Allt-A-Bhainne 1997 23 year old Cask #1107 (Rolling Cask)

Nose: Intensely fragrant and complex. Herbal honey (acacia and leatherwood), nougat, beeswax, gooseberries, cherries, lilac, jasmine, apple blossom, sandalwood, Cointreau, freshly grated ginger, tamarind, mango conserve and an all pervasive, hauntingly reminiscent aroma of strawberry gummy sweets! Wow - what a nose! Adding water does not change the profile very much but adds weight and density. Palate: Lightly spicy, sweet and fruity on the arrival like mild mango chutney. It builds in complexity through the development with a fascinating progression through makrut lime leaf, basil and bay leaf, crystallised ginger, glacé pineapple, pine resin, unfiltered olive oil, honey, camphor, sweet cinnamon and a touch of oak. This is no simple caramel and vanilla dominated profile - it's more like a tropical fruit curry. The texture is rich, creamy and enveloping. Water adds to the creamy texture and softens the palate without unbalancing or muting the presentation. Finish: Very, very long. Spicy and sweet with a focus on fresh tropical fruit and honey. A lingering aftertaste of marshmallow and fruit salad with a tiny tannin presence. A zesty, feisty, sprightly gymnast of a whisky with youthful verve that completely belies its 23 years of age, yet a simultaneous maturity that lends authority and control. This whisky is the perfect marriage of distillate and cask and was bottled at the very apex of its maturation. Whoever was responsible for the wood management deserves a medal. Allt-a-Bhainne is not well known and until very recently there was no official bottling. There have only been about 40 expressions over the last 40 years, all from independent bottlers, and they have varied considerably. I’ve sampled it a few times in the past and not been particularly impressed, but this is an outstanding dram and certainly the best Allt-a-Bhainne I’ve ever tasted. It was also easily the most interesting thing I tasted at this year's Whisky Show. However, my friend who was also at the show that day did not care for this at all and seemed perplexed by how taken I was with it. I can understand why as it is not a typical “old” whisky character and the oak influence is not dominant. Lovers of Dalmore or Macallan would run shrieking from this dram, but if you favour Springbank or Mortlach you’d probably be seduced, as was I. The nose is shimmering with intensity and poised on the very knife-edge of caricature it is so floral and fruity. The sensation of smelling sour candy or Haribo gummy bears is inescapable and yet it seems completely natural, at ease with itself and not weird in the slightest. It’s almost as if this whisky is laughing with and at you, teasing and whispering “You want to know how far I’ll go? THIS is how far!”. The palate has a breathtakingly clean and fresh arrival that initially bursts on the palate like delicate, tannic, popping candy before instantly subsiding into a complex, unusual but very well balanced and satisfying profile. There is a little bit of heat from the high proof but you would never for an instant think this was 60.2% abv. I tasted it blind the first time and guessed it was in the low 50s. Some high-proof whiskies are excessively tight and need a lot of water to open and tell their story. In contrast, this is approachable, relaxed and immediately revealing when neat but continues to evolve and present new facets when diluted. Every sip was a renewed adventure and delight. My tasting #11 at the Sydney Whisky Show, 15 May 2021. Tasted from bottle 123/324, distilled 7 January 1997 and bottled 26 November 2020 for Rolling Cask Whisky. At AUD$240 for a 500ml bottle this is not cheap (the equivalent of US$280 for a 750ml bottle) but in my opinion it is worth every cent. I hesitated to buy it at that price and missed out, and I’m kicking myself now. “Excellent, just a whisker short of Outstanding" : 89/100 (4.75 stars)