Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Aberlour 2000 (12 year old) 55.9%
Bourbon Cask 3072/ Dist: Jun 2000 Btl: Jan 2013/ Tasted: Feb 2013
A lovely, typically Speyside nose of fresh, high toned white fruit and citrus along with hints of creamy vanilla and a grassy note. With time it begins to show its darker side with hints of malt, treacle and dark toffee.
The palate is quite youthful with cereal and malty notes. Some sweet barley appears along with some lightly creamy oak. Gently spiced with some dark treacle and toffee in the finish, which is slightly masked by the alcohol and woody spices.
With water the nose opens up beautifully to display light castor sugar coated citrus fruit (lime, tangerine). Now extremely vibrant and grass with the dark side well under control! The palate has lightened, like the nose and shows some gorgeous summer barley along with a light orange/ tangerine note. Very grassy on the middle, just like an oak aged Sauvignon Blanc and a long, lightly sugar’d finish.
Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Aberlour 1996 (13 year old) 57.5%
Bourbon Cask 90076/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2009/ with hints grass, lime and oak.
Quiet weighty on the palate with straw, earth, cereal flavours. Lovely intensity, opening into a grassy, apricot middle. Good length with the alcohol dominant. A drop of water brings out the high toned citrus and grass aromas. On the palate it brings out the sweet malt and vanillins. All in all a pleasant aperitif malt.
Dewar Rattray ‘Single Cask’ Aberlour 1996 (14 year old) 46%
Bourbon cask 90081. Sample received at 56.4%%
Dist: 1996 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: Sept 2010
Quite a high toned nose, yet robust and expressive. Exceedingly fruity with plenty of tropical pineapple and banana along with lots of lovely creamy vanilla oak and hints of soft spices.
The palate is a touch oily with the oak flavours opening the proceedings followed by the tropical fruit, which is hanging on by it’s finger tips against the onslaught of the vanillins! A brief piquant alcohol burst is followed by a honeyed, grassy finish.
With water (which is closer to what it will taste like at 46%)
The nose is lighter and showing more grassy typicity. The oak has been restrained now and it allows the gorgeous honeyed fruit and spices to shine. The palate is softer, with a slightly milky/ creamy consistency. Still grassy and tropical, but now a delightful malty core has been revealed. Lovely balance and a long grassy finish.
Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Aberlour 1989 (22 year old) 51.1%
Bourbon cask 245100-479/ Dist: 1989 Btl: Feb 2012/ Tasted: Feb 2012
A dense and oily nose with hints grass and dried straw. Very venerable, almost too venerable with plenty of toffee-malt, oak and a slight perfumed white flower note at the edge. With time there is some light granulated sugar, white liquorice and beeswax.
The palate is very sweet. Lots of granulated sugar followed by the mature oak and coffee’d spices. Lots of tannin too, especially on the middle along with some herbal notes. The funny thing is that it sort of pauses, like gathering a breath before finishing with an almost minty freshness.
I must say I’m in two minds about this and out of curiosity I added a drop of water and it all fell apart. I did think it was maybe a tad old and quite fragile and dilution confirmed those fears as it became oily, confected and slightly watery with the spices unfortunately turning a bit cardboardy.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 