There’s a tendency to release extremely old malts as exclusive bottlings in fancy boxes for outrageous amounts of money. Once in a while though, an old whisky is marketed as a drinker’s whisky at an affordable price. Master of Malt fits this description with their range of undisclosed old Speysiders. There’s a 30 year-old, a 40 year-old and now a 50 year-old!
Master of Malt Speyside 50 yo
(40%, Master of Malt 2009)
Master of Malt Speyside 50 yo Nose: great nose, fruity and spicy. Apricot pie and yellow raisins. Oranges. Heather honey. Vanilla and a little cellulose varnish. Woody notes and pine needles as well, but actually less than expected for such an old malt. Some mint. Cinnamon. A lovely touch of candle wax and even engine oil. Quite excellent.
Mouth: ah, here’s the wood. Immediately spicy with nutmeg and cloves. Quite phenolic as well which is a nice addition. Some chocolate. Hints of tea and olive oil. Getting quite tannic. Maybe a few extra degrees would have balanced it better?
Finish: rather short, spicy and not too dry.
A stunning nose with beautiful fruit and smooth signs of age. On the palate it misses some punch, which means there’s more emphasis on the wood than on the fruits. Very nice. Around € 290 which is a lot of money but still relatively cheap considering the age.
Score: 91/100
ps/ Master of Malt now offers 3cl samples of more than 60 whiskies, including this 50 years old Speysider.