Some Golden Oldies

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.

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END

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