilled in 1992, aged in an Oloroso Sherry cask and bottled at 43.5%. Distillery:  Bowmore Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  30 years old Distilled:  17/09/1992 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  43.5% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is coastal, gently peaty and wrapped in tropical fruit sweetness. There is seaweed and iodine, camphor, slight BBQ meat (smoked bacon), grassy/earthy smoke, lemon, a touch of toasted oak and some vanilla. On the nose, the Oloroso cask is not the most obvious. It smells more like a bourbon cask. I’m a fan! Palate:  The palate is sweeter than the nose let on, with some chewy caramel, more Bowmore trop...

  2 more to go with Claxton's Spirits and next up from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is this the oldest release, a 35 year-old Highland Park! It was distilled in 1988, aged in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 43.2%. Distillery:  Highland Park Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  35 years old Distilled:  22/06/1988 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  43.2% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is fruity and creamy, yellow peaches, melon, vanilla cream, some HP heather notes, tame oak spice stewed apples, some milk/white chocolate and pear, honey, hints of cedar wood ! Palate:  The palate is malty and chocolaty first with lots of juicy sultanas, fresh tangerines, some mixed spice, runny caramel, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, black grape juice, blackberry jelly. Some oak spice appea...

  Still with Claxton's Spirits and next up from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition is this 30 year-old Springbank! It was distilled in 1993, aged in a Hogshead and bottled at 44.5%. Distillery:  Springbank Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  30 years old Distilled:  28/05/1993 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Hogshead Abv:  44.5% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is fresh and citrusy, green apples and pears, citrus zest, hints of mint, floral honey, orange marmalade with a sprinkle of cinnamon, salty coastal breeze, some oak spice. Underneath it all there are some industrial oily notes but they’re very well integrated. Wow…! Palate:  The palate is oily and quite sweet with some salted caramel mixed with biscuits and citrus fruit again (orange, tangerine) before dried oak, spices and slight industrial notes ...

  After Clynelish 30, let’s have a look at the Bunnahabhain 33 years old from The Dalswinton’s Series second edition from the folks at Claxton's Spirits. This Bunnahabhain was distilled in 1990, aged in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at 48.6%. Distillery:  Bunnahabhain Bottler:  Claxton's Age:  33 years old Distilled:  24/10/1990 Bottled:  2024 Cask:  Oloroso Sherry cask Abv:  48.6% Unchillfiltered:  Yes Natural Colour:  Yes Nb of bottles:   Price:  £ Extra:  Part of the Dalswinton Series - Second Edition My tasting notes: Nose:  The nose is warming and luxurious, leather, chocolate, tobacco leaves, slight wood char, prunes and hazelnuts, brown sugar and a hint of citrus. Palate:  The palate is oily, thick and mouth coating, it’s rich and chewy, with a moreish mix of oak spice, dried fruit (raisins, figs) dark chocolate and more leather. What a dram! Finish:  The finish is long and quite drying with some...