The Manager’s Dram series was selected by and bottled for distillery managers of the United Distillers group (now Diageo), but it came to an end when a lot of employees started selling their rare bottle to gain some extra income. I’ve already reviewed the Caol Ila 15yo Manager’s Dram in the past.
Last Monday I had a whisky tasting with the Fulldram club and this Glen Ord 16 Years ‘Manager’s Dram’ (distilled around 1975) was my favourite of the evening (and the group winner). Just to give you an idea: it defeated an Ardbeg 1973 and a Caperdonich 1972.
Ord 16 yo ‘Manager’s Dram’
(66,2%, OB 1991, refill cask)
Ord 16 yo ‘Manager’s Dram’Nose: starts fairly neutral, vaguely fruity, on sweet malt and pears. My first thoughts were ‘I really like this, but I can’t really tell why’. It opened up nicely, with polished leather, subtle pineapple cubes and Toblerone Fruit & Nut. A little heather honey and eucalyptus. Bergamot oil. Membrillo. Becomes much fruitier over time. Lots of subtleties eventually.
Mouth: very drinkable at cask strength, with a burst of fruitiness (melon, oranges, apricots) and leather. Chocolate notes. A noticeable saltiness as well. Some herbal notes before turning back to fruits and toffee sweetness.
Finish: maybe not the longest ever, but very nice.
A great surprise (well, not really). A benchmark bottling for Glen Ord, simple as that. The Whisky Exchange has it available for around € 500.
Score: 93/100