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
Genoa in Northwest Italy is where Velier was first founded more than 75 years ago. Here we look back at two expressions bottled by and for the great Velier.
Compass Box Artist No. 7 70th Anniversary LMDW Limited Edition of 1 920
The first blended Scotch bottled for the Artist range, this edition is a blend created by Compass Box founder John Glaser to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the indispensable Genoese bottler and importer. The nose is immediately deeply distinguished, with initial notes of almond and clementine. Hay and damp grass then bring thickness to the aroma palette. Finally, orange marmalade and dark chocolate accentuate the nose’s overall richness. The first flavours on the palate are malty. The mid-palate then alternates between peppery and vanilla sequences. Gradually, raspberry notes bring a velvety aspect to the flavour palette. The palate’s vivacity separates it from the nose. The roasted (cigar) and malty start of the finish is also marked by hints of clementine and lychee. The finish reveals its own share of rich treats (chocolate cornflakes, gavotte biscuit) and the retro-nasal olfaction offers up plum. A true masterpiece, as always with John Glaser’s work.
Foursquare 2 years old 2013 bottled 2015 Habitation Velier
This expression bottled for the highly acclaimed Habitation range has been distilled purely in pot stills, unlike most of Foursquare’s rums, which are usually blends of rums produced in both pot stills and column stills. This makes for an iconoclastic bottling both in substance and form. This Foursquare is highly lauded by many rum lovers because of its sequences that recall the exuberance of Jamaican rum. Rightly so. In a blind tasting, the notes of very ripe mango could confuse a great many enthusiasts. And yet the real skill of this Foursquare is that, despite these incursions, it always stay true to its identity. The nose is abundantly rich (chocolate cake, rum baba) and accompanied by empyreumatic notes (burnt sugar) and PVC glue. On the palate, the alcohol is perfectly integrated. Here we find more mango, then butter cookies, coconut, braided brioche, vanilla and bubble gum... The finish brings freshness with a beautiful opening featuring notes of cane sugar syrup that lead into pineapple juice flavours. Fig and coffee dominate the after-taste. Foursquare’s identity is never betrayed, instead it is enriched. Superb!
SALVATORE MANNINO
HIGHLAND PARK 1983, 19 Year Old, 56.8%, cask no. 1094, 588 , exclusive to LMDW
Highland Park needs no introduction, the distillery the late Michael Jackson (not the singer, of course) referred to as “the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky”, and not only one of just nine Scottish distilleries founded in the 18th century and still in operation today, but also one of just seven in Scotland to still use malting floors. It comes as no surprise then that Highland Park is one of the most popular distilleries among fans of uisge beatha (and your bartender). This 1983 is one of its most worthy representatives, revealing a full nose with notes of old leather, wax and musk. We can also make out dried peat, followed by clove-studded meat and thyme stewing in its juices alongside carrots... which is to say, a meal all of its own ready to come out from the oven. Subtle notes of eucalyptus and camphor make their way through this lovely concentration of aromas. The palate is thick, reaffirming the nose, with more marked medicinal notes (tiger balm), clove and liquorice—which brings freshness. The sherry binds the entire flavour palette together as it continually takes on new dimensions through the tasting. The finish is long, on liquorice (catechu) and peat. A dram that perfectly illustrates Michael Jackson’s words: a full and robust whisky that nonetheless is not without finesse. A true all-rounder.
SECRET STILL 01-01, ISLE OF SKYE, 1955, 50 Year Old, 45%, Sherry Butt No. 1312, Gordon & MacPhail
In the Secret Stills range, independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail never reveals the distilleries’ names, honouring an agreement with the producers that these would never appear on the label. Yet the geographic origin and a few clues on the back of the bottle give enough information for informed connoisseurs to guess the distillery, and it’s not without relevance that the label features an upside down question mark symbolizing a still. This venerable whisky reveals a surprisingly fresh nose, at first herbaceous (mint, lavender), that then becomes more animal (amber, musk). Liquorice enveloped in tufts of peat leads into rich notes of grilled aubergine and roasted black olive confit. The palate is fluid yet rich, with liquorice dominating, but this time in savoury form, a nod to the whisky’s coastal origins. Old leather and musk appear alongside spices (black pepper and Sechuan pepper), coffee dregs and candied orange peel. Subtle notes of green Chartreuse bring a refreshing, medicinal side. The finish is long, with endless peat and liquorice. If you ask me, with that description, this secret still isn’t much of a secret...
