Heritage is a new series by Asta Morris, with a very classic navy blue label and gold accents. It will only be used for older, more expensive drams.
The first release is this undisclosed Speyside single malt, distilled in 1989 and bottled after 31 years with a fairly large angel’s share…
Secret Speyside Distillery 31 yo 1989 (40,8%, Asta Morris ‘Heritage’ 2021, ex-bourbon cask, 144 btl.)
Nose: bursting with waxy fruits. Bananas, quinces, papayas, oranges, juicy pears and some fruitcake richness. Meadow flowers, mainly buttercups, as well as some chamomile. Hints of rice pudding and almonds. Beeswax and a wee hint of sunflower oil as well.
Mouth: more minty and simply more oaky now, with more almond, apple juice and oranges, as well as some honeyed fruit tea. Fresh hints of pink grapefruit. Quite fragrant after a while, with pleasant a touch of potpourri and aromatic tobacco. Rather delicate and not extremely complex, but still fuller than the ABV suggests.
Finish: long, still quite bourbonny, with mint, vanilla and oranges.
A really nice profile, with a superb fruitiness. It does show a fair amount of oaky aromatics, but the floral kind, rather than astringency or spiciness. Good stuff, albeit slightly subdued. Still available from shops like The Bonding Dram.