06/01/2025 Carsebridge

Carsebridge 45yo 1965/2011 (44.7%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, Bourbon Barrel, C#HH7500): nose: marzipan and almond croissants, which is fairly standard for an old grain, I suppose. It is relatively discreet, on the whole. Energy-drink powder (Isostar, Dextro Energy), signalling at once fruit and chalk. It has an aura of refinement and elegance, yet I find it difficult to pick apart. In the long run, aromatic herbs emerge, thyme, oregano, rosemary, then we go back to pastry with caster sugar. The second nose presents a spray of furniture wax, and sugared milk in a tin pot simmering on the stove of a pensioner's home. The heated metal becomes very obvious with time. Mouth: bigly metallic (bitter) and sweet, this has peach turnovers, white with confectionary sugar, and enriched with thyme and sage. Chewing brings back the marzipan from the nose, and adds a nip of walnut liqueur. The second sip is very much in line, the flavours so deeply integrated that they form an indivisible whole. Still: sugar, a pinch of herbs, warmed tin, and -- oh! What is that mango doing here? Finish: woody, a little bitter, and hugely nutty, this relatively-soft finish has all the distinction and refinement one could expect of something of that age. The initial biting bitterness is but fleeting, and we soon find ourselves in a cabinet maker's workshop, rather than licking old planks. Retro-nasal olfaction captures some fleeting tropical fruits too: papaya, mango, candied pineapple cubes. The second gulp coats all that in toffee and caramelises it all gently. Dried apricots covered in caramel, banana or plantain slices, coated in caramel, butterscotch, and even a pinch of liquorice-root shavings -- unless it is aniseed in custard? In any case, it is delicious! Without the wood bitterness, this beautiful old grain would score even higher, as it did when we first had it. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, WhiskyLovingPianist)