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
Glenlivet 1965 Gordon & MacPhail
46%, 70cl, 2007, #6733
We can’t get enough of these old Speyside whiskies matured by Gordon & MacPhail use all the expertise for which it is so renowned. The wood is perfectly integrated, leaving only surface notes of freshly polished parquet flooring. Nestled in a comfy armchair, it offers us a cup of warm tea with a few seasonal fruits to snack on. Pure delight!
48%, 70cl
This Yamazaki needs no introduction and reveals a rich score of dried fruit, chocolate, plum and marmalade. The sherry is powerful but smooth, standing out for its precision and finesse while at the same time remaining gentle, enveloping and almost demure.
Salvatore Mannino
Imperial 1993 Gordon & MacPhail
45%, 70cl, 2004
The Imperial distillery was built in 1897 by the then-owner of Talisker and Dailuaine based on the plans of the famous architect Charles Doig. Named in reference to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, which was celebrated in the same year, the distillery had a somewhat troubled life. After closing just a year after opening due to the Pattinson Crash in 1898, it spent more than half its existence mothballed before finally closing permanently in 1998. The facilities were eventually dismantled in 2013 (except for the warehouses) and in 2015 a new distillery named Damunach was built on the same site.
Only one official bottling was released by the distillery (a 15 year old), as Imperial was mostly bottled independently, as in this stunning example from Gordon & MacPhail created in 2004 for La Maison du Whisky, which reveals a rich and full-bodied nose that brings to mind iced orange gingerbread, crêpe Suzette, coffee-flavoured sweets and grated ginger. Fennel notes bring lots of freshness to the sherry maturation. The full-bodied palate confirms the nose in every way, revealing orange in every possible form (cake, liqueur), with a hint of aniseed and coffee bean. The finish is long and spicy.
