James MacArthur ‘Old Masters Cask Strength Selection’ Glendullan 1997 (12 year old) 56.1%
Bourbon Barrel 5059/ Dist: 2007 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: July 2009
An earthy, straw like nose, just on the right side of murkiness. There’s a hint of cereal, barley, honey, grass and perfumed flowers along with some balancing vanilla oak On the palate it is softly oily with hints of apricot and honey. A bit simple with quiet a lot of tannins. Good length with hints of malt, cereal and earth.
Water emphasises the earthiness on the nose and homogenises the palate. Nothing wrong with this bottling but it’s just not particularly exciting.
James MacArthur ‘Old Masters Cask Strength Selection’ Glendullan 1997 (12 year old) 56.1%
Bourbon Barrel 5059/ Dist: 2007 Btl: 2009/ Re- Tasted: May 2010
A very acetone and botanical dominated nose. It develops floral notes along with lanolin coated oily orange fruit and earth. A distinctly odd nose. Oily with light vanilla-orange fruit and no shortage of botanicals. Very piquant alcohol leads to a grassy finish and a light lanolin coating after taste.
Water removes some of the acetonearomas and emphasisies the floral notes but there’s no escaping the lanolin. On the palate it has become very sugary with a touch of white-floral fruit. It seems to give an impression of depth but frankly flatters to deceive. Unexciting and Ephemeral, an acquired taste to say the least – Is this really what Glendullan is like? My only previous experience of this distillery was a Blackadder sherry monster with not even a shred of distillery character present.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 