Hunter Laing Sovereign Cambus 1988 (25 year old) 46.9%
Code: SOV2050/ Dist: Sept 1988 Btl: Nov 2014/ Tasted: Dec 2014
The nose is a little austere, hard and brittle with light, oily, dried fruit along with hints of toasted coconut and toffee. The sugars comes through with a mixture of granulated and castor which helps the nose to fill out.
The palate is creamy and subtle with hints of dried apricot. A little citrus appears and lingers as the oak is quite subtle. It does bitter a little on the finish but the dried fruit, given that it is fairly light in character surprisingly hangs in there to balance and a touch of toffee rounds proceedings off.
Hunter Laing Sovereign Cambus 1991? (25 year old) 55.5%
Code: SOV2097/ Dist ? Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2016
The nose is quite fudgy and floral with some grippy dried cherry fruit and hints of coffee, toffee and warm spice.
The palate mirrors the nose with plenty of fudgy oak and vanilla. The grainy dried fruit notes are quite subtle and hints of coffee, dark toffee and liquorice come through on the middle. Long and oaky with lingering vanilla custard and bitter dark chocolate.
Hunter Laing Sovereign Cambus 1988 (27 year old) 46.7%
Bourbon/ Code: SOV2082/ Dist: Sept 1988 Btl: Mar 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2016
The nose revels in plenty of toasty, vanilla oak and chunky, grainy dried fruit and herbs. Slightly balsamic, earthy and treacly with a touch of toffee and wood spice.
The palate opens with the sweet toffee’d oak, followed by baked and dried fruit – pineapple, apple, apricot. It darkens slightly on the middle as the treacle notes appear along with the wood spice. Long, with lingering dried fruit and drying oak notes.
Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain Cambus 1985 (30 year old) 53.4%
Bourbon/ Code: SOV2059/ Dist: Mar 1985 Btl: May 2015/ Tasted: Jun 2015
Beutifully subtle aromas of toasted toffee, poached pear and light, Cognac-esque dried fruit. The nose slowly unwinds to show a touch of incense and a light perfumed edge. The vanillins build and add to the superb depth. With time a light buscuity and melted butter note appear.
Like the nose, the palate is slow to unwind. Vanilla and toffee gives way to gentle peach and pear. Again it shows a subtle Cognac-esque rancio on the middle along with some bitter wood spices. Very mouth-filling and gorgeously spicy on the finish with both the bitter and sweet spices mingling with the drying tannins. However a lovely burst of citrus keeps the finish clean and vibrant. Superb, subtle dried fruit fade.
Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain Cambus 1975 (40 year old) 57.7%
Bourbon/ Code: SOV2056/ Dist: Feb 1975 Btl: Mar 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015
The nose displays plenty of aged oak and juicy bourbon notes. Lightly herbal with hints of leather, walnut, cold tea, raisinated fruit, wood smoke and demerara sugar, but it’s the increasingly rye-like herbal notes that are running riot!
The palate opens with some tight tannins and wood notes, but there is plenty of naturally sweet dried fruit and sweet bourbon oak notes to balance. Lightly herbal on the middle with the biting grain spice clearing the palate. Very long with the spices becoming sweeter, but still retaining their edge and finishing with the old wood, leather and walnut. Lovely after-taste of dry spice and powdery coffee’d tannins.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 