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.
Clément Gaillard
Glen Scotia 33 Year Old 1977 Signatory Vintage The Prestonfield Cask no. 2749 - One of 177
This Glen Scotia bottled in 2011 for La Maison du Whisky is the last in the Prestonfield range created by Andrew Symington when he worked at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh and continued after Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988. It is characterized by a very coastal style, with pronounced oily, medicinal (syrup, rubber, turpentine essence) and salty (shellfish, seaweed) notes. A handful of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts), sweet spices (cinnamon, cardamom, star anise) and a little smoke add the finishing touches. Overall, very pure with an appealing old school style.
This edition released for La Maison du Whisky in 2021 reveals incredible finesse, keeping intact the clairins’ unique character while transforming it through masterful sherry cask ageing. Combining harmoniously with the notes of sugar cane typical of this rum’s ‘agricole’ style, the latter adds oxidative notes of nuts (walnut), chocolate, caramel, coffee and fruit (dried apricot, Morello cherry). A gentle liquorice and fruity bitterness (bitter orange) counterbalances the generous and spicy (cigar, cinnamon, pepper, chilli) exoticism (pineapple, banana). Proof that clairins, already stunning in their youth, also age very well.
Salvatore Mannino
Old Pulteney 1969 Of. Sherry Butt Cask n°4195 LMDW Limited Edition
Pulteney is one of the most northerly distilleries in Scotland, located at the sea’s edge in the town of Wick, known from the late 17th century to the 18th century as the capital of herring fishing. Its whisky, Old Pulteney, is nicknamed the Manzanilla of the North due to its dry, salty character that resembles that of the sherry of the same name. This bottling selected by La Maison du Whisky proudly proclaims its maritime roots, even after some 30 or so years in sherry casks.
The beautiful mahogany colour perfectly sets the tone for the rich, dense and incredibly chocolatey nose. Liquorice and floral (lilac) notes are also found. A whisky that takes time to impart its secrets, a gentle smoke and saltiness arrive later. The palate is smooth, like melted chocolate pouring over spiced bread (candied orange peel, candied ginger) in a dangerously rich combination. Absolutely delicious! The finish is long, staying on notes of chocolate and praline and leaving crystals of fleur de sel on the surface of the lips... Dangerous, I tell you!
Here is a blended malt that is very nearly a single malt (more than 99%). Indeed, it is a great example of “teaspooning”, a practice which involves adding a very small amount of one single malt (literally a teaspoon) to a cask containing another single malt. This is normally done at the request of the distillery that owns the cask when they do not want their name to appear on the bottling from the independent bottler that buys it. In reality, the taste is completely unaffected, but technically it is no longer a single malt and the distillery’s name can no longer be used on the label. It is therefore given another name, in this case “Westport”, which is in fact a Glenmorangie with a teaspoon of Glen Moray.
The nose immediately reveals the unique characteristics of sherry cask maturation, with candied orange and ginger shortbread. A hint of menthol then adds refreshment, before beeswax plunges us into an old library filled with venerable spell books. The palate is rich, revealing candied orange - or rather candied orange peel - as well as apricot, walnut and ginger, like a delicious fruit cake. A herbal note (mint) softens the overall picture. The finish focuses on dried fruit (Corinthian raisins, apricot), with praline notes and a pleasant wood adding the final touches. Another spoonful, perhaps? A resounding success from this famous Italian bottler (unimplied by the name).
