In the latest Good Vibes series from The Whisky Agency, there is an even older Speyside Region 1973, a whopping 43 years old. The label says sherry butt without further detail, but I believe the colour indicates it’s not Fino like the 1975.
Speyside Region 43 yo 1973 (49,2%, The Whisky Agency ‘Good Vibes’ 2016, sherry butt, 324 btl.)
Nose: oh so fragrant! I love the overdose of polished furniture – I think sandalwood. Humidor, yes. Also quince jelly, orange skin, dried apricots, as well as light tropical notes and red berries. Hints of cardamom and oriental pastries. Oily, rather dry, just wonderful.
Mouth: surprisingly bright and rather sweet, with a lot of minty / mentholated notes alongside the dried fruits. Plenty of beeswax again. Then a burst of fresh oranges and orange blossom water, before returning to eucalyptus and polished wood. Hints of old Calvados. Light mocha.
Finish: long, with some drying oak but also dried fruits.
Difficult to choose. Actually both profiles are pretty close together – we already know the type of sherry doesn’t matter much after so many years. I’ll have give them the same score but I would pick this as my favourite of these recent undisclosed Speysiders. Around € 370.
Score: 94/100