Speyside Blended Malt 1973 45 Year Old Whisky Show 2019

Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange

• Nose

  Brown sugar and light fruitcake lead: Mr Kipling's Country Slices with a side-order of brown bread and butter. Darker, savoury notes slowly build, with char and singed raisins balanced by rich earthiness and old-Cognac rancio. Fruit sits at the core: maraschino cherries, plump raisins, baked apples, wine-poached pears and a hint of dried mango.

• Palate

  Venerable but fresh – old oak is poised against sweet baked apples; sultanans balance bitter char. Soft spice builds across the palate: brown sugar and nutmeg lead to the fruit from the nose. The fruitcake is back and remains light, sprinkled with crunchy crystals of sugar. Thick damp oak and fragrant riverbank earthiness provide a backbone.

• Finish

  Brown sugar lingers, accopanied by char and a parade of fruit: apples, sultanas and, finally, sticky raisins.