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Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

"If it's not good enough to drink slowly, then it's not worth drinking"

Five unusual Speyside single malts from Signatory

 7 Dec 2011  

Allt-a-Bhainne 1991 19 y.o. (55.6%):
Citrus and oak on the nose, un­for­tu­nately also a note of per­fumed soap. Rich, sweet, quite fruity palate with citrus, oak and malt - much nicer than the nose. Oak and vanilla on the finish. The perfume returns, but only faintly this time. A note of mint at the end. (82 p)

Braeval 1998 12 y.o. (57.5%):
Fragrant, fruity, slightly floral nose. Notes of citrus, oak shavings and vanilla. Very nice! Sweet, fresh palate with honey and a little oak. Zesty and nicely bal­anced. Fruity, oaky, very nice finish with a note of mint. All in all clean, fresh and very drinkable. (88 p)

Craigellachie 2002 8 y.o. (sherry butt, 60.0%):
Complex, unusual yet nice nose with honey, caramelized sugar and spices (spiced rum). Also citrus. Sweet palate with dried fruits, a bit like a Spanish brandy. Drying, de­velops notes of oak and honey. Very nice bal­ance between sweet fruits and spicy oak. Nice oaky, fruity finish. All in all unusual but unusually good for an 8 y.o. (87 p)

Glentauchers 1981 30 y.o. (refill sherry butt, 56.0%):
Nose: Honey, orange marmalade, pepper­mint and a little oak. Palate: Fresh, sweet and smooth with orange and oak. De­velops spices. Finish: Oak and citrus. Overall: It's amazingly fresh for a 30 y.o. with sur­pris­ingly little oak. It doesn't have much of a sherry character either but it's bal­anced, very nice and very drinkable. (87 p)

Tormore 1992 18 y.o. (49.7%):
Fruity nose with citrus and oak. Orange marmalade. Nice yet slightly earthy. Sweet palate with malt, honey and citrus. Un­for­tu­nately also a little musty. De­velops a dull oaky note. Quite oaky finish but - again - dull. (A little over­aged, I suspect.) (82 p)

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