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 Residence 1000’s of tastings, all of the ramblings and all of the enjoyable (hopefully!)


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Hello, that is one in every of our (virtually) each day tastings. Santé! |
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June 12, 2025
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Essential Discover:
In a uncommon second of benevolence, and seizing an sudden wave of optimism, we’ve determined to check a serious enchancment to WF’s structure. Particularly, making the completely different sections of our tasting notes (color, nostril, palate, and so on.) extra clearly distinguishable, as has been repeatedly requested for, oh, the previous twenty years or so.
We’ll see in a couple of days whether or not this daring transfer is right here to remain or quietly shelved with the opposite good intentions. We could hen out or not?
Thanks in your understanding.
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 St Magdalene, Linlithgow (Historic Surroundings Scotland) |
Not the type of little tasting one can take pleasure in typically, alas! We as soon as did a Sandy Macnab versus Lochside factor, a very long time in the past, however I can’t even appear to get my arms on that mini session anymore. In any case, right this moment it’ll be St. Magdalene ‘in opposition to’ its mix… |

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Glen Garry ‘Best Scotch Whisky’ (John Hopkins & Co, Nineteen Fifties-Sixties)  That is an previous bottle which exhibits neither ABV nor quantity. Price noting, there are ‘Glengarry’ whiskies round right this moment which don’t have anything to do with this. This specific Glen Garry bottle explicitly cites St Magdalene because the malt of reference and offers one of many model’s addresses as such, though this point out was later changed—across the Seventies—by Oban or, in different variations, by Glen Elgin, each distilleries underneath DCL’s banner (The DCL had taken over John Hopkins earlier than WWII). These distilleries had been supposedly answerable for offering the principle malt content material for every batch, although there’s no scarcity of rumours doing the rounds. What is for certain is that John Hopkins was granted the licences for these DCL distilleries. By the way, their Oban single malts had been elegant! No have to inform you that this ‘St. Magdalene’ model of this mix is way sought-after, though, as is typically the case, you may simply encounter one for a few cents in case you stray exterior the well-trodden paths of the connoisseurs. And to conclude this introduction—which is already far too lengthy—I need to admit I had completely no concept that John Hopkins at one level managed the licence for St. Magdalene. Color: gold. Nostril: sumptuously old-school with a puff of cigar smoke rolling by some quite earthy teas (suppose some stormy previous pu-ehr), then a saucy shift in the direction of marmalade jus, roast duck à l’orange fashion, ha, adopted by these splendidly evocative dusty previous tomes and glossies banished in your attic. Drifts of wax and beehive honey seem too, as if a rogue swarm had taken up residence within the rafters half a century in the past. Proper… Mouth: classically salty, metallic, loaded with chalk and concrete mud, and that acquainted photolytic tang you generally get with some previous bottles (style of sunshine). However right here it is briskly corrected by a jolt of spicy beef broth, straight from a Bangkok avenue nook (that is sufficient two-penny travelogue, S.) With that lush oiliness you solely discover in these venerable blends the place the malt content material did the heavy lifting. End: curiously persistent, as if somebody had sneakily boosted it to 45% vol., with the orange bouncing again to tango with the mineral notes and bouillon spices. Feedback: a thunderous previous mix, however then once more, fairly a couple of of them are while you catch them right this moment. Living proof, the previous Johnnie Walker Black – simply saying… In any case, I’d wager there’s certainly fairly a little bit of St. Magdalene in there, together with that telltale ‘historical’ peat. As for the grain – nowhere to be discovered. SGP:463 – 90 factors. |
In brief, in case you come throughout such a bottle at a small provincial public sale, snap it up! Proper then, for a intelligent, or a minimum of entertaining, comparability, let’s style a St. Magdalene distilled across the time this Glen Garry was launched, or maybe a bit later…
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St. Magdalene 1965/1991 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Selection, ‘Previous Map Label’, 75cl) We’ve already tasted some St. M. 1964 Connoisseurs Selection bottlings from G&M, completely elegant regardless of their modest power, however by no means a 1965. This excessive calibre is little doubt partly resulting from the truth that, within the mid-Sixties, St. Magdalene was nonetheless performing its personal ground maltings (reportedly ceased in 1968) and nonetheless utilizing direct-fired stills (phased out in 1971). You may say, properly, that didn’t cease the Uncommon Malts 19yo 1979 from being dazzling both, and also you’d be proper. Color: gold. Nostril: I might have cherished to return off intelligent and declare that the mix outshone the malt within the tasting, however that’s gone straight out the window – this bottle brings again all of the hallmarks of the 1964s, most notably that mind-blowing tropical fruit salad, dressed with honey and sesame, main right into a growth of nice complexity, with a scatter of camphor, eucalyptus, sandalwood, returning tobacco smoke, patchouli, amusing hints of mothballs, then aged citrus liqueurs and some positive slivers of well-mannered Iberian ham. A blinding nostril, paying homage to the Broras 1972 from the identical sequence and years of bottling. Mouth: very near the previous mix on the palate, which could properly assist the concept that there was certainly a hefty serving to of St. Magdalene inside it. A factor of magnificence, with citrus, waxes, gently spiced broths nonetheless leaning Thai, a contact of peat dryness, after which a parade of tiny herbs and mineral touches, difficult to inform aside however splendidly orchestrated. End: maybe the weak spot, as is usually the case at this age and power, with a slight edge in the direction of the cardboardy, one may say. However then once more, we’re hardly going to moan, are we. Feedback: we regularly fret over adjustments to equipment and course of on the distilleries however hardly ever think about what goes on on the independents. The vats, the pipes, the filters, the warehouses, the cask choice for fillings, and so forth. Nonetheless, no have to badger G&M with all that, significantly given how fruitful the early Nineteen Nineties had been on this entrance! SGP:562 – 92 factors. |
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