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| I believe that those cream labels were the first grain whiskies William Cadenhead released as singles |
Dumbarton 25yo 1959/1984 (46%, Cadenhead): nose: perhaps it is the current temperature (over 30°C, today), but it seems much stronger than 46%... It is rather ester-y, with notes of fruits and solvents; pineapple drops and papaya drop, alongside white spirit and other paint stripper. Fresh persimmon, Chinese gooseberries, soaked in rum, a drop of industrial glue, a dollop of resin... What is remarkable is how little wood makes it to the nose. A few minutes in, the nose becomes wider, with drying orange peel, something vaguely herbal and something fusty. Crystallised fruits and pine resin remain the loudest, though After the first sip, it turns into a textbook grain, with coconut and vanilla custard aplenty. As a last-minute guest, a whiff of ground spices comes in -- probably sumac, and maybe ground turmeric too. Mouth: bold on the tongue, it is obvious that the fruits on display have spent some time in a bath of strong spirit (vodka, at first, then brown spirit). Once the alcohol bite goes (and it does), it is all citrus, with tangerines, satsumas, oranges and the bitterness of unripe mandarins. It is closer to nectarine than persimmon, here, more firm and less juicy. In the long run, cedar wood shows up, although it is never too spicy. Finish: the finish still has that softly bitter aspect, more than compensated by a huge sweetness. That bitterness, however... Is it verbena? Marjoram? My money is on sage, with an almost-metallic edge. From the second sip on, that is almost forgotten, replaced by hot apricot turnovers and coconut shavings, sprinkled onto custard cream. Well, well. This is great, is it not? 8/10
Dumbarton 51yo 1964/2016 (45.8%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular, Refill Hogshead, C#11181, 162b): nose: unsurprisingly, this one is a lot woodier; old books, old newspapers, but also some fruit: apple sweets, apple mint, stewed rhubarb, baked plantain, then back to old wood, with hot ink. I can smell a hefty dose of ground pepper and a strange mix of ground desiccated orange peel and splinter-y sandalwood. Soon, it shifts again, this time, to focus on soft-flesh fruits; peach and nectarine. Distant herbs appear as one tilts the glass to sip. Extended sniffing brings more tropical fruits into the mix (papaya cubes, dried mango slices), and then some cork. Mouth: as strong as it was on the nose, it feels a little weak at first sip. Aside a milky texture, it has the taste of almond, cashew, or hazelnut. On the tongue, a similar procession of fruits comes and goes (nectarine, peach, barely-ripe plantain), as do apple mint and coconut cream. A couple of sips in, it does become spicier, with gingery milk and balsa-wood sawdust. Finish: huge, minty and coconut-y, it is crushed mint in a bowl of coconut-and-vanilla custard, fresh pineapple cubes, ripe bananas, smashed nectarines, dried mango slices, banana rum... Dare I say Piña Colada? Well, I just did. Very good as well. 8/10
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