Hunter Laing Dumbarton Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Sovereign Dumbarton 1987 (29 year old) 54.7%

Code: SOV2098/ HL13049

Dist Mar 1987 Btl: Nov 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2016

Rich and dark on the nose with treacle coated raisinated fruit and spice. Quite chocolaty with desiccated coconut, vanilla cheesecake and sweet spices.

The palate is rich, dark and creamy with an almost malty edge. Milk chocolate coated raisins with a touch of sultana, citrus peel, vanilla and coconut on the middle. Long and spicy with lingering coconut, treacle, vanilla and slightly bitter spices. Superb intensity and balance.

Hunter Laing Sovereign Dumbarton 1987 (30 year old) 50.2%

Code: SOV2118/ Dist: Mar 1987 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

A superbly rich and succulent nose of mature oak and plenty of sultana, dried grape and apricot, liberally coated in syrup. Subtle column still spices nip and balances the oak. Late hints of coconut, toffee and charred oak.

The palate is lithe and elegant with lightly dried fruit and hints of citrus rind, cinnamon and coconut. Very full and soft with developing succulent raisinated fruit. Excellent depth with lingering slightly coffee’d oak, dark chocolate and wood spice.

Hunter Laing Sovereign Grain Dumbarton 1964 (50 year old) 49.1%

Bourbon/ Code: SOV2058/ Dist: Dec 1964 Btl: May 2015/ Tasted: Jun 2015

Quite a dark nose of treacle, mature wood spice and fudge. Dark, almost rum-like prune, date and raisin with a lovely, pure, creamy, lightly perfumed vanilla oak note adding lightness to the shade, so to speak. Subtle but luscious honey emerges along with a touch of sweet orange and spice.

The palate is dark and sweet. Molasses and treacle mingle with dried prune raisin and hints of almond. Some grippy grain and the alcohol add freshness as the mature wood spices, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg develop. Very long with the grain continuing to freshen and take the edge off the sweetness. Delightful, softly smoked and meaty after-taste. A gorgeous old whisky!

Douglas Laing Dumbarton Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Dumbarton 1965 (45 year old) 49.5% £122.95

Bourbon Cask HH7001/ Dist: Dec 1965 Btl: Apr 2011/  Tasted: Apr 2011

The nose opens with sweet oak and gristy, spicy vanillins along with some burnt butter, honey an light molasses notes. The luxuriously sweet oak builds into a coconut and light toffee morass, accented by touches of ginger and brandy butter. Oooh this nose is stunning! 

The palate is relatively light and elegant with the sweet oak showing first – loads of toasty vanilla, butter and caramel. By no means is this one dimensional as some invigorating grainy spice explodes on the middle trailing some lovely mature honey before moving into a tropical banana and coconut finish, all lightly dusted with chocolate. Lovely balance with the floral grain maintaining the equilibrium. Simply stunning. 

Douglas Laing ‘The Clan Denny’ Dumbarton 1964 (46 year old) 47.4%

Bourbon/ Code: DEN0075/ Dist: Dec 1964 Btl: Sept 2011/ Tasted: Sept 2011

A huge, beastie of a nose! A nuclear blast of spicy oak is followed by some brown sugar coated, almost savoury macerated brambly fruits. Astonishingly intense with a hint of toffee ice-cream.  The gentle grain, are just about detectable through the morass. Stunning complexity! 

The palate is expansive and envelops the mouth. It opens with the gentle but serious oak, dried fruit, black toffee, dark coconut and brown sugar building wonderfully. The middle is shot through with some tartly citrus grains, which balances the oak wonderfully well. Extremely long with a slightly earthy, botanical grain finish and a mocha/ dark chocolate after-taste.  Absolutely stunning!

Douglas Laing Clan Denny Dumbarton 1964 (48 year old) 50.1%

Bourbon/ Code: DEN0094/ Dist: Dec 1964 Btl: Feb 2013/ Tasted: Mar 2013

Mature and leathery nose with hints of spice and tobacco, but displaying a lovely smokiness as well. Softly sweet grains nip as a herbal agricole-esque note emerges as the rum-like dried fruit and toffee kick in. Exceedingly deep and balanced by a lovely fresh citrus note. 

The palate is soft and leathery as well with a profusion of dried fruits, treacle, spice and tobacco. Rich spices and oak temper the busy grain but the oils and those spicy grain notes develop. A seriously smoky middle with a light meatiness along with hints of mocha, earth and dried fruit. That coal smoke note really lingers and the finish is quite oily, tarry and treacly but that lovely grain balances the sweetness amazingly well. Stunning length with a little bitter chocolate on the after-taste.