Review by: The Muskox
Long ago, back in the days of old, when magic filled the air, (a.k.a. 2018), my local whisky friends and I were visited by a traveler from distant lands. He bequeathed unto us this 30 mL sample, purchased back in the Paleoproterozoic Eon when Master of Malt shipped to the US. It has sat undisturbed on a shelf since then, waiting for one of us to finally remember to bring it to one of our group tastings. That day arrived the other night.
This is my first 50-year-old whisky, breaking my previous record by a solid decade. It’s a blended scotch bottled by the appropriately-named Blended Whisky Company in 2017. Let’s give it a try!
Distillery: Various.
Bottler: The Blended Whisky Company (Master of Malt).
Region: Blend.
ABV: 47.3%.
Age: 50 years.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Very mellow. Musty notes of old leather and old furniture. Some vanilla buttercream and that particular old-grain flavour. A little raisin. Hints of dried grass and cayenne pepper. There could be some peat in here, but it’s mellowed out into just a salted-licorice note.
Palate: Medium texture, rather creamy. Arrives… well, like an old whisky. Mellow, fragrant, and honeyed, with some green apple and melon. The development is slow and gentle, with rich oak, cream, macadamia nuts, and – am I hallucinating? – maybe a little wax.
Finish: Medium-length, sweet and soft. Distant oak, honeycomb, baked apples, warm spice, powdered ginger, and grass.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Sunlight on an old farmhouse kitchen table”
Conclusion: It’s… alright! There’s nothing here to blow you away – it’s a mellow whisky without a huge amount of complexity. I’m left wondering about the proportion of grain to malt… That said, this is a very quaffable and fine old whisky with a clear sense of extreme age without an overabundance of oak. Should you have bought this for the 500 GBP that Master of Malt last charged for it? Probably not. But if you’re dying to try something older than you, this isn’t such a bad way to go.
Final Score: 81.
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.
Malt Runners 