Liquid Art is a project that originated in Mol, Belgium. Although their mission statement also includes beer and regional specialties, the first three releases are whisky bottlings.
The first one is this single cask Glen Elgin 1995, selected by Bert Dexters and Serge Reijnders of whisky club Cask Six. The label is designed by Raymond Minnen and features a stag beetle, a native of the Lowlands but a nice hint towards Scotland as well.
Glen Elgin is not a big name – it’s mostly known as the base malt for the legendary White Horse blend. By the way, did you know the distillery was powered and lit by a kerosene engine until the 1950’s? Not the best choice: this engine alone cost them one full-time employee…
Glen Elgin 19 yo 1995
(49,3%, Liquid Art 2014, 94 btl.)
Nose: sweet and fruity. Lots of apples, pears, stone fruits and orange. Candy sugar and plenty of honey. Fresh and creamy. Moving to more ‘modern’ marshmallow, vanilla and hints of tropical fruits (tinned pineapple, hints of pomegranate). Sweet corn flakes. Hints of wax in the background, as well as light cardamom and cake dough.
Mouth: very sweet again, almost lemonade. Barley sugar, vanilla custard and all kinds of fruit candy (pineapple cubes, lemon). Tropical notes again. Very honeyed, with a minty freshness on a second level.
Finish: not too long, but nicely fruity. Light, creamy oak and some citrus zest.
A really nice Glen Elgin, easy to love especially if you have a sweeth tooth. Easy to drink, and the nose has a special something. Around € 75, already sold out.
Score: 88/100