What Does John Know?

 Yes, I know. March is over, and with it, “Friday’s Pans”. But I have one more pan before moving on to a happier review next Friday.

Duncan Taylor (distilled at Cameronbridge), Cask #3583, 28 year old, 54.4%, $125
Its best attributes are vanilla, toasted coconut, and tropical fruit. But the rest of this grain whisky is a bit of a disappointment. It is thin and, at times, harsh. A paint thinner component is evident (especially on the nose), along with more wood on the finish that this thin body can handle. Two Carsebridge grain Scotch whiskies from DT which I have tasted recently were much better—richer and creamier, and with more balance.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 73

Signatory (distilled at Bunnahabhain), cask #5279, 1997 vintage, 9 year old, 59.9%, $45
The owners of Bunnahabhain are making a peated version of this normally unpeated Islay whisky to put in their peated blend, Black Bottle. But they have not yet put out, as a regular item, a peated expression of Bunnahabhain single malt for purchase. However, some of the independent bottlers got their hands on some, and this might be the first one to be offered in the U.S. It’s what you would expect a 9 year old peated Bunnahabhain to taste like: toffee, vanilla fudge, and nuts (the Bunny signature), kiln peat smoke, and a bit too much youthfulness from its young age. I like the potential of this whisky, but it needs a few more years to mature to acceptable levels. (Bottled for Binny’s Beverage Depot.)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 77

Glenmorangie Lasanta, 46%, $65
Finished in sherry casks. The sherry adds a nutty toffee sweetness, bramble, and other assorted red fruit and raisin, with the tell-tale Glenmorangie complexity tucked underneath. A bit heavy on the sherry, too, for such a subtle spirit. This is the only whisky from the new like of Glenmorangie that I’m not very excited about. A few of the others, especially the Original 10 year old, are very good.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 79

Benromach Organic, 43%, $75
Huge oak impact for such a young whisky. Fresh oak shavings, dry vanilla, and subtle toasted coconut throughout. Some dried fruit, sultana and toffee too up front, but this is quickly consumed by the oak. Dry, hot, resinous finish. Not an old whisky, but already showing too much oak.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 74

Several of you have asked me about this whisky in the past week, so I thought I would post it up now given that it will not appear in Malt Advocate until the 3rd Quarter issue later this year.

Murray McDavid “Mission” (distilled at Glenglassaugh), 1986 vintage, 20 year old, 55.3%, $175
The ruby/antique amber color suggests a first-fill sherry cask. The nose and palate confirm. This whisky is a mouthful: fruitcake, roasted chestnuts, burnt raisin, candied orange, molasses, leather, tobacco, dark chocolate, wax and a hint of clove. An incredible amount of sherry, but it’s not cloying. The flavors are clean, complex and well-balanced.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 86

The Macallan Lalique Decanter, 55 year old, 40.1%, $12,000
Deep, thick nose, with sappy oak, dried citrus, old leather, spearmint and background leafy smoke. Nicely viscous on the palate, with similar notes as the aroma. But mid-palate the age gets the best of this whisky. The flavors flatten out and the wood dominates through the finish as the leather notes linger.

It’s a rare treat to taste a whisky this old. If you like Lalique (and have the money), then this new bottling is worth some consideration, because there are certainly moments of intrigue on the nose and beginning of the palate. But, I have tasted several other 50-plus year old Macallans, and I can say with certainty that the 50 year old Millennium bottling and the 1946 vintage release were better and can probably still be found for a significantly lower price (Only 420 bottles available worldwide.)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 74