We couldn’t let the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee go by without celebrating in our favourite fashion – with some cracking good drams! We’ve cunningly curated a selection of five drams whose ages add up to a total of 70 years, and we’ve topped that off with a very special Sixth Dram that is 25 years old – the same age as young Elizabeth II was when she succeeded to the throne in 1952. Cheers to Queenie, cheers to whisky, and cheers to you! – The Dram Team
Whisky Jubilee: June 2022 Box
The Epicurean, Aged 12 Years
The Epicurean series is a blend of Lowland malt whisky from legendary indie bottlers Douglas Laing. This 12 year-matured bottling is cut above the core release, and is bursting with honeyed barley, ripe peaches and spice. The best that the Lowlands has to offer!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Sweet with honeyed barley, candied peels and toasted nuts.
Palate: Sugar with citrus zest, ripe peaches and a touch of spice.
Finish: Cut grass and a herbal character, a gristy quality with coconut flakes and brown sugar.
Crabbie, Speyside 12 Year Old
Perhaps more famous for Green Ginger Wine, John Crabbie is a whisky industry pioneer of considerable legend, who traded in spirits as long ago as 1801. One time founder of the North British Distilling Company, Crabbie left the business to his family upon his death in 1891. Re-launched in 2007, the Crabbie brand now releases small batches of excellent single malts - like this Speyside 12 year old.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Green orchard fruits with candied pecans, vanilla and soft spice.
Palate: Rich fruity flavours of sweet apple with hints of cinnamon and rich vanilla.
Finish: Balanced and warming, with more sweet orchard fruits and vanilla.
Clan Denny, Loch Lomond 22 Year Old
We interrupt our impressive line-up of 12 year old drams with something special, a full decade older. Here at the Dram Team we're huge fans of well-aged single grain whiskies (Scotch made with grains other than malted barley, often in a column still rather than a traditional pot still), and this 22 year old not only fits that bill, but also boosts us nicely on our way to our magic total of 70 - an all-around win-win, and a delicious treat for the tastebuds!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Hard candy alongside citrus fruits and brown sugar with a hint of damp oak.
Palate: Deliciously fulsome with strawberries, summer hay and honeycomb.
Finish: Lingers on showing a spiced wood quality with fruit salad.
Syndicate 58/6, 12 Year Old
In the 1950s, a rare blend of malt and grain Scotches, based on a recipe from the 1800s, was found. Since turning 12 in 1966, the Syndicate blend has been produced using a "Solera" system, re-blending new stock with old. In other words, this bottle contains a minute fraction of whisky from 1958! Each release is finished for up to 2 years in Oloroso Sherry casks. Quite incredible.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Nuances of Seville orange, bergamot and honeyed pear, warm on the nose with ginger and jasmine.
Palate: Rich and intense taste of Dundee marmalade, glazed apple and caramel combine with a gentle whisper of figs, forest fruits and treacle in hedonistic harmony.
Balblair, 12 Year Old
Our fourth and final 12 year old whisky tots us all the way up to our combined total of 70 years maturation - the same length of time our illustrious Queenie has reigned. Aging equally as gracefully, Balblair distillery has been around just a wee bit longer than our beloved QE2 - since 1790 in fact! This is Balblair's defining expression, and with a fine balance of fruit, spice and sweetness, truly encapsulates the gentle charisma of the Highlands and its whiskies.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Elegant bright lemon peel layered with creamy vanilla and crisp green apples.
Palate: Ground spices and dried orange slices enveloped in intense set honey sweetness.
Finish: Creamy and leathery with notes of sweet vanilla.
That Boutique-y Whisky Co., Speyside #2, Batch 1, Aged 25 Years
Some two and half decades old, this whisky is the same age that Elizabeth Windsor was when she succeeded the throne in 1952. Old for a whisky, young for a monarch! To end this celebratory edition on a truly special note, we've really pushed the boat out with a rare independent bottling rumoured to be from the famous Balvenie distillery. We hope you enjoy raising a special toast to a special lady with this special dram. Cheers!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Cherries, juicy plums and vanilla with spices coming through. There’s wafts of cloves and other autumnal spices.
Palate: An oily mouthfeel with zesty orange, sweet and creamy notes, and warming spice.
Finish: The sweetness gives way to more spices, there’s nutmeg, more orange flavours and a lingering warmth.
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