Gleann Mor Carsebridge Tasting Notes

Gleann Mor ‘A Rare Find’ Carsebridge 1964 (52 year old) 47.1%

Refill Sherry cask 89160

Dist: Jan 1964 Btl: May 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2017

A nose of succulent vanilla oak accented dried fruit. Nutty and slightly toasty with hints of dusty spice. There is a subtle Cognac-esque ranico and developing sweet spice notes. Very laid back, subtle and elegant.

The palate is elegant and nutty with a subtle Cognac-esque dried fruit character, herbs and dusty vanilla oak. The oak develops some hints of coffee and coconut on the middle, but not a huge amount of sherry character though. Like the nose it is subtle but it has an almost malty depth and a good complexity. Lovely coconutty and milk chocolate finish with lingering, lightly spiced grainy dried fruit. Now that’s an impressive finish!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Carsebridge Tasting Notes

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Carsebridge 52 year old Batch 1 40.5%

Tasted: Oct 2016

Nose: Seriously mature and spicy with plenty of herbal dried grainy fruit and soft oak. Beautifully crisp and evocatively spicy with a light rum-like demeanour and hints of toasted vanilla and burnt wood.

Palate: A crisp and grainy start leads into liquorice, molasses and rummy dried fruit. Multi-layered and gorgeous with a touch of silky vanilla and toasty oak on the middle.

Finish: Citric and spicy with a touch of drying tannins, but the sweet fruit lingers.

Conclusion: Perfectly balanced with poise and elegance. A must buy!

Hunter Laing Carsebridge Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Sovereign Carsebridge 1973 (42 year old) 48.9%

Code: SOV2073/ Dist: Jan 1973 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted Oct 2015

A little reticent to begin with, but given some time and aeration the delicate Cognac-esque rancio appears. Quite floral and reminiscent of a fine Grande Champagne Cognac. Hints of toffee, vanilla, nuts, sweet spices and some late American oak notes arrive along with a touch of sweet orange and subtle cereal notes.

The palate is delicate and elegant with sultana, moist vanilla, cream, nuts and toasted vanilla. Maybe not quite as complex as the nose, but it has a lovely depth with some developing edgy, grainy spices. Very long and subtle with lingering creamy oak and hints of dark chocolate, coffee and treacle. It certainly darkens as it finishes! Delightfully spicy after-taste.

Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain Carsebridge 1973 (42 year old) 53.1%

Bourbon/ Code: SOV2088/ HL12366

Dist: May 1973 Btl: May 2016/ Tasted: June 2016

A stunning nose! Mature, deep and elegant with dried pruney fruit, walnuts, liquorice and treacle. Some vibrant, lightly grassy grain notes balance. The nose keeps unwinding to show oven baked toffee’d banana with slightly singed bits, pear in treracle syrup, burnt almonds, leather, walnut skin, a touch of warm burre noisette and dusty, ginger spice. Wow! That is seriously complex.

Moist, treacle coated raisinated sub-Armagnac-esque fruit on the palate with hints of liquorice, coffee and balancing herbal grain notes. Hints of leather, toasted almonds, walnuts and gritty but soft wood tannins come through on the middle. Stunning balance between the mouth-coating treacle, grain and tannins. Incredibly long with the lighter, grainier, dried fruit emerging along with a touch of peanut and lively, buzzy spices.

Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain Port Carsebridge 1965 (50 year old) 41.5%

Code: SOV2072/ Dist: Oct 1965 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015

Intense aromas of Cognac-esque dried fruit and dusty, mature oak. Hints of incense, dusty violets, cinnamon and crisp green apple notes come through on the middle. The oak is a little oily with a slight marzipan, butter and white chocolate nuance. Elegant, delicate but full of character and not lacking in depth!

The palate is crisp, citric and fresh with the subtle oils balancing. Again it displays a gentle Cognac-esque rancio but I’m blown away by how fresh this tastes and how subtle the oak character is given its spent 50 years in it. Subtly spicy on the middle with earth, liquorice, cinnamon, pepper and gorgeously sweet apricoty fruit. Long and juicy with a beautiful dried fruit, sweet spice, grainy spice and herbal spice finish.

Duncan Taylor Carsebridge Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Carsebridge 1979 (25 year old) 56.4%

Cask 32901/ Dist: 1979 Btl: 2004/ Tasted: Oct 2006

Clean, slightly spirit on the nose. Earthy and creamy with lanolin, wax, delicate chocolate orange and a touch of toasted caramel. Dry on the palate, light-medium bodied, full of orange peel, vanilla, peppery spices, earth and wax. Lovely soft alcohol and a wonderful oily mouth feel. Long, slightly floral finish with that earthy grainy intensity prevailing. 

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Carsebridge 1979 (30 year old) 52.3%

Cask 3038/ Dist: 1979 Btl: 2009/ Tasted: Oct 2009

Quiet an elegant nose with light orange fruit, earth/ dunnage, mature honey along with the expected vanillin’s and a violet note. Over time the oak asserts itself with a gorgeous pure caramel/ toffee note. Wonderfully deep with a late touch of camphor and menthol.

The palate is light yet sweet – pure granulated sugar, along with oak vanillin’s, butter toffee, wood tannins and that violet note. Balancing botanical grains and soft, unobtrusive alcohol arrive on the middle and it finishes with a buttery aftertaste. 

A drop of water brings out the oils with a touch of lanolin and some nutty notes. It becomes a tad sweeter with more of a toffee popcorn character. On the palate it isn’t as sweet as you would think; only lightly candied. Gorgeously mouth filling and soft, with oodles of character.

Douglas Laing Carsebridge Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing  Xtra Old Particular Carsebridge 1976 (40 year old) 53.7%

Code: XOP0074/ Dist: Octt 1976 Btl: Nov 2016?/ Tasted: Dec 2016

The nose is quite fresh and frisky with lime, apricot, toasty oak, almond paste, dried Satsuma and sultana. Beautifully spiced, flecked with a touch cinnamon and old wood spices. With time lemon drizzle cake, honey, rose oil, sumptuously creamy oak and a light wood smoke note appears.

The palate is pleasantly fresh and subtly crisp to begin with. Mature wood spice, leather, tobacco, dried lemon and sultana notes follow. Some subtle sugars emerge on the middle but some emerging chocolaty tannins balance. Lightly rummy with developing biting spices. Very, very long and spicy with cigar smoke, citrus, subtle oak, smoky dried fruit and grippy tannins.

Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Carsebridge 1976 (40 year old) 49.9%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: XOP0090/ DL11587

Dist: Oct 1976 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Intense, crisp dried fruit aromas with hints of lime, coconut and honey. With time the oak begins to assert itself and shows a seriously toastiness. However the citrus and grainy spices balance superbly.

The palate is a little richer and fuller with dried apricot and sultana. Wonderfully softly spiced and not as heavy on the oak as the nose suggests. Crisp citrus and column still notes come through on the middle and finally the oak shows its hand on the finish, but the intense lemony notes cut it short and allows the lightly oxidised fruit to return. Lovely progression!

Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Carsebridge 1965 (50 year old) 40.1%

Refill Hogshead/ Code: XOP0048/ Dist: Oct 1965 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015

Beautiful aromas of rum-like dried fruit and dense, buttery oak. Hints of toffee, sweet coconut and lovely vanilla coated spices follow. With time some darker fruit notes emerge along with a slight balsamic note along with some freshening herbal grain notes.

A stunningly elegant palate, full of mature dried fruit, cereal and grippy spices. The slightly herbal grain comes through adding a fresh counterpoint to the vanilla, coconut and peanut oak notes. Long with lingering dried fruit and a superb blending of sweet and drier spices.. Superbly balanced and worth every penny!

 

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Douglas Laing Old Particular Carsebridge 1982 (33 year old) 44.9%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead?/ Code: OLD0359/ DL11339

Dist: Dec 1982 Btl: Sept 2016?/ Tasted: Oct 2016

A dense, dark and treacly nose (not a surprise given its colour) with Jamaican-esque toasted brown sugar coated dried fruit and dark spice. Hints of sharp vanilla punctuate the oxidised fruit and gives the nose a lovely intensity. Late hints of cigar smoke, leather and tobacco.

The palate is wonderfully mature and spicy with coffee, liquorice and a touch of treacle. Luscious dried fruit follows along with a touch of citrus and crisp grain notes. Full, rounded and oaky on the middle with a touch of toasted brown sugar, roasted spice and coffee bean. Long with the herbal spirit giving the finish a lovely crispness. A seriously impressive old grain.

 

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Douglas Laing Clan Denny Carsebridge 1981 (30 year old) 59.1%

Bourbon/ Code: DEN0078/ Dist: Oct 1981 Btl: Nov 2011/ Tasted: Nov 2011

The nose opens with an immense hit of supercharged spicy oak. Quite fudgy with plenty of sweet vanilla and a touch of mature honey. Interwoven is some pleasant, nippy almost rye like notes.

The quite pronounced oak makes it dry start to the proceedings but some soft, demarara coated fruit duly arrives. Very full and spicy on the middle with the slightly floral, sweet grain notes encroaching. Very long with hints of coffee, fudge and spice in the finish.

With water the nose displays more of the botanical spirit as the oak beats a retreat. Maybe a touch sweeter with a greater honeyed emphasis. The palate is softer, fleshier and distinctly more fruity – dried fruit, banana and milk chocolate. Lovely length with a pure coffee grain finish.

Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Carsebridge 1965 (45 year old) 44.7%

Bourbon/ Code: DEN0072/ Dist: Oct 1965 Btl: Sept 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

A grainy and very earthy nose. In fact it is almost peated with some edgy, toffee’d American oak followed by a lovely burst of perfumed orange. The grains are beautifully crisp and fragrant. Later a touch of light coffee and herbs appears.

The palate is lovely and soft. Slightly grainy with gentle dried fruit and a very subtle touch of oak. Quite oily, but the grains nip and keep it vibrant. Ooh the middle displays a wonderful Guyana-esque dried fruit combination, which mellows into a long spicy and subtle citrus finish.

Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Carsebridge 1965 (47 year old) 45.3%

Bourbon/ Code: DEN0103/ Dist: Oct 1965 Btl: Mar 2013/ Tasted: Apr 2013

A Huge nose! Big, spicy, Kentucky oak goes head to head with the big grains. Wow a real heavy weight, rumble in the jungle! Hugely fruity – crushed cherries, plum and damson all liberally doused in pure fruit sugar/ light syrup and gentle vanilla’d, dusty spices. Wow! This is a sensational nose. Densely perfumed with a beguiling musky/ sweet style.

The palate is soft and succulent with the sweet, dark fruit showing first, followed by the oak, which incidentally is a lot subtler than the nose would lead you to believe. The grains are almost imperceptible as they are over laid by the weight of fruit. Gentle oak notes penetrate bringing some toffee’d vanillins. Incredibly deep and unctuous with a lovely fade if a little abrupt as the tannins intrude, however the dark sugared fruit and light treacle notes linger and it finishes with a gentle smokiness. Another stunning old grain whisky!