St. Magdalene 1982 26y (Old Malt Cask)

St. Magdalene can be a little difficult to find. The Lowlands distillery was closed in 1983, a year in which lots of good distilleries (e.g. Port Ellen) were halted because of a decreasing interest in whisky. Too bad some of the most interesting distilleries were on that list…

Douglas Laing released a number of St. Magdalene casks from December 1982 in their Old Malt Cask range (at least 7 in the last 2-3 years). Most of them were good, so let’s hope they still have some casks lying around. This one is from a refill butt.

St. Magdalene 26y 1982 (50%, DL OMC 2008, ref. 4712, 511 btl.)

Nose: aromatic, very grassy and slightly fruity with lots of oranges. It’s not really complex at first, but after some time (and a bit of hand warmth) it opens up. Dried flowers. Some paraffin, chalk, green tea with lemon, a hint of smoke. Chlorophyl. Hints of lemon sweets. Quite attractive.

Mouth: citrus notes again (orange, lemon). Plenty of apples (including piths). Something that reminds me of tequila as well. Juicy and honeyed. Some vanilla. Subtle coastal hints as well. 

Finish: quite sweet, on pear and peaches with soft spices. Not very long.

Elegant but old-school whisky with a nice balance. There’s something feminine about it, although that’s hard to define. Around € 120.

Score: 84/100