Speyside Malt 1992 (Liquid Treasures // Speyside Malt 1998 (Liquid Art)

Two undisclosed Speyside Malts, from the 1990s this time, bottled by Liquid Treasures in Germany and Liquid Art in Belgium.

 

Speyside Malt 26 yo 1992
(51,6%, Liquid Treasures ‘Snakes’ 2018, bourbon barrel, 270 btl.)

Nose: pure, fresh, honeyed and very fruity. Tangerines, baked apples, ripe apricots. Marinated fruits. Also an attractive waxy side, grains and a touch of vanilla ice cream.

Mouth: same warm fruitiness (fruit bowl with peaches and grapes), now with hints of coconut cream, vanilla and a balancing note of grapefruit zest towards the end. Greenish oak, including mint and a light bitter edge.

Finish: quite long, on fruits, green malty notes and a little toffee.

Abundant fruits here, a nice creamy texture, plenty of malty notes and balanced oak on the palate. Not the most complex whisky, but a good cask. Around € 140 from the eSpirits shop and partner retailers.

Score: 86/100

 

 

Speyside Region 19 yo 1998 (53,4%, Liquid Art for Glashelder 2017, 123 btl.)

Nose: slightly gristier with more citrusy fruits and apples. Grassy notes, some leaven bread, a little chalk. Acacia honey, although this is lighter and less abundant than the 26 years. After a while it develops an interesting old-style note, something in between diesel and soot.

Mouth: a more individual, less easy profile. A bigger, but rather vague underlying sweetness (yellow Haribo and apples) but also the chalky notes again, a hint of exotic fruits and herbal notes. Tangerines, a hoppy touch. Hard to put a finger on, round and austere at the same time. Still this old-style profile.

Finish: long, fruity, with soft minerals.

Less oak here, more complexity and a few mysterious old-style touches. Excellent selection, this is highly entertaining. Around € 125, still available from Liquid Art as far as I know.

Score: 88/100