Clément Gaillard
Brora 22 Year Old 1972 Rare Malts
58.7%, 70cl, 1995
As we all know, 1972 is a very special vintage for Brora. It is famed out for its peat and the incredibly rare bottlings adored by whisky lovers, such as this Rare Malts expression. As is often the case in this range, this is a very powerful whisky and requires the taster to exercise both patience and a little water. The nose has a farmyard (hay, leather) and oily character accompanied, as expected, by a frank and salty peat. We also find a few zests of dried citrus fruit. The palate is no less intense, revealing powerful saline (seaweed), smoky and peppery flavours. Medicinal and camphoric notes appear throughout the tasting, which is memorable for both the whisky’s intensity and the distillery’s unique style, this vintage in particular.
Strathisla 1967 Gordon & Macphail
50%, 70 cl, 2007, #6112, For La Maison du Whisky
It is no secret Speyside malts hold a special place in Gordon & MacPhail’s hearts. This Strathisla selected by La Maison du Whisky is a great example, with its notes of fruit (apricot, Mirabelle plum) and citrus (candied lemon, orange) and its wonderful waxy aspect (sap, polish). Wood is almost completely absent, but we do find a hint of smoke which we be familiar to fans of old Strathisla. A beautiful whisky where charm goes hand in hand with great complexity.
Salvatore Mannino
Highland Park 17 Year Old 1991 Signatory Vintage The Un-chill-filtered Collection
46%, 70cl, 2008, #15098 - 820 bottles
Highland Park is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that continues to use its own malting floors (covering 30% of its needs), an element which is felt in this bottling, where the peat’s presence is measured, appearing in well-timed hints that allow the expression of rich and exotic aromas (persimmon, passion fruit). Notes of camphor come to the surface with more subtlety. The palate reveals another glimpse of peat, exotic fruits and smoky malted barley, followed by heather—another trademark of this Orkney-based distillery, which is one of the oldest in Scotland. Don’t be fooled by the bottling strength. It feels much stronger than 46%, bringing energy and density right to the end of the tasting.
61,3%, 70cl, Sherry cask #127 - 594 bottles
The Pulteney distillery is located in the coastal village of Wick in the very north-east of Scotland. The port experienced its hour of glory in the second half of the 19th century when herring fishing was in its prime and thousands of boats could be seen berthed or in the water on busy days. Its proximity to the sea earned Old Pulteney its nickname as the “Manzanilla of the North” and produces the abundant maritime and iodine notes that have made this Highlander so popular among enthusiasts. This bottling, released for the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, has more than a few similarities with another Old Pulteney distilled in 1969 and bottled in 2002, also for La Maison du Whisky and also aged in a sherry cask. This 2004 bottling is incredibly intense, carried by its perfectly integrated 61.3% ABV and superb sherry ageing that floods the whisky with notes of dried fruit, candied orange and chocolate. On the palate, beeswax and ginger add to this mosaic of flavours, and the finish brings us a characteristic dose of salinity that takes us to the port of Wick.
