14/04/2021 Macallan

Macallan 19yo 1995/2015 (49.1%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, C#10454, 310b): leftover from a trip to Kirkoswald, wow, five years ago. Nose: surprisingly flowery, this has forsythia and jasmine in vast quantities, if not quite lilac. Pollen, hay dust, chaff, cosmetic powder -- it is fragrant and dry at the same time, in other words. Unripe citrus, calamansi, lemon and grapefruit, rather than anything orange in colour, and it even has waxy Kaffir lime leaves. Talcum powder too, which adds to the dry-but-fragrant impression. Breathing seems to open up a peachy side, slightly juicier, yet it is peach skins more than flesh. The back nose, as one tilts the glass, has a dollop of polish-y varnish. Citric powder capsules hover under the nostrils like the flying saucers they are, before a very distinct note of dark plum takes over. Mouth: fruity, the palate has crisp red apple, not totally ripe, unripe peach flesh, torn off the stone, and a growing woody character, with bitter cutting boards, wormwood and new cork. The fruit is less ripe with every sip, yet it is balanced by cut flowers (forsythia and jasmine again), as well as a welcome spoonful of pouring honey. If the slightly plank-y side recedes, it is replaced by an acidity that might be much for some to take. Finish: astonishingly different from the nose, the finish reveals pressed plums, the juice of which the stones have been macerating in for a little too long. It has therefore turned a bit too bitter. Yoghurt, past its expiry date (that would be lactic acid, then) and a decoction of meadow flowers. Repeated sipping brings a drop of honey to the table, yet it does not make this a clear winner. Even the late note of milk chocolate is almost spoiled by a green touch of dandelion stems that nearly ruins it. Nearly. It is like a chocolate mousse with too much three-year-old brandy in it: it is not the best you have ever had, but it is still a chocolate mousse. This is not bad, but it is not one to convince me that my prejudice about the distillery is ill founded. 7/10