Speyside 1966 / 43 Year Old / Sherry Cask / The Whisky Show (Douglas Laing)

Nose: full blown sherry, with lovely notes of tobacco and cocoa. Chocolate. Quite dry with a nice savoury / herbal touch (parsley and mint). Balsamic syrup. Excellent. Water adds some raspberry liqueur. Mouth: the usual raisins, chocolate and orange liqueur. Drying towards the finish (hints of dark tea), with some liquorice. Mint again. Finish: very long, spicy and really dry.

It’s safe to say these Speyside’s Finest bottlings are all very good, and some are quite excellent. Around € 145 and still available from TWE.

Score: 91/100

Nose: we’re almost exactly in the style of the Glen Avon 35yo now, only with a little more mint and eucalyptus as well as various spices. Maybe a little cumin. Globally just a tiny-wee less expressive, though, but great nose anyway. A little Armagnac-ish, pleasantly so.

Mouth: once again, more or less the same whisky as the Glen Avon with a little more oomph. Maybe a tad more both citrusy and mentholated, with more liquorice too.

Finish: very long, warming. Same raisins and dried fruits as in the GA plus quite some chocolate.

Comments: power to the old sherry monsters – and yet again the same rating, these bottlings are pretty ‘unsettlable’. SGP:451 - 92 points.