Timorous Beastie 10 Years // 16 Years Winter Edition // 25 Years

In the past few months Timorous Beastie, the Highland blended malt from Douglas Laing, got a Winter Edition, fully matured in sherry casks, as well as a limited edition 25 year-old. Let’s have look, starting with the Timorous Beastie 10 Year Old.

 

 

Timorous Beastie 10 yo (46,8%, Douglas Laing 2018, Small Batch #1)

Nose: fresh and rather sweet, with vanilla up front, pears and some banana. Almonds, hints of fudge. Some newish oak as well.

Mouth: creamy, still fruity, now on apricots and apples. On the lighter side of the spectrum, but not boring. Some citrusy notes. Ginger and white pepper. Hints of buttered toast as well.

Finish: medium, on garden fruits, peppery oak and a little honey.

This is in line with what we’ll find in the 25 Year Old, except for a big youtful spicy kick. Good start of this session, and good value for money. Limited stock available from Master of Malt for instance.

Score: 83/100

 

 

 

Timorous Beastie 16 yo ‘Winter Edition’ (45,8%, Douglas Laing, sherry casks, 400 btl.)

Nose: juicy red berries with plenty of raisins and dates. Toffee, a hint of mocha and cinnamon pastry. Cocoa biscuits. Orange peel as well as some candied ginger. Deeply sherried but not overdone, nice.

Mouth: slightly darker. A lot of toffee again, milk chocolate, raisins, pepper and cinnamon. Oranges and jammy darker fruits. Christmas cake. Reminds me of Tamdhu expressions of late.

Finish: medium long, mostly on spices and cocoa. Cinnamon, oak and orange peel.

This Timorous Winter Edition is rich, deeply sherried and still nicely balanced. At around € 65, exceptional value for money I would say. A limited yield though, sold out now.

Score: 87/100

 

 

 

There’s also the  new Timorous Beastie 25 Year Old, launched in October, matured predominantely in ex-bourbon barrels.

 

Timorous Beastie 25 yo (46,8%, Douglas Laing 2019, 1600 btl.)

Nose: sweet and honeyed, with red apples, apricots and hints of vanilla custard. Summery fruits, like berries and nectarines, as well as golden raisins. Hints of panettone cake and light whiffs of oak. A generous profile, nicely balanced.

Mouth: starts on juicy pears and rich honey, moving towards slightly tropical fruits like pink grapefruit, tangerine and pineapple. Peppery notes in the background, as well as some ginger. Marmelade as well.

Finish: long, gentle, still on this great fruity theme with orange peel, vanilla and mellow oak.

A great composition with enticing fruits at its core. Available from The Whisky Exchange and perhaps your local retailer.

Score: 89/100