More action from TWE Show 2018. All these oldies featured at the excellent whisky.auction stand. Guess who owns it?
Berry Bros & Rudd [1950’s] abv unknown WB90[1] WF93
The only info left on the bottle reads ‘A noble Scotch, Gentle as a Lamb,… 100% Scotch Whiskies’. That is at least enough to cross-reference it on the Base & at WF, and to categorise it as a blend.
- N: Notes from this particular bottle are a little faint, but there’s still plenty to pick out. The main profile concentrates around an array of meats and berries, integrally smoked. OBE is a given.
- T: With plenty of OBE once again, we’ve a narrow arrival, a sweet~bitter direction and a milky mouthfeel. We see liquorice on the turn.
- F: Short but lingering around familiar blended OBE notes that help dress a clean lift-off.
- C: The absence of a label suggests this particular specimen was not kept in optimal conditions, though it still performed very well.
Scores 88 points first time around, 87 on take 2.
Glenfiddich Centenary [1986] Ob. Pure Malt [12000 bts] 43% [75cl] WB89[9] WF70
- N: Soft & easy barley-infused orchard juice with key notes centring around pancakes and fruit oils.
- T: I’m digging that bitter<sweet, honeyed slick mouthfeel with dry citrus.
- F: Lingers on liquorice after a brief yet murky jaunt in the undergrowth.
- C: There must easily be distillate from the 1970’s & earlier in here, and it shows. An old-skool straight-ahead beauty.
Scores 88 points
Glenfyne [1940’s] abv unknown
- N: This broad blend gives off a full-bodied, thick maltiness.
- T: This nicely-intact blended malt enters with lots of squidgy richness. It’s also nutty, metal-y and almost peppery.
- F: Develops fully into the chewy malt I hoped it would be.
- C: Fabulous and delicious. I’ll take a case please!
Scores 90 points
Stoddart’s [1940’s] abv unknown
- N: Whilst offering a peatier, drier, sootier nose, it’s a touch lacking overall in comparison to the Glenfyne.
- T: With clear OBE signs, there’s a bitterness and yet more sootiness. It’s clear there’s grain here, albeit decent clobber.
- F: Grainy>sooty.
- C: A decent old blend, though well overshadowed today by the Glenfyne.
Scores 84 points
Old Angus [1940’s] abv unknown WB0 [WF]92[1930’s]
- N: A willing nose reveals classic old & rare TTR blend traits – mainly on stewed tomatoes and > Frazzles.
- T&F: Complexities from a bygone age are rather telling, from a bottle that has held up well against the march of time.
- C: Superb bottle-aged insights of yesteryear.
Scores 90 points
J&G Thomson 12yo [1940’s] abv unknown
I believe an aged-stated blend from this period is more unusual, so hopes are again high. The inter-war malt content could also be high.
- N: More old-skool action. Compared to the Old Angus, this is a sweeter, sweatier malt with less [OBE] tomato action.
- T: Very tasty creamy barley.
- F: Hums with a barley-dry heathery warmth.
- C: My notes are scant, but I loved this thoroughly. Best of the lot!
Scores 91 points
Grant’s Stand Fast [1940’s] abv unknown [WF]80
- N: Not a great deal here.
- T: Bitter & short after the superb J&G.
- F: This finishes far better despite a slow start, with all the best bits towards the tail.
- C: It just goes to show that taking a punt on these old blends can be a real lottery.
Scores 80 points
A super session, with thanks to [Sukhinder Singh’s] whisky.auction team.
.
END
.