G14.1 - "East meets West"

28 years old, distilled 1st October 1986, 47.8% abv refill ex-bourbon barrel, 163 bottles

The nose has coconut, banana, umami and hints of sweet and sour sauce - it reminds me of a Chinese stir fry. After a short while, it gains a hint of balsa wood. The mouth-feel is thin at first but then expands, becoming very succulent. The body has foamy banana sweets, far eastern spices (but no heat!), caramel and a little hint of cornflakes. The finish is light and sweet, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon.

As it sits it gets smoother and easier to drink (not that it was hard to drink to start with!), making this a very pleasant dram to sip over conversation.

Water provides thick satisfying whorling. The nose gains a little camphor wood, and the body is now a little juicier - gaining pineapple and raisins. The finish is a little spicier, more of the Thai spice notes from the body coming through.

A superb example of grain whisky, which rewards patience immensely.

4.5/5