Aberfeldy 21 Year (1978) Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask

Review by: TOModera

I recently had a nice night of drams and great company out at my favourite whisky pub in Toronto, Feather’s. And like each time I go there, I have a few great drams and do some reviews.

For this trip I polled an online forum of Scotch people that’s mostly dead now to find what the community would recommend, and a great number of awesome people responded. Thank you all again.

Unfortunately I’m in a leaner month, as summer is coming up and that always saps my wallet quite hard, so I wasn’t able to partake in all of the Scotches recommended to me. I’ll be looking for them in the future.

The three I was able to have (and not be too hungover the next day) were:

  • Aberfeldy 21 1978 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask
  • Balvenie 14 year Carribean Cask (for the community review)
  • Glenglassaugh 1983 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice

Up first, a very good Highland: Aberfeldy 21 1978 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask. This is my first time trying an Aberfeldy, and I was a little reluctant to delve into it. I’m not the biggest Highland fan. Actually, I’ve said multiple times that it’s my least favourite Scotch region and usually lets me down unless the bottle is way too expensive, and even then usually doesn’t live up to Cambeltons or Islays.

Let’s see if this lives up to the hype. I’m also doing this as it was requested in the Scotch Request area.

Distillery: Aberfeldy Distillery.

Bottler: Douglas Laing.

Region: Highland.

ABV: 50%.

Age: 21 years. Distilled in 1978. Bottled in 1999.

Cask type: Oak

Price: N/A.

Color: Champagne. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Light floral, mango, violets, lemon/lime, the beach on a lake, vanilla, oranges, 2×4 made of cedar, latte, banana

Reminds me of one of those 50’s beach parties that you see on TV. Except I believe in the nose instead of what you see on those movies, which you don’t believe as you know they end in racial segregation, unprotected, probably bad sex, and most likely alcohol poisoning.

I’ll have you know that Scotch usually only ends in 2 of the 3.

Back to the Scotch: Really nice, fruity nose on this one. Reminds me more of some nice Lowlands I’ve had, very faint at first and takes awhile to open up.

Taste: Honey, jalapeno, lime, mango, grass, mint, grape, sea air, bitter orange, chocolate milk, lychee

A little bit bitter at first, however this leads to a creamy flavour once it breathes, which the fruit pairing nicely with each portion. Almost tastes too sweet, like Drambuie, though I like things that are very sweet, so that’s a bonus for me.

Finish: Lime, kiwi, oak, cocoa, celery root, canola oil, truffles, little burn, pears, cilantro, white chocolate, toffee, very bitter

More fruit, and the earthiness that you usually look for is now there. My main problem is the bitterness, and that’s where this dram starts losing points. I’m fine with a little bit of bitter as contrast, and it was good in the taste, however the finish tastes like it was dumped at prom and never go over it and brings it up at work every damn day and never dates because of it.

Conclusion: This is one of the best Highlands I’ve ever had. It has a complex nose, a good balanced taste that evolves over time, and.. well, a super bitter taste that lets you down a little bit. Everyone should try this one. It is really where Highlands should aim. The terroir is exemplified well, and it’s quite good.

Final Score: 85.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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