Saturday 28th November 2015 is the last edition (really?) of the legendary Lindores Whisky Fest. Legendary because there is probably no other festival in the world that focuses entirely on old, hard-to-find whiskies (and mussels and shrimp croquettes). Italian collectors like Giovanni Giuliani, Diego Sandrin or Max Righi are presenting their bottles, as well as Angus MacRaild, the Lindores members themselves of course and a couple of others.
On Friday 27th there is also a Lindores Festival Bottling tasting. All six bottlings for the Lindores Club and Festival are included in this tasting, including the ultra-limited Port Ellen 1979 (11 bottles only).
The seventh bottle in the line-up is the 2015 Festival bottling: an Irish single malt 1991 bottled by The Whiskyman in his rare “black label” series, the third bottling after the Caperdonich 1972 and Bunnahabhain 1973.
Irish single malt 24 yo 1991 (48,2%, The Whiskyman for Lindores Whisky Society 2015, 130 btl.)
Irish single malt 24 yo 1991 (48,2%, The Whiskyman for Lindores Whisky Society 2015, 130 btl.)Nose: we’ve had this profile before but that doesn’t make it less glorious. It’s lightly peated Bushmills, with lovely bananas and mangos, but also tobacco leaves, a little cedar and plenty of mentholated notes. Hints of maracuja and floral honey. It displays Irish characteristics but also something rummy, something old-style Islay and something oriental. Intruiging. A curious but wonderful combination. It needs some time to fold open in the glass though.
Mouth: the same combination of fruit (candy), sherbets and tropical fruit juice with ashy notes, mint and Lapsang tea. Probably the most tobacco notes of all the sister casks I’ve tried. Briny notes and liquorice towards the end.
Finish: long, fruity (bananas) and earthy / smoky at the same time.
An Irish malt that brings you back to Bowmore in the 1960s. Simply excellent, and to know this was pretty much a one-off experiment from Bushmills makes it even more special. I can’t think of a better festival bottling. Around € 250. See you in Ostend.
Score: 93/100