Glenlivet Generation 1940 80 Year Old Gordon & Macphail

Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange

• Nose

  Sandalwood, singed orange, beeswax-polished oak, roasted pineapple, peach and hints of mint and tarragon. Fresh and floral notes develop and float on top: sherbet pips and meadow flowers. At the core of whisky's flavour sits old and elegant oak, all wrapped up in nutmeg-spiced cake batter and baked apples with sultanas. Mint fondant and freshly scraped vanilla pods peek in from around the edges, roasted coconut, hints of maraschino cherry and piles of damp autumn leaves.

• Palate

  Delicate but surprisingly fresh after eight decades in oak. Damp green leaves lead – a forest at the beginning of a storm. Behind the peppery leaves, dark cherries, stewed apples and red-wine-poached pears are joined by pineapple jam and orange jelly. Marzipan and sultanas – a tight wrapped stollen – develop along with peppery spice, sweet mint chocolate and blackberry jam, all leading to a burst of menthol at the end.

• Finish

  Apples and vanilla cream linger with a touch of toasted coconut and a cube of barbecued pineapple. The cream hangs around, sprinkled with nutmeg and a drizzle of caramel sauce.