3 Malts For The Serious Collector
Once in a while, we manage to get our hands on some serious kit and recently, Chris managed to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the bag with some unexpected results!
Getting a rare, old, single cask Macallan is almost unheard of these days, so imagine our surprise when this turned up Mackillop's Choice Macallan 1998 (19 year old). Only 235 bottles of this little beauty made it out of the cask, so this will go very quickly. 'The palate opens with some dusty pollen-like barley and barley husks. Slightly grippy but sweet tannins follow along with hints of apricot, apple, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Vibrant and juicy middle as the citrus really kicks in. Long with lingering Bourbon oak and rye-like herbal notes. The oak bitters ever so slightly but the mouth-watering juicy fruit balances. Hints of straw and honeysuckle in the after-taste.'
One of my favourite distilleries is Tomatin. Situated way up in Invernesshire, this stunning Highland distillery has been around officially since the late 1890's, however it is believed to have been distilling, albeit illegally, since the 1700's. The Tomatin 36 Years Old is heavenly. 'The palate is wonderfully silky and slightly toffee'd with the sherry influence more noticeable, but not swamping the mature barley and fruit. Hints of straw, earth and walnut shell follow along with some vibrant citrus notes on the middle.'
Finally, Ardbeg, probably the most collectable malt on the market needs no introduction. We have two bottlings at the moment that are worth considering, one of which is an independently bottled version. The Mackillop's Choice Ardbeg 1993 (24 year old) is another seriously limited bottling of only 240 bottles. This is 'Soft and gentle on the palate, opening with barley, white chocolate and bitter, woody spice. Hints of earthy peat, vanilla and more wood spice. Subtle notes of violets, straw, baked fruit, apricot and lime come through on the middle, along with a touch of salt. Stunningly deep and complex.'
The other bottling of Ardbeg is our last bottle of the Ardbeg Supernova SN2015 Committee Release. This final, fleeting Committee bottling of Ardbeg Supernova heralds the culmination of Ardbeg's experiment in space. Its release coincides with the publication of Dr Bill Lumsden's highly anticipated White Paper on the mysteries of zero gravity maturation.