Review by: The Muskox

At last, the final dram I tried with Cagliostro. By this time of the night, we’d already had 3 whiskies that were all 90-points plus. This last dram was also in the unfortunate position of having to directly follow up that transcendental Tamdhu. It was getting a little harder to taste things at this point… All that considered considered, I think it acquitted itself quite well.

This is also my first Convalmore!

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Distillery: Convalmore.

Bottler: Signatory Vintage.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 60.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 23 years. Distilled October 14th 1976. Bottled February 1st 2000.

Cask type: Cask #4470, cask type unknown.

Price: N/A. $37 CAD for a pour at the bar.

Color: Dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Searing heat on the nose. Very direct old-school flavours. Pickled ginger, chicken broth, and mushrooms. Fragrant papaya and white tea.

Phew, much easier to smell with water added. Pain au chocolate and deep old-whisky earthy funk.

Palate: Slightly hot, but not as fiery as expected given the nose. Arrives with bright fruit notes of nectarine, pineapple, and lime, along with honey and fresh ginger. The white tea deepens to black tea. Develops to spiced oak, macadamias, nutmeg, and some black pepper.

Water adds some honey into the tea, and maybe pairs it with a slice of chocolate babka.

Finish: Fresh and sweet. The black tea turns back into white tea. Fragrant flowers, coconut, lime, and honey.

With the water added, there’s buttery pastry and richer green fruit.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Shoumei shandy”

Conclusion: What a surprise, it’s delicious. Given the fiery and funky nose, the blast of fresh fruit, fragrant teas, and buttery malt on the palate was a surprise. A tasty surprise! Water helped everything come together and is highly recommended if you ever come across this dram.

 I’ve made the mistake of writing up this review over a week after drinking this, so I’m sure that I’ve forgotten a few of my thoughts. I’m sure the total consumed booze (TCB) from the night didn’t help with that. But my rough notes from the night tell me I should score this high, so that I shall do.

Final Score: 90.

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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.