Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Carsebridge.
Bottler: Thompson Brothers.
Region: Scotland/Lowland Single Grain.
ABV: 53.5%. Cask Strength.
Age: 45 Years. Distilled in 1973. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: Sherry Butt.
Nose: Dried fruits and dry baking spices with an undercurrent of pastry cream, very sherried with dried dates, plums, and apples, mellow caramel, cinnamon candies and licorice
Palate: Medium-bodied, dried fruits, dates and apples, licorice, salted pickled plums, li hing mui, brown sugar and caramel; rising bitterness toward the end.
Finish: Medium to short with dried fruits, vague hints of Chinese medicinal spice, and lacquered wood.
Mental Image: Medicated Candy Shop.
Conclusion: The aroma was very sherried with tons of dried fruits and baking spices. Though the character of the grain, insofar as any survives distillation, was largely subsumed under the cask, there was an underlying pasty cream that provided some richness to an otherwise mellow and restrained aroma. Sometimes, the effect was something like walking into a candy store full of dried fruits, candied fruits, and slightly herbal-medicinal pickled tropical fruits.
The flavor profile was balanced and straightforward, though it had some lovely tart-sweet li hing mui and dried pickled plums that brought to mind local Chinese candy stores. An occasional hint of medicinal herbs carried the impression from the candy store to the medicine shop, but a rising bitterness threw off any coherency that emerged and unbalanced the final act. The bitterness initially faded on the finish, but the more I sipped, the longer the finish and the bitterer it became. A tannic astringency entered the picture like a wrecking ball, and what had been a lovely whisky disintegrated.
Overall, frustrating because it was almost delicious.
Final Score: 75.
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 