The No Age Declared blended malt is a vatting of some old vintages from sought after distilleries. Apparently it contains 1950s Mortlach, 1960s Springbank, 1970s Ardbeg, 1973 Longrow, and 1970s Glen Garioch among others. All components were distilled between 1957 and 2001.
The idea and the whisky come from the late Silvano Samaroli. This 2020 edition is bottled by Masam, which is an acronym of Maryse Samaroli, Silvano’s wife.
The No Age Declared – Blended Malt 2020 (52,9%, Masam 2020, 310 btl.)
Nose: complex and gentle. The core seems to be old peated whisky (Ardbeg, Laphroaig…) mixed with beautiful leathery notes, peach jam, a little eucalyptus and honey. Then subtle menthol, some earthy and mossy notes and dusty books. Orange peels and whiffs of cigar boxes. Very classy.
Mouth: similar thoughts, with more punch than expected. At first there are plenty of cigar leaves and old ashes. Later some wood spice like ginger and cinnamon. Leather and herbal tea. While there are subtle flashes of thick fruit jams, overall I’m missing a bit of brightness to balance the peaty notes. Black peppercorns, minty notes and old oaky touches.
Finish: long and ashy, with more peppery notes and a vague sweetness.
This must be the blended malt with the most exquisite recipe. I must say it does deliver a true sense of the 1960s and 1970s and a nice complexity. My only complaint would be that the peated components are a tad loud, but this is a conceptual choice of course. You can still get a bottle from Rhum Attitude for instance (update: now sold out, I believe).