The View from the Golden Promise is a chance to see the bottles under the hammer at finespirits.auction in a new light. To give you this fresh perspective, we’ve called on two experts from the Golden Promise Whisky Bar.
STANISLAS KINDROZ
To kick off the latest View from the Golden Promise, we invite you to discover two editions from the current highest selling Islay malt.
Laphroaig 25 years 2008 Edition Cask Strength
Some 20 editions of Laphroaig 25 Year Old Cask Strength have been released since 2008. The version we’re looking at today has been aged entirely in sherry casks and gives a frank expression of the medicinal character for which this single malt is so well-known. On the nose, camphor is omnipotent, framing more rustic (damp earth) and empyreumatic (burning paper) notes. Vegetation aromas bring freshness to the overall very weighty nose. The roundness of the palate catches us off-guard. Initially continuing on from the nose, it introduces vegetal and camphoric sequences. A hint of coconut leads into mint and cough sweet notes. The start of the finish brings warmth to the tasting, with infused notes (hibiscus tea, black tea). In the after-taste, leather notes add an animal feel to the finish. Finally, in the midst of the phenols, plum beats a path for itself, bringing a light astringency. An excellent Laphroaig, only for fans of very peated whiskies.
Laphroaig 30 years old
We’ve put aside the oh-so-trendy cask strength edition for a bottling five years older released at 43% ABV. We’ve also opted out of an ultra-modern profile, instead going for a Laphroaig with a more old-school feel. Right from the get-go, notes of apple and mango flood the aroma palette. Peat is of course present, in the form of camphoric, medicinal (elastoplast), mineral (coal) and animal (guanciale cured meat) aromas, but with an aspect that is less thick and more delicate. The palate is of the same ilk. A fresh and exotic (passion fruit, mango) attack appears ahead of camphoric and mentholated passages. The end of the palate takes us back to the guanciale notes from the nose. The very vegetal start of the finish (salad) is also salty (potato chips) and empyreumatic (tar). Fig appears after a mentholated sequence. In the after-taste, beetroot notes add the finishing touches to the tasting’s vegetal register before the finish ends on coconut. A more ethereal style for this outstanding Laphroaig.
SALVATORE MANNINO
GLEN KEITH 1967, 38 Year Old, 53%, Refill Sherry Butt No. 3876, 215 bottles, exclusive to LMDW
Founded in 1957, during the post-war whisky boom, Glen Keith was the first distillery in Scotland to heat its stills with gas in 1970, before switching three years later to more conventional steam-heating. During the same period it
also produced a peated whisky named Glenisla. These were not the only experiments carried out at the distillery, a true laboratory for the owners at the time—the Chivas brothers—who tested triple distillation, new yeasts for fermentation, and column still distillation for single malts. In 1998, however, whisky stocks in Scotland were at their highest since 1980, and yet demand was dropping. The result? Chivas closed the distillery in 1999 (in less than ten years, the group would close four of its distilleries, including Imperial, which never reopened). After being bought by Pernod Ricard in 2001, the distillery was partially rebuilt and re- equipped in 2012, relaunching production the next year. Long maturations suit Glen Keith down to the ground, particularly at the hands of Gordon & Macphail, true specialists in the process. This 1967 is vibrant proof, with a deeply exuberant palette of flavours and aromas! The rich nose reveals candied fruit (including orange) in abundance, quince jelly, an outstanding rancio, cedar and clove. Next, an exotic sequence (dried mango and banana) precedes more enveloping notes of musk, incense, new leather and old polished furniture. The lively and spicy palate is powerful on the attack before making way for precious woods and the scents of an antique woodworker’s workshop. Scotland? Or perhaps might we be more in the realm of the old library at Trinity College Dublin? Especially with the profusion of exotic fruits that follows, reminding us of the aged whiskies from its Celtic cousin and neighbour. The finish is very long and salty, with rancio (apricot), candied ginger and dried banana. Just one word comes to mind—magnificent!
GLENGOYNE 1972, 32 Year Old, 48.7%, White Rioja Cask No. 985, 328 bottles
Originally founded under the name Burnfoot in 1833, before changing owners in 1876 and becoming Glenguin, it was only in 1905 that the distillery took the name we know it by today, Glengoyne. A key factor in the success of the Lang’s blend, in which it plays the leading role, Glengoyne was awarded a Royal Warrant from the Queen Mother in 1984. In 2003, the distillery was bought by independent bottler Ian Macleod. Interestingly, although the distillery itself is in the southern Highlands, its warehouses are on the other side of the road, in the Lowlands! This is a whisky that combines intensity and richness. The nose is lively and spicy, with orange marmalade, candied zest, iced orange gingerbread sprinkled with cinnamon, ginger and grapefruit. Staying with the theme of sweet pastries, cranberry jelly and redcurrants follow, along with cocoa powder. The palate keeps the same vivacity as the nose. Orange dominates slightly less, but the spices becomes clearer and highlight a well-mastered wood. The finish is long and dry.
Since Ian Macleod’s purchase of the distillery, Glengoyne has emerged from the shadows and its primarily sherry cask maturations have become a trademark. Although this version is an exception to the rule—aged instead in an ex-white Rioja cask—the key points in the tasting aren’t all that far from sherry. After all, Andalusia or Rioja... it’s the same country! Mastery and balance are the perfect words to sum up this bottling.
