1950 Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant Rare Vintage 40%

This one’s older than me. Just saying. Colour: bronze amber. Nose: very delicate. Starts with some fresh butter and a little warm brioche, so rather breakfasty, before more dried fruits, some earth, a little old wood, and hints of very old oloroso start to complete the picture. It’s after around five minutes that tinier aromas arrive, such as cut potatoes, light pipe tobacco, walnut wine, a touch of fresh paint, almonds… It’s all very delicate, a bit whispering, let’s see if it goes the distance on the palate… Mouth: no OBE, obviously, and while there’s quite some tea and green pepper from the oak, it never quite gets drying. Chamomile, more walnut wine, perhaps a wee touch of cooked turnip, some bitter oranges, a little chocolate, hints of chives and chicken bouillon, even more walnuts… And a drop of soy sauce – or is that lovage? Maggi? Finish: not that short, and what’s really cool is that it gets fruitier, while these oldies then to get drier. Around oranges and stewed apples covered with cinnamon powder. Love the honeyed aftertaste. Comments: I had feared there would be much more wood. A super-old bottle that’s worth sourcing, because it wasn’t extremely expensive when it came out, given its age. Mind you, sixty years! Of course, at a higher strength, the results would have been even higher I guess. Dec 2015, www.whiskyfun.com