Coleburn 17yo d.1965 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice imported by Co. Import for Giacinto Nicolai, Series 27, 120b): nose: old cola, peppered maple syrup, toasted wood and toffee. The first sniff has subtle burnt wood and burnt cake crust as well, though it only lasts for seconds. Some vanilla aromas then take centre stage, with butterscotch and mocha-flavoured butter cream and tiramisù in the making (that would be biscuits, soaking in a coffee-and-amaretto blend). Distant dried thyme leaves, hawthorn appear, then a soft, sulphury side -- brimstone, cordite, matchbox striker. Prunes and black olives are next, followed by wood lacquer and the timid come-back of the initial burnt-wood note. Mouth: wood lacquer interweaves with nutty prunes, velvety and sweet, before cured ginger shavings join the party. Almond skins, whatever amaretto would taste like if it were not so sickly sweet... This is mildly bitter indeed. The texture is rather thin, with plum juice and the bitterness of the plum stone (or it is still those almonds?) Finish: crushed roasted almonds, almond skins, prunes and dusty toasted staves. It is a slightly-overly-baked almond cake, served with a dollop of unctuous vanilla custard and, perhaps, chopped fresh plums. The bitterness remains, though one would have to be very sensitive to find it bothersome. It has little of the sulphur, here, but the roasted notes become more pronounced with each sip; burnt cake, coffee grounds and even rubber. The soot I detected the first time has been replaced by earthy and toasted flavours. All in all, a very good and interesting dram. 8/10
Coleburn d.1972 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. late 1980s): there were at least a handful of these expressions with the first map label, bottled between 1987 and 1996. Considering this one has no bottling code, it is very likely one of the very first ones -- my bet is 1987. Nose: OME, with ground white pepper, dust and straw, though little vinegar, in this one. Let us give it some time... Dry brine (as in: the residue in a jar that used to contain brine), sawdust and ginger peel. The white pepper grows in intensity too. Suddenly, ink, blood-stained bandages and Iso-Betadine shoot out of the glass, as welcome as they are unexpected. Pretty quickly, the pepper is back, on top of hay bales and a wheelbarrow of coumarin. Mouth: the pepper is present on the palate too, even if it is merely a supporting act for the new star: salt. Foccacia, with rock salt, rosemary and all, capers, seawater, (from the Dead Sea!), halibut -- yes, it is a bit kipper-y. The second sip is less outrageously salty; it has mulch, a hay-and-straw paste, sprinkled with lemon juice and white pepper. Cedar-wood sheets and an undeniable tannicity are easy to spot too. Finish: huge, for the modest ABV, it still benefits from an unsacrificed salary (that only makes sense if you understand the etymology of the word 'salary'. If you do not, look it up!) with rock salt, sea rocks, seashells, salt-crusted chicken, salt meadows, capers again, red-leaf-lettuce (chioggia) seasoned with too much salt, hay, then lint and minty gauze, as an afterthought. Salt invades every sip, the second of which brings raw potato slices, salted at will -- yes, crisps, before they are baked. The whole leaves the mouth dryish and this taster craving water! The final sip has a spoonful of dusty custard, yet the baker must have mistaken the salt for the sugar. An interesting ride, although this cannot have done too much to boost the Coleburn name, I would imagine. 7/10
Coleburn 20yo 1980/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Sherry Cask, 648b): nose: immediately, the sherry speaks, and I firmly believe it was an Oloroso cask, as this nose has an earthy side to it. That said, it also shows tinned lychee, so who knows? It might have been a Fino. Fragrant jasmine, lily of the valley, lilac and more fruit -- tropical again: dragon fruit, guava, white peach join the lychee. The nose also lets through whiffs of lichen and cork, both dry to the point of crumbling and mouldy. At last, that smell of a drinks cabinet as one opens it comes up (Chardonnay, brandy, white Port). Once that dissipates, rancio picks up and does not let go, supported by roasted raisins. Mouth: the mouth is more wine-y, with notes of juicy sherry, a little earthy too, maybe with a pinch of coffee grounds. Lychee is behind the scene, letting its presence be known in a subtle fashion. Brown banana skins, burnt toast, roasted peanuts, Brazil-nut oil and, yes: coffee grounds are absolutely present, overpowering the lychee in the medium run, unfortunately. The second sip brings raisin liqueur (would it be PX sherry, after all?) and wood shavings -- from precious wood; perhaps mahogany. Finish: wow! The finish is much more drying than I expected, with a mix of coffee grounds and scorched earth, aniseed, burnt toast and gunpowder. Not much fruit left, at this stage, and if there is, it is burnt fruit stones (prunes) rather than juicy flesh. The second sip welcomes a shy drop of pressed grapes, underlining the sherry influence again. There might be dried dates and figs, but behind the earth, they are pretty much undetectable. Good and seemingly more complex than the previous two drams. Good sherry maturation, this. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, EG)
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